09-06-2026, 04:56 PM
Chapter 31: Morning After the Storm
Jay barely slept that night.
He lay on his side of the bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying Nikitha’s words again and again like a broken record.
"No, don’t utter a single word… I fear, anymore word from you… it would permanently break between us."
Those words had cut deep. But this time, in the quiet darkness, he heard something different beneath the anger.
Fear.
She was afraid of a permanent break. She was afraid of leaving him. She was afraid of walking out of his world completely.
For the first time in days, a strange clarity settled over him.
He had been wrong.
He had expressed his love in the worst possible way — the same possessive, controlling way he had used with Anjali to “show ownership.” But Nikitha wasn’t Anjali. She was the woman who had stood beside him through hell. The woman he had slowly, unknowingly fallen in love with.
And he had treated her like property.
He knew he still had a chance. Speaking to her properly, declaring his love honestly, showing her he could change — that was the only way to fix this. He decided he would not let her go. Not without fighting for her the right way.
With that thought, he finally drifted into an uneasy sleep.
The next morning, the sunlight felt harsher than usual.
Nikitha was dressing in front of the mirror, quietly slipping into a simple saree. She was wearing a jacket over her bra, her movements mechanical and distant. For a moment, she glanced at the bedroom door and gently pushed it almost closed — a small, silent attempt to create distance.
Jay noticed.
He walked over without a word, opened the door fully, and stepped behind her. Before she could react, he wrapped his arms around her from the back, hugging her tightly, his chest pressed against her back.
Nikitha stiffened instantly.
“How can you come and hug me like this after what you did?” she said coldly, voice low. “You think I’m easy? You just want sex again, hugging me like this…”
Jay rested his chin on her shoulder, holding her firmly but gently.
“Nikitha, just listen to me,” he said quietly. “I know I was wrong.”
“My way of expressing love was wrong,” he continued, his voice steady despite the storm inside him. “I’m sorry about that. I know I hurt you. But I’m sure about one thing — I love you. I figured it out only recently. I’m telling you the truth. It’s not insecurity or about ownership. I don’t want to see you with anyone else. I only need you. I can’t leave you.”
He held her tighter, as if afraid she would slip away.
Nikitha stood still for a few seconds, then turned slightly in his arms. Her eyes were cold, but her voice trembled with anger and pain.
“Stop dreaming, Jay. Do you think I will buy it? It sounds fake to me. Our marriage is fake. We know that.”
“I will go one day,” she said deliberately. “Once our agreed tenure ends, we will move our own ways. I will marry someone else.
Jay asked are you still thinking Tharun, he has girlfriend.
Nikitha said.. Even if Tharun is not the one for the future, I’m telling you right now — I’m going to go into a relationship with him, even if that limited to sex.. You can’t stop me with mere love dialogues.”
She said it like a knife, pushing the words to provoke him, to hurt him the way he had hurt her.
She believes, Jay is speaking smooth to calm her down but she doubts if he truly understand her.. she still believes he will show a different face like one in the night.. she just wanted to try and prove, Jay is just obsessed with her and not love like he claims.. she doesn't want to blame him but wanted to make him realize hence she decided to provoke him, with such words...
Jay didn’t explode.
He simply held her tighter, breathing steadily.
“I know,” he whispered. “I was wrong. I won’t stop you if that’s what you truly want. But if you’re doing this in rage, I beg you to stop. I can’t change my nature overnight… but I believe you will understand my love one day.”
“Flimsy dialogue,” Nikitha said bitterly. “I’m done.”
Jay exhaled. “Okay. Lets stop our argument... its time for office.. I know you didn’t cook.
Let’s go out and have breakfast. We can speak later.”
Nikitha turned away. “I’m going alone. Not coming with you.”
She had finished dressing herself in saree by this time.
Before she could step away from bedroom, a loud car horn blared from outside their villa.
Both of them froze.
It was Tharun.
He had come to pick her up for office.
Nikitha’s eyes flashed with a mix of shock and opportunity. She wanted to provoke Jay further — to bring out his true nature, to punish him for how he had treated her.
“See?” she said, voice sharp. “Tharun knows me better. Without me even telling him, he came to pick me up.”
Jay’s jaw tightened, irritation flashing across his face, but he tried to control it.
“You should not go. Chase him away. We are going by ourselves.”
Nikitha’s eyes hardened.
“Mr. Jay, stop here. You don’t dictate what I should do. I’m an adult. I know my limits. And even if I want to cross those limits, no one has the right to stop me or control me.
Im not stopping you, im telling you i love you and you should not do this.
Look — this is not love. This is control you’re trying to impose on me. and we never loved that i should listen to you.”
“I’m your husband, Nikitha,” Jay said, voice strained.
“On paper,” she reminded him coldly. “We are fake.”
He stepped closer. “I love you. Im telling you now. Ppl in love wont do that"
Nikitha exhaled and said.. “True people in love would not do this.
I’m doing this because I never felt loved. Stop me with your love, not by freaking control. I would stop myself if I felt love. But you never loved me. You are just projecting that you love me.”
She took her bag and walked toward the main door.
Jay shouted after her, “Before you open the main door… Tharun may expect you to come out from upstairs. Don’t get caught yourself.”
Nikitha tightened her eyes, realizing how blunt she was being. She paused.
“I know,” she said. “I just came to see if this was unlocked.”
She went through the upstairs entrance.
Jay thought she was just playing but ashs he moves upstairs, his heart skipped a beat.. He kept shouting, running behind her. “I hate you going with him!”
“Then I would love going with him.
Doing things with him,” she shot back. “If you say no, I will do that.”
Her heart beat fast. She knew what she was doing — pushing him, punishing him, testing him. She wanted him to understand what real love felt like. But she also knew this cat-and-mouse game might cost them everything.
With uncertainty swirling inside her, she stepped out.
Tharun waved from the road. She walked to his car and got in.
“Let's go,” she said.
Once inside, Nikitha looked at Tharun coldly. “Thanks for offering me a lift, but don’t do this often unless necessary. Families around here, Jay is here… I don’t want scandals or rumours. Last night’s kiss and hug didn’t give you any rights.”
Tharun smiled, starting the engine. He didn’t argue. He simply drove toward the office, the tension between them thick and unresolved.
Jay barely slept that night.
He lay on his side of the bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying Nikitha’s words again and again like a broken record.
"No, don’t utter a single word… I fear, anymore word from you… it would permanently break between us."
Those words had cut deep. But this time, in the quiet darkness, he heard something different beneath the anger.
Fear.
She was afraid of a permanent break. She was afraid of leaving him. She was afraid of walking out of his world completely.
For the first time in days, a strange clarity settled over him.
He had been wrong.
He had expressed his love in the worst possible way — the same possessive, controlling way he had used with Anjali to “show ownership.” But Nikitha wasn’t Anjali. She was the woman who had stood beside him through hell. The woman he had slowly, unknowingly fallen in love with.
And he had treated her like property.
He knew he still had a chance. Speaking to her properly, declaring his love honestly, showing her he could change — that was the only way to fix this. He decided he would not let her go. Not without fighting for her the right way.
With that thought, he finally drifted into an uneasy sleep.
The next morning, the sunlight felt harsher than usual.
Nikitha was dressing in front of the mirror, quietly slipping into a simple saree. She was wearing a jacket over her bra, her movements mechanical and distant. For a moment, she glanced at the bedroom door and gently pushed it almost closed — a small, silent attempt to create distance.
Jay noticed.
He walked over without a word, opened the door fully, and stepped behind her. Before she could react, he wrapped his arms around her from the back, hugging her tightly, his chest pressed against her back.
Nikitha stiffened instantly.
“How can you come and hug me like this after what you did?” she said coldly, voice low. “You think I’m easy? You just want sex again, hugging me like this…”
Jay rested his chin on her shoulder, holding her firmly but gently.
“Nikitha, just listen to me,” he said quietly. “I know I was wrong.”
“My way of expressing love was wrong,” he continued, his voice steady despite the storm inside him. “I’m sorry about that. I know I hurt you. But I’m sure about one thing — I love you. I figured it out only recently. I’m telling you the truth. It’s not insecurity or about ownership. I don’t want to see you with anyone else. I only need you. I can’t leave you.”
He held her tighter, as if afraid she would slip away.
Nikitha stood still for a few seconds, then turned slightly in his arms. Her eyes were cold, but her voice trembled with anger and pain.
“Stop dreaming, Jay. Do you think I will buy it? It sounds fake to me. Our marriage is fake. We know that.”
“I will go one day,” she said deliberately. “Once our agreed tenure ends, we will move our own ways. I will marry someone else.
Jay asked are you still thinking Tharun, he has girlfriend.
Nikitha said.. Even if Tharun is not the one for the future, I’m telling you right now — I’m going to go into a relationship with him, even if that limited to sex.. You can’t stop me with mere love dialogues.”
She said it like a knife, pushing the words to provoke him, to hurt him the way he had hurt her.
She believes, Jay is speaking smooth to calm her down but she doubts if he truly understand her.. she still believes he will show a different face like one in the night.. she just wanted to try and prove, Jay is just obsessed with her and not love like he claims.. she doesn't want to blame him but wanted to make him realize hence she decided to provoke him, with such words...
Jay didn’t explode.
He simply held her tighter, breathing steadily.
“I know,” he whispered. “I was wrong. I won’t stop you if that’s what you truly want. But if you’re doing this in rage, I beg you to stop. I can’t change my nature overnight… but I believe you will understand my love one day.”
“Flimsy dialogue,” Nikitha said bitterly. “I’m done.”
Jay exhaled. “Okay. Lets stop our argument... its time for office.. I know you didn’t cook.
Let’s go out and have breakfast. We can speak later.”
Nikitha turned away. “I’m going alone. Not coming with you.”
She had finished dressing herself in saree by this time.
Before she could step away from bedroom, a loud car horn blared from outside their villa.
Both of them froze.
It was Tharun.
He had come to pick her up for office.
Nikitha’s eyes flashed with a mix of shock and opportunity. She wanted to provoke Jay further — to bring out his true nature, to punish him for how he had treated her.
“See?” she said, voice sharp. “Tharun knows me better. Without me even telling him, he came to pick me up.”
Jay’s jaw tightened, irritation flashing across his face, but he tried to control it.
“You should not go. Chase him away. We are going by ourselves.”
Nikitha’s eyes hardened.
“Mr. Jay, stop here. You don’t dictate what I should do. I’m an adult. I know my limits. And even if I want to cross those limits, no one has the right to stop me or control me.
Im not stopping you, im telling you i love you and you should not do this.
Look — this is not love. This is control you’re trying to impose on me. and we never loved that i should listen to you.”
“I’m your husband, Nikitha,” Jay said, voice strained.
“On paper,” she reminded him coldly. “We are fake.”
He stepped closer. “I love you. Im telling you now. Ppl in love wont do that"
Nikitha exhaled and said.. “True people in love would not do this.
I’m doing this because I never felt loved. Stop me with your love, not by freaking control. I would stop myself if I felt love. But you never loved me. You are just projecting that you love me.”
She took her bag and walked toward the main door.
Jay shouted after her, “Before you open the main door… Tharun may expect you to come out from upstairs. Don’t get caught yourself.”
Nikitha tightened her eyes, realizing how blunt she was being. She paused.
“I know,” she said. “I just came to see if this was unlocked.”
She went through the upstairs entrance.
Jay thought she was just playing but ashs he moves upstairs, his heart skipped a beat.. He kept shouting, running behind her. “I hate you going with him!”
“Then I would love going with him.
Doing things with him,” she shot back. “If you say no, I will do that.”
Her heart beat fast. She knew what she was doing — pushing him, punishing him, testing him. She wanted him to understand what real love felt like. But she also knew this cat-and-mouse game might cost them everything.
With uncertainty swirling inside her, she stepped out.
Tharun waved from the road. She walked to his car and got in.
“Let's go,” she said.
Once inside, Nikitha looked at Tharun coldly. “Thanks for offering me a lift, but don’t do this often unless necessary. Families around here, Jay is here… I don’t want scandals or rumours. Last night’s kiss and hug didn’t give you any rights.”
Tharun smiled, starting the engine. He didn’t argue. He simply drove toward the office, the tension between them thick and unresolved.
![[+]](https://xossipy.com/themes/sharepoint/collapse_collapsed.png)