HAPPY NEW YEARS LOVELIESS.... MAY YOU ALL HAVE A WONDERFUL YEAR AHEAD!

Dhruv's pov!

The silence continued to be so dense it was nearly stifling. With my head in my hands, I sat in the dark living room and could hear her absence more loudly than anything.

In my mind, her face was still fixed in that last look of betrayal as she left. She hadn't looked back again, but I saw it all—the pain, the disbelief, and finally, the distrust, as if the love we had built meant nothing in the wake of this revelation. How many times had I replayed that moment? Her walking away, taking everything I wanted, everything I needed, with her.

It was like a knife turning inside me. She wasn't supposed to see me like this—this half-truth, this shadow of myself that had somehow managed to become a lie all its own.

She had seen me at my most vulnerable, had held me in the dark when I couldn't even hold myself together, and yet...she'd left, believing I had only married her to protect my sister. To her, our love was just a weapon I wielded to preserve Diya's happiness, a means to an end.

It was the worst of fates—to be so close to something that felt like a miracle, only to watch it shatter at my own feet. And it was my fault. All mine.

It felt hollow now, the love I had carried so proudly for her, tarnished by the secrets I hadn't meant to keep but had kept just the same. Each breath was a battle, a constant reminder of the moment she had turned and walked out, her heart heavy with the weight of everything she thought she understood about me—thought she knew.

How was it possible to love someone so deeply and still keep so much hidden? To cherish her like she was the answer to everything I had been searching for and yet be the reason she was hurting so terribly now?

Running my hand over my face, I tried to ease the ache—the aching sorrow hammering inside me. I wanted to shout, break through the walls, do anything to get this loneliness away. All I could do, though, was sit there silently and try to hang onto the memories we had created—the smiles, the gentle words, the peaceful times when it seemed as though the entire universe had at last turned in my favor.

But I couldn't lose her to my own mistakes. Not this time. I had lost too much, too often. Everyone I had ever dared to care about had been taken from me, torn away before I even had the chance to fight for them.

Not this time. I had promised myself I would protect her from anything that could hurt her. I never thought that I would be the one she needed protection from.

The pain was excruciating, a slow, cruel burn that felt like it would last forever. Deep inside, though, I sensed something else stirring—a familiar spark, that unwavering, unrelenting fight I had lost along the road.

She was worth it. We are more than worth it. I had been a fool to let fear and uncertainty stop me, but now I knew with certainty—if there was even the slightest possibility she would listen—I would fight until she realized the truth.

A spark of resolve flared within me, and it grew, burning through the despair, reigniting the fire that had carried me through so many battles before. She wasn't just someone I could let slip away, someone I could lose because of secrets and misunderstandings. I would fight for her. For us. Because this time, unlike before, I am big enough to make things right.

I stood, a sense of purpose refilling every broken part of me.

Vedant who has been sitting across from me all this time, raised his brow as if he couldn't quite believe the sudden change he was seeing.

"I was scared you might go back to drinking or worse," he admitted with a wry smile. "That's why I have been watching you like a guard dog."

"I won't. I promised Shraddha I wouldn't do anything that would cause me a relapse." A bitter laugh escaped me, and I shook my head.

Ved stared at me, obviously impressed but slightly dubious.

"What do you intend to do?" He asked with a curiosity he couldn't hide.

"Fight," I responded, squarely catching his eye.

"Fight?" He asked again, still attempting to grasp what I intended.

"Right. I am going to fight for us. For our love. There is no way this is the end." My voice felt strong again, every word like a vow I was making not just to Vedant, but to myself.

"All my life, everything precious was snatched from me mercilessly. But I never had a choice to make things right, to fix what was broken. I refuse to let Shraddha be one of those things. I will get her back. I will make her understand. Right now, she is under the misunderstanding that I married her to save Diya's marriage. She thinks that I believed she was having an affair with Sid. But I gotta tell her the truth. She will believe me. I am sure. The time we had together might have been very short, but the bond we build isn't weak. I believe in us."

Vedant's smirk told me he was pleased to see the old me resurface.

"Glad to hear that. You need any help, just say the word. I feel guilty as hell— everything started with my thoughtless words..."

"Never mind, Ved. This was bound to come out at some point. Better now than later. I will let her enjoy her newly found family for a couple of days. But tonight, I will fly over to Kerala to check in on Diya. Shraddha mentioned depression, and I have no idea how bad it is. I will go make sure she is alright and arrange for treatment if needed. Sid doesn't have the financial stability for it, but I can take care of it. And I will be back tomorrow itself. Getting Shraddha back is my priority now."

"Good," Ved said, nodding. "Let's just hope the Agnihotris don't find out the truth before you clear things up with Shraddha. You know how elder brothers can be..." He shot me a sarcastic look, reminding me of my own shortcomings as a brother-in-law to Sid.

"Let's hope the Agnihotri brothers turn out to be better brothers-in-law than I was," I said dryly.

"Go get her, Dhruv. Show her the truth, the real reason you are here, and that it was never about anything other than love." Ved chuckled, clapping a hand on my shoulder.

I nodded, appreciatively clutching his shoulder. Every advance seemed like a piece of my hope coming back. I would make her see past this misunderstanding, past all the shadows of my past, whatever it took.

My future was Shraddha, and I was willing to battle for her with everything I possess.

A/n

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