Third Person's POV

Vikrant waits for Nandini to come out of the bathroom as he paces in the room, thinking about what he wants to say to her.

As he hears the door being opened, he turns to look at her and sucks in a sharp breath.

There is something that draws him toward her whenever he sees her right after she takes a shower.

Her skin soft and flawless, not marred by any makeup. Her brown eyes that seem to exude compassion, and her full, delicate lips. Everything is perfect about her.

Before he knew about her past, he misjudged her. Although he was attracted to her beautiful features, he always considered her beauty only skin deep.

But he knows now how wrong he was.

Yes, she is beautiful, but what is truly captivating is the way she carries herself with grace and poise. He has seen her breaking down a few times, but other than that, he has only seen her bravely take whatever his rude self threw at her.

And after learning about her past, he feels more in awe of her.

It must have been hard enduring the indifference from her parents. Watching her parents love her brother but ignore her like a plague must have been terrible. It must have been a horrifying experience getting molested yet being unable to tell anyone about it due to the fear that they would believe her molester over her.

Yet here she is, still with a hope to make something of herself. She is still moving forward and has not given up even after life has thrown harsh experiences at her one after the other.

Her inner courage is what shines through her. Maybe that's what has been drawing him since the beginning. Not her skin-deep beauty, but rather something that comes from within.

Vikrant jolts out of his thoughts when Nandini clicks her fingers in front of his face.

"Did you hear what I said just now?" She asks, and he shakes his head to shrug off his thoughts about Nandini.

What the hell is wrong with me? Why was I thinking all those things? He wonders, but as he notices Nandini looking at him questioningly, he realizes he needs to reply to her first.

"I missed it because I was thinking about something else. What were you saying?"

"I was saying I'll be re-joining your office today. Last time, I was there for less than an hour, so I didn't meet anyone and didn't get a chance to introduce myself. Since you don't want them to know we are married, I'll introduce myself as Nandini Iyer to everyone in the office today, and if they ask, I'll tell them I'm unmarried," she tells him.

Vikrant frowns at her words. "I told you not to tell anyone you are married to me. That doesn't mean you tell everyone you are unmarried."

"And what will I tell them when they ask about my husband? What will I say if they ask me to bring my husband to the office get-togethers?" Nandini counters.

Vikrant opens his mouth to answer her but can't figure out what reply to give. Those were valid questions from her.

"You are joining the office to work. You are not going there to befriend my employees and share your life stories with them," he says.

Shaking her head, Nandini applies moisturizer to her face before turning to Vikrant.

"You had made me sign a contract when I came to your office last time. According to that contract, I'll be working as your assistant for the next six months," she tells him. "What do you want me to do in those six months? Just go to the office, work there, and return home? Do you really think I won't talk with anyone there or anyone there would not talk with me?" Nandini asks another valid question, and Vikrant realizes there is no way for him to win this argument.

"Okay. Do what you want."

He walks to his cupboard to take out the clothes to wear to the office, still wondering why it bothered him when she told him she would introduce herself as being unmarried.

Stop thinking along these lines, Vikrant. Whatever you feel toward Nandini is only guilt for what you did to her. Nothing else. You only need her in your life to take revenge against Myra and Raghav. Once that's done, she'll go her way, and you, your way. His mind quips.

Still, there is nothing wrong with at least being civil with her, is there? It's exhausting to always argue. Instead, if you make her your friend and help her, that could be better for both of you. Also, that might lessen some of your guilt. His heart counters.

Sighing deeply as the battle between his heart and mind continues, Vikrant opens his cupboard, only to realize it's empty because Nandini had poured soup all over his clothes last night.

"Hmm, don't have anything to wear?" Nandini stands beside him, clucking her tongue as she gazes at his empty cupboard. "Would you like to borrow my clothes?"

As soon as she says that, a chuckle escapes her lips as she imagines Vikrant wearing her clothes.

"That's generous of you, Mrs. Sisodiya. But I can manage without having to borrow your clothes."

Nandini sobers up after hearing him. "Don't call me that."

"Call you what?"

"Mrs. Sisodiya," she replies.

"But you are Mrs. Sisodiya," Vikrant counters. "You are my lawfully wedded wife, after all. Just introducing yourself as being unmarried won't change that fact."

Nandini grits her teeth, wanting to slap the man in front of her. Even after everything that has happened, even after the way he has wronged her, he still has the audacity to smirk arrogantly at her.

"Just stop with your games, Vikrant," she tells him, her voice severe. "Let's just tolerate each other until you get what you want from this marriage, and I save up enough to walk out of this house. I don't want any more troubles in my life."

Vikrant sighs, understanding where she was coming from. "I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" Nandini asks, bracing herself for another argument coming her way.

What is his problem? Why can't he live in peace and also let me live in peace? She wonders as she waits for him to speak.

"Whatever you said to me last night was right. I would not have been considerate toward you if I had not known about your horrendous past. So, yes, you judged me right," Vikrant tells her. "When you told me about how your parents treated you and the reason behind your brother's death, I was consumed by guilt. After knowing what you endured your whole life, I felt so small recounting every taunt I threw at you."

He reaches out to hold her hand but sighs when she steps back.

"That's why I tried to be mean to you the following day," he continues. "I felt I deserved only your hatred after what I did to you. That's why I told you it was a relief that you would not bother me with your sob story." He runs his hand through his hair, looking at her guiltily. "I had thought it would be better in that situation, but as I continued thinking about what Dr. Mehta said to me regarding you needing a psychiatric consultation, I felt maybe that was the wrong way to go."

He gazes at Nandini's face, the shock marring her features, and waits for her to say something. But when she doesn't, he continues speaking.

"I know I'll be the last person you'll come to if you need any support. And it's totally understandable, too. I know you hate me for what I did to you," he says, feeling a pinch in his heart. "But I don't hate you, Nandini. Not anymore. I had misjudged you before, thinking of you as a gold-digger and a manipulative girl who only pretended to be righteous to trap me in your web. But I now understand that nothing you said or did was a pretense. I'm sorry for misjudging you."

This time, when he steps closer to Nandini and takes her hand in his, she doesn't step back and doesn't fling his hand away.

"I don't want to be rude to you anymore. I know we can't be friends because you'll never trust me. But I believe we can at least let go of our animosity and co-exist without any fights or heated discussions. I don't deserve to be your support, but the least I can do is try not to be a reason behind your distress."

Saying that, he gently squeezes her hand in reassurance and walks out of the room.

For a while, Nandini stands stunned in her spot, processing Vikrant's words, but she jolts out of it when she hears the bedroom door close.

She is unable to understand what happened to him suddenly.

Did Vikrant Sisodiya get swapped by his doppelganger somehow? She thinks because her mind can only conjure that up as a reasonable explanation.

After everything that had happened between them since their wedding night, every taunt he threw at her, and every hurtful accusation he made at her, she could not believe he was the same man who just now compassionately apologized to her for everything he did.

And what more? It even seemed sincere. Like he really meant what he said.

Nandini sighs, a small smile curving her lips. It's a smile, but the one that reflects sadness, not relief or happiness.

It's because today, she saw a glimpse of a man she had dreamed of marrying in Vikrant.

Since their wedding night, he had seemed like a closed book to her whenever she faced him. His eyes were dark, and his demeanor cold. It was next to impossible to read him.

The things she surmised about him were only from his behavior toward her. That is why she had thought him to be a rude, uncaring, insensitive, arrogant jerk.

Well, I was not entirely wrong about him. I still feel he is all those things.

If his rude persona was one side of him, he showed her a completely different side today—a compassionate, understanding side.

She knows she can never forgive him for what he did to her. He took away that one dream she had—the dream of having a loving family.

But she is relieved that he at least has agreed not to become the added reason for her distress.

She already has so many things on her plate that having this one thing taken away seemed like a massive relief for her.

So, yes, there is relief as well as sadness.

Relief because Vikrant showed his compassionate side and would not cause any more problems for her.

And sadness because he showed this side of him that she had dreamt her husband would have.

But that was not the only quality, Nandini. Along with being compassionate and understanding, you had wanted someone who would also love, trust, and respect you. Vikrant might understand you, but he will never love or trust you. He had made it clear on the first night itself.

With that thought, Nandini feels her heart clench painfully, and her eyes tear up. The yearning making its return with full force.

Agreed that she wants to be independent and make something of herself. But even after achieving all those things, there still will be one dream that will be left unfulfilled. The dream of being wanted and loved by someone. The dream of having a happy, loving family.

Will my dream really remain unfulfilled? Forever? She wonders, feeling a jolt in her heart.