SRUTHI"Thanks for the reassurance, hubby. But Iâm a sensible woman. I think I can handle it."Thatâs what I told Madhav when he asked me not to get jealous of other women. But now, as I watch the actress Anandhi practically clinging to my infuriatingly handsome husband, I can feel my blood boiling. Iâm seconds away from hurling the contents of my glass right at her.Iâm seated at a small, out-of-the-way table, deliberately hidden in a shadowed corner of the ballroom. Up front, the honored guests sit in a perfect line, including the Prime Ministerâs wife, Of course, as an ardent lover of jewels, she wouldn't miss this event for anything. My brother stands nearby, deep in conversation with a few high-profile business leaders, effortlessly charming as always. From my quiet corner, I can see it all, yet Iâm almost invisible here, purposefully keeping myself away from anyone who might recognize me. Tonight, I want to avoid drawing attention, to simply observe without becoming the topic of anyoneâs whispered gossip. But even here, hidden in the background, I canât ignore Madhavâs presence or the irritation of seeing Anandhi glued to his side.I knew Anandhi would be here tonightâsheâs the brand ambassador for Gajendren Jewellery, after all. But I didnât expect her to be standing beside my husband like a leech, soaking up the attention she clearly craves.Itâs been half an hour since my brother opened this yearâs jewelry exhibition. Madhav stands in front of a swarm of media, answering their questions about the event, while Anandhi hovers beside him with a smug expression plastered on her face. Madhav, to his credit, barely acknowledges herâonly looking her way when absolutely necessary. Otherwise, heâs fully focused on the reporters and playing the role of the perfect host. He hasnât noticed me yet, and Iâm struggling to keep my composure in my seat.But watching Anandhi hook her arm through his, angling her body just a little too close to his, I feel a fierce, possessive urge rise up. I want to march over there and make it clear: Madhav is mine. Only mine."So, whatâs going on with you and Madhav? Are you getting a divorce?" my best friend Gabe asks, casting a disdainful glance at the stage."Divorce? Why would you think that?" I give her a sharp look, taken aback."Whoa, calm down! Iâm just asking what everyone else is asking on social media," she says, pushing my phone toward me.I blink, confused, and she realizes I have no idea what sheâs talking about."Arenât you active on Instagram?"I shake my head. "I deactivated it for a bit. Too many random DMs about our honeymoon and why we cut it short. The constant notifications were driving me crazy.""Hmm," Gabe murmurs, her gaze returning to the stage. "A lotâs happened while you were offline. People are speculating like crazy about you and Madhav. Then, there was this interview, and things just blew up.""Interview? With who?" A sense of dread settles in as I pull out my phone, reluctantly logging back in. Notifications pour inâDMs, follow requests, endless tags. Iâm practically drowning in them."Your ex-fiancé. Praveen. He gave an interview with his new girlfriend, the actress Pavitra.""Actress Pavitra?" I scoff, raising an eyebrow. "Isnât she just an influencer?""She was, but sheâs starring in a big-budget film nowâalongside Anandhi, no less. Theyâre apparently besties."I can picture them together easily. Birds of a feather flock together. They both seem to have a grudge against me, and now Iâve got a double headache to deal with."And what exactly did they say in this interview?" I ask, scrolling through the social media chaos, trying to catch up on two weeksâ worth of gossip."The interviewer asked Praveen about you and Madhav. He claimed that you and Madhav are faking your marriage to avoid a scandal and that you actually canât stand the sight of him. He told the only reason you married him was to save face.""Pavitra backed him up, too," Gabe adds, her voice laced with irritation. "She painted you as this jealous, arrogant woman who tried to ruin her career.â"Unbelievable," I whisper, feeling a lump of anger and embarrassment rise in my throat as I scroll through the videos. The thumbnails alone are enough to make me feel sick."And that was just the start," Gabe says grimly. "The interview went viral, and people started digging up old clips. They found one that, well⦠sealed the deal.""What clip?" I ask, my heart pounding. If someone asks Madhav about this, it could spiral. He has no idea any of this is happening.Gabe holds up her phone, showing me a video of some event I barely remember attending. The camera catches me in an unguarded moment, frowning at Madhav. A harmless expression, but taken out of context, it looks bad. Really bad.Just when things were going smoothly, everything starts crashing down again. I still have someone stalking me, and now this. Now, I have to deal with this stupid rumours. Canât I just get a break?"What made people think weâd get divorced?" I ask, forcing the words through my tightening throat."Blame the woman beside your husband," Gabe says, glancing at the stage. I follow her gaze, feeling a wave of nausea as I watch Anandhi link her arm with Madhavâs elbow, refusing to let go even when he subtly tries to pull away.My hands clench into fists. "What did she do?""Sheâs been dropping not-so-subtle hints on social media," Gabe explains. "Talking about how her âfavorite personâ is going through a rough patch with his âunworthy life partnerâ and hinting that heâs considering a divorce. She even posted about how some women shamelessly cling to their husbandâs fame instead of earning it themselves."I swallow hard, feeling a fire simmering just beneath my skin. I came here tonight expecting to support Madhav. Instead, Iâm confronted with public betrayal and rumors that threaten to destroy my marriage. Something has to be done, and soon. I canât let Anandhi gain the upper hand. This may seem like a petty fight between two women, but I canât risk having the truth about our marriage leaked. Sure, Madhav and I started off on the wrong foot and faked it at first, but now? What we have is real. Weâre in love, and I wonât let anyoneâor any rumorâsteal my happiness without a fight.But what can I do?As I ponder how to handle this situation, Madhavâs words from our honeymoon float back to me."We donât have to show our real selves to the media, Sruthi. All they want is a juicy story to gossip and dissect. Just play the role they expect you to. Itâs as easy as that."Exactly. The media doesnât care about facts; it craves drama. If my brother and Madhav can handle this circus, then so can I. I just need to give them what they wantâa show. They think they know me? Fine. Iâll give them the version of me they want to see.The anger turns into something colder, sharper. I take a deep breath, straightening my spine, feeling a surge of determination flood through me. The media may think they understand who I am, but they have no idea. Theyâre about to see a side of me they never expected.Usually, Iâm portrayed as a soft-natured woman under my brotherâs protection. People forget that I share the same blood as him. Iâm an Aryian, and I am not to be underestimated. They point fingers and assume things about me because they have no idea who the real Sruthi is.Well, theyâll never see the real Sruthi. Theyâre going to see the one they want to see. Anandhi and her friends have painted me as an arrogant, spiteful woman. If thatâs who they want me to be, then Iâll play that role to perfection.Iâm done being the victim of their stories. Itâs time to take control of the narrativeâand turn it back on them.Let them watch. Iâm about to give them a performance theyâll never forget.They might have seen Vikram Aryianâs anger in the past, but itâs time they witnessed Sruthi Aryianâs rage.â¤ï¸âð¥â¤ï¸âð¥â¤ï¸âð¥â¤ï¸âð¥â¤ï¸âð¥
Chapter 111: chapter 111
Unseen Embers Of Love•Words: 8071