The bar was almost empty, just low music and the soft clink of glass. Inaayat and Natasha sat opposite each other, both staring at their Lychee Martinis, the pinkish drink catching the dim light.

Everything had already been said.

Natasha knew about the skipped pill.

She knew about the pregnancy.

She knew Nirvaan wanted a divorce.

She knew the child wasn't his.

She even knew he had a surrogate carrying his own baby.

Now there was nothing left to explain. Only quiet.

Inaayat swirled her drink slowly. Her throat felt tight. Natasha didn't speak for a long time either, just tapping her finger on the cold stem of her glass.

Then, without lifting her eyes, Natasha murmured,

"Keep the baby."

Inaayat snapped her gaze up. "Are you crazy? He will be furious. He'll expose everything."

Natasha gave a small laugh, the kind that didn't reach her eyes. "No, he won't."

"How can you be so sure?" Inaayat whispered.

"Because," Natasha leaned forward a little, voice steady, "if the truth comes out, he becomes a spineless cuck in front of society. A man with no balls. His family will be dragged through the mud. Do you think a Mukherjee will allow that? They've built a reputation for a hundred and thirty years. One weak heir, one scandal, and it's finished."

Inaayat's fingers tightened around her glass. She knew Natasha was right. Reputation was their backbone. Their obsession. Their religion.

"But why should I keep the baby then?" Inaayat asked quietly. "What's the point?"

Natasha's lips curved

"Because it helps you," she said softly. "You don't throw away a man like him. He lets you roam freely, do whatever you want, spend his money without blinking... and he is handsome as sin. Every woman dreams of a husband like him." She shrugged. "Keeping the baby protects your position. Simple."

The Lychee Martinis were half-finished by now, condensation slowly sliding down the crystal glasses. Inaayat leaned back against the velvet bar chair. The low golden light reflected off her blonde hair. Natasha watched her quietly.

"Think, Inaayat," Natasha said softly, lifting her glass for another sip. "If you leave now... if the surrogate delivers the heir to the Regal Capital... you do realise she can enter his life when you're not there, right?"

Inaayat frowned.

"Would you like to be replaced by a mere low-class surrogate?"

The words hit like a slap.

Inaayat's face twisted immediately. Her pride flared.

"No," she hissed under her breath. "No, I will never let that happen."

Natasha smirked.

"You shouldn't," she said, shrugging like it was obvious. "Why should a girl like you lose your position to someone like her? Think logically, Inaa."

Inaayat looked down at her glass, chest rising and falling, and finally whispered,

"...Fine. I'll keep the baby."

The moment she said it, it felt like a decision dropping into place. Heavy but firm.

Natasha nodded slowly, satisfied. "Good. Now listen."

Inaayat stayed silent. Natasha leaned closer, her perfume warm and expensive around them.

"You said he barely comes home these days," Natasha reminded her casually. "That is actually a very good opportunity. You can hide the pregnancy easily. When the signs start showing... you disappear to your parents' house or fly abroad. Keep it simple, controlled and clean."

Inaayat listened, her mind spinning but her expression calm.

"And then," Natasha continued, "you return home with your baby. Nirvaan will not reject it. I know him. He's too soft-hearted for that."

Inaayat let out a dry laugh. "Yeah, but you don't know how cold he has become these days."

Natasha didn't even blink. "He was always cold," she said, swirling her drink lazily. "But cold isn't the problem. What he was and what he still is - is lenient. That's all we need. Let him be cold. Let him brood. As long as he stays lenient, you're safe."

Inaayat's shoulders relaxed a little. Natasha's confidence had a way of anchoring her.

She nodded slowly. "Okay... fine. You're right."

Natasha smiled, picking up her glass. "Of course I'm right."

They clinked their Lychee Martinis gently, the sound sharp and delicate in the quiet bar.

And just like that, the decision was sealed.



Three days passed.

Three long, dragging days since she last saw Nirvaan walk out of the penthouse, shirt half-buttoned, saying he would return soon after "Something came up at the office... it's important."

He never came back.

Not once.

He only called her a few times across the day, sometimes twice, sometimes three times but never more.

And every call barely lasted five minutes.

Always the same routine.

"Hello? How are you feeling?"

"You okay?"

"Did you take your medicine?"

"You're not eating too much ice cream again, right?"

She always lied, "No," even though there was an empty tub in the fridge.

He'd ask,

"Do you want something? Should I send anything?"

"You ate fruits?"

"You slept well?"

Soft questions.

Careful checks.

Nothing too long.

And every time she said she was fine, he ended it with-

"If you need anything, call Arjun. I might be busy."

And Kaushiki... she heard the truth in a very different way.

Busy with what? With whom?

Of course... with Inaayat.

The thought pricked through her like a needle each time.

She didn't know he was drowning in international calls, endless problems and nonstop meetings.

She didn't know he barely slept two hours each night.

She didn't know he ate lunch at his desk between calls.

What she knew or believed was much different:

He must be spending time with his wife now...

Making up for the days he spent here.

Inaayat must be getting his attention again.

I'm just... a side chapter.

And because of that, every time he pushed the "responsibility" of taking care of her onto Arjun, her chest tightened.

So now even checking on me is a burden...

Something he doesn't have time for.

She answered softly, pretending to be fine, her voice steady even though her heart wasn't.

And then... always... without fail... the last words he said before hanging up:

"I love you."

Three words heavy with truth from his side but heavy with doubt on hers.

Because the moment she heard them, she always thought the same thing:

Lies. All lies.

You love your wife, not me.

You love your marriage, not this affair.

She never said it out loud.

She just listened quietly until the call ended.

meanwhile, Nirvaan hadn't stepped out of the office in three days. He had gone in with the belief that if he poured every drop of time and life into the issue, he'd fix it within hours... but it didn't happen. Instead, each passing night twisted the crisis into something uglier. Numbers changed. Demands changed. People changed.

The people on the other side, especially from that country were unbelievably stubborn. No matter how much Nirvaan negotiated, persuaded, threatened, or reasoning he laid out, nothing broke through. And the worst part was the betrayal. Men he had trusted for years, men he thought would stand with him, packed their bags and disappeared with money, leaving him to clean the mess alone.

He had no choice but to fix everything-brick by brick, number by number by himself.

Normally, that wouldn't bother him. Nirvaan liked supervising every detail anyway. It kept him busy, distracted, and comfortably numb from everything else in life.

But Kaushiki's entry had softened that cold and sharp rhythm. She had made him miss meetings he never missed. She had made him walk out of the office for no reason except the ache of wanting to see her. And because he wasn't micromanaging like usual, some of his employees, thinking he was too distracted to notice took decisions on the Russian project without his permission.

And they ruined everything.

This project wasn't just money. It was the people's money-public funds, investors' savings, thousands of customers who believed in Regal Capital because they believed in him. Nirvaan had been sure the project would return five times the investment. He would have paid everyone back effortlessly and still given extra benefits.

But now?

Now he was standing on a cliff's edge with no railing.

One silly mistake from here and-

The RBI would step in.

Public outrage would explode.

He would be suspended. Jailed. Every asset frozen. Court cases lined up. Regal Capital demolished. A government bank or a stronger private bank taking over.

Generations of his family's legacy gone... because of him.

His name dragged in mud. His father's memory tarnished. His mother hiding from the world in shame. His family paying for his fall.

His worst nightmare-humiliation, lurking so close he could smell it.

Yet he kept going, eyes burning, shirt sleeves rolled up, coffee turning cold on the table. He didn't sleep. Didn't blink properly. Didn't think of his body. The only thought pounding in his mind was-

Fix it. Fix it before the world collapses.

The bell rang just as Kaushiki lifted a spoonful of cornflakes. Morning light poured through the tall penthouse windows, soft and golden, and for a second her heart stopped.

Nirvaan?

Her fingers froze mid-air. She straightened unconsciously, eyes glued to the door.

Sonali hurried over and pulled it open.

And Kaushiki's tiny hope died instantly.

Because it wasn't Nirvaan.

It was Swastika-bright, confident, dressed in a soft pastel kurta, her hair tied in an elegant bun, carrying two big shopping bags like she owned the world.

"Good morning, baby!" Swastika sang as she stepped inside.

"Good morning..." Kaushiki said, forcing a smile yet genuinely warming up the moment she saw her.

"Arrey, look at you!" Swastika walked straight to her, cupping Kaushiki's cheeks lightly. "You look tired, beta. Are you eating properly? Is this little one troubling you already?" She tapped gently on Kaushiki's stomach. "It's only been a few weeks and you are already glowing like a full-term mommy!"

Kaushiki laughed softly. "I'm fine, ma'am... just lazy."

"Lazy is allowed!" Swastika declared happily as she placed the bags on the table. "I brought fruits, coconut water, and those protein drinks the doctor suggested. You won't drink them willingly, so I will make sure you drink at least one."

Kaushiki rolled her eyes with a tiny smile. "I drink them... sometimes."

Swastika gasped dramatically. "Aha! 'Sometimes' means never. Good thing I came."

She sat beside Kaushiki on the sofa and held her hand, gently rubbing her thumb over it.

"Tell me, hm? Are you feeling alright? No morning sickness? No dizziness?"

"Nothing," Kaushiki said. "Actually I'm completely okay."

"Good," Swastika exhaled with relief. "This child is already well-behaved. Just like you."

Kaushiki's throat tightened at that sentence. She smiled faintly.

Swastika continued chatting-

about how she scolded the gardener for trimming her jasmine plants too much,

how Kaushiki should avoid eating too many spicy food,

and how next week she planned to take her shopping for comfortable maternity kurtis.

It was all light-hearted, warm and affectionate conversion.

"You just focus on staying healthy, okay? Everything else... leave to me."

And Kaushiki nodded silently.

The conversation flowed easily as Swastika now peeled an orange for her, placing each piece neatly on a small plate. Kaushiki nodded and smiled at all the right places, but her mind... it wasn't sitting still. It circled around the same thought again and again.

Where is he? What is he doing? The answer to that can only be given by his mom.

She swallowed hard and decided to ask indirectly.

Very indirectly.

"Ma'am... how are you doing these days?" Kaushiki said casually, picking up one orange slice.

Swastika brightened instantly. "I'm good, beta! Just busy with house things. I'm trying new recipes also, you know? I made beetroot halwa the other day. Poor Inaayat didn't like it at all." She laughed softly.

That opened the next door.

"And... how is uncle?" Kaushiki asked, keeping her tone light.

"He's good! Always travelling. Yesterday he was in Hyderabad, today he's already in Jaipur. I don't even try to keep up anymore." She shook her head playfully. "Your uncle and his suitcase are married to each other."

Kaushiki gave a soft smile and nodded, heart beating faster.

"And... Inaayat di?" she asked, pretending it was harmless curiosity.

Swastika didn't notice anything off. "Oh she's fine! She sleeps a lot these days. Pregnancy makes her tired... and moody." She chuckled gently. "Sometimes she cries because her clip fell down. Then she laughs in one minute. Hormones!"

Kaushiki looked down, fingers curling into her lap.

Her real question was approaching.

"And... Young master?" she finally asked, trying to sound casual. "How is he doing these days?"

For the first time in the morning, Swastika paused.

Just a second.

Barely noticeable.

But Kaushiki caught it.

Swastika's smile wavered before she quickly fixed it.

"Oh... Nirvaan is good, beta! Very good actually." Her voice became overly cheerful, as if forcing the words to stand straight. "He is... um... very busy with work, you know how he is."

Kaushiki blinked. Busy with work? The same exact line Nirvaan told her.

"But these days," Swastika continued, leaning forward with pride, "he barely goes to office. He stays home mostly. With Inaayat."

Kaushiki's stomach dropped.

Swastika smiled wider, unaware of how every word was crushing Kaushiki's lungs.

"After all, it was so hard for Inayat to get pregnant. So now he wants to be with her as much as possible. It makes me so happy to see him taking care of his wife like this."

The truth was simple:

Nirvaan hadn't come home for three days.

He wasn't answering calls properly.

He barely spoke to his mother for more than thirty seconds.

And even Inayat had complained she wasn't able to reach him.

But Swastika would not reveal that to anyone outside the core family.

Not when Inayat was finally pregnant after years of waiting.

Not when the world finally looked at their family with pride.

Not when the illusion of a perfect marriage had just begun to settle.

Kaushiki stared at the floor, her heartbeat ringing in her ears.

She heard everything she needed.

Everything she feared.

Everything she wished wasn't true.

And she quietly buried her heartbreak deeper, swallowing it like poison as she nodded and whispered-

"That's... really nice, ma'am."

Swastika squeezed her hand lovingly, thinking Kaushiki was touched.