"You didn't betray me, Yuv." Her voice was slow and calm. "I betrayed you." The AC hummed, cold air raising goosebumps on his arms. She didn't blink. "Did you ever stop to wonder why a girl who hated you agreed to marry you?" A laugh slipped out of her throat sharp, too sharp for the quiet room. "If you call yourself a manipulator, then remember whose daughter... and whose sister I am." The room went dead silent. You could hear the wall clock ticking, and their hearts thudding fast, out of sync. His jaw was clenched so tight a muscle jumped near his ear. "No... no. This is bullshit." His voice came out dark and steady, but his eyes weren't. They were glassy, barely holding it together. "Just say it, Kanika. Say that all of this is one big fucking lie." He was standing so close she could smell the cigarette on his jacket and the rain from outside still on his hair. One inch from breaking. But she laughed again shorter this time, and she looked away, fingers picking at the edge of her sleeve. "Yes, Yuv." She finally met his eyes. Cold. "It is a lie."