Chapter 72

Niharika woke up that morning with a heavy heart. She tried to shake off the feeling, but it lingered like an unwanted shadow. She had tried to push it all aside, but something inside her kept nagging at her.

She got dressed quickly, slipping into something professional for the day. Mayank was still in the kitchen, his back turned to her as he prepared his coffee. She stood for a moment, watching him, before walking over to grab her things for work.

"Good morning," she said softly, though her voice lacked the warmth it usually held.

Mayank turned around, his eyes brightening when he saw her. "Good morning, darling," he said, his voice gentle. "Have a nice day at work."

He walked over to her and pulled her into a hug, the gesture warm but hesitant, sensing the shift in her mood. Niharika hugged him back, but the embrace felt distant—short and tight, like she was holding herself back.

Mayank pulled back slightly, his eyes searching hers, trying to read her expression. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly, his brow furrowing slightly in concern.

She smiled faintly, trying to mask what she was feeling. "I'm fine. Really. I just have a lot to do today."

He studied her for a moment longer, before leaning in to kiss her softly. His lips were warm and tender, and there was something possessive in the way he kissed her, as if he was trying to reassure her—or perhaps himself. "Come back soon," he whispered against her lips.

Niharika blinked, trying to push down the surge of emotion that his kiss stirred. She smiled, though it was a weak attempt at masking what she truly felt. "I will," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

As she walked out the door, the cool morning air hit her, and she took a deep breath. Maybe I'm overreacting, she thought to herself. Mayank does care. That kiss— it was soft. It was possessive. He still wants me, right?

The thoughts ran through her mind as she went about her workday, and despite herself, she did feel better. Maybe it was just her insecurities talking. Maybe she had blown things out of proportion. By the time she wrapped up her day at work, she felt more at peace with herself, telling herself that it was okay.

But when she got home, everything came to a crashing halt.

She opened the door and froze. There, in the hallway, stood Zaina, smiling brightly as she hugged Mayank. Niharika's breath caught in her throat as she watched them, her heart pounding in her chest. The warmth, the familiarity between them—it was like a punch to her gut. She couldn't move, couldn't speak, as the image of Mayank's arms around Zaina struck her harder than anything.

Niharika stood there, frozen, her eyes wide in disbelief, the world around her spinning.

Niharika stood frozen at the doorway, still processing what she had just seen. Zaina, with her warm smile, looked up and noticed Niharika standing there, her expression unreadable.

"Ohhh, Niharika, welcome home!" Zaina said, her voice cheerful as she made her way over to give Niharika a hug. Niharika's heart raced, but she forced a tight smile and gave a small, awkward hug back, feeling the sting of the moment.

Zaina pulled away, not sensing the tension in the air. "Alright, I need to head out now. You two have a nice evening!" she said, flashing them both a smile before turning toward the door. She waved at Niharika, then stepped out and closed the door behind her.

The sound of the door closing echoed in the silence, and Niharika stood there, staring at the space Zaina had just vacated. Mayank, who had been quietly watching the exchange, now walked up to her, a gentle smile on his face. He opened his arms, as if to hug her, but she instinctively stepped back, holding her hand out to stop him.

"Nihu, what happened?" he asked, his voice filled with confusion and concern.

"Nothing, Mayank. Just don't. I'm not in the mood," she replied curtly, trying to brush him off as she turned away, heading towards the living room.

But Mayank wasn't having it. He stepped forward, gently grabbing her arm to stop her from walking away. "Talk to me, Niharika," he insisted, his voice softer now, filled with a mix of concern and frustration. "What's going on? Please, just tell me. Look, if it's Zaina, I can explain. She was just—"

Niharika's chest tightened. She could feel the rage bubbling up inside her, all the pain, all the insecurities she had been hiding. Without thinking, she spun around to face him, her voice trembling with emotion as she cut him off.

"I don't care!!" she yelled, her voice cracking. "Just take Zaina and leave me alone!" Her breath came out in uneven gasps as the tears she had been holding back finally threatened to spill over.

The tension in the room had been building for what felt like hours. Niharika's chest tightened with every word that escaped her lips, and Mayank, equally frustrated, stood in front of her, trying to make sense of the mess.

"What do you mean, 'take Zaina and leave'?" Mayank demanded, his voice thick with confusion and anger. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't act like you don't know, Mayank," Niharika spat, her eyes narrowing. "Don't act innocent. It's so obvious."

"Obvious?" Mayank echoed, shaking his head. "What's obvious?"

"I know you two love each other, okay?!" Niharika shouted, her voice rising with each word. "I've seen it. The way you two act around each other, how you brush it off like it's nothing. I know what I saw."

Mayank stood there, completely caught off guard, his mind racing. "What's wrong with you?!" he yelled in disbelief. "You're blowing this way out of proportion."

"No!" Niharika snapped. "Don't you dare say that! You've been doing everything to push me away, Mayank. Don't you remember telling Rohan to keep me away from your hangouts? Don't you remember the damn foot brushing?"

Mayank's brows furrowed, struggling to understand what she was talking about. "What foot brushing? What the hell are you even saying?"

"I'm saying you're still in love with her!" Niharika yelled, her voice raw with emotion. "I know you never wanted to marry me in the first place, but you didn't need to cheat, Mayank. You didn't need to say yes! You could've just told me, and I would have left! But now you've dragged me into this mess!"

"Enough!" Mayank's voice cracked as he took a step toward her, trying to get a grip on the situation. "If I wanted to cheat, I would have. Hell, I would have said yes to her if that's what I wanted. But this... this is something I never expected." He took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Just hear me out, okay? I don't even know what you're talking about!"

But before he could say anything more, Niharika's phone buzzed, and she glanced down to see Zaina's name flashing on the screen. A bitter laugh escaped her lips as she looked up at Mayank. "Oh, how perfect," she said sarcastically. "Take your girlfriend's call, Mayank. I'm sure she needs you."

Mayank froze. Her words stung, but he couldn't let this go on. He reached for her, gripping her arms and pinning her to the wall, his breath heavy. "She's not my girlfriend," he hissed. "You're my wif—."

Niharika recoiled, her expression a mix of disbelief and hurt. "Oh, sure," she retorted coldly. "Contract wife. Nothing else. I'm just your roommate, right?"

The anger in Mayank's chest grew, but so did the hurt. "What is wrong with you, Niharika? You don't trust me at all, do you? After everything, after all we've been through, you still think I would do that to you? I reassured you! Why would I go against my own words?!"

Niharika's face twisted in anger, but deep down, the sadness had already taken root. "I just don't know anymore," she whispered, tears welling in her eyes.

Mayank, equally frustrated and emotional, paced the room as he tried to get her to understand. "Zaina was here today, Niharika. She just came to tell me that she's going back to India for a while. She couldn't meet me for breakfast with the rest of the gang because I said no. I said no, so I could stay here with you. You think I'm still in love with her? I've been trying to make this work with you, damn it!"

"Oh, sure," Niharika sneered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I bet that's the truth. You can't even admit that you want to be with her."

"Was this a mistake?" He yelled in anger.

Niharika stood frozen, her eyes wide as she processed Mayank's words. The room felt cold and distant, as if the space between them had grown impossibly wide. She couldn't believe what she had just heard.

Niharika's heart raced, the pain in her chest threatening to overwhelm her. She clenched her fists, trying to keep herself from crumbling. "You think this was a mistake? All of this?" Her voice shook with rage. "You think I was a mistake, Mayank? The wedding, the promises, everything?"

Mayank ran his hands through his hair in frustration, his mind spiraling. "I'm not saying that, Niharika. But you're making me feel like it was! I'm just trying to make sense of what's going on here, but all I get is doubt and accusations from you!" He stepped forward, his expression now a mix of hurt and confusion. "You think I wanted this? To feel like I'm walking on eggshells around you, that every move I make is being watched?"

"I'm not accusing you, Mayank!" Niharika shot back, her voice getting louder with every word. "I'm just... I'm just trying to understand why you can't seem to cut ties with her. You don't get it. She's here all the time, and you're always talking to her. You're acting like nothing ever happened between you two!"

Mayank's fists clenched. "Nothing has happened between us. Zaina and I are just friends. You know that."

"But do you really want to be friends with her?" Niharika's words hit like a slap, her tone dripping with disbelief. "Because it feels like you want to be with her, that's what it looks like."

Mayank's face contorted with anger, and he took a step closer to her, his voice now tight with frustration. "You really think I'd throw everything we have away for her? After everything we've been through? I chose you, Niharika. I chose to be with you, to make this work. I don't want her. I don't need her. You keep pushing me away. You keep questioning everything I do!"

Niharika's eyes filled with tears, and her voice quivered as she spoke. "Because I can't trust you anymore! You keep saying things, doing things, and I'm supposed to just sit here and pretend like everything's okay? That I'm not scared? Scared that one day, you'll look at me and realize you made a mistake marrying me? Like you just said?!"

Mayank's face softened for a moment—regretting his words—but then the anger flared back in his eyes. "This isn't about me realizing anything, Niharika. This is about you not trusting me. You keep assuming that I'm going to hurt you like everyone else has. You're the one pushing me away, and I can't always reassure you! You need to learn to trust me!"

Niharika took a deep breath, tears slipping down her face. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry for not being enough. I'm sorry that I'm not like Zaina. I'm sorry that I can't just be perfect for you." She laughed bitterly, wiping her face. "I'm sorry I'm not her."

Mayank's heart twisted at her words, but he couldn't hold back anymore. "Stop it!" he shouted, stepping toward her again. "Don't you dare compare yourself to her! You're nothing like her. You're my wife, Niharika. And I'm not going anywhere. But I can't keep fighting for something you don't even believe in."

The room fell silent for a moment, the air heavy with tension. Niharika's chest heaved with emotion, but she didn't know how to stop the storm inside her. "Maybe we should just... stop pretending, Mayank," she whispered, voice cracking. "Maybe we should stop pretending that we have something real, because right now, it feels like we're both just stuck in something that's already falling apart."

Mayank's face turned pale, the words hitting him like a freight train. He stared at her for a moment, his breath shaky. "What are you saying? Are you saying you want to leave? Is that what this is about?"

Niharika shook her head, a soft sob escaping her lips. "I don't know anymore, Mayank. I don't know. But you have to understand that you've been pushing me away too.."

He ran his hands through his hair, pacing the room. "I've been trying to listen, Niharika. But how can I listen when you won't let me in? How can I make this work when all you see is Zaina in everything I do?"

"I only see what you want me to see, Mayank," she snapped, voice cracking with emotion. "I see you and her together. I see the way you look at her, the way you talk to her. I see how she's more important than me to you. I see how invisible I am to you when she's around. I saw how you told Rohan to keep me away when she was around."

Mayank took a step back, shaking his head. "This is insane. You're making me sound like I don't care about you. You think this is easy for me too? I'm trying to fix things, but you keep pushing me away. I keep asking you everyday if you're fine but all you do is mask it. You keep making it hard."

Niharika wiped her face, standing tall despite the tears still rolling down her cheeks. "Maybe you're right. Maybe this marriage was a mistake. Maybe we never should have done this."

Mayank's blood ran cold as her words hit him like a slap. He froze, unable to process the hurt that spread through him at her statement. "What did you just say?"

"Maybe we never should have said yes," Niharika whispered, her voice barely audible. "Maybe this was all a mistake."

He stood there, stunned, the pain in his chest threatening to overwhelm him. "Niharika..."

But she didn't look at him. She turned away, her voice shaking as she walked toward the door. "Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe everything was just... wrong."

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