[shaalu_re]

Meera quietly unlocked the door and stepped into the dark flat. It was past 3 AM. The silence felt heavy after the chaos of the night. She expected Ajay to be asleep, but the moment she closed the door, the living room light turned on.
Ajay was sitting on the sofa, waiting for her.
He stood up immediately and walked toward her. Without a word, he pulled her into a tight hug. His arms wrapped around her, holding her close. Meera buried her face in his chest, her body still trembling from everything that had happened.
She thought he would ask about her missing leggings or why she looked so dishevelled. But Ajay didn’t say anything about her clothes. He just held her.
“Are you alright?” he whispered, his voice gentle.
Meera’s eyes filled with tears. The kindness in his voice broke something inside her.
“I have… a lot of things to tell you,” she said, her voice cracking. “Ajay, I… I have done so many things today. I don’t know how to say it.”
Ajay stroked her hair softly.
“Calm down, dear. It’s okay. Whatever it is, we can talk about it.”
Meera pulled back slightly, tears streaming down her face.
“You don’t know anything, Ajay. I have walked naked in a security officer station. I stripped down to my bra and panties in front of investors to save a deal. I let people see me like that. I have been so shameless. This is all my fault. If you want to leave me, I deserve it.”
She expected shock, anger, disgust — anything.
But Ajay’s face remained calm. He gently wiped her tears with his thumb.
“You are tired and not in your senses right now,” he said softly. “You should sleep. We can talk tomorrow.”
Meera shook her head, crying harder.
“No… I need to tell you everything tonight. I can’t keep it inside anymore. I have deceived you. This is all my doing. I started this whole mess.”
Ajay pulled her close again, holding her tightly against his chest. He let her cry for a few moments before speaking.
“Meera… it’s not you, dear. It’s me.”
She looked up at him, confused through her tears.
Ajay took a deep breath. His voice was low but steady.
“I have been hiding something from you for a long time. I didn’t come to this city just because of the suspension. My old boss Raghav gave me a secret mission. I am working undercover to catch Vikram . Shankar is his younger brother. The tourism shop was just a front. I have been trying to get inside their network for months, but I was failing. Until you got the job at Blue Blooming.”
Meera stared at him, stunned.
“I didn’t want to put you in danger. But I listened to everything you told me about the office. I planted a small tracker in your bag to listen to conversations. I installed spyware through the pendrive you brought home. I have been watching Shankar’s laptop. I saw… some things today.”
Meera’s eyes widened in horror as the pieces fell into place.
“You… you saw the presentation?” she whispered.
Ajay nodded slowly.
“I saw everything through the hidden camera. I saw what you did for the deal. I saw what they made you do.”
Ajay held her tighter, kissing the top of her head.
“I know, Meera. I know. This is my fault. I dragged you into this without telling you the truth. You were trying to be a good wife, and I used that. I’m the one who should be sorry.”
They stood there for a long time, holding each other in silence. Meera’s tears slowly stopped. She felt a strange sense of relief — the weight of all her secrets was finally lifted.
Ajay pulled back slightly and looked into her eyes.
“From now on, no more secrets,” he said firmly. “We are in this together. Whatever happens, we face it together.”
Meera nodded, her voice barely a whisper.
“Together.”