24-06-2026, 11:26 PM
Chapter 59: Sharmi finds the truth!
Sharmi returned to her desk with a calm exterior, but her mind was a whirlwind. She had barely slept the previous night, scribbling notes, drawing mind maps, and testing every possible theory. The clues refused to settle neatly, yet they pointed toward something far more complicated than a simple affair.
She had found Nikitha’s familiar peach saree in Jay’s bedroom laundry basket. Both claimed their spouses were abroad — a convenient story. No photos of any partners anywhere in the house. Last week, both had taken leave on the same day. And then there was Nikitha’s habit of asking about Jay’s health through her, always “on behalf of his wife abroad.”
No one in the office had ever seen or heard about their spouses. Not once.
Sharmi had stayed up late running through possibilities, but she needed more. She wanted to speak with Nikitha indirectly, lure her with small truths and see how far she would go. She also wanted to ask Jay, but she feared him.
What if he misread her questions or intent?
He had once been the man who boldly pursued Anjali.
Her approach had to be careful.
Yet, after a week of closeness, Jay had appeared gentler and nicer than she had initially thought. He was a patient mentor, not the aggressive figure she had imagined.
She decided to start with him casually.
Later that morning, Sharmi approached Jay at his desk while they worked on a module together.
Minutes later,
While Jay was communicating with a guy on a random gig.. she wanted to use the moment to ask about his wife...
“Did your wife phone you?” she asked lightly, keeping her tone friendly. “You’ve been sick for almost a week now.”
Jay, who had been smiling faintly while talking to a colleague, turned stiff instantly. His smile faded. After a noticeable delay, he replied, “Yea… yea… she did.” His eyes fluttered. He avoided direct eye contact, his face pale.
Sharmi’s instincts screamed. He’s lying.
She felt a pang of guilt for pushing him, but the stiffness and sudden discomfort confirmed her growing theory.
They continued working fore few more minutes, but her mind was elsewhere.
Few more minutes,
A call came on her phone, but the signal kept dropping. Jay noticed her frustration.
“Why can’t you attend the call properly?” he asked. “Go to the rooftop — you’ll get better signal there.”
Sharmi thanked him and excused herself. Unfortunately, the network issue wasn’t just hers — several colleagues on the same provider were complaining about the same problem. As she stood near the edge of the rooftop with others, an intern nearby grumbled loudly, “Shit, the video was downloading… I would’ve sent it and shamed my girlfriend, shit i would have shamed her with this secret... this damn network.”
The verbal disappointed voice of an intern sparked an idea in Sharmi’s mind. It was ugly but it sparked an idea inside her.. Mobiles always hide secrets.
She decided to grab the mobile.. but whom? Womens are always extra cautious.. Men? Especially men, they would be careless.. but a person like Jay? lets try my luck she said to herself and decided to go back to find Jay and find a clue through his mobile.. She decided to put on a show.
After few minutes
She returned to Jay, looking visibly worried.
“Everything okay?” he asked, concern genuine in his voice.
“Family emergency,” she lied smoothly. “I really need to make a call, but my network is dead. You’re on a different provider… Would you mind if I borrow your phone? Just for a few minutes.”
Jay didn’t hesitate. He unlocked his phone and handed it over. “The passcode is 22%%$. Make sure everything’s alright at home. If you need to take the day off, I’ll cover for you.”
Sharmi nodded gratefully and hurried back to the rooftop. A small crowd had gathered near the edge, complaining about the network. She pretended to dial a number, holding the phone to her ear after few seconds she moved to quite corner where no one can see her.. Her thumb moved quickly.
She opened the gallery.
What she found made her eyes widen in disbelief.
Hundreds of photos… and almost all of them were painfully boring.
Screenshots of work modules. Random electricity bills. Coupon codes for groceries. Another screenshot. Another bill. For nearly a hundred images, it was the same monotonous pattern.
What a dry life, Sharmi thought, barely holding back a laugh. This man’s gallery is more depressing than a Monday morning meeting.
She kept scrolling.
Photos of his car broken down on the roadside. At least ten angles of the same damaged tire.
How careful he is, she thought sarcastically.
Three hundred images in and still nothing personal. No selfies. No vacation pictures. No friends. No food pics.
Just broken mixer photos, random vegetable bills.
How can a person live like this its understandable he dont have his photo! but dont he have a friend? a girl? atleast a model photo?
This guy can’t even have normal photos. Is he even straight? Maybe he and Anjali were just pretending.
Maybe he’s gay and hiding it? May be he paid Anjali well to hide it.. She laughs to herself with assumptions from what she witness in his mobile.
She was thoroughly disappointed and almost ready to give up when she reached images from three years ago.
And then… she froze.
It was a group photo taken at a temple.
The atmosphere looked tense and awkward. In the center stood a couple wearing traditional garlands.
Nikitha and Jay.
Their wedding photo.
The expressions on their faces said everything — shock, discomfort, and zero celebration. It looked like a rushed temple marriage that neither of them was emotionally ready for.
Sharmi’s heart raced. She stared at the image for a long time, zooming in on their faces. Nikitha looked beautiful but distant. Jay’s expression carried quiet resignation mixed with something deeper — perhaps hope, perhaps pain.
Everything clicked into place, yet raised even more questions.
They are married.
Sharmi got to witness something she was not ready for but it was one of her possiblities that turned out to be true. She quickly closed the gallery, made a call to family, to just make a record.. and she returned back to her works space. Then she returned the phone to Jay with a grateful smile.
“Everything alright?” he asked again.
“Yes, thank you. Just a small issue, handled now.”
As the workday continued, Sharmi couldn’t stop thinking about the photo. The melancholy surrounding Jay and Nikitha suddenly made sense — the forced distance, the hidden concern, the strange love-hate tension. Were they one of those couples who fell in love after marriage? Or had something broken them along the way? May be the dont like the marriage? thats why Jay took Anjali and now Nikitha choosing Tharun?
But Nikitha's care? is that not love?
Jay's faded smile? Is that not love?
Her heart softened. She wanted to understand their full story. Somewhere deep inside, she felt a genuine desire to help them — not out of curioisty, but because their quiet sadness touched her. For some reasons she strangely and strongly believed, the two are in love but seems like they are not communicating it properly. But she dont want to rush it, she wanted to confirm it before taking an another step.
Sharmi made a quiet decision. She would dig deeper. Carefully. Patiently.
She wouldn’t expose them.
She would try to understand them first.
Sharmi returned to her desk with a calm exterior, but her mind was a whirlwind. She had barely slept the previous night, scribbling notes, drawing mind maps, and testing every possible theory. The clues refused to settle neatly, yet they pointed toward something far more complicated than a simple affair.
She had found Nikitha’s familiar peach saree in Jay’s bedroom laundry basket. Both claimed their spouses were abroad — a convenient story. No photos of any partners anywhere in the house. Last week, both had taken leave on the same day. And then there was Nikitha’s habit of asking about Jay’s health through her, always “on behalf of his wife abroad.”
No one in the office had ever seen or heard about their spouses. Not once.
Sharmi had stayed up late running through possibilities, but she needed more. She wanted to speak with Nikitha indirectly, lure her with small truths and see how far she would go. She also wanted to ask Jay, but she feared him.
What if he misread her questions or intent?
He had once been the man who boldly pursued Anjali.
Her approach had to be careful.
Yet, after a week of closeness, Jay had appeared gentler and nicer than she had initially thought. He was a patient mentor, not the aggressive figure she had imagined.
She decided to start with him casually.
Later that morning, Sharmi approached Jay at his desk while they worked on a module together.
Minutes later,
While Jay was communicating with a guy on a random gig.. she wanted to use the moment to ask about his wife...
“Did your wife phone you?” she asked lightly, keeping her tone friendly. “You’ve been sick for almost a week now.”
Jay, who had been smiling faintly while talking to a colleague, turned stiff instantly. His smile faded. After a noticeable delay, he replied, “Yea… yea… she did.” His eyes fluttered. He avoided direct eye contact, his face pale.
Sharmi’s instincts screamed. He’s lying.
She felt a pang of guilt for pushing him, but the stiffness and sudden discomfort confirmed her growing theory.
They continued working fore few more minutes, but her mind was elsewhere.
Few more minutes,
A call came on her phone, but the signal kept dropping. Jay noticed her frustration.
“Why can’t you attend the call properly?” he asked. “Go to the rooftop — you’ll get better signal there.”
Sharmi thanked him and excused herself. Unfortunately, the network issue wasn’t just hers — several colleagues on the same provider were complaining about the same problem. As she stood near the edge of the rooftop with others, an intern nearby grumbled loudly, “Shit, the video was downloading… I would’ve sent it and shamed my girlfriend, shit i would have shamed her with this secret... this damn network.”
The verbal disappointed voice of an intern sparked an idea in Sharmi’s mind. It was ugly but it sparked an idea inside her.. Mobiles always hide secrets.
She decided to grab the mobile.. but whom? Womens are always extra cautious.. Men? Especially men, they would be careless.. but a person like Jay? lets try my luck she said to herself and decided to go back to find Jay and find a clue through his mobile.. She decided to put on a show.
After few minutes
She returned to Jay, looking visibly worried.
“Everything okay?” he asked, concern genuine in his voice.
“Family emergency,” she lied smoothly. “I really need to make a call, but my network is dead. You’re on a different provider… Would you mind if I borrow your phone? Just for a few minutes.”
Jay didn’t hesitate. He unlocked his phone and handed it over. “The passcode is 22%%$. Make sure everything’s alright at home. If you need to take the day off, I’ll cover for you.”
Sharmi nodded gratefully and hurried back to the rooftop. A small crowd had gathered near the edge, complaining about the network. She pretended to dial a number, holding the phone to her ear after few seconds she moved to quite corner where no one can see her.. Her thumb moved quickly.
She opened the gallery.
What she found made her eyes widen in disbelief.
Hundreds of photos… and almost all of them were painfully boring.
Screenshots of work modules. Random electricity bills. Coupon codes for groceries. Another screenshot. Another bill. For nearly a hundred images, it was the same monotonous pattern.
What a dry life, Sharmi thought, barely holding back a laugh. This man’s gallery is more depressing than a Monday morning meeting.
She kept scrolling.
Photos of his car broken down on the roadside. At least ten angles of the same damaged tire.
How careful he is, she thought sarcastically.
Three hundred images in and still nothing personal. No selfies. No vacation pictures. No friends. No food pics.
Just broken mixer photos, random vegetable bills.
How can a person live like this its understandable he dont have his photo! but dont he have a friend? a girl? atleast a model photo?
This guy can’t even have normal photos. Is he even straight? Maybe he and Anjali were just pretending.
Maybe he’s gay and hiding it? May be he paid Anjali well to hide it.. She laughs to herself with assumptions from what she witness in his mobile.
She was thoroughly disappointed and almost ready to give up when she reached images from three years ago.
And then… she froze.
It was a group photo taken at a temple.
The atmosphere looked tense and awkward. In the center stood a couple wearing traditional garlands.
Nikitha and Jay.
Their wedding photo.
The expressions on their faces said everything — shock, discomfort, and zero celebration. It looked like a rushed temple marriage that neither of them was emotionally ready for.
Sharmi’s heart raced. She stared at the image for a long time, zooming in on their faces. Nikitha looked beautiful but distant. Jay’s expression carried quiet resignation mixed with something deeper — perhaps hope, perhaps pain.
Everything clicked into place, yet raised even more questions.
They are married.
Sharmi got to witness something she was not ready for but it was one of her possiblities that turned out to be true. She quickly closed the gallery, made a call to family, to just make a record.. and she returned back to her works space. Then she returned the phone to Jay with a grateful smile.
“Everything alright?” he asked again.
“Yes, thank you. Just a small issue, handled now.”
As the workday continued, Sharmi couldn’t stop thinking about the photo. The melancholy surrounding Jay and Nikitha suddenly made sense — the forced distance, the hidden concern, the strange love-hate tension. Were they one of those couples who fell in love after marriage? Or had something broken them along the way? May be the dont like the marriage? thats why Jay took Anjali and now Nikitha choosing Tharun?
But Nikitha's care? is that not love?
Jay's faded smile? Is that not love?
Her heart softened. She wanted to understand their full story. Somewhere deep inside, she felt a genuine desire to help them — not out of curioisty, but because their quiet sadness touched her. For some reasons she strangely and strongly believed, the two are in love but seems like they are not communicating it properly. But she dont want to rush it, she wanted to confirm it before taking an another step.
Sharmi made a quiet decision. She would dig deeper. Carefully. Patiently.
She wouldn’t expose them.
She would try to understand them first.
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