Chapter 33: chapter 33

     The phone rang at 9:13 p.m.—three minutes later than usual. Upra noticed. She always noticed. “You’re late,” she said, teasing a little as she answered.“Just finished a case,” Jagdeesh replied, his voice calm. “A skin graft went longer than I expected.” Upra sat cross-legged on her bed, playing with her hair. “Life of a fancy dermatologist, huh?” He laughed lightly. “It sounds fancy, but most days it’s stress and high-maintenance patients.” He always sounded the same—calm, smart, never too emotional. He didn’t open up much. Every time they talked, Upra tried to get a little more from him. But Jagdeesh kept his thoughts close. It annoyed her. Still, she smiled and played along. “Maybe you just need someone fun to talk to after work.”“You’re fun,” he said simply.That was it. No flirting. No sweet lines. Just facts.     She kept her tone light. “That’s all I get? No compliments?” “I’m not seventeen, Upra. And you shouldn’t want me to be.” That hit her pride a little. She wasn’t trying to act young—just trying to keep him talking. Flirting, pretending to care, making him feel special—it was all part of her plan. But Jagdeesh didn’t fall for it easily. She changed the subject. “So... how’s that Mehta event coming along?” she asked, like it was a random question. “Why?” he asked, sharper now. “You mentioned something last week. Medical event, right? Sounded interesting.” It’s boring,” he said quickly. “Big names, fake smiles, doctors acting like politicians.”Still, no details. No slip-ups. Nothing useful.Upra forced a small laugh. “You don’t sound excited.” “I don’t fake things well, Upra. That’s for other people, not me.”He always spoke like that—clever, smooth, and a little distant. It made her job harder. He never talked too much, never gave away anything important, and never lost control. Whenever she tried to steer the talk toward the Mehtas—like who controlled the money or what power games were going on—he dodged the questions easily.She gave him a look he couldn’t see, then said, “You say your wife makes you unhappy, but you protect her like you still love her.”Silence.Then he said, “Maybe I choose what parts of my life are worth protecting.” It was a smart answer. Too smart. And still no clue she could use. “Jagdeesh,” she said softly, trying again, “what do you want from me?”He repeated, “From this?” “These chats. Our coffee dates. The way you talk to me. Or don’t talk.”He took a deep breath before answering. “I want a break. Somewhere I can just be myself. No stress. No expectations. Just quiet.” It was honest. And totally useless for her.“That’s all?” she asked.“That’s all I’m giving,” he said, calm as ever.She looked across the room at her open textbooks. A second-year medical student. That’s what she was. She had no real reason to be in this game—but she was. And right now, she was losing.“Okay,” she said, keeping her voice normal. “Coffee tomorrow?”“I have surgery in the morning. I’ll let you know.”Click.He ended the call just like that. No goodbye.Upra stared at her phone. She felt like throwing it across the room. But she didn’t. Instead, she opened her notes app and typed:> Jagdeesh MehtaStill careful. Hard to read.Doesn’t drink, doesn’t overshare.No emotional outbursts. Hard to push.Gives nothing useful.Do I keep trying or change my plan?She put the phone down.She was supposed to be in control. That was the plan.He was supposed to be lonely, easy to pull in, easy to use. But he wasn’t. He was strong, polite, and always thinking.And maybe—just maybe—he was playing a game too. Upra is upset. Am taking to him for days yet why can't I get a single word from him regarding the Mehta's. Should I?? She thinks of something and immediately her eyes slips a drop of tears. Amar is completely unaware of Upra and Jagdeesh contact. And Upra keeps Amar in her phone conversation, when she feels like she wants to confirm certain things from Amar. Which Jagdeesh leaks.     Ram and Adi meets in Adi's steel factory. Ram passes the report to Adi. Adi is blown looking at the report. Ram will our child be affected by this? Ram nods and says chances for getting pregnant is less Adi. Only now I could get why Kajal couldn't get pregnant despite of being married for 9 years. Adi pats his shoulder and says will you do anything I say? Ram looks at him and says, Just say... I'll do it without giving a second thought. Immediately Adi calls Amar. Amar picks up the call thinking it's Rhea's issue. But what he heard made him to startled that he applied break suddenly. His car joltes before getting to pause and the car behind him was about to hit still held a inch away. Amar... Still online fails to respond and the car honks from behind. It's then Amar gets back to sense and continues driving to Adi's destined place. Upra's Revenge