NEVER EVER LEAVE

THE MAIN STORY

Karthik stood in his sleek, glass-walled office, his gaze drifting from the flurry of emails on his computer screen to the breathtaking view of the city below. At thirty-five, he had it all—his tech empire, the respect of his peers, and the reputation of a man who always got what he wanted. But there was something else now. Something—or rather, someone—that occupied his thoughts far more than he'd like to admit.

Aria Mehta

She was a force of nature, just like him. Her fashion empire was legendary, her name synonymous with power and poise. From the moment he met her at the charity gala, she had intrigued him. There was a confidence in her that most women didn’t have, a sharpness that matched his own. They understood each other in ways that no one else could. Both of them had built their empires brick by brick, sacrificing relationships, sleep, and sometimes even themselves to reach the top.

But even as he admired her, there was a nagging truth buried deep in his gut—one he kept hidden, even from himself at times. He wasn’t exactly the man Aria believed him to be.

From the beginning, Karthik had kept his options open. Aria had never asked for exclusivity, and he hadn’t offered it. It wasn’t because he didn’t care about her—he did. But Karthik had always believed that his success, his wealth, granted him certain privileges. Women came easy, especially in his world. And for a man like him, always in control, it was more about maintaining his independence, even in relationships.

But then came Sage.

Sage was different from Aria. Younger, eager, and less guarded. She was a model, someone Karthik had met at one of the countless high-end parties he attended. What had started as harmless flirtation soon turned into something more—late-night texts, secret meetings in hotel suites, fleeting moments of passion. It was an escape, something separate from the seriousness of his life with Aria. With Sage, there were no expectations, no complications.

At first, it was easy to justify. His relationship with Aria wasn’t defined. They hadn’t had the talk about exclusivity, and Karthik told himself that as long as he was discreet, no one would get hurt. But with each stolen moment with Sage, the guilt gnawed at him. He wasn’t used to guilt. In business, he made tough choices every day without looking back. But with Aria, things were different.

She trusted him. Admired him. Looked at him as though he were everything she’d ever wanted. And every time they were together—laughing over late-night dinners or talking about their shared dreams—he felt the weight of his betrayal more heavily. The truth was, he had fallen for Aria, but he wasn’t ready to let go of the thrill that came with keeping Sage on the side.

One evening, after Amelia and Karthik had attended yet another business function, the silence between them became heavy, almost suffocating. Aria stood by the window, the city lights casting a soft glow around her.

"Karthik," she began, her voice steady but cold, "is there something you want to tell me?"

He knew instantly. His heart sank, a wave of panic rising in his chest. But he was Karthik—he never let anyone see him sweat. He could fix this. He could always fix things.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice calm, though inside, his mind raced.

She turned to face him, her expression unreadable. "Don’t insult me by pretending you don’t know what I’m talking about."

There it was—the moment of reckoning. Karthik could feel the walls closing in around him. He could lie, of course. Deny it, spin a story. But one look at Aria, at the hurt hidden behind her icy composure, and he knew it was too late.

"I didn’t mean for it to happen," he finally said, his voice low, the weight of the truth pressing down on him.

Aria stared at him for a long moment, her expression hardening. "You didn’t mean for it to happen, or you didn’t mean for me to find out?"

Karthik didn’t have an answer. The truth was, he had never expected it to come to this. He had never imagined losing her.

Without another word, Aria turned and walked toward the door, her heels clicking sharply on the marble floor. She paused for a moment, her back to him.

"You always told me that being at the top is a lonely place," she said, her voice cold. "Now I understand why."

And just like that, she was gone. Karthik stood alone in his penthouse, the silence deafening. He had built his empire on control, on always being one step ahead. But in his pursuit of everything, he had lost the one thing that truly mattered.