Adultery His wife, Her secrets: Rain,Whiskey and Temptation (CH:55 HOT)

[Hornytamilan23]

Chapter 30 — The Call Shruthi Didn’t Know About

That same evening, while rain continued falling lazily across Chennai, another uncomfortable conversation had already unfolded elsewhere.

At Divya’s house.

And unlike the noisy birthday atmosphere from two nights ago, the house now felt unusually silent.

Heavy silent.


---

Ganesh sat at the dining table scrolling through mails on his laptop, though he clearly wasn’t concentrating.

Divya stood near the kitchen counter holding a cup of tea she had forgotten to drink.

Both of them had sensed something was wrong that night itself.

Not details.

But tension.

The kind adults immediately recognize even when nobody explains it directly.


---

Finally Ganesh closed the laptop and looked at her.

“What exactly happened that night?”

Divya didn’t answer immediately.

Because truthfully, she herself was still angry.

Not only because of Karthik’s behavior.

Because of the stupidity of it.

The carelessness.

The disrespect toward people she genuinely cared about.


---

She sat opposite Ganesh slowly.

“Karthik crossed a line with Shruthi.”

Ganesh frowned immediately.

“What kind of line?”

Divya hesitated.

Then answered carefully enough not to make things uglier unnecessarily.

“He got drunk… behaved emotionally stupid.”

Ganesh’s expression hardened slowly.

“With Lokesh there?”

“Hm.”

“And Shruthi?”

“She handled it before it became public drama.”

Ganesh leaned back quietly now.

Disappointed.

Not explosive anger.

The heavier kind.


---

“That fellow has lost his mind or what?” he muttered finally.

Divya rubbed her forehead tiredly.

“He’s not bad. Just…”

“Don’t defend him.”

“I’m not.”

And she truly wasn’t.

Because unlike others, Divya knew her brother well enough to understand something dangerous: Karthik probably had genuine feelings tangled somewhere beneath all this.

Which made the situation worse.

Not better.


---

Before either could continue, the front door opened softly.

Karthik.


---

The moment he entered and saw both their faces, he knew.

They knew enough.

Maybe not every detail.

Enough.


---

“Akka…”

Divya didn’t respond immediately.

Ganesh looked at him steadily.

No shouting.

No drama.

And somehow that calmness made Karthik feel worse.


---

He removed his shoes quietly and stood awkwardly near the hall entrance like a collegeboy waiting outside principal’s office.

Finally Ganesh spoke.

“What happened?”

Karthik looked down instantly.

“I made mistake.”

Divya folded her arms.

“That much everyone understood.”

Silence.


---

Karthik swallowed hard.

“I wasn’t thinking properly.”

Divya laughed once sharply.

“That sentence should be engraved on your forehead.”

“Akka…”

“No, seriously. What exactly were you trying to achieve?”

He had no answer for that.

Because there wasn’t one.

No master plan. No hidden affair. No grand emotional confession.

Just emotional weakness mixed with alcohol and blurred boundaries.

Pathetic when spoken aloud.


---

“I already apologized to Shruthi,” he said quietly.

Divya immediately looked up.

“And?”

Karthik gave a humorless smile.

“She humiliated me properly.”

Ganesh sighed deeply.

“Good.”

The bluntness startled even Divya slightly.


---

Ganesh looked at him carefully now.

“You know what bothers me most?”

Karthik stayed silent.

“She trusted you enough to be comfortable around you.”

That sentence hit directly.

Because it echoed exactly what Shruthi herself had told him earlier.


---

Karthik rubbed his face tiredly.

“I know.”

“No,” Ganesh replied calmly. “I don’t think you fully understood till now.”

The room fell silent again.


---

Finally Divya spoke more softly.

“You scared her, da.”

That word broke something inside him slightly.

Not because Shruthi had cried.

Not because Lokesh got angry.

Because he realized the woman who once relaxed naturally around him now probably felt uncomfortable even remembering those moments.


---

“I didn’t mean to—”

“Intentions don’t matter after line is crossed,” Divya interrupted quietly.

Karthik closed his eyes briefly.

Because again— she was right.


---

For nearly an hour the conversation continued.

Not explosive.

Not melodramatic.

Just painfully adult.

Ganesh eventually softened slightly after realizing Karthik genuinely understood the seriousness now.

Divya too slowly stopped attacking him once his defensiveness disappeared completely.

By the end of it, the atmosphere settled into tired disappointment rather than active anger.

Normalcy returning carefully.

Fragile normalcy.


---

Later that night, after Karthik finally left the house, Divya remained seated on the sofa silently scrolling through her contacts.

Ganesh looked at her.

“You’re calling?”

“Hm.”

“Necessary?”

“Yes.”

Because whatever happened between Karthik and Shruthi was one issue.

But Lokesh?

He deserved respect.

And apology.


---

The phone rang twice before he answered.

“Hello?”

“Lokesh…”

His voice remained calm.

“Hmm Divya.”

For a second she didn’t know how to begin.

Then finally:

“I’m really sorry.”

Silence.


---

“My brother behaved like idiot,” she continued quietly.

“He embarrassed Shruthi. And you.”

Lokesh leaned back against the balcony wall of his apartment while listening.

Inside, he could hear Hasini laughing loudly with Laila.

Shruthi’s softer voice somewhere nearby.

Home sounds.


---

“You don’t have to apologize for him,” he said calmly.

“I know. Still… I wanted to.”

Another silence.

Then Divya sighed softly.

“You know he genuinely feels terrible, right?”

Lokesh answered carefully.

“That’s between him and Shruthi now.”

Fair answer.

Balanced answer.

Still carrying warning underneath.


---

Divya smiled faintly to herself.

Same Lokesh.

Even angry, he spoke carefully.


---

“He won’t repeat it,” she said quietly.

Lokesh looked through the balcony railing toward the rain outside.

“I hope he understands why this became serious.”

“He does now.”

Another pause.

Then Divya added honestly:

“And thank you for not turning it uglier that night.”

Lokesh laughed softly without humor.

“I came close.”

“I know.”

That honesty passed between old friends gently.


---

By the time the call ended, much of the immediate tension had already softened for Lokesh.

Not disappeared.

But settled.

Because now he knew:

Divya understood,

Ganesh understood,

Karthik understood consequences.


The issue had been acknowledged properly.

Handled privately.

Like adults.


---

But inside the apartment, Shruthi knew none of this.

When Lokesh returned from the balcony after the call, she was distracted entirely by another emotional discomfort altogether: Laila laughing with Hasini, warmth filling the house, another woman naturally occupying emotional spaces she herself had withdrawn from recently.

And in the middle of all that, Lokesh never found the right moment to tell her about Divya’s apology call.

So while his mind had already begun calming slightly…

Shruthi still believed she alone was carrying the humiliation of what happened.

[Hornytamilan23]

Now I want to know who the real villain in this story is — Lokesh, Shruthi, Karthik, Divya, or Laila. Choose one, and the rest of the story will continue along that path.

[Hotgiri]

Now I want to know who the real villain in this story is — Lokesh, Shruthi, Karthik, Divya, or Laila. Choose one, and the rest of the story will continue along that path.

From my perspectives Lokesh is the villain. I want to know if there will intimate between Shruti and Kartik?

[Hornytamilan23]

With a minimum of at least twenty votes, I can turn any one of these characters into the villain, and the rest of the story will continue along that path.

Lokesh- 01 vote 

[Hornytamilan23]

From my perspectives Lokesh is the villain. I want to know if there will intimate between Shruti and Kartik?

Sure dude, no one is innocent, all are with their motive. Menu is with you people, and i am ready to serve.

There is something called AUTHOR’S LIBERTY. Still not explored in this forum. 

Its open, at Readers mercy.

[Hotgiri]

Request you to please add hot pic and gif whenever there is intimate moments between Shruti and other person apart from her husband

[Hornytamilan23]

Request you to please add hot pic and gif whenever there is intimate moments between Shruti and other person apart from her husband

Your dick will raise to majesty's call

[Hotgiri]

Eagerly awaiting to see Kartik and Shruti session

[Hornytamilan23]

I can help.. All are at your ease to become the antagonist.

Shruthi — Emotional boundaries blurred first with Karthik, and she kept seeking comfort outside her marriage while avoiding hard truths inside it.

Lokesh — His silence and emotional distance slowly pushed Shruthi into loneliness, and his controlled nature can become dangerous if anger finally explodes.

Karthik — He betrayed genuine trust, mistook emotional closeness for personal entitlement, and crossed a line knowing she was married.

Divya — Beneath friendship and maturity, she still carries unresolved resentment toward Shruthi and may quietly manipulate emotions for revenge or control.

Laila — Her warmth, comfort, and growing closeness with Lokesh and Hasini can slowly replace Shruthi emotionally without openly doing anything wrong.

[Chennai Veeran]

Divya is my choice

[Hornytamilan23]

Chapter 31 — The House That Didn’t Wait for Her

By evening, Chennai had turned restless again.

The roads glistened under recent rain, traffic lights reflected in puddles like broken neon, while office crowds spilled onto streets carrying tired faces and unfinished thoughts.

Inside her cabin, Shruthi leaned back with her eyes closed.

The day had been exhausting from the very beginning.

Not because of work.

Because of Karthik.


---

Ever since their confrontation, something between them had become strained and sharp.

Not openly hostile.

Worse.

Controlled.

Professional.

The kind of silence where every word becomes carefully measured.

Throughout the day they barely spoke unless absolutely necessary.

And every time their eyes accidentally met, both looked away immediately.


---

By seven-thirty, most employees had already left.

Shruthi still sat near her workstation finishing a presentation because she wanted distraction more than productivity.

Anything to avoid going home with her head this crowded.

That was when Karthik quietly approached her desk.

“You’re still here?”

She didn’t look at him immediately.

“Hm.”

“Cab?”

“I booked.”

There was a pause.

Then softly:

“It’s raining heavily outside. I’ll drop you.”

Shruthi finally looked up.

Instinctively she wanted to refuse.

But she was tired. Emotionally exhausted. And honestly, she didn’t have strength left for another complicated interaction tonight.

“It’s okay.”

“I’m going that side only.”

Another silence.

Then finally she nodded once.

“Fine.”


---

The car ride remained almost entirely quiet.

Rain had softened into cold drizzle, forcing Chennai traffic into slower movement.

Shruthi sat carefully distant behind him, holding only the side handle instead of his shoulder.

Karthik noticed.

Of course he noticed.

And somehow that hurt more than shouting had.


---

At one signal, while waiting near a crowded junction, he finally spoke over the sound of traffic.

“I meant what I said.”

Shruthi’s expression hardened immediately.

“Karthik—”

“I know I messed up.”

She looked away toward the rain-covered shops.

“Then stop talking about it.”

Another silence followed instantly.

Not resolved silence.

Suppressed silence.


---

When the apartment building finally appeared ahead, Shruthi felt relief immediately.

Karthik slowed the car near the entrance.

“I’ll go,” she said quickly before he could speak again.

But just before getting down, he quietly said:

“I never wanted to become someone you regret trusting.”

That sentence stayed with her for one uncomfortable second.

Then she walked away without replying.


---

Karthik watched her enter the building before finally leaving.

And fortunately for him—

Lokesh never saw the car.

Because upstairs, in apartment 4B, the evening had unfolded very differently.


---

The house was alive with laughter.

Actual laughter.

The kind Shruthi had not heard inside her own home in months.


---

Hasini sat cross-legged on the living room floor holding a toy microphone dramatically while old Tamil karaoke tracks played loudly through the television.

Laila sat beside her clapping enthusiastically.

“No no! Sing properly!”

“I AM singing!”

“That is screaming!”

Lokesh, sitting on the sofa with another toy microphone, immediately joined in horribly off-key.

“Enna koduma sir ithu—”

Both Hasini and Laila burst into uncontrollable laughter.

“Appa stoppppp!”

“I have talent,” Lokesh protested.

“You have confidence,” Laila corrected instantly.


---

The entire house smelled of fresh food.

Warm spices. Fried curry leaves. Rice. Comfort.

Containers from Laila’s kitchen sat openly near the dining table as though this arrangement had become natural already.

And perhaps that was exactly what made it dangerous.

Not romance.

Ease.


---

At some point during the evening, Hasini had fully migrated toward Laila emotionally.

Not replacing Shruthi.

Children didn’t think that way.

But children naturally moved toward whoever gave warmth, play, attention, and time.

And lately, Laila had unknowingly become that person during evenings.


---

“Again! Again!” Hasini shouted.

Lokesh groaned dramatically.

“My throat is gone.”

“Because god is punishing your singing,” Laila replied.

That made Hasini collapse laughing again.

Lokesh pointed accusingly.

“You started this karaoke torture.”

“And now you are emotionally invested.”

Fair point.


---

For a brief moment, the scene looked almost painfully domestic.

A man. A child. A warm woman laughing freely inside the house.

No lines crossed.

No flirtation.

Still emotionally intimate in ways nobody fully acknowledged yet.


---

Then suddenly—

the front door opened.


---

Shruthi entered quietly.

Still in her office saree.

Hair slightly damp from rain. Eyes tired. Expression unreadable.

And the moment she stepped inside—

everything stopped.

Literally.

The karaoke track continued awkwardly in the background while all three turned toward her at once.


---

For one strange second, Shruthi simply stood there taking in the scene:

Hasini sitting beside Laila comfortably,

Lokesh holding microphone,

food containers on the table,

laughter still hanging in the room she had just entered.


Like she had walked into an evening already complete without her.


---

Hasini reacted first.

“MAMMA!”

The child immediately ran toward her excitedly.

“You know what happened? Appa sang badly!”

Lokesh sighed.

“Character assassination.”

Even Shruthi almost smiled instinctively.

Almost.


---

Laila stood up quickly.

“You came late.”

“Hm. Traffic.”

“You look tired.”

“I am.”

The conversation remained polite.

Normal.

But beneath it, something uncomfortable pulsed quietly inside Shruthi’s chest.


---

Just as she was about to say something further, a familiar bike horn sounded from outside the apartment building.

Shah Rukh.

Laila immediately looked toward the door.

“Oh.”

She picked up her phone quickly.

“He came.”

Then turning toward Hasini:

“Tomorrow continuation of karaoke war.”

“Nooo stay!”

“Your mother already looks ready to fire me from this house.”

Laila said it jokingly.

But Shruthi’s face didn’t soften.

That tiny reaction did not escape Laila either.


---

Awkwardness flickered briefly across the room.

Then Laila immediately smiled again and bent slightly toward Hasini.

“Goodnight kutty.”

She glanced once toward Lokesh.

“Bye.”

Then toward Shruthi:

“Eat before sleeping.”

And just like that, she left.

The apartment suddenly became much quieter after the door closed.

Too quiet.


---

For a few seconds nobody spoke.

Then Shruthi finally looked toward the dining table.

“What’s all this?”

Lokesh answered casually.

“Laila brought dinner.”

Something inside Shruthi tightened immediately.

“For all of you?”

“Hm.”

Hasini jumped in proudly.

“Beef curry also!”

Shruthi looked at the containers silently.

Steel boxes. Served plates. Evidence of another evening lived fully in her absence.


---

“You didn’t cook?” she asked quietly.

Lokesh frowned slightly.

“Why cook separately when she already made?”

Practical answer.

Reasonable answer.

Still the wrong answer tonight.


---

Shruthi removed her earrings slowly near the dining table.

“I’m not hungry.”

“You didn’t eat since afternoon probably.”

“I’ll make something.”

Lokesh looked at her carefully now.

“You’re upset.”

“No.”

“Shruthi.”

She suddenly turned toward him.

“What exactly am I supposed to feel here?”

The sharpness in her tone startled even Hasini slightly.


---

Lokesh immediately lowered his voice.

“She was helping.”

“I didn’t say she wasn’t.”

“Then?”

Shruthi laughed once softly.

Bitterly.

“I come home after one horrible day and somehow my daughter already ate, my husband already ate, another woman cooked dinner, everybody had fun…”

She stopped herself immediately because Hasini was still there.

But the damage had already entered the room.


---

Hasini looked confused now.

“Mamma?”

Shruthi immediately softened.

“Nothing kanna.”

She kissed the child’s forehead gently.

“Go brush.”

After Hasini left toward the bathroom, silence returned again.


---

Lokesh leaned back against the sofa watching her carefully.

“You’re taking this wrongly.”

“No. I’m taking it exactly how it feels.”

“And how does it feel?”

Shruthi looked around the apartment slowly.

“Like this house doesn’t wait for me anymore.”

The sentence landed heavily.

Because it wasn’t entirely about Laila.

It was about everything:

work,

emotional distance,

Karthik,

exhaustion,

missed evenings,

missed intimacy,

missed versions of themselves.



---

Lokesh’s expression softened slightly.

“This is not replacement.”

“Maybe not intentionally.”

He frowned now.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Shruthi looked away toward the kitchen.

“Nothing.”

But it wasn’t nothing.

And both of them knew it.


---

Without another word, she walked into the kitchen.

Opened the refrigerator.

Pulled vegetables out mechanically.

The chopping sounds that followed were sharper than necessary.


---

Lokesh watched silently from the hall.

He wanted to tell her about Divya’s call. About Ganesh understanding. About things calming down already.

But the timing felt impossible now.

Because Shruthi was no longer upset about Karthik tonight.

She was upset about something deeper.

Something far more dangerous.

Displacement.


---

Inside the kitchen, Shruthi aggressively mixed salad into a steel bowl while fighting emotions she herself hated.

She knew Laila had done nothing wrong.

That was the problem.

If Laila had openly flirted or behaved improperly, anger would’ve been simple.

Instead:

she helped Hasini,

cared for the house,

cooked warmly,

laughed naturally,

filled emotional spaces gently.


And suddenly Shruthi hated herself for feeling threatened by kindness.


---

When she finally sat down to eat alone at the dining table, the karaoke microphone still lay abandoned near the sofa.

Tiny thing.

Yet somehow painful.

Proof that joy had happened here without her.


---

Later that night, after changing clothes, Shruthi quietly lay beside Hasini instead of their usual side of the bed.

The child immediately moved closer in sleep instinctively.

Shruthi held her tightly.

Perhaps tighter than necessary.


---

From the bedroom doorway, Lokesh watched silently.

He understood now.

This wasn’t jealousy in the cheap sense.

This was fear.

Fear that slowly, quietly, without anybody intending harm—

she was becoming emotionally unnecessary inside her own life.

[Hotgiri]

We are eagerly awaiting the romantic passionate session between Shruti
And Kartik, please make it happen quickly

[Hornytamilan23]

Chapter 32 — Rain Between Boundaries

Rain had become routine that week.

Not heavy storms.

The slow, stubborn Chennai rain that arrived without warning, soaked everything halfway, and refused to leave completely.

By evening the apartment terrace smelled of wet cement and detergent water, clotheslines swaying violently under sharp winds.

And somewhere below, pressure cookers whistled from different homes like evening alarms.


---

Lokesh had just returned from work when the rain suddenly intensified.

Laila’s voice echoed from outside almost immediately.

“Clothes!”

Lokesh stepped out into the corridor at the same time she opened her door.

Both looked upward toward the terrace instinctively.

Then without another word, they ran.


---

The staircase was narrow and dimly lit.

Laila lifted her saree slightly to avoid tripping while hurrying upward, laughing breathlessly.

“This rain waits exactly for washed clothes only.”

Lokesh smirked.

“Personal revenge.”

By the time they reached the rooftop, rainwater was already slanting violently across the open terrace.

Half the clothes were wet already.


---

“Aiyo!” Laila rushed toward the clothesline immediately.

The wind had tangled sarees, towels, and children’s uniforms together chaotically.

Lokesh grabbed one side quickly while she struggled with the clips.

Rainwater soaked both of them within seconds.

Cold droplets rolled down his forehead and neck while his shirt clung heavily to his body.

And then—

he noticed her.


---

Laila’s light-colored saree had darkened completely in the rain.

The fabric pressed softly against her waist and shoulders, outlining curves far more clearly than usual.

Wet strands of hair stuck against her cheek while she tried unsuccessfully to gather clothes quickly before they flew away again.

For one brief second, Lokesh forgot what she was even saying.


---

“Hold that side!”

“Hm?”

“That bedsheet!”

He blinked immediately and grabbed it awkwardly.

Laila laughed breathlessly.

“You came for rescue or sightseeing?”

That sentence hit him harder than it should have.

Because somewhere beneath the joke, both suddenly became aware of something uncomfortable.

Awareness.


---

The rain intensified again.

A sharp gust of wind pushed water directly across them.

Laila instinctively held the loose end of her saree against herself, cheeks flushing faintly.

Not dramatic shyness.

Natural shyness.

The kind that appears the moment a woman realizes someone is looking at her differently.


---

Lokesh looked away immediately afterward.

Guilty.

Not because he had done anything wrong.

Because attraction had arrived suddenly and clearly before he could stop it.

And he knew it.


---

For the next few minutes, both focused almost too seriously on gathering clothes.

No teasing now.

No easy laughter.

Only rain sounds and hurried movement.

Still, the atmosphere had already changed.

Subtly.

Dangerously.


---

At one point Laila reached upward to pull a saree free from the line, struggling because the wet fabric had wrapped itself tightly around the wire.

Without thinking, Lokesh stepped closer behind her and untangled it carefully.

The distance between them disappeared completely for one suspended second.

Rainwater. Her perfume mixed with wet jasmine. Her breathing. His hand brushing accidentally against hers.

Tiny contact.

Still enough.


---

Laila froze very slightly.

Not frightened.

Aware.

Then immediately stepped aside once the saree loosened.

“Thanks,” she said softly.

Lokesh nodded once.

Neither looked directly at each other after that.


---

By the time they finally carried the clothes downstairs, both were drenched completely.

Hasini burst into laughter the moment she saw them.

“Appa! Aunty! You both look like swimming pool!”

Laila immediately pointed at Lokesh.

“He is useless helper.”

“False allegations.”

“You were staring at rain only.”

Lokesh coughed awkwardly.

Hasini giggled louder without understanding anything underneath the conversation.


---

But somewhere beneath the normal evening atmosphere, a small spark had quietly formed.

Nothing spoken.

Nothing acted upon.

Still present.

And perhaps the most dangerous thing about such moments was exactly that—

they felt innocent while happening.


---

Meanwhile, across the city, Shruthi’s day had unfolded differently.

Quieter.

Less hostile.


---

At office, she noticed Karthik before he noticed her.

He sat near his workstation unusually focused, expression calmer than the previous day.

Or perhaps just exhausted.

When their eyes accidentally met in the morning, both paused briefly.

Then—

a small nod.

Nothing more.

But importantly: no anger.


---

The bitterness from their confrontation had dulled slightly overnight.

Not healed.

Just softened around the edges.

Neither wanted another emotional collision.

And somewhere beneath the awkwardness, both still missed the comfort their friendship once carried.

Even if neither trusted it fully anymore.


---

Throughout the day, small moments quietly returned.

A shared document.

A brief “mail sent.”

One accidental smile during a meeting when another colleague made a terrible presentation joke.

Tiny things.

Almost normal.


---

And strangely, that frightened Shruthi more than anger had.

Because hostility creates distance easily.

Comfort does not.


---

At lunch break, they sat at different tables.

Still, once while walking past the cafeteria corridor, Karthik held the glass door open for her automatically.

Old habit.

Shruthi hesitated for half a second.

Then softly:

“Thanks.”

He nodded.

That was all.

Yet both carried the interaction inside their heads longer than necessary afterward.


---

By evening, rain had slowed the city again.

Shruthi remained delayed at office because of client calls while Karthik left earlier this time without insisting on dropping her home.

Maybe he had understood boundaries finally.

Maybe he feared crossing them again.

Perhaps both.


---

When Shruthi eventually entered the apartment later that night, the first thing she heard was laughter again.

Hasini’s laughter.

And underneath it—

Lokesh’s.

Followed by Laila’s softer voice.


---

The sight waiting inside disturbed her immediately in ways she couldn’t explain rationally.

Freshly folded clothes covered the sofa.

Hasini sat between them drawing something enthusiastically.

Laila’s wet hair remained partially loose from the rain earlier while Lokesh changed into casual clothes after apparently helping upstairs.

The atmosphere looked warm.

Comfortable.

Domestic.

Again.


---

And suddenly Shruthi felt late inside her own life.

[Hornytamilan23]

Chapter 33 — Distances

There are some distances that marriages slowly learn to live with.

Not emotional ones.

Practical ones.

Office timings. Traffic. Responsibilities. Exhaustion. Different schedules inside the same life.

And over time, those practical distances quietly begin shaping emotional ones too.


---

For Lokesh and Shruthi, it had started years ago.

Long before Karthik. Long before Laila. Long before silence entered their evenings.

Back when Shruthi was pregnant with Hasini.


---

At that time, Lokesh’s company had transferred him permanently to their Chennai branch office near Velachery.

The job was stable. Good salary. Predictable timings.

And because Shruthi’s pregnancy had become slightly complicated during the seventh month, Lokesh insisted they move closer to his workplace.

Closer office meant: less travel, faster emergency access, and someone always nearby if something happened.

Shruthi remembered those days clearly.

Lokesh driving carefully. Doctor visits. His constant worrying. Buying fruits she never wanted. Reading pregnancy blogs like exam preparation.

He had been annoyingly protective then.


---

So they bought the apartment.

Not luxurious.

But warm.

Close to: his office, the metro station, colleges, hospital access.

Practical decisions.

Family decisions.


---

After Hasini was born, Shruthi initially paused her career for almost two years.

Then slowly, once life stabilized, she joined work again.

But unlike Lokesh’s office, her company was farther away.

Almost across the city during peak traffic.

And Chennai traffic had no mercy.


---

So naturally, their routines evolved differently.

Lokesh usually returned home first.

By fivr-thirty or six at most.

He drove himself. Short route. Familiar roads.

Meanwhile Shruthi’s evenings became unpredictable.

Some days cab. Some days metro. Sometimes both.

And even when the office ended on time, traffic stretched everything endlessly.

An hour and half. Sometimes two.

By the time she reached home, part of the evening already belonged to someone else.


---

At first, none of this mattered.

They adjusted naturally.

Lokesh picked up Hasini from daycare. Shruthi handled bedtime. Weekend compensated everything.

Normal urban marriage.


---

But over the years, routines became identities.

Lokesh became: the available parent, the early presence, the evening stability.

Shruthi became: the tired arrival, the delayed energy, the person constantly trying to catch up with time.

And without anybody realizing it, guilt slowly entered her.


---

That evening too followed the same pattern.

Lokesh reached home first.

Rain clouds still hung heavily outside while he parked the car downstairs and walked toward the apartment carrying Hasini’s college project materials.

The corridor smelled faintly of coffee and wet clothes.

And before he even unlocked the door—

Laila’s voice floated from across the corridor.

“Engineer sir!”

Lokesh looked up immediately.

She stood near her doorway holding a half-cut mango dramatically.

“Emergency question.”

“That sounds dangerous.”

“How to make solar system model?”

Lokesh laughed softly.

“Why are you asking me like NASA scientist?”

“Because Hasini told you know everything.”

From inside, Hasini shouted proudly:

“My appa knows volcano also!”

“See?” Laila pointed victoriously.

“Reputation.”


---

Within minutes, both apartments became connected again the way they often did nowadays.

Doors open. Children moving freely. Conversations crossing hallways naturally.


---

While Hasini spread chart papers on the floor, Lokesh helped sketch planets roughly.

Laila sat nearby cutting colored paper circles.

“You made Saturn look like onion,” she commented.

“That is artistic interpretation.”

“That is vegetable.”

Hasini burst into laughter immediately.


---

The ease between them had become effortless now.

That was the dangerous part.

No conscious flirting. No hidden planning.

Just comfort accumulating quietly through repeated evenings.


---

Around eight-thirty, Shruthi finally entered the apartment building after another exhausting commute.

Metro crowd. Cab delay. Rain traffic.

Her shoulders hurt.

Her head hurt.

And emotionally she still remained caught somewhere between resentment and confusion regarding Karthik.


---

When she opened the apartment door, familiar sounds greeted her again.

Hasini laughing. Laila speaking loudly from inside. Lokesh responding casually.

Home.

Yet lately it didn’t feel entirely like hers anymore during evenings.


---

The dining table was filled with chart papers and crayons.

Hasini looked up immediately.

“Mamma! Solar system!”

Shruthi smiled tiredly.

“Very nice.”

Laila emerged from kitchen carrying tea.

“You came late again.”

“Traffic.”

“Drink tea first.”

Shruthi accepted the cup quietly.


---

Lokesh noticed her exhaustion immediately.

“You came by metro?”

“Hm. Then cab.”

“Too much crowd?”

She gave him a look.

“When is it not?”

Fair enough.


---

For a few minutes conversation remained normal.

Safe.

Routine.

Then slowly, once Hasini became distracted with coloring planets, the topic shifted naturally toward work.

And eventually—

toward Karthik.

Not directly.

Carefully.


---

Lokesh sat beside Shruthi on the sofa while Laila remained in the kitchen helping Hasini wash paint brushes.

“How’s office?” he asked casually.

Shruthi shrugged.

“Fine.”

“Karthik?”

The question came gently.

Without accusation.

Without suspicion.

Just quiet checking.


---

Shruthi paused briefly before answering.

“Normal.”

Lokesh looked at her carefully.

“You both spoke?”

“Not properly.”

“But?”

She leaned back tiredly.

“He’s… trying to act normal.”

“And you?”

Shruthi stared toward the balcony for a moment.

“I don’t know.”


---

Lokesh stayed silent.

So she continued softly:

“I don’t hate him.”

That sentence surprised even her slightly after saying it aloud.

“But I also can’t see him the same way.”

Lokesh nodded slowly.

Understanding immediately.


---

“At least now there’s no awkward fighting,” she added quietly.

“We don’t talk much. Just… small smiles sometimes.”

Lokesh listened carefully.

“And he?”

“He wants to talk.”

“You’re stopping it?”

“Not intentionally.”

She paused.

“I just don’t know what version of us exists anymore.”

That honesty settled quietly between them.


---

From the kitchen, Laila’s voice interrupted suddenly.

“Hasini! Don’t wash your own hand and entire bathroom together!”

Hasini giggled loudly.

The domestic noise softened the tension slightly.


---

Lokesh leaned back against the sofa thoughtfully.

“He apologized properly?”

Shruthi nodded once.

“Hm.”

“But?”

She looked down at the tea cup.

“I think he expected forgiveness faster.”

Lokesh smiled faintly without humor.

“People always want consequences shorter than guilt.”

Shruthi looked at him quietly after that.

Sometimes his calm observations irritated her.

Other times they comforted her deeply.

Tonight, both feelings existed together.


---

Meanwhile, inside his pocket, Lokesh’s phone vibrated once.

Then stopped.

He ignored it absentmindedly.


---

A few minutes later, while helping Hasini with homework measurements, the phone vibrated again.

This time he checked.

Divya.

Missed call.


---

His expression changed very slightly.

Shruthi noticed immediately.

“Who?”

“Divya.”

Shruthi’s face stiffened unconsciously.

“She called?”

“Hm.”

“You picked?”

“No. Missed it.”

That answer strangely relaxed her slightly though she didn’t show it openly.


---

Lokesh called back casually while walking toward the balcony.

The phone rang.

No answer.

He frowned mildly.

Again he tried.

Still nothing.


---

Inside, Shruthi pretended to focus on Hasini’s homework while quietly listening for fragments of conversation that never came.

And suddenly old insecurities returned again.

Not because she distrusted Lokesh.

Because lately too many emotional threads surrounded their lives: Karthik, Divya, Laila, distance, misunderstandings.

Everything felt emotionally unfinished.


---

When Lokesh returned inside, Shruthi asked casually:

“She didn’t pick?”

“No.”

“What happened?”

“Don’t know.”

He genuinely didn’t know.

But what he didn’t realize was this:

the moment Shruthi heard Divya’s name, another layer of discomfort quietly entered her mind.

Because somewhere deep inside, she still remembered: Lokesh, Divya, college days, unspoken histories.

And lately, her emotional stability had already become fragile enough to notice every unresolved connection around her.


---

Later that night, after Laila left with a smiling “Goodnight,” and Hasini finally slept surrounded by chart papers and glitter pens, Shruthi stood alone near the balcony.

Below, Chennai traffic still moved endlessly through wet roads.

Lokesh joined her quietly after a while.

For a few moments neither spoke.

Then Shruthi suddenly asked softly:

“Do you think things can become normal again?”

Lokesh looked at her.

“With Karthik?”

She nodded.

He thought for a moment before answering honestly.

“Maybe not old normal.”

That hurt slightly because she knew it was true.


---

“But something else can exist,” he continued quietly.

“Only if boundaries become clearer.”

Shruthi exhaled slowly.

“And us?”

Lokesh frowned faintly.

“What about us?”

She looked away toward the city lights.

“Sometimes I feel like life is slowly happening around us instead of between us.”

That sentence lingered heavily in the humid night air.

Because neither could deny it anymore.

[RCF]

I feel like the emotional distance that Shruthi and Lokesh are creating between themselves seems fabricated than more genuine. The dialogues, the situations are mostly uncalled for, unnecessary. Making a giant out of  a midget is easy for this couple.

[RCF]

Due to these unnecessary overthinking of mid life crisis, they are making it worse for themselves. Once boundaries are not respected, privacy was invaded, any kind of friendship with Karthik wouldn't be friendship anymore as that line has been crossed so it will eventually will turn into a friendship where the underneath attraction of Karthik for Shruthi will start impacting Shruthi as well and make her seek solace in it rather than genuinely fix problems in her marriage. Its very subtle but its inevitable.

[Hornytamilan23]

Chapter 34 — Rainwater and Boundaries

The rain had still not stopped that week.

By late evening, the apartment corridor carried the familiar smell of wet footwear, damp newspapers, and strong filter coffee drifting from different homes.

Inside their apartment, Hasini had finally fallen asleep early after exhausting herself with college projects and nonstop talking.

Shruthi was still stuck in traffic somewhere near Guindy.

And Lokesh, after finishing a late office call from home, stepped out into the corridor to throw garbage downstairs.

That was when he heard something crash.

A loud metallic sound.

Followed by Laila’s startled voice.


---

“ji kya huva”

Lokesh immediately turned toward their opposite apartment.

The door remained half open.

Without thinking much, he walked quickly toward it.

“What happened?”

Laila appeared near the entrance visibly shaken.

“Bathroom… he slipped.”


---

Inside, the situation looked chaotic.

Shahrukh sat awkwardly near the bathroom entrance, one hand gripping the wall while water from the wet tiles spread across the floor.

The sharp smell of alcohol filled the room immediately.

He was drunk.

Not unconscious.

But heavily unstable.


---

“Aiyo…” Lokesh muttered instinctively.

Shahrukh looked up weakly and laughed once.

“Brother… floor attacked me.”

Laila looked embarrassed and irritated simultaneously.

“He came home like this only.”

“What happened?”

“Office party.”

Shahrukh waved lazily.

“Team success celebration.”

“Looks like team destroyed you instead.”

Even in that awkward moment, Laila almost smiled.


---

Lokesh crouched slightly.

“You hit your head?”

“A little.”

“Can you stand?”

Yashar tried immediately.

Failed immediately.

His balance disappeared the moment he pushed upward.

Laila grabbed his arm quickly before he slipped again.

“Careful!”

For one brief second all three nearly collapsed together in the wet bathroom entrance.


---

“Okay enough,” Lokesh said firmly.

“We’ll move him slowly.”

Laila nodded immediately.


---

Together they carefully lifted Yashar between them.

One arm over Lokesh’s shoulder. One over Laila’s.

Yashar kept mumbling half-sentences under his breath.

“I’m perfectly fine…”

“No you’re not,” Laila snapped softly.

“You are walking like damaged auto.”


---

The walk from bathroom to bedroom felt longer because of his weight.

At one point Shahrukh suddenly stumbled sideways again.

Laila lost her footing slightly while adjusting him—

and the loose end of her saree slipped from her shoulder unexpectedly.

Only for a second.

Still long enough.

[img]<a href=[/img]


---

Lokesh’s eyes instinctively lifted.

And immediately he looked away.

But not before catching an unintended glimpse: wet skin, the curve of her cleavage, rain-damp blouse pressed softly against her body from earlier.

The image hit him suddenly and sharply.

Not vulgar.

Worse.

Intimate.

Human.


---

Laila noticed his momentary glance instantly.

A faint flush crossed her face immediately as she hurriedly adjusted the saree back properly without speaking.

Neither acknowledged it.

Neither could.


---

The remaining few steps toward the bedroom became strangely quieter afterward.

Only Shahrukh drunken muttering filled the space between them.

Finally they lowered him carefully onto the bed.

Shahrukh groaned dramatically before turning sideways almost immediately.

Within seconds, exhaustion and alcohol pulled him toward sleep.


---

Laila stood near the bed breathing heavily, strands of hair stuck near her cheek.

For a moment she simply looked at her husband quietly.

There was irritation in her face.

But also concern.

Despite everything.


---

“He’ll wake up with world war headache tomorrow,” she muttered softly.

Lokesh smiled faintly.

“At least nothing serious happened.”

“Hm.”


---

A small silence followed.

Not awkward exactly.

Just aware.


---

“Thanks,” she finally said quietly.

“You didn’t have to come.”

“I heard noise.”

“Still.”

She exhaled slowly and rubbed her forehead.

“He never drinks this much usually.”

“Office parties make men behave like engineering students.”

That made her laugh softly despite herself.

True laugh.

Tired laugh.


---

Lokesh turned slightly toward the hall.

“Okay… I’ll go.”

But before he could leave, Laila stopped him gently.

“One minute.”

He looked back.

“I’ll make tea.”

“No need.”

“You helped carry one full drunken buffalo. Minimum tea required.”

He smiled despite himself.

And stayed.


---

A few minutes later, both stood quietly inside her kitchen while rain tapped steadily against the balcony grill outside.

The apartment felt calmer now.

Shahrukh's snores faintly echoed from the bedroom.

The smell of ginger tea slowly filled the room.


---

Laila moved around naturally while preparing tea, though something about her body language had changed slightly after that accidental moment earlier.

Not fear.

Not discomfort.

Consciousness.


---

“You should’ve called me earlier,” Lokesh said casually.

“He came suddenly only.”

“And straight fell?”

“Straight hero entry.”

That made him laugh softly again.


---

She handed him the tea cup carefully.

Their fingers brushed very lightly.

Tiny contact.

Still noticed.


---

For a few seconds neither spoke.

Rain sounds filled the silence comfortably.

Then Laila leaned lightly against the kitchen counter and sighed.

“Marriage means half the time taking care of oversized children.”

Lokesh smirked.

“That applies to both husbands and wives.”

“Hm. True.”

She looked toward the bedroom briefly.

“Tomorrow morning he’ll act innocent also.”

“That is mandatory male behavior.”


---

Again both laughed softly.

Easy conversation returning naturally.

And that was exactly what made the moment dangerous.

Not attraction alone.

Comfort mixed with attraction.


---

Laila took a sip of tea quietly before speaking again.

“You and Shruthi rarely fight loudly.”

The question surprised him slightly.

“We fight.”

“But softly.”

“That’s because Hasini exists.”

Laila nodded thoughtfully.

“Hm.”

Then after a pause:

“Sometimes soft distance is scarier than loud fights.”

The sentence lingered between them unexpectedly.

Because both understood it differently.


---

Lokesh looked at her carefully now.

“You sound experienced.”

She smiled faintly without looking at him.

“Every marriage has silent phases.”

Outside, thunder rolled softly across the rainy night.


---

For one brief second, the kitchen felt smaller.

Warmer.

Too personal.


---

Then suddenly Lokesh’s phone vibrated.

Shruthi.

The atmosphere shifted instantly back to reality.

He answered immediately.

“Reached?”

“Almost,” Shruthi’s tired voice replied through traffic noise.

“You ate?”

“No.”

“I’ll keep dinner.”

“Hm.”

Her voice sounded exhausted.

And somewhere inside him, guilt stirred suddenly.

Not because he had done something wrong.

Because he had enjoyed this moment more than he should have.

[RCF]

Lol we might get Lokesh and Laila before Shruthi and Karthik...that would be an irony in itself, while wife trying to preserve her sanctity over friendship, Her husband openly ogling Laila, If she ever caught them then it would break something inside irrecoverably and push her towards Karthik. Lokesh is stupid and a dumbass.

The villain of this story is miscommunication and inability to take action from despair.  If we have to pick a person, I will pick Shruthi

~RCF

[RCF]

What's irritating me in this story is the pure overthinking of couple and inability to help each other beyond belief.

Shruthi knows that her lack of time for her family and yet she is irritated with the life moving on in her home without her, so what does she expect, every one sit seriously around dining table for 2 hours until she returns home waiting for her? She could have quit her job and be at home and enjoy her family if she prefers that, maybe they will go down a notch on luxuries but she would get the peace in her life away from Karthik and be part of her family as she wanted and could also reignite her chemistry with her husband but no she wants the whole world stop and wait for her and if not then she gets hurt for no reason. Irritating woman, I hate her more in this story than anyone else...can't fix her life but cry over everyone for minor things, make life harder, difficult and emotionally immature.

Lokesh, he is a fool who doesn't take any action to make his life easier. He expects others to fix things when they are not right. He knows his wife is emotionally weak but didn't jack squat about it; He knows Laila and her presence is irritating his wife then why not change the situations at home and keep it professional? But no he is that lazy asshole who doesn't care but perceives everything around him and on top lost his mind feeding in attraction towards Laila...this marriage is already broken and the couple are trying everything in their power to damage it beyond repair.

Every one else are less responsible for this mess so they can never be true villains in this story.

~RCF

[Hornytamilan23]

Chapter 35 — Cracks in the Evening

The rain had changed the rhythm of their lives.

Evenings no longer belonged entirely to Lokesh and Shruthi.

Somehow, without planning it, other people had entered the spaces between them.

Laila. Karthik. Conversations. Attention. Comfort.

And slowly, invisibly, the emotional center of their marriage had begun drifting outward.


---

Next day, Lokesh returned home earlier than usual.

The apartment corridor was quiet except for the sound of old Tamil songs playing softly from somewhere nearby.

As he unlocked the door, he noticed Laila sitting outside her apartment on the floor mat, folding dry clothes from a basket beside her.

Her hair was still slightly damp from a shower, loosely tied, and she wore a simple cotton saree without makeup or effort.

Yet lately, Lokesh had begun noticing her too much.

Not intentionally.

That was the problem.


---

“You escaped office early?” she asked casually while folding a towel.

“Meeting got cancelled.”

“Lucky fellow.”

He smiled faintly.

“Where’s Shahrukh?”

“Sleeping.”

“So soon?”

“He claims headache. I think guilt from drinking.”

That made Lokesh laugh softly.


---

For a moment he stood there longer than necessary while she continued folding clothes.

Easy silence.

Comfortable silence.

Dangerous silence.


---

“You ate?” she asked.

“Not yet.”

“I made pakoras because of rain.”

Lokesh looked at her immediately.

“You’re trying to kill cholesterol of entire building.”

“Rain rules are different.”

He should have gone inside.

Instead, he sat down opposite her near the corridor wall.

“Okay. Give.”

Laila smiled faintly and disappeared inside before returning with a steel plate and tea.

The domesticity of the moment hit him strangely.

Not romantic.

Not dramatic.

Worse.

Natural.


---

Meanwhile, across the city, Shruthi’s office looked entirely different.

Bright lights. Music. People laughing loudly.

Quarterly celebration.

Someone had exceeded targets, someone got promoted, and suddenly the entire office floor had transformed into an unofficial party space.

Normally Shruthi avoided such gatherings.

But tonight, exhaustion and emotional confusion made her less resistant.


---

“Madam finally smiling,” one colleague joked while handing her a paper cup.

“It’s juice,” Shruthi asked suspiciously.

“Mostly.”

The group laughed.


---

Music played louder as teams gathered around decorated tables filled with snacks and drinks.

And somewhere within the crowd, Karthik watched Shruthi quietly.

Not obsessively.

Not the way he once did.

Carefully now.

Almost respectfully.

Ever since their confrontation, he had kept his distance.

But distance had not erased feeling.


---

Shruthi stood near the balcony area sipping slowly from her drink while city lights blurred below through light rain.

The alcohol warmed her faster than expected.

Not enough to lose control.

Just enough to soften sharp thoughts.


---

Karthik approached carefully after nearly twenty minutes.

“You’re actually staying for office party?”

She looked at him and gave a faint smile.

“Historic moment.”

“That means rain will continue for one more week.”

She laughed softly despite herself.

And for the first time in days, the tension between them eased naturally.


---

“Drink?” he asked.

“No more.”

“That bad?”

“I haven’t eaten properly since afternoon.”

“That explains why you’re becoming philosophical near balcony.”

Shruthi rolled her eyes.

“You always talk too much.”

“You used to like that.”

The sentence slipped out before he could stop it.

Both became quiet immediately afterward.


---

But tonight, unlike earlier days, Shruthi did not walk away.

Instead she looked down at the city lights below and spoke softly.

“Things were easier before.”

Karthik nodded.

“Hm.”

“I miss normal conversations.”

“So do I.”

Simple honesty.

Nothing manipulative.

That honesty was exactly what lowered her guard again.


---

Back at the apartment, rain intensified outside while Lokesh and Laila stood near the corridor window holding tea cups.

Hasini played inside Laila’s apartment with crayons while Shahrukh still slept heavily in the bedroom.

“You know,” Laila said casually, “Hasini listens to you more than Shruthi.”

Lokesh sighed dramatically.

“Because I bribe her.”

“With?”

“Chocolate and attention ”

“Excellent parenting.”

Both laughed softly.


---

Then suddenly Laila looked at him carefully.

“You’ve been quieter lately.”

The question caught him off guard.

“Have I?”

“Hm.”

He shrugged slightly.

“Just work.”

“Lie.”

He looked at her.

She smiled faintly.

“You think too much before answering these days.”

For a second he wondered how she noticed such things.

And why her noticing affected him at all.


---

Inside the office, music became louder.

More people danced.

Someone forced Shruthi into group photos while Karthik stood nearby laughing.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed now, partly from alcohol, partly from finally relaxing after weeks of emotional tension.

For the first time in a long while, she felt light.

Not lonely. Not guilty. Just present.


---

Later, as the crowd thinned slightly, she walked toward the quieter conference room corridor to answer a call from Hasini.

“Mamma when coming?”

“Soon kanna.”

“You bring chocolate?”

“Okay.”

“And appa lost in Ludo.”

Shruthi smiled faintly.

“Good. Let him suffer.”

Hasini giggled loudly before disconnecting.


---

When Shruthi turned around after the call, Karthik stood leaning near the doorway holding two water bottles.

“One for recovery.”

She accepted it.

“Thanks.”

“You okay?”

“Hm.”

Then after a pause:

“Just tired.”

Karthik studied her face quietly.

“You don’t look tired today.”

The way he said it made her look away briefly.


---

Rain tapped softly against the office windows.

The corridor lights were dimmer than the main hall.

Distant laughter echoed from the party area while both stood unexpectedly alone in the quieter space.


---

“I really am sorry,” Karthik said softly again after a long silence.

Shruthi closed the water bottle slowly.

“I know.”

“I mean it.”

“I know.”

Another pause.

Then she finally looked at him properly.

“But things changed.”

He nodded slowly.

“I know that too.”


---

There was sadness in both of them now.

Not flirtation exactly.

Grief.

For a version of friendship that no longer existed safely.


---

“You scared me that day,” she admitted quietly.

The honesty hit him immediately.

Karthik looked down.

“I hated myself after.”

Shruthi’s expression softened slightly for the first time in many days.

Because this was the version of him she trusted: not defensive, not entitled, just emotionally transparent.


---

“You should’ve stopped earlier,” she whispered.

“I know.”

Silence again.

Heavy. Close.


---

And somewhere inside that silence, emotional distance collapsed briefly.

Not because of lust.

Because loneliness recognizes loneliness.


---

Karthik stepped slightly closer.

Not aggressively. Carefully.

As if giving her time to step away.

Shruthi should have moved.

Instead, she stayed still.

Her mind was warm with alcohol, exhaustion, unresolved emotions, and weeks of feeling unseen inside her own marriage.

And at that moment, being looked at gently felt dangerously comforting.


---

When he touched her hand softly, she didn’t pull away immediately.

That was the real beginning.

Not the kiss.

The hesitation before it.


---

“Shruthi…”

The way he said her name carried too much feeling.

She looked up slowly.

And before either fully thought through consequences—

they kissed.


---

Not wild.

Not graphic.

Just one sudden, emotional collision of loneliness, guilt, comfort, attraction, and confusion.

Brief.

Soft.

Wrong.


---

The moment it ended, reality crashed back immediately.

Shruthi stepped away first.

Breathing unevenly.

Eyes wide with shock at herself more than him.


---

Karthik looked equally shaken.

Neither spoke.

Because there was nothing intelligent left to say.

Only consequences waiting silently ahead.