Yesterday, 11:29 AM
Chapter 23 – The Safe Shoulder
The next few minutes after Suresh walked into the bedroom were heavy with silence.
Sneha sat on the sofa, her bandaged foot resting on the coffee table. A single tear rolled down her cheek. Gowtham sat beside her, giving her space but staying close enough to show support.
“Anni… i'm sorry looks like my presence is complicating both of you.. i wanted to tell, if you need to talk or vent out frustration use me. but i fear if you would take it wrong ...
Sneha immediately said no.. i don't have anything against you. you did nothing wrong here. its just Suresh is odd
Sneha wiped her eyes, her voice trembling with hurt and anger.
“Suresh is not realising what he asking is very wrong, Gowtham. Completely wrong.
How can a husband ask his wife to do roleplay involving another man? at this age..? Especially someone we know… someone who lives right opposite us? It feels disgusting. Cheap. Like I’m not his wife anymore… just some fantasy object.”
She looked at Gowtham, eyes pained.
“I think by now Suresh would have said a lot than he should... in our early marriage. We were open. Adventurous even. But this? Sharing our private life with you… asking me to use your name in bed… it hurts. It makes me feel disrespected. I’m a mother. I have a 10-year-old daughter. What if this gets out? What kind of example are we setting? ”
Gowtham listened quietly, nodding with understanding. His voice was gentle and sincere.
“I don’t know why anna is behaving like this, Anni. I really don’t. He was never like this before. I tried telling him to keep it between you two, but he seems very desperate. I’ll speak to him. I promise. I’ll try to bring some sense into him.”
Sneha looked at him gratefully.
“Thank you, Gowtham. At least you understand. I feel so alone right now…”
The Week That Followed
The next seven days became a masterclass in Gowtham’s manipulation.
As per the plan, Suresh turned cold and distant toward Sneha. He barely spoke to her. The only words he uttered were cold and repetitive:
“Have you thought about the roleplay? Are you ready yet?”
Sneha’s anger and hurt only deepened. She stopped responding properly. Communication between husband and wife almost died.
Meanwhile, Gowtham — who worked from home four days a week — started spending more time in their house.
He would come over with small excuses:
Gowtham became the perfect listener.
He never pushed. He never flirted directly. He simply supported her.
“You’re right, Anni. He should understand your feelings first.”
“I told him the same thing, but he’s not listening.”
“You don’t deserve this stress.”
By the end of the week, Gowtham had become Sneha’s first go-to person.
Whenever she felt low, she would message him or call him over for coffee. They would sit in the hall or on the balcony, talking for hours. She laughed at his jokes. She shared small complaints about Suresh. She even started looking forward to his visits.
Suresh watched everything silently from the sidelines — exactly as planned.
The distance between husband and wife had grown wider.
And Gowtham stood right in the middle — the trusted friend, the safe shoulder, the understanding neighbor.
Friday Evening
Sneha asked Gowtham to help bring Ramya back from the hostel. He drove the car while she sat in the passenger seat.
On the way to hostel, Gowtham decided it was time to move to the next lie.
“Anni… I’m scared to tell you this,” he said hesitantly.
Sneha looked at him. “Come on, tell me. What’s bothering you? Is Suresh again asking you to convince me for the roleplay?”
Gowtham shook his head.
“No. It’s more than that now.”
Sneha frowned. “What?”
He paused dramatically, then said in a low voice:
“He asked me to seduce you.”
Sneha froze, stunned.
The next few minutes after Suresh walked into the bedroom were heavy with silence.
Sneha sat on the sofa, her bandaged foot resting on the coffee table. A single tear rolled down her cheek. Gowtham sat beside her, giving her space but staying close enough to show support.
“Anni… i'm sorry looks like my presence is complicating both of you.. i wanted to tell, if you need to talk or vent out frustration use me. but i fear if you would take it wrong ...
Sneha immediately said no.. i don't have anything against you. you did nothing wrong here. its just Suresh is odd
Sneha wiped her eyes, her voice trembling with hurt and anger.
“Suresh is not realising what he asking is very wrong, Gowtham. Completely wrong.
How can a husband ask his wife to do roleplay involving another man? at this age..? Especially someone we know… someone who lives right opposite us? It feels disgusting. Cheap. Like I’m not his wife anymore… just some fantasy object.”
She looked at Gowtham, eyes pained.
“I think by now Suresh would have said a lot than he should... in our early marriage. We were open. Adventurous even. But this? Sharing our private life with you… asking me to use your name in bed… it hurts. It makes me feel disrespected. I’m a mother. I have a 10-year-old daughter. What if this gets out? What kind of example are we setting? ”
Gowtham listened quietly, nodding with understanding. His voice was gentle and sincere.
“I don’t know why anna is behaving like this, Anni. I really don’t. He was never like this before. I tried telling him to keep it between you two, but he seems very desperate. I’ll speak to him. I promise. I’ll try to bring some sense into him.”
Sneha looked at him gratefully.
“Thank you, Gowtham. At least you understand. I feel so alone right now…”
The Week That Followed
The next seven days became a masterclass in Gowtham’s manipulation.
As per the plan, Suresh turned cold and distant toward Sneha. He barely spoke to her. The only words he uttered were cold and repetitive:
“Have you thought about the roleplay? Are you ready yet?”
Sneha’s anger and hurt only deepened. She stopped responding properly. Communication between husband and wife almost died.
Meanwhile, Gowtham — who worked from home four days a week — started spending more time in their house.
He would come over with small excuses:
- “Anni, can I work from your hall today? My AC is not working properly.”
- “I made extra filter coffee, would you like some?”
- “Ramya’s drawing book… I brought a new one for her.”
Gowtham became the perfect listener.
He never pushed. He never flirted directly. He simply supported her.
“You’re right, Anni. He should understand your feelings first.”
“I told him the same thing, but he’s not listening.”
“You don’t deserve this stress.”
By the end of the week, Gowtham had become Sneha’s first go-to person.
Whenever she felt low, she would message him or call him over for coffee. They would sit in the hall or on the balcony, talking for hours. She laughed at his jokes. She shared small complaints about Suresh. She even started looking forward to his visits.
Suresh watched everything silently from the sidelines — exactly as planned.
The distance between husband and wife had grown wider.
And Gowtham stood right in the middle — the trusted friend, the safe shoulder, the understanding neighbor.
Friday Evening
Sneha asked Gowtham to help bring Ramya back from the hostel. He drove the car while she sat in the passenger seat.
On the way to hostel, Gowtham decided it was time to move to the next lie.
“Anni… I’m scared to tell you this,” he said hesitantly.
Sneha looked at him. “Come on, tell me. What’s bothering you? Is Suresh again asking you to convince me for the roleplay?”
Gowtham shook his head.
“No. It’s more than that now.”
Sneha frowned. “What?”
He paused dramatically, then said in a low voice:
“He asked me to seduce you.”
Sneha froze, stunned.
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