25-06-2026, 02:16 PM
Chapter 61: Boundaries and Plans
Sharmi’s hands trembled on the steering wheel. The car had screeched to a stop on the side of the road, the sudden brake leaving a burnt-rubber smell in the air. Jay’s ferocious reaction had shaken her more than she expected. The man who had seemed gentle and patient as a mentor had transformed in seconds — eyes sharp, voice low and dangerous, hand reaching for the door like he was ready to jump out of a moving car rather than let her dig deeper.
She realized with chilling clarity: Jay did not want his secret to come out. Not even a hint.
For a moment, fear gripped her. But Sharmi was not someone who backed down easily. She forced her voice to stay calm, softening it deliberately.
“Jay… why are you scaring me like this? What did I do wrong?”
Jay turned to her, his expression hard. “What trick are you playing with me? Just because I helped you with projects doesn’t mean you have the liberty to poke into my personal life.”
Sharmi swallowed, choosing her words carefully. She decided to play innocent — pretend she was only making casual assumptions and didn’t know the full truth yet.
“Okay, fine… I won’t ask. I was just curious about your wife. I’ve never seen you talk to her on the phone, so I tried to share my assumption. I thought you were my friend.”
Jay studied her for a long second. He assumed Sharmi might not know the full truth yet — she was just fishing with guesses. But she was dangerously close. He wasn’t sure how to shut her down completely without making her more suspicious. Cutting her off abruptly might make her share her doubts with others. He needed to handle this carefully.
He exhaled slowly, forcing his voice to steady.
“Sharmi, I may sound rude, but personal is personal. Okay, now you know — my wife and I are at differences. We don’t speak often. That’s why she stays abroad. I don’t want anyone looking at me with pity, or seeing me as weak. If you consider me a friend like you claim, don’t speak about me to others. Sometimes personal things should stay personal. I don’t like to share. I hope you understand.”
Sharmi looked at him with shivering hands. The ferocious act he had put on was still fresh in her eyes. She now knew Jay was no weak or submissive husband. There was some deep secret they didn’t want to let out. There was real pain within him. He could act this rashly when cornered. Yet if he wasn’t acting this way in front of Tharun or Nikitha, then he was either allowing it… or he was helpless.
She was equally determined to know as much as she feared.
Jay then added quietly, “I hope you understand.”
Sharmi simply apologized, her voice soft. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cross any line.”
She didn’t speak further. She started the car again and continued the drive in heavy silence.
During the journey, Jay looked stubborn, staring out the window. When the car finally reached the house, he realized he had behaved very oddly due to the fear that the secret was out. He knew he had scared her. Before stepping out, he wanted to say one final thing.
“See, you can be my friend, but don’t ever try to get into my personal matters again.”
Sharmi used the moment. She turned to him with a gentle, regretful expression.
“I’m sorry I took the liberty thinking you could be my friend. I saw you alone for almost a week, you seemed weak. I’ve never seen you interacting with someone like a friend. You helped me a lot like a mentor, so I thought I would take some rights so you could feel supported. But if you don’t want to share personal things, that’s fine. I’m sorry. I will know my limits from here on.”
She didn’t get out of the car or enter the house. She simply waited until Jay stepped out, then drove away.
Jay stood outside the villa for a moment, watching her car disappear. He felt real bad for scaring a woman who had genuinely cared for him during his illness. But he had also formed an allergy to care. He almost believed that people who showed him care often left him in the middle — like his ex-lover, now Nikitha. He didn’t want to give that space to anyone. Sharmi seemed to be slipping into that place, so he had decided to close his connection to any woman stemming from the hurts he had endured.
Meanwhile, Sharmi, while driving back, put a lot into her thoughts. She stopped at a small gift shop on the way, bought something thoughtful, and continued home. She had decided to get back on good terms with Jay and earn his trust slowly. But the curiosity didn’t die. She couldn’t wait. She decided to pursue Nikitha next.
With the lessons learned from Jay’s fierce reaction, she decided not to confront directly. Instead, she would get deeper through indirect communication — small, friendly conversations, shared lunches, and subtle questions that might loosen the truth without raising alarms.
The game had changed. Sharmi was no longer just curious.
She was determined.
Sharmi’s hands trembled on the steering wheel. The car had screeched to a stop on the side of the road, the sudden brake leaving a burnt-rubber smell in the air. Jay’s ferocious reaction had shaken her more than she expected. The man who had seemed gentle and patient as a mentor had transformed in seconds — eyes sharp, voice low and dangerous, hand reaching for the door like he was ready to jump out of a moving car rather than let her dig deeper.
She realized with chilling clarity: Jay did not want his secret to come out. Not even a hint.
For a moment, fear gripped her. But Sharmi was not someone who backed down easily. She forced her voice to stay calm, softening it deliberately.
“Jay… why are you scaring me like this? What did I do wrong?”
Jay turned to her, his expression hard. “What trick are you playing with me? Just because I helped you with projects doesn’t mean you have the liberty to poke into my personal life.”
Sharmi swallowed, choosing her words carefully. She decided to play innocent — pretend she was only making casual assumptions and didn’t know the full truth yet.
“Okay, fine… I won’t ask. I was just curious about your wife. I’ve never seen you talk to her on the phone, so I tried to share my assumption. I thought you were my friend.”
Jay studied her for a long second. He assumed Sharmi might not know the full truth yet — she was just fishing with guesses. But she was dangerously close. He wasn’t sure how to shut her down completely without making her more suspicious. Cutting her off abruptly might make her share her doubts with others. He needed to handle this carefully.
He exhaled slowly, forcing his voice to steady.
“Sharmi, I may sound rude, but personal is personal. Okay, now you know — my wife and I are at differences. We don’t speak often. That’s why she stays abroad. I don’t want anyone looking at me with pity, or seeing me as weak. If you consider me a friend like you claim, don’t speak about me to others. Sometimes personal things should stay personal. I don’t like to share. I hope you understand.”
Sharmi looked at him with shivering hands. The ferocious act he had put on was still fresh in her eyes. She now knew Jay was no weak or submissive husband. There was some deep secret they didn’t want to let out. There was real pain within him. He could act this rashly when cornered. Yet if he wasn’t acting this way in front of Tharun or Nikitha, then he was either allowing it… or he was helpless.
She was equally determined to know as much as she feared.
Jay then added quietly, “I hope you understand.”
Sharmi simply apologized, her voice soft. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cross any line.”
She didn’t speak further. She started the car again and continued the drive in heavy silence.
During the journey, Jay looked stubborn, staring out the window. When the car finally reached the house, he realized he had behaved very oddly due to the fear that the secret was out. He knew he had scared her. Before stepping out, he wanted to say one final thing.
“See, you can be my friend, but don’t ever try to get into my personal matters again.”
Sharmi used the moment. She turned to him with a gentle, regretful expression.
“I’m sorry I took the liberty thinking you could be my friend. I saw you alone for almost a week, you seemed weak. I’ve never seen you interacting with someone like a friend. You helped me a lot like a mentor, so I thought I would take some rights so you could feel supported. But if you don’t want to share personal things, that’s fine. I’m sorry. I will know my limits from here on.”
She didn’t get out of the car or enter the house. She simply waited until Jay stepped out, then drove away.
Jay stood outside the villa for a moment, watching her car disappear. He felt real bad for scaring a woman who had genuinely cared for him during his illness. But he had also formed an allergy to care. He almost believed that people who showed him care often left him in the middle — like his ex-lover, now Nikitha. He didn’t want to give that space to anyone. Sharmi seemed to be slipping into that place, so he had decided to close his connection to any woman stemming from the hurts he had endured.
Meanwhile, Sharmi, while driving back, put a lot into her thoughts. She stopped at a small gift shop on the way, bought something thoughtful, and continued home. She had decided to get back on good terms with Jay and earn his trust slowly. But the curiosity didn’t die. She couldn’t wait. She decided to pursue Nikitha next.
With the lessons learned from Jay’s fierce reaction, she decided not to confront directly. Instead, she would get deeper through indirect communication — small, friendly conversations, shared lunches, and subtle questions that might loosen the truth without raising alarms.
The game had changed. Sharmi was no longer just curious.
She was determined.
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