Chapter 41: Chapter 40

Rivaan sat in the dimly lit living room, his eyes glued to the CCTV monitor. He hadn’t thought about the cameras in weeks, not since Naina left. But now, a gnawing curiosity pushed him to uncover what had really happened that day. What had he missed? Could the cameras have captured something—anything—that would explain her sudden departure?

Fast-forwarding through hours of footage, he watched moments of their life flash by. His breath caught when he saw his mother entering the room, her face dark with anger. Naina stood there, looking fragile yet defiant. The moment her mother raised her hand and slapped Naina, Rivaan froze.

He kept watching as his mother said something to Naina—words that caused her expression to change, her face twisting in pain. Rivaan’s heart pounded. Then came the part he wished he could erase from his memory: Naina, on the verge of slapping his mother, restrained herself. That’s when he had pushed her, not realizing , her forehead  meet with wall and started bleeding

Rivaan’s hands trembled as he paused the footage. He had been wrong about everything.

But it didn’t stop there. He saw footage from the early morning—his bodyguard talking on the phone, his mother’s orders clear. The camera then showed Naina leaving with her suitcase, her face swollen, her forehead still bleeding. She had looked back, eyes searching for him, but he hadn’t been there.

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Naina tried to focus on work, but Rivaan’s phone call had stirred something inside her. It was frustrating that, after everything, he could still make her feel this way. She had barely walked into her apartment when her phone rang again. She hesitated—was it Rivaan? But when she saw the number, her stomach twisted.

It was his mother.

Naina answered cautiously, her voice barely a whisper. “Hello?”

“You’re making a mistake,” came the cold, familiar voice on the other end. “Whatever you’re trying to do, it won’t work. Rivaan doesn’t need you in his life. You need to stay away.”

Anger surged in Naina’s chest, but she kept her voice steady. “I didn’t ask to be a part of his life. You made that decision for me.”

His mother’s laugh was harsh. “Exactly. You’re not worthy of him, and I’ll make sure he never forgives you.”

“You may have controlled things before,” Naina said, her voice hardening. “But you don’t control Rivaan’s heart.”

There was a long pause, then a final, chilling warning. “Disappear, Naina. For good.”

The line went dead, and Naina stood there, her hands trembling. She was done being silent. Done letting fear control her.

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Rivaan drove through the city streets, guilt gnawing at him. After confronting his bodyguard, everything had fallen into place. His mother had orchestrated Naina’s departure, and he had blindly allowed it.

Within minutes, he was standing outside Naina’s apartment. His heart raced as he knocked on her door, his mind spinning with what he would say. The door opened, and there she was—Naina, her eyes filled with surprise and caution.

“I know everything now,” Rivaan said, his voice thick with emotion. “About my mother. About what she did to you.”

Naina’s face hardened, a flicker of doubt crossing her eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“I saw the footage,” Rivaan said, his voice cracking. “I didn’t know what she did. I’m so sorry, Naina.”

For the first time, Naina didn’t immediately shut him out. She stood there, her heart pounding. “And now? What do you expect me to say?”

Rivaan took a step closer, his eyes pleading. “I just need you to listen. After that, you can decide if you still want me in your life.”

Naina hesitated, but something deep inside her shifted. Maybe this wasn’t the end.

Maybe there was still a chance.