2 hours ago
The air in their Bangalore penthouse a space curated to perfection, all glass and quiet luxury felt unusually heavy that night, humming with the electric anticipation that always preceded Paromita’s dates.
Soumen, a high-level CXO with the poise of a man used to control, sat opposite her, swirling a measure of single malt. His eyes carried a complex mix of pride, anxiety, and something deeper the kind of admiration that hides its tremor behind a practiced calm.
“You look extraordinary, my love,” he said softly, his low voice resonating off the glass walls. “Ready to live that out-of-the-world life we promised each other?”
Paromita adjusted the strap of her dress, her reflection catching a glint of uncertainty before it disappeared. “It still feels strange sometimes, Soumen. Even after everything the open marriages, the experiments. Every time feels like standing on a ledge.”
“That’s the thrill, isn’t it?” he replied, leaning forward. “That’s how we balance each other. I’m the architect of this beautiful chaos the one who convinced you to step beyond the safe, conventional marriage. And you, Paromita... you’re the one who lives it. You bring it to life. I give you freedom — Tinder dates, strangers, flings and in return, you give me this proof that we’ve truly outgrown convention.”
Something shifted in her then. The corporate professional precise, rational gave way to the woman who thrived on control. She walked toward him with a slow, deliberate grace, her earlier hesitation dissolving into confidence.
“Mastered it,” she murmured. “That’s what we’ve done. You know, sometimes I take those leaps without even telling you who it’s with or where I’m going. That’s the power you’ve given me. That’s what our version of love allows.”
Soumen drew in a sharp breath, the amber liquid in his glass turning still. This was always the hardest part where theory met reality. It was one thing to preach liberation; it was another to watch her walk out the door into someone else’s arms.
“I know,” he admitted quietly. “And it destroys me but not in the way jealousy does. It’s something more precise... a crack, a deliberate fracture in my sense of ownership. Every time I let you go, I feel both emptied and elevated. It’s the strange cost of what we built surrendering what’s most precious and finding beauty in that surrender.”
He set the glass down, his gaze resting on the front door though she still stood close. “He’s waiting downstairs, isn’t he? That tightening in my stomach it isn’t fear. It’s the excitement of not knowing what will happen, of never hearing every detail. Go, Paromita. Claim your night.”
She smiled the timid trace of her earlier self completely erased. “I always do. And when I return, you’ll remember why we chose this life beyond the ordinary. Wish me luck, husband.”
“Luck,” he whispered, his voice barely more than breath.
The door closed with a soft click. The silence that followed was plush and heavy, filled with the hum of the city below. Soumen remained seated, the faintest smile on his lips already wondering what invisible tremor tonight would send rippling through the architecture of their strange, deliberate love.
Soumen, a high-level CXO with the poise of a man used to control, sat opposite her, swirling a measure of single malt. His eyes carried a complex mix of pride, anxiety, and something deeper the kind of admiration that hides its tremor behind a practiced calm.
“You look extraordinary, my love,” he said softly, his low voice resonating off the glass walls. “Ready to live that out-of-the-world life we promised each other?”
Paromita adjusted the strap of her dress, her reflection catching a glint of uncertainty before it disappeared. “It still feels strange sometimes, Soumen. Even after everything the open marriages, the experiments. Every time feels like standing on a ledge.”
“That’s the thrill, isn’t it?” he replied, leaning forward. “That’s how we balance each other. I’m the architect of this beautiful chaos the one who convinced you to step beyond the safe, conventional marriage. And you, Paromita... you’re the one who lives it. You bring it to life. I give you freedom — Tinder dates, strangers, flings and in return, you give me this proof that we’ve truly outgrown convention.”
Something shifted in her then. The corporate professional precise, rational gave way to the woman who thrived on control. She walked toward him with a slow, deliberate grace, her earlier hesitation dissolving into confidence.
“Mastered it,” she murmured. “That’s what we’ve done. You know, sometimes I take those leaps without even telling you who it’s with or where I’m going. That’s the power you’ve given me. That’s what our version of love allows.”
Soumen drew in a sharp breath, the amber liquid in his glass turning still. This was always the hardest part where theory met reality. It was one thing to preach liberation; it was another to watch her walk out the door into someone else’s arms.
“I know,” he admitted quietly. “And it destroys me but not in the way jealousy does. It’s something more precise... a crack, a deliberate fracture in my sense of ownership. Every time I let you go, I feel both emptied and elevated. It’s the strange cost of what we built surrendering what’s most precious and finding beauty in that surrender.”
He set the glass down, his gaze resting on the front door though she still stood close. “He’s waiting downstairs, isn’t he? That tightening in my stomach it isn’t fear. It’s the excitement of not knowing what will happen, of never hearing every detail. Go, Paromita. Claim your night.”
She smiled the timid trace of her earlier self completely erased. “I always do. And when I return, you’ll remember why we chose this life beyond the ordinary. Wish me luck, husband.”
“Luck,” he whispered, his voice barely more than breath.
The door closed with a soft click. The silence that followed was plush and heavy, filled with the hum of the city below. Soumen remained seated, the faintest smile on his lips already wondering what invisible tremor tonight would send rippling through the architecture of their strange, deliberate love.

Komal.