𝐔𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞: 𝐀 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲

Chapter 24

Happy New Year 🎊
Lots of love ❤️

N I K S H A N T

The morning sunlight filtered through the large windows of my office, but it brought no warmth. The cold tension in my chest had become a permanent fixture, a reminder of the chaos my life had descended into. Aaravi's words from last night kept replaying in my mind. "If you hate me so much, why did you marry me?"

I slammed my pen down on the desk.

"Focus, Nikshant," I muttered to myself.

I tried to immerse myself in work, but the images of Aaravi's tear-streaked face haunted me. Her accusations, her raw pain-it was all too much.

There was a knock on my cabin door.
"Come in," I said, and saw Dinesh step in.

"Sir, Ravi sir has arrived," Dinesh informed me.

"Send him in," I said curtly.

Ravi entered, his nervous energy palpable. He avoided eye contact as he placed a file on my desk.

"Sir, these are the updates on the investigation," he began hesitantly.

I gestured for him to sit down, but my focus was on the file. My eyes scanned the documents, but there was nothing new. No leads, no answers. Just the same frustrating dead ends.

"I need to know if these photos are real or fake," I said, my voice colder than intended.

Ravi shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Sir, I've been doing everything I can, but there's no solid evidence yet. It's possible the photos were doctored, but without more information-"

"Doctoring photos isn't easy," I interrupted. "These pictures aren't just any random snapshots. They're intimate. Too detailed. If they're fake, I want proof. And if they're real..."

I trailed off, the weight of the possibility crushing me.

Ravi hesitated. "Sir, have you considered... asking her directly?"

My jaw tightened. I hated the suggestion, not because it wasn't valid, but because it terrified me. What if she confirmed the worst?

"No," I said firmly. "She doesn't know, and I don't want her to know until I have answers. Once I do, she'll see the real Nikshant Roy Kapoor."

My thoughts spiraled into darker territory, but I pushed them aside.

"If I had to ask her directly, why would I hire you?" I snapped. "How much more time do you need? It's been five days, Ravi. Five days and nothing to show for it."

"I understand your frustration, sir," Ravi said carefully. "But this investigation is delicate. You instructed me to handle it alone, and I'm doing that. I promise I'll get to the bottom of this."

I stared at him, weighing his words. "You have five more days, Ravi. Five. If you can't deliver results by then, don't bother showing your face again."

Ravi left my cabin, and I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. The weight of the mystery surrounding Aaravi was suffocating, each unanswered question tightening its grip on my mind. The photos-the ones showing her with a man I didn't recognize-were still in my drawer. I had studied them so many times, trying to find something, anything, that could give me clarity.

🕊️

The drive home felt longer than usual. The questions swirling in my mind, the lack of answers, and Aaravi's haunting words replayed like a broken record: "If you hate me so much, why did you marry me?"