Chapter 22: chapter 22

Atharv stopped speaking and focused his gaze ahead. Meanwhile, Inaya Desai’s eyes lingered on the small black mole on his earlobe. It looked like an inborn adornment, adding a subtle touch of danger and intrigue to his already commanding presence.“The way you’re staring at me...are you inviting me to kiss you? Hug you? Or…” Atharv’s deep voice trailed off suggestively.Inaya held back her nervousness. She reached out and grasped his arm, avoiding his intense gaze. “Before we go to our new home, could you accompany me somewhere first?”Atharv raised a brow. “And after that, can we finish what we didn’t last night?”His casual question made her heart race. Unlike the night before, she wasn’t sure if she could summon the same courage again. Sensing her unease, Atharv smirked but didn’t push her. Instead, he let her hold onto his arm while a knowing smile played on his lips.As per Inaya’s request, they didn’t head straight home. Instead, they arrived at a well-known cherry blossom forest in Mumbai. This place held memories—ones she was finally ready to bury. Here, she had met Neil Gulati countless times for dates, waiting endlessly like a fool. Today, however, she would make sure he felt that same emptiness.She picked up her phone and sent a message. “I’m at the cherry blossom forest where we always met. If you still want to see me, come now.”Neil replied instantly. “I’ll be right there.”Despite his affair with Layla, he had never intended to let Inaya go. Where else would he find someone so devoted, so easy to manipulate? She had always been loyal, came from a good family, and never questioned him.Inaya ended the call and turned to Atharv, her voice steady but emotional. “This is the last time I will speak to him about our past. After today...never again.”Atharv studied her for a moment before patting the seat beside him. Wordlessly, she obeyed, settling next to him as they watched the scene unfold below. Not long after, a familiar figure appeared beneath the cherry blossoms—Neil had arrived.In the past, she had stood where he stood now, waiting for hours, hoping for attention, only to be ignored or stood up. It was time for him to feel the same.“Will this really make you feel better?” Atharv asked, his arm draped protectively over her shoulders.“Of course not,” she admitted. “But he needs to experience every single thing I went through.”Atharv tilted her chin up with his long fingers, studying her intently. She looked delicate, yet her resolve was unbreakable. She was handling her pain with grace, severing ties without hesitation.“When ordering, I asked for foie gras,” she said suddenly, breaking the moment. “The chef mentioned it was imported directly from France. I thought you might like it.”Atharv raised an eyebrow. “How did you know?”“It’s not difficult to learn my husband’s preferences.”She gestured for the waiter to serve their meal. Atharv’s gaze darkened slightly as he watched her soft, rose-pink lips move. A smirk played on his lips. “But I don’t want to chat. I just want to...kiss you.”Whoever said he was the entertainment industry’s poison clearly hadn’t met the woman beside him. She was intoxicating in a way he hadn’t expected.Meanwhile, Neil remained below the cherry blossoms, pacing impatiently. He kept calling, but Inaya had silenced her notifications. Unbeknownst to him, from their vantage point, he looked like nothing more than a powerless gatekeeper, standing guard over something that no longer belonged to him.And he would keep waiting...just as she once had.