16-06-2026, 08:48 PM
Chapter 47: Four Hearts & Silent Care
As soon as Tharun left, the door clicked shut behind him, and the house fell into heavy silence. Nikitha stood near the stairs for a long moment, her heart sinking. She had let this happen. She hadn’t stopped Tharun from coming inside, from hugging her in her nighty, from speaking so casually in front of Jay. The realization hit her like a cold wave.
Jay must be boiling inside. She thought.
She felt a sharp pang of guilt. She hadn’t intended for things to escalate like this at home — their shared space. Taking a deep breath, she went downstairs, hesitant and panicked.
Jay was lying on the bed, eyes closed, looking exhausted. He didn’t speak when she entered.
“I’m sorry,” Nikitha said softly, standing near the edge of the bed. “I promise I’ll stop him from coming here again.”
Jay remained silent for a few seconds, then opened his eyes. His voice was tired, drained of energy.
“What difference does this make?” he asked.
Nikitha: “Pardon?”
Jay: “Let me be honest with you, Nikki. For the past few days, we’ve been exchanging the same set of words again and again. I have no strength left to argue with you. All I can say is one thing — you are not in your right mind. You are filled with anger and rage. Fine, it’s okay… but what I would say is: Don’t change tracks without knowing your destination. It would be meaningless if you change in the middle and still lag behind.”
Nikitha looked at him, her chest tight. “Please be precise. I’m not interested in long arguments — not because I’m tired or ignoring you. You need to rest well.”
Jay exhaled slowly. “You are playing with four hearts, Nikki. Be careful. In the process, I’m sure you may break many hearts. It’s up to you to reduce the numbers.”
Nikitha was confused for a second, then understood exactly what he meant — Jay, Tharun, and Mithra. She stayed quiet for a moment.
Who was the fourth one she wondered.
Assuming third heart belongs to Mitha, she said
“Don’t think I’m not considering Mithra and her feelings,” she said finally. “The reality is I cannot help her when she displays the same level of affection towards Tharun. He ends up leaning on me, wanting more. Like me, he will have a word with her if we are seriously taking this. Don’t worry. You all have to face the consequences for how you take your loved ones for granted. And it’s too early to speak about breaking hearts. We’ve just begun to know each other. Let’s not talk about it anymore.”
Jay didn’t push further. He lay there lost in thought.
After a pause, Nikitha asked, puzzled, “Who is that fourth heart that would get hurt in the process? You, Mithra, Tharun… who is the fourth one?”
Jay looked at her and said, “I didn’t realize you’re so heartless that you forget you have a heart… and it would get hurt when things get complicated.”
Nikitha : “I don’t know where you learned to speak like this. You cannot love or read people’s love or reciprocate, but you know how to hurt and make fun. Right, let it be.”
Jay thought she was in rage, he feared if she would go back office, while he may need her support. But deep inside he knows if she even decides to go he cannot stop her.
Hiding his hesitation, he decided to ask After a minute,
Jay: “Tharun told you to come back to the office at noon, didn’t he? anything important, if there is something you go i can manage.”
Nikitha looked at him. “I don’t want to. I have to be here. Tharun will understand.”
The entire day passed in relative quiet. Nikitha took care of Jay with gentle dedication — feeding him kanji, changing his damp cloths, making sure he took his medicines on time. His fever gradually came down. She barely left his side.
That night, she stayed awake longer than usual, checking on him every now and then. When he finally fell into a peaceful sleep, she lay beside him, her mind a whirlwind of guilt, confusion, and exhaustion.
The next morning, while preparing fresh kanji, Nikitha called Tharun. She really didn’t want any more unwanted complications. She was also a little disappointed with how he had behaved the previous day.
She hadn’t responded to his messages either.
“Tharun,” she said firmly when he picked up. “It’s important.”
Tharun: “Anything serious? Is Jay fine?”
Nikitha: “He’s better. But listen… Don’t come home unannounced again.
Tharun: Why? Did tharun said anything?
Nikitha: No, neighbors noticed you frequently and started asking about it. (She lied), So“Don’t come home unannounced again,” she said firmly. “If you respect me, I want you to obey my words. Lets just meet outside in the office or somewhere, no more to my house.”
Tharun was quiet for a moment, then replied, “Okay. I’ll wait for you at the office.”
Nikitha: “One more thing… I thought we had an agreement when we spoke at the beach.
I hope you are a gentleman who would honor my opinion.”
Tharun: “I’m sorry, Nikki. I just missed you.”
Nikitha: “I have made the toughest decision in my life. I want to prove something to myself. I want to tell myself I could experience love. I hope you understand. Meet you at the office. Bye.”
Tharun: “Bye, Nikki.”
Three hours passed.
After finishing the kanji and ensuring Jay had eaten, Nikitha went to the office in the afternoon. When colleagues asked where she had been, she gave a simple lie: “A distant relative was sick. I was at the hospital.”
Tharun and Nikitha shared a knowing glance across the floor.
At 4 PM, as soon as she entered Tharun’s cabin, he closed the door behind her and looked at her with concern mixed with desire.
Nikitha was little disappointed with Tharun, as they are alone, she decided to test him.
As soon as Tharun left, the door clicked shut behind him, and the house fell into heavy silence. Nikitha stood near the stairs for a long moment, her heart sinking. She had let this happen. She hadn’t stopped Tharun from coming inside, from hugging her in her nighty, from speaking so casually in front of Jay. The realization hit her like a cold wave.
Jay must be boiling inside. She thought.
She felt a sharp pang of guilt. She hadn’t intended for things to escalate like this at home — their shared space. Taking a deep breath, she went downstairs, hesitant and panicked.
Jay was lying on the bed, eyes closed, looking exhausted. He didn’t speak when she entered.
“I’m sorry,” Nikitha said softly, standing near the edge of the bed. “I promise I’ll stop him from coming here again.”
Jay remained silent for a few seconds, then opened his eyes. His voice was tired, drained of energy.
“What difference does this make?” he asked.
Nikitha: “Pardon?”
Jay: “Let me be honest with you, Nikki. For the past few days, we’ve been exchanging the same set of words again and again. I have no strength left to argue with you. All I can say is one thing — you are not in your right mind. You are filled with anger and rage. Fine, it’s okay… but what I would say is: Don’t change tracks without knowing your destination. It would be meaningless if you change in the middle and still lag behind.”
Nikitha looked at him, her chest tight. “Please be precise. I’m not interested in long arguments — not because I’m tired or ignoring you. You need to rest well.”
Jay exhaled slowly. “You are playing with four hearts, Nikki. Be careful. In the process, I’m sure you may break many hearts. It’s up to you to reduce the numbers.”
Nikitha was confused for a second, then understood exactly what he meant — Jay, Tharun, and Mithra. She stayed quiet for a moment.
Who was the fourth one she wondered.
Assuming third heart belongs to Mitha, she said
“Don’t think I’m not considering Mithra and her feelings,” she said finally. “The reality is I cannot help her when she displays the same level of affection towards Tharun. He ends up leaning on me, wanting more. Like me, he will have a word with her if we are seriously taking this. Don’t worry. You all have to face the consequences for how you take your loved ones for granted. And it’s too early to speak about breaking hearts. We’ve just begun to know each other. Let’s not talk about it anymore.”
Jay didn’t push further. He lay there lost in thought.
After a pause, Nikitha asked, puzzled, “Who is that fourth heart that would get hurt in the process? You, Mithra, Tharun… who is the fourth one?”
Jay looked at her and said, “I didn’t realize you’re so heartless that you forget you have a heart… and it would get hurt when things get complicated.”
Nikitha : “I don’t know where you learned to speak like this. You cannot love or read people’s love or reciprocate, but you know how to hurt and make fun. Right, let it be.”
Jay thought she was in rage, he feared if she would go back office, while he may need her support. But deep inside he knows if she even decides to go he cannot stop her.
Hiding his hesitation, he decided to ask After a minute,
Jay: “Tharun told you to come back to the office at noon, didn’t he? anything important, if there is something you go i can manage.”
Nikitha looked at him. “I don’t want to. I have to be here. Tharun will understand.”
The entire day passed in relative quiet. Nikitha took care of Jay with gentle dedication — feeding him kanji, changing his damp cloths, making sure he took his medicines on time. His fever gradually came down. She barely left his side.
That night, she stayed awake longer than usual, checking on him every now and then. When he finally fell into a peaceful sleep, she lay beside him, her mind a whirlwind of guilt, confusion, and exhaustion.
The next morning, while preparing fresh kanji, Nikitha called Tharun. She really didn’t want any more unwanted complications. She was also a little disappointed with how he had behaved the previous day.
She hadn’t responded to his messages either.
“Tharun,” she said firmly when he picked up. “It’s important.”
Tharun: “Anything serious? Is Jay fine?”
Nikitha: “He’s better. But listen… Don’t come home unannounced again.
Tharun: Why? Did tharun said anything?
Nikitha: No, neighbors noticed you frequently and started asking about it. (She lied), So“Don’t come home unannounced again,” she said firmly. “If you respect me, I want you to obey my words. Lets just meet outside in the office or somewhere, no more to my house.”
Tharun was quiet for a moment, then replied, “Okay. I’ll wait for you at the office.”
Nikitha: “One more thing… I thought we had an agreement when we spoke at the beach.
I hope you are a gentleman who would honor my opinion.”
Tharun: “I’m sorry, Nikki. I just missed you.”
Nikitha: “I have made the toughest decision in my life. I want to prove something to myself. I want to tell myself I could experience love. I hope you understand. Meet you at the office. Bye.”
Tharun: “Bye, Nikki.”
Three hours passed.
After finishing the kanji and ensuring Jay had eaten, Nikitha went to the office in the afternoon. When colleagues asked where she had been, she gave a simple lie: “A distant relative was sick. I was at the hospital.”
Tharun and Nikitha shared a knowing glance across the floor.
At 4 PM, as soon as she entered Tharun’s cabin, he closed the door behind her and looked at her with concern mixed with desire.
Nikitha was little disappointed with Tharun, as they are alone, she decided to test him.
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