Jiya paced the bedroom floor, her nerves fraying at the edges. Tonight was the night. She had finally made the decision. She would tell Atharv everything—the plan, her family’s manipulation, her feelings. Her heart raced as she thought of how to begin, what words to use, and how to make him understand that she had never wanted to hurt him.
She glanced at the clock. He would be home soon.
Taking a deep breath, she sat down at the edge of the bed, rehearsing in her mind what she would say. Atharv, I have something to confess… No, too direct. I need to tell you something important. Too vague. She felt like she was about to break apart.
Just then, she heard the front door open. Atharv was home.
Jiya’s breath hitched. Her hands shook, but she stood, determined to face him. As she reached the hallway, she could already hear voices—two of them. She frowned. Who could it be at this hour?
As she stepped closer to the living room, her heart froze.
Atharv was standing near the door, his posture stiff, while her eldest brother, Raghav, stood across from him, arms crossed. The tension between them was palpable. Her pulse quickened.
“Bhaiya?” Jiya’s voice trembled as she stepped into the room. “What are you doing here?”
Raghav’s eyes flickered toward her, cold and accusing. “I thought it was time Atharv learned the truth,” he said, his voice dripping with contempt.
Atharv turned to face her, his expression unreadable, but his eyes—those eyes that had always looked at her with warmth and affection—were filled with hurt. “Jiya,” he said quietly, “is it true?”
Jiya’s heart dropped. “What did you tell him, Bhaiya?” she demanded, her voice trembling.
Her brother took a step forward, glaring at her. “I told him everything. About the plan. About why you were sent into this marriage. How you were supposed to destroy him, to ruin everything his family built.”
Jiya’s breath caught in her throat. “Bhaiya, no, I—”
Atharv’s voice cut through the air like a blade. “So it’s true?”
Jiya turned to face him, her hands shaking. “Atharv, please… let me explain.”
He stared at her, his eyes hard, his jaw clenched. “Explain what, Jiya? That you’ve been lying to me this whole time? That this marriage—our marriage—was nothing more than a game to you? A mission?”
Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision. “It wasn’t like that. Not at first, yes, but… but I fell in love with you. I swear to you, I did.”
“Love?” he laughed bitterly, stepping back as if her words burned him. “How can I believe that? After everything, how can I believe that any of it was real?”
Jiya took a step forward, desperate to reach him, to make him understand. “Atharv, I was caught between my family and my feelings for you. I never wanted this to happen. I tried to stop it—”
He raised a hand, silencing her. “But you didn’t, did you?” His voice was low, filled with anger and hurt. “You let it happen. You went along with it.”
Raghav scoffed from behind her, crossing his arms. “She did what she was told. Our family deserved justice.”
Jiya turned to her brother, her voice shaking with rage. “This wasn’t justice! This was revenge! And I didn’t want any part of it anymore!”
Raghav’s eyes narrowed. “You had no choice, Jiya. You’re part of this family.”
“I had a choice,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “And I chose him.”
Atharv let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “A little too late for that, don’t you think?”
The pain in his voice cut her to the core. Jiya’s knees felt weak, and she collapsed onto the couch, tears streaming down her face. “I’m so sorry, Atharv. I wanted to tell you. I was going to tell you tonight, before—before all of this.”
He stood there, silent, his eyes clouded with disbelief and betrayal. The man who had been her rock, her partner, the one who had opened his heart to her, now stood before her like a stranger.
Finally, he spoke, his voice quiet but firm. “I don’t know what to believe anymore, Jiya. I trusted you. I let you into my life, my home… my heart.” He paused, his voice cracking. “And now, I don’t know if any of it was real.”
Jiya’s sobs grew louder, her heart shattering into a million pieces. “It was real. I swear it was real.”
Atharv closed his eyes, turning away from her. “I need some time. I can’t—” He stopped, his breath hitching as if the words were too painful to speak. “I can’t be around you right now.”
Jiya’s world collapsed at that moment. The man she loved, the man she had betrayed, was walking away from her. And there was nothing she could do to stop him.
“Atharv, please,” she sobbed, reaching out to him, but he was already heading toward the door. His footsteps echoed in the hallway, each step pulling him farther away from her.
Without another word, he left, the door closing behind him with a resounding finality.
Jiya was left sitting on the couch, her body trembling, her heart broken. Her tears flowed freely, each one heavier than the last. She had lost him. The one person who had seen beyond the lies, beyond her family’s vendetta, and had shown her what love could be.
Her chest tightened, the weight of everything crashing down on her. She buried her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably, the pain of her betrayal and the consequences of her choices suffocating her.
She was alone now. Alone in their room, in the silence that followed the storm.
And she had no one to blame but herself.
