Flashback Continued...

Siddharth’s eyes fluttered open slowly, his lashes heavy as though weighed down by sand. A sharp pain pulsed at his temples, each throb making the room tilt and blur.

His throat was dry, his tongue felt like paper, and his entire body ached as if someone had sucked every ounce of strength from him. He blinked, confused, struggling to orient himself. The sheets were soft, unfamiliar, and a faint perfume clung to the air- sweet, sharp, suffocating.

Then the weight hit him. Literally something pressed against his chest. His gaze dropped and froze. Avneet. Naked. Her dark hair spilled over his skin, her lips curved in a satisfied smile as she traced circles across his bare chest with her manicured nails.

For a moment, he couldn’t breathe. His heart slammed against his ribs. His hands scrambled for the duvet, dragging it up in panic as he shoved her away with a violent jerk. He stumbled back against the headboard, clutching the blanket like a shield, horror dawning on his face.

“What the fuck!” His voice cracked. “What the hell is this?!”

Avneet only smirked, sitting up with predatory calm, her robe loosely draped as if mocking his panic. “Are you wondering if this is your worst nightmare?” she laughed, leaning closer. “It isn’t. This is real. I’m Avneet Kaur… and you, Siddharth Nigam, just spent the night with me. Your best friend’s girlfriend.” She whispered the last words into his ear, slow and poisonous.

Siddharth’s stomach churned. He shook his head violently, as if denying reality could undo it. His hands trembled as they clutched the sheet tighter. His chest rose and fell rapidly, panic laced with disgust.

Avneet, meanwhile, pressed the back of her hand to her lips and gasped theatrically. “Hawww… how could you?” she mocked, eyes wide in fake innocence. “You cheated on your best friend—with me!” Her face broke into a wicked grin, her tone dripping with cruelty.

Her words were knives, cutting into him one by one. He tried to recall anything—any memory of last night—but his mind was blank, fogged by whatever she had given him. The last clear image he had was sitting alone at the party, sipping juice. Then… nothing. Blackness.

“You know,” she went on, stretching like a cat, “it was fun though. I got exactly what I wanted. A hot night with you… and I’ll still have Faisu. Because of course he’ll believe me over you. You see, Siddharth, I won again.” Her laughter echoed through the room—loud, sharp, merciless.

Tears burned his eyes before he even realised they were falling. His face twisted with betrayal, confusion, and shame. His fists clenched helplessly in the sheets, nails digging into his palms until they hurt.

Avneet’s gaze softened mockingly as she leaned back toward him, brushing a tear off his cheek with her thumb. “You know,” she whispered, “you have such beautiful hazel eyes. They look even prettier when you cry. But last night…” her lips brushed his ear, “last night was even more beautiful, baby boy.”

That was enough. Siddharth shoved her away, his voice raw and shaking. “I freaking hate you! I swear, Avneet, you’ll regret this. I won’t spare you!” His entire body trembled, veins bulging against his skin, jaw locked so tightly it ached. Rage boiled inside him, overpowering even his shame.

Avneet only tilted her head, amused. “They say the best revenge on a woman is to use her body. Make her fall, make her beg, then walk away.” Her grin widened. “I never knew it worked on men too. Look at you—crying like a little girl. For what? You should be proud. Proud that you got to spend the night with The Avneet Kaur. Not every guy is lucky enough to get my attention.”

Siddharth’s stomach twisted at her words. His tears turned hot with fury. “You’re vile,” he spat. “Everyone was right about you. A witch. A shameless slut. And me? I was the fool who thought there was something good in you. Who defended you when the whole world called you out. But you… you’re filth.”

Her mask slipped. Her eyes flared with rage. “And what did you think, Siddharth? That you could humiliate me in front of everyone and I’d just forgive? I don’t forgive. I don’t forget. I am Avneet Kaur—daughter of Shivaay Singh Oberoi! I get whatever I want. And last night, I wanted you.” She leaned closer, her voice rising. “Now look—you’re in my bed, crying like a coward. You should’ve accepted me in the first place!”

Her arrogance, her cruelty, her sheer audacity—it lit something in him. Siddharth slid off the bed, pulling his pants on with shaking hands, but his fury wouldn’t let him walk away. He strode over to her, grabbed her wrists, and forced her up from her seat. His grip tightened until red marks bloomed on her skin.

“Listen to me carefully, Avneet Kaur.” His voice was low, trembling with suppressed violence. “This isn’t over. You think you’ve won, but you’ve just started a war. You ruined my life for your ego. You drugged me, used me, destroyed me and now you dare smirk?” He leaned close, his eyes burning. “You will regret this. I swear on everything I am, you will regret the day you touched me.”

Avneet’s lips curled into a smirk, though her breathing quickened under his grip. “You look hotter when you’re angry,” she whispered huskily. “Makes me want you all over again…” Her hands slipped up around his neck, her lips brushing his cheek as if daring him to break.

Something inside Siddharth snapped. The sound of his palm striking her cheek cracked through the room. Avneet staggered back, a hand flying to her lip where blood glistened. For a heartbeat, both of them were shocked—Siddharth most of all. He had never raised his hand against a woman like this. But now, staring at her, he didn’t regret it. Not for a second.

“How. Dare. You!” Avneet shouted, charging at him. Her hand flew, but he caught her wrist mid-air, twisting it behind her back, pressing her against the wall. She gasped, fury mixing with a flicker of fear.

Siddharth’s voice was a growl in her ear. “This is the day you fall, Avneet Kaur Oberoi. You think power makes you untouchable. You think money will save you. But you don’t know me. Not yet. You don't know how powerful I am... When I’m finished, you’ll lose everything- your pride, your name, your throne. You’ll beg, but I won’t stop. I’ll make sure you remember this day until your last breath.”

With a final shove, he pushed her to the floor. She landed hard, glaring up at him with venom, but her smirk faltered for the first time.

Siddharth grabbed his shirt from the floor, his hands still trembling, and walked out of the room without looking back. Each step echoed with fury, humiliation, and a vow that would define him from this moment on.