2 hours ago
(CHAPTER CONTD)
FEW HOURS LATER AT THE APARTMENT
Hemant laid collapsed on the couch of the living room. The very same couch he deemed uncomfortable. He arrived home way early all tired greeting Karan and Anjali. Now they are gone to their respective institutes for the day and Tara has gone to YOD Industries for her medical survey. Now the house had only him. No sign of Sonarika.
Hemant thought she is probably at Vikram's flat probably getting the "best sex" she didn't get from him. He knew those thoughts were wrong , but he could not help it , his mind was finding justifications for why she easily fell for another man's charm and threw her marriage in the gutter. Maybe he is well endowed. He didn't go into detail in his thoughts as those thoughts will further fuel his nightmares. And lately his nightmares have more Sonarika and Vikram rather than the threats to his life.
He barely got about ten minutes of sleep until the front door slammed open. He opened his eyes. Sonarika stood there — breath uneven, eyes blazing, face pale with fury and heartbreak. Hemant straightened. She ignored that.
"Where are Karan and Anjali?" she demanded, voice trembling with contained rage.
Hemant smirked tiredly.
"Maybe take a look at the clock. Children leave in the morning, Sonarika. You’re late"
She clenched her teeth.
"And Tara?"
"At the factory" he replied calmly.
"Medical check-up drive. She’ll be here after noon"
Silence. Then she exploded.
"What the hell were you doing last night!?" she shouted.
"How could you sleep with Meghna!?"
Hemant’s eyes sharpened instantly — no fear, no guilt, just cold irritation.
"So you’re spying on me now?"
"I’m not spying!" she snapped.
"Rachika told me. She didn’t know you were my husband"
Hemant let out a humorless laugh.
"Right. Because you never tell your friends the truth right? You lie to them as well just like you lied to me"
She flinched.
"That’s not the point!"
"It is" he countered.
"You kept your marriage hidden from people you spend your life with. And you’re here lecturing me?"
"Hemant, stop deflecting!" she shouted, voice cracking.
"Did you sleep with her or not!?"
Hemant finally lost patience. He stood up — calm, composed, but with a fire under his voice that silenced her.
"I am NOT bound to you anymore, Sonarika. I can sleep with whoever I want, whenever I want"
Her breath hitched — the words cut deep.
"But" he continued sharply.
"I didn’t"
She blinked, stunned.
"You… didn’t?"
"No" he said firmly.
"Meghna was drunk out of her mind. We were playing chess. Something I said triggered her ego , I guess she has a power fantasy and my words felt challenging for her. She pounced on me. And then she passed out"
He shook his head in disgust.
"And you of all people know that I never — NEVER — take advantage of a woman under influence"
Her eyes widened slowly as the memory surfaced — the nights she had been tipsy, trying to initiate intimacy, and Hemant gently refusing every time.
"So… you didn’t…" She swallowed.
"Nothing happened" he said plainly, arms crossing.
"I moved away. She passed out. End of story"
Silence. Sonarika exhaled shakily — relief washing through her pain. But Hemant wasn’t done.
"Though I will confess....I had a little....sex talk....with a certain someone on the phone"
That confession landed on Sonarika like a bag of bricks. Her mind was a blend of anger and relief. She eventually asked.
"Who?"
Hemant stared at her with a glare as he replied.
"Its...none of your business. Just wanna be clear that nothing happened between me and Meghna. And nothing will happen!"
His assuring words made her feel happy and pride that Hemant didn't succumb to Meghna's mind game.
"And another thing" he said, voice low, controlled.
"You need to seriously rethink your friendship with Meghna. She’s playing a game. A dark one"
He met her eyes.
"Everything about her actions last night… her behavior… her sudden interest in me… it doesn’t add up. Something’s off"
Sonarika’s expression hardened.
"I suspected something too" she whispered.
"But I kept ignoring it. Maybe… I shouldn’t"
"Then that was your biggest mistake all along. Though Vikram comes a close second" he said.
She could see resentment in his tone when he talked about Vikram. Her anger softened into wounded resolve.
"Stay away from her" she said quietly.
"You should tell that to her. Because I am not an ignorant like you , and she will regret the day she tries to meddle in my life again"
He rubbed his forehead, exhausted.
"I’m going to sleep. Meghna’s drama didn’t let me rest all night"
Sonarika’s shoulders sagged — equal parts relief and heartbreak. She turned away, leaving the apartment in a rush of emotion — fury at Meghna, guilt in her heart, and a burning resolve:
Meghna would no longer have a place in her life. Or power over her future.
And somewhere inside her chest, just beneath the anger— A fragile, aching pain that Hemant has a special someone in his heart , someone that was taking her place!
AT MEGHNA'S APARTMENT
Meghna sat curled on her couch, one leg pulled to her chest, staring blankly at the half-finished cup of black coffee on the table. Her head throbbed. Her pride throbbed more. The first thing she noticed when she woke up at Rachika's suite is that the bed was empty. And on the desk had a note which simply wrote.
'You Need To Control Your Drinking'
Hemant had rejected her. Completely. Coldly. Without hesitation. She clenched her jaw, fingers digging into the cushion beside her.
"Unbelievable" she muttered.
"His wife fucks a bigger and better man than him and he has the balls to reject me?…..this will cost him dearly!"
But beneath the irritation, a deeper fear gnawed at her. She had overplayed her hand. Too soon. Too aggressively. Too openly. One wrong move… and years of planning could crumble. Her thoughts spiraled—calculating, rewinding, adjusting her narrative—when the doorbell rang.
A single, sharp ring.
Meghna froze.
She had a terrible feeling she knew who it was. Slowly, she walked to the door and opened it. Her breath caught. Sonarika stood there. Eyes blazing. Jaw tight. Her entire face carved in fury—the same fury Meghna had seen only once before, when Sonarika nearly strangled Sandeep for hurting Hemant.
Meghna stumbled back instinctively.
"S-Sonarika—listen, last night—"
Sonarika stepped inside before Meghna could finish, grabbed the door, and slammed it shut behind her. Her silence was louder than words. Meghna opened her mouth.
"Let me expl—"
SLAP
The sound cracked through the apartment like a whip. Meghna fell to the floor, palm pressed to her burning cheek, eyes wide in shock. She had never seen Sonarika like this. Never seen this cold, lethal version of her. Sonarika leaned down, voice low, steady, and terrifyingly calm.
"This....this is where we end our friendship Meghna. This is where we part ways"
"Listen , Sonarika. It was a mistake , okay?"
"Mistakes are when you accidentally do something harmful. But you , you tried to get physical with my husband. MY HUSBAND!"
"I am sorry it happened. When we were playing chess , he kind of said the right words that tempted me. And I lost control!"
"Which is why I am here to make it clear with you Meghna. If you can't control yourself over this , then you cannot be my friend anymore"
Meghna started to show a little anger with Sonarika's judgement.
"Are you seriously going to lecture me about morality Sonarika? Especially considering you betrayed that very husband for another man"
Sonarika's anger twitched but she replied without wasting a breath.
"Yes I am. Because there is not a moment that goes where I regret my actions. After a long time , I finally see my truth. I accept that I betrayed him and I am willing to face my consequences. But you , you don't get to play with his life like you did with mine!"
She didn’t yell. Didn’t cry. Didn’t tremble. Her rage was clean, controlled, and absolute.
"Stay away from my family. Stay away from me , and most importantly , stay away from MY HEMANT!"
Sonarika straightened, opened the door without looking back, and walked out. The door slammed shut behind her. Meghna sat on the floor, stunned, humiliated, and trembling.
Then—slowly—her expression shifted.
Shock turned to anger.
Anger turned to resentment.
Resentment twisted into something darker.
She touched her cheek, eyes narrowing.
"So that’s how you want to play it…" she whispered.
The fire inside her roared alive.
Sonarika had just made the biggest mistake of her life. Because Meghna had forgiven many things. But a slap…and a threat…from the sister who stole everything she deserved?
That, she would never forgive. Her vengeance sharpened. Her next move began forming in her mind.
And this time…she wasn’t going to hold back.
BACK AT THE APARTMENT
The apartment was quiet when Tara returned around noon. Her footsteps were soft, careful, respectful of the home she had quickly learned to navigate. She found Hemant exactly where he had left himself: half-asleep on the living room couch, one arm covering his eyes, exhaustion pulling at every line of his face.
Tara paused in the doorway.
There was something strangely vulnerable about him like this — the sharp, disciplined man, the hardened leader, the billionaire manufacturer of weapons and defense technologies… reduced to a tired father asleep on a couch too small for him. She approached gently.
"Sir" she whispered.
"Your lunch is ready. Should I bring it here, or will you eat at the table?"
Hemant stirred, opening one eye.
"Tara… you’re back already?"
"It’s afternoon" she said with a small smile.
"You haven’t moved an inch"
He sat up slowly.
"I didn’t sleep properly last night"
A shadow flickered across his face — memories of Meghna’s drunken chaos, the confrontation with Sonarika still echoing in his chest, and the raw act with Pranitha on the phone last night lingering like smoke. Tara took note of all of it. Quietly. Curiously. Intently.
"Come" she said softly.
"Eat something"
She helped him to the dining table — not out of necessity, but out of a gentle assertiveness he didn’t mind. Two plates. Simple food. Warm, fragrant, comforting.
Hemant took a few bites, then leaned back.
"You look tired" Tara said.
"I am" he admitted.
"Too much happened in one night"
She poured him water, her movements graceful yet observant.
"You carry a lot, sir" she said quietly.
"More than people see"
She had a calming presence. Not demanding. Not dramatic. Not manipulative.
Just… steady.
"You’re good company" he said.
Tara smiled — small, polite — but in her eyes, something deeper glimmered. Not affection. Not desire. Something older. Something colder. Something curious.
Because Tara didn’t care about Hemant’s wealth, or his heartbreak, or his domestic turmoil. Tara cared about something else entirely. Something no one in this home understood. Something that lived beneath Hemant’s skin.
Michael King.
The lord of violence. The legend of fear. The shadow that once walked the underworld of three continents. Tara watched him as he ate — the way his jaw tensed, the way his eyes darkened in thought, the way he carried weight in silence.
She knew those signs. She knew the dormant storm when she saw it. He is returning, she thought quietly. Piece by piece. Hemant interrupted her thoughts.
"You’re very thoughtful today"
Tara blinked, pulling herself back.
"Just… observing, sir"
"You don’t talk much, do you?" he asked, not unkindly.
"Talking is overrated,” she replied.
"Observation tells you more"
Hemant chuckled — the first real smile of his day.
"Well, keep observing. Maybe you’ll figure me out someday"
Her eyes lowered politely.
"I already am, sir"
He didn’t catch the tone — the layered truth hidden beneath her soft voice.
But if he had, he might have felt a chill.
Because Tara wasn’t here just to help.
She wasn’t here just to care for his son or his home.
She was here for the man behind Hemant.
The man beneath the calm.
The man he used to be.
Michael King.
And while Hemant found comfort in her steady presence, Tara’s mind whispered something far more chilling:
'The world thinks Michael King is dead. But I know better. And I’m here for him'
(TO BE CONTD)
Hemant laid collapsed on the couch of the living room. The very same couch he deemed uncomfortable. He arrived home way early all tired greeting Karan and Anjali. Now they are gone to their respective institutes for the day and Tara has gone to YOD Industries for her medical survey. Now the house had only him. No sign of Sonarika.
Hemant thought she is probably at Vikram's flat probably getting the "best sex" she didn't get from him. He knew those thoughts were wrong , but he could not help it , his mind was finding justifications for why she easily fell for another man's charm and threw her marriage in the gutter. Maybe he is well endowed. He didn't go into detail in his thoughts as those thoughts will further fuel his nightmares. And lately his nightmares have more Sonarika and Vikram rather than the threats to his life.
He barely got about ten minutes of sleep until the front door slammed open. He opened his eyes. Sonarika stood there — breath uneven, eyes blazing, face pale with fury and heartbreak. Hemant straightened. She ignored that.
"Where are Karan and Anjali?" she demanded, voice trembling with contained rage.
Hemant smirked tiredly.
"Maybe take a look at the clock. Children leave in the morning, Sonarika. You’re late"
She clenched her teeth.
"And Tara?"
"At the factory" he replied calmly.
"Medical check-up drive. She’ll be here after noon"
Silence. Then she exploded.
"What the hell were you doing last night!?" she shouted.
"How could you sleep with Meghna!?"
Hemant’s eyes sharpened instantly — no fear, no guilt, just cold irritation.
"So you’re spying on me now?"
"I’m not spying!" she snapped.
"Rachika told me. She didn’t know you were my husband"
Hemant let out a humorless laugh.
"Right. Because you never tell your friends the truth right? You lie to them as well just like you lied to me"
She flinched.
"That’s not the point!"
"It is" he countered.
"You kept your marriage hidden from people you spend your life with. And you’re here lecturing me?"
"Hemant, stop deflecting!" she shouted, voice cracking.
"Did you sleep with her or not!?"
Hemant finally lost patience. He stood up — calm, composed, but with a fire under his voice that silenced her.
"I am NOT bound to you anymore, Sonarika. I can sleep with whoever I want, whenever I want"
Her breath hitched — the words cut deep.
"But" he continued sharply.
"I didn’t"
She blinked, stunned.
"You… didn’t?"
"No" he said firmly.
"Meghna was drunk out of her mind. We were playing chess. Something I said triggered her ego , I guess she has a power fantasy and my words felt challenging for her. She pounced on me. And then she passed out"
He shook his head in disgust.
"And you of all people know that I never — NEVER — take advantage of a woman under influence"
Her eyes widened slowly as the memory surfaced — the nights she had been tipsy, trying to initiate intimacy, and Hemant gently refusing every time.
"So… you didn’t…" She swallowed.
"Nothing happened" he said plainly, arms crossing.
"I moved away. She passed out. End of story"
Silence. Sonarika exhaled shakily — relief washing through her pain. But Hemant wasn’t done.
"Though I will confess....I had a little....sex talk....with a certain someone on the phone"
That confession landed on Sonarika like a bag of bricks. Her mind was a blend of anger and relief. She eventually asked.
"Who?"
Hemant stared at her with a glare as he replied.
"Its...none of your business. Just wanna be clear that nothing happened between me and Meghna. And nothing will happen!"
His assuring words made her feel happy and pride that Hemant didn't succumb to Meghna's mind game.
"And another thing" he said, voice low, controlled.
"You need to seriously rethink your friendship with Meghna. She’s playing a game. A dark one"
He met her eyes.
"Everything about her actions last night… her behavior… her sudden interest in me… it doesn’t add up. Something’s off"
Sonarika’s expression hardened.
"I suspected something too" she whispered.
"But I kept ignoring it. Maybe… I shouldn’t"
"Then that was your biggest mistake all along. Though Vikram comes a close second" he said.
She could see resentment in his tone when he talked about Vikram. Her anger softened into wounded resolve.
"Stay away from her" she said quietly.
"You should tell that to her. Because I am not an ignorant like you , and she will regret the day she tries to meddle in my life again"
He rubbed his forehead, exhausted.
"I’m going to sleep. Meghna’s drama didn’t let me rest all night"
Sonarika’s shoulders sagged — equal parts relief and heartbreak. She turned away, leaving the apartment in a rush of emotion — fury at Meghna, guilt in her heart, and a burning resolve:
Meghna would no longer have a place in her life. Or power over her future.
And somewhere inside her chest, just beneath the anger— A fragile, aching pain that Hemant has a special someone in his heart , someone that was taking her place!
AT MEGHNA'S APARTMENT
Meghna sat curled on her couch, one leg pulled to her chest, staring blankly at the half-finished cup of black coffee on the table. Her head throbbed. Her pride throbbed more. The first thing she noticed when she woke up at Rachika's suite is that the bed was empty. And on the desk had a note which simply wrote.
'You Need To Control Your Drinking'
Hemant had rejected her. Completely. Coldly. Without hesitation. She clenched her jaw, fingers digging into the cushion beside her.
"Unbelievable" she muttered.
"His wife fucks a bigger and better man than him and he has the balls to reject me?…..this will cost him dearly!"
But beneath the irritation, a deeper fear gnawed at her. She had overplayed her hand. Too soon. Too aggressively. Too openly. One wrong move… and years of planning could crumble. Her thoughts spiraled—calculating, rewinding, adjusting her narrative—when the doorbell rang.
A single, sharp ring.
Meghna froze.
She had a terrible feeling she knew who it was. Slowly, she walked to the door and opened it. Her breath caught. Sonarika stood there. Eyes blazing. Jaw tight. Her entire face carved in fury—the same fury Meghna had seen only once before, when Sonarika nearly strangled Sandeep for hurting Hemant.
Meghna stumbled back instinctively.
"S-Sonarika—listen, last night—"
Sonarika stepped inside before Meghna could finish, grabbed the door, and slammed it shut behind her. Her silence was louder than words. Meghna opened her mouth.
"Let me expl—"
SLAP
The sound cracked through the apartment like a whip. Meghna fell to the floor, palm pressed to her burning cheek, eyes wide in shock. She had never seen Sonarika like this. Never seen this cold, lethal version of her. Sonarika leaned down, voice low, steady, and terrifyingly calm.
"This....this is where we end our friendship Meghna. This is where we part ways"
"Listen , Sonarika. It was a mistake , okay?"
"Mistakes are when you accidentally do something harmful. But you , you tried to get physical with my husband. MY HUSBAND!"
"I am sorry it happened. When we were playing chess , he kind of said the right words that tempted me. And I lost control!"
"Which is why I am here to make it clear with you Meghna. If you can't control yourself over this , then you cannot be my friend anymore"
Meghna started to show a little anger with Sonarika's judgement.
"Are you seriously going to lecture me about morality Sonarika? Especially considering you betrayed that very husband for another man"
Sonarika's anger twitched but she replied without wasting a breath.
"Yes I am. Because there is not a moment that goes where I regret my actions. After a long time , I finally see my truth. I accept that I betrayed him and I am willing to face my consequences. But you , you don't get to play with his life like you did with mine!"
She didn’t yell. Didn’t cry. Didn’t tremble. Her rage was clean, controlled, and absolute.
"Stay away from my family. Stay away from me , and most importantly , stay away from MY HEMANT!"
Sonarika straightened, opened the door without looking back, and walked out. The door slammed shut behind her. Meghna sat on the floor, stunned, humiliated, and trembling.
Then—slowly—her expression shifted.
Shock turned to anger.
Anger turned to resentment.
Resentment twisted into something darker.
She touched her cheek, eyes narrowing.
"So that’s how you want to play it…" she whispered.
The fire inside her roared alive.
Sonarika had just made the biggest mistake of her life. Because Meghna had forgiven many things. But a slap…and a threat…from the sister who stole everything she deserved?
That, she would never forgive. Her vengeance sharpened. Her next move began forming in her mind.
And this time…she wasn’t going to hold back.
BACK AT THE APARTMENT
The apartment was quiet when Tara returned around noon. Her footsteps were soft, careful, respectful of the home she had quickly learned to navigate. She found Hemant exactly where he had left himself: half-asleep on the living room couch, one arm covering his eyes, exhaustion pulling at every line of his face.
Tara paused in the doorway.
There was something strangely vulnerable about him like this — the sharp, disciplined man, the hardened leader, the billionaire manufacturer of weapons and defense technologies… reduced to a tired father asleep on a couch too small for him. She approached gently.
"Sir" she whispered.
"Your lunch is ready. Should I bring it here, or will you eat at the table?"
Hemant stirred, opening one eye.
"Tara… you’re back already?"
"It’s afternoon" she said with a small smile.
"You haven’t moved an inch"
He sat up slowly.
"I didn’t sleep properly last night"
A shadow flickered across his face — memories of Meghna’s drunken chaos, the confrontation with Sonarika still echoing in his chest, and the raw act with Pranitha on the phone last night lingering like smoke. Tara took note of all of it. Quietly. Curiously. Intently.
"Come" she said softly.
"Eat something"
She helped him to the dining table — not out of necessity, but out of a gentle assertiveness he didn’t mind. Two plates. Simple food. Warm, fragrant, comforting.
Hemant took a few bites, then leaned back.
"You look tired" Tara said.
"I am" he admitted.
"Too much happened in one night"
She poured him water, her movements graceful yet observant.
"You carry a lot, sir" she said quietly.
"More than people see"
She had a calming presence. Not demanding. Not dramatic. Not manipulative.
Just… steady.
"You’re good company" he said.
Tara smiled — small, polite — but in her eyes, something deeper glimmered. Not affection. Not desire. Something older. Something colder. Something curious.
Because Tara didn’t care about Hemant’s wealth, or his heartbreak, or his domestic turmoil. Tara cared about something else entirely. Something no one in this home understood. Something that lived beneath Hemant’s skin.
Michael King.
The lord of violence. The legend of fear. The shadow that once walked the underworld of three continents. Tara watched him as he ate — the way his jaw tensed, the way his eyes darkened in thought, the way he carried weight in silence.
She knew those signs. She knew the dormant storm when she saw it. He is returning, she thought quietly. Piece by piece. Hemant interrupted her thoughts.
"You’re very thoughtful today"
Tara blinked, pulling herself back.
"Just… observing, sir"
"You don’t talk much, do you?" he asked, not unkindly.
"Talking is overrated,” she replied.
"Observation tells you more"
Hemant chuckled — the first real smile of his day.
"Well, keep observing. Maybe you’ll figure me out someday"
Her eyes lowered politely.
"I already am, sir"
He didn’t catch the tone — the layered truth hidden beneath her soft voice.
But if he had, he might have felt a chill.
Because Tara wasn’t here just to help.
She wasn’t here just to care for his son or his home.
She was here for the man behind Hemant.
The man beneath the calm.
The man he used to be.
Michael King.
And while Hemant found comfort in her steady presence, Tara’s mind whispered something far more chilling:
'The world thinks Michael King is dead. But I know better. And I’m here for him'
(TO BE CONTD)
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