MY AVERAGE LIFE

Part 73

 Shivani Pov:

As the day wore on, I could still feel the weight of everything that had happened lingering around me. I trusted Sharath completely, but seeing Shreya in his office, attempting to pull something so manipulative, had left a bad taste in my mouth. It wasn't that I doubted him—no, he'd proven himself a thousand times over. But the ache was there, a reminder of just how easily someone could try to tear us apart.

When he finally came back to the office after handling "some work," I could see the tension etched in his face, a dark glint still simmering in his eyes. I tried my best to distract him, sharing stories from my day, trying to lighten the mood, but he just nodded or gave clipped responses, hiding behind work and refusing to let me close enough to break through that anger. It hurt, but I told myself to give him space. After all, we had an evening to look forward to—a celebration where we'd tell everyone that we were engaged.

The drive to the restaurant was silent. Sharath barely looked my way, and when he did, his gaze was as hard as stone. "We'll talk later," he muttered, and I couldn't tell if he was comforting me or warning me.

I sighed, twisting the ring on my finger. This wasn't exactly how I'd pictured announcing our engagement, but I reminded myself that, everything would fall into place. Tonight was supposed to be about us, and I held onto that as we arrived at the restaurant.

Inside the private dining room, familiar faces greeted us. Sharath's sister, Anandhi, was there, along with his brother, and his best friends. But Shreya was noticeably absent. I glanced at Sharath, but his face remained unreadable, betraying nothing.

I decided to break the ice, forcing myself to smile despite the turmoil in my chest. "Everyone, we have something to share." I lifted my hand, showing off the ring. "Sharath proposed."

Anandhi let out a delighted squeal, immediately reaching over to take my hand and inspect the ring. "Oh my God, Shivani! I'm so happy for you!" Her joy was contagious, and for a moment, I could breathe again as everyone offered their congratulations.

"Finally, huh?" Danush grinned, giving Sharath a playful nudge. "I was beginning to think you'd keep her waiting forever."

I laughed softly, the atmosphere finally feeling light. But then Danush's expression grew serious, and he glanced around. "Hey, has anyone seen Shreya? I thought she was coming too."

Beside him, Madhav shifted uncomfortably, a look of unease passing over his face as he avoided everyone's gaze. Aadarsh suddenly leaned forward, his phone flashing as he looked at something on the screen. "Uh, guys... you might want to see this."He turned the screen to show us a news headline: **"Shreya's Company Declares Bankruptcy: Sudden Financial Collapse Raises Questions."**

The words blurred in front of me as I tried to process them. Shreya's company? Bankrupt? I glanced at Sharath, searching his face for an explanation, but he merely looked away, his expression unyielding.

"Did something happen?" Anandhi asked hesitantly, her confusion matching everyone else's.Sharath shrugged, his voice so cold it sent a shiver down my spine. "Maybe Shreya got involved with the wrong person," he said, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

Everyone's faces twisted in shock and concern, but I saw the look in Sharath's eyes and realized that he'd had something to do with this. My stomach twisted as a knot of worry began to form. I knew he'd said he'd "taken care of it," but I hadn't expected... this.

Danush stood up, reaching for his jacket. "I'll go check on her, see if she's okay. Sharath, you should come with us," he suggested, looking between him and Madhav.

Sharath shook his head, his hand finding mine as he pulled me close, his gaze never wavering. "I'm staying with Shivani," he said firmly.

Madhav glanced at me before sighing, giving a resigned nod. "I'll explain everything," he said, his voice barely above a whisper as he followed Danush and Aadarsh out of the room.