26-01-2026, 10:41 AM
Chapter 74 – The Call & The Bitter Mirror
Rohan sat alone in his Chennai office — lights dimmed, screens glowing blue across his face. The probe had been shallow, clumsy. He’d caught it early. Patches applied. Logs scrubbed. Firewalls reinforced. Every leak sealed before it could bleed out.
He leaned back in the chair. Exhaled slow.
Then dialed Vikram.
Ring once. Twice.
“Hello. Vikram here.”
“Vikram. It’s Rohan.”
A pause — thick with old hate.
“Let me be straight,” Rohan said. Voice calm, flat. “What happened in the past is past. We never touched another woman after Aashika. Fearing exactly what happened to her. It was trauma for us too. We stopped.”
Vikram’s breath hissed through the line.
“Then what the hell are you doing with Prem and Nitin’s wives?”
Rohan stared at the dark window — city lights smearing below.
“It’s personal. And unlike Aashika… both Nivi and Vani liked it.
The DP. We did it already. With consent. Full. Enthusiastic.
We tried the same with Aashika — she didn’t agree. We left. She ran. Accident happened. Nothing to do with us.”
Vikram’s voice cracked — low, furious.
“You think that absolves you?”
“No. But stop digging. Or I revert. Full counter. You know what I can pull.”
Silence stretched.
Rohan continued — colder now.
“It’s up to you whether to alert Prem and Nitin about what’s already happened. Especially the DP. We planned to use them for some months. Enjoy. Then leave them to their marriage life as it is. No permanent break.
If you attempt to tell them now… their revival chances drop to minimal. Marriages on hold. Maybe forever. That’s on you.”
Another beat.
Vikram’s reply came slow, venomous.
“You can’t escape like this forever. What you loved now… will happen back to you. Someone will give you the same medicine.”
Rohan’s mind flashed — unbidden.
Nivi on the bed that morning. Legs wide. Body yielding. Aadhil buried deep, claiming her with brutal strokes. Her silent surrender. The tiny secret smile after. The way she hadn’t looked at him once through the glass.
It already happened.
The medicine was already swallowed.
Rohan’s voice stayed even.
“Thanks for the advice. I’ll be careful. As I said — we’ll leave them if you don’t interfere.”
Vikram laughed — bitter, short.
“I hate speaking with you. Think about your own wife.”
“Take care of her if you’re that interested.”
“It’s meaningless to speak with you. Goodbye.
Just one last advice — do what you said.
Leave them to their families.
Don’t try to break them.”
“I already left Nivi. Soon we’ll leave Vani. Hope all goes good for all of us.
And again… I’m sorry for Aashika.”
Vikram’s voice dropped — almost tired.
“I dont know on what audacity you speak about Aashikaa...Forget it. Let’s just never see each other again. Bye.”
Call cut.
Rohan set the phone down.
Screen went dark.
He stared at his reflection in the black glass — hollow eyes, tight jaw.
The mirror had cracked long ago.
And the shards were already cutting.
He rubbed his temples once.
Then opened the next file.
Business as usual.
For now.
The unraveling had paused — only for a breath.
But it never really stopped.
Rohan sat alone in his Chennai office — lights dimmed, screens glowing blue across his face. The probe had been shallow, clumsy. He’d caught it early. Patches applied. Logs scrubbed. Firewalls reinforced. Every leak sealed before it could bleed out.
He leaned back in the chair. Exhaled slow.
Then dialed Vikram.
Ring once. Twice.
“Hello. Vikram here.”
“Vikram. It’s Rohan.”
A pause — thick with old hate.
“Let me be straight,” Rohan said. Voice calm, flat. “What happened in the past is past. We never touched another woman after Aashika. Fearing exactly what happened to her. It was trauma for us too. We stopped.”
Vikram’s breath hissed through the line.
“Then what the hell are you doing with Prem and Nitin’s wives?”
Rohan stared at the dark window — city lights smearing below.
“It’s personal. And unlike Aashika… both Nivi and Vani liked it.
The DP. We did it already. With consent. Full. Enthusiastic.
We tried the same with Aashika — she didn’t agree. We left. She ran. Accident happened. Nothing to do with us.”
Vikram’s voice cracked — low, furious.
“You think that absolves you?”
“No. But stop digging. Or I revert. Full counter. You know what I can pull.”
Silence stretched.
Rohan continued — colder now.
“It’s up to you whether to alert Prem and Nitin about what’s already happened. Especially the DP. We planned to use them for some months. Enjoy. Then leave them to their marriage life as it is. No permanent break.
If you attempt to tell them now… their revival chances drop to minimal. Marriages on hold. Maybe forever. That’s on you.”
Another beat.
Vikram’s reply came slow, venomous.
“You can’t escape like this forever. What you loved now… will happen back to you. Someone will give you the same medicine.”
Rohan’s mind flashed — unbidden.
Nivi on the bed that morning. Legs wide. Body yielding. Aadhil buried deep, claiming her with brutal strokes. Her silent surrender. The tiny secret smile after. The way she hadn’t looked at him once through the glass.
It already happened.
The medicine was already swallowed.
Rohan’s voice stayed even.
“Thanks for the advice. I’ll be careful. As I said — we’ll leave them if you don’t interfere.”
Vikram laughed — bitter, short.
“I hate speaking with you. Think about your own wife.”
“Take care of her if you’re that interested.”
“It’s meaningless to speak with you. Goodbye.
Just one last advice — do what you said.
Leave them to their families.
Don’t try to break them.”
“I already left Nivi. Soon we’ll leave Vani. Hope all goes good for all of us.
And again… I’m sorry for Aashika.”
Vikram’s voice dropped — almost tired.
“I dont know on what audacity you speak about Aashikaa...Forget it. Let’s just never see each other again. Bye.”
Call cut.
Rohan set the phone down.
Screen went dark.
He stared at his reflection in the black glass — hollow eyes, tight jaw.
The mirror had cracked long ago.
And the shards were already cutting.
He rubbed his temples once.
Then opened the next file.
Business as usual.
For now.
The unraveling had paused — only for a breath.
But it never really stopped.
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