Author's POV:-

I blinked, my hand instinctively moving to hold my burning cheek, unable to process what had just happened.

"Ankita," I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper.

Tears pricked at my eyes as I saw hers brimming with emotion—hurt, anger, disgust.

"How could you, Aryan?" Her voice cracked, filled with disbelief.

"I didn’t expect you to stoop so low."Her words pierced me like a dagger, each one cutting deeper than the last.

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She wasn’t finished, and her next words shattered me completely.

"Do you even know what kind of relationship we share?

I’m your brother, Aditya’s wife. Your bhabhi, for God’s sake! And you’re… you’re lusting after your own bhabhi?"

The disgust in her voice made my stomach churn.

I froze. Her accusation hit me like a tidal wave, and my entire body felt cold.

Tears blurred my vision as I tried to grasp the full weight of what she was saying.

How could she think that? How could she believe I was capable of such a thing?

"Do you even know what maa papa will think about us?? How society will think about us??Chiii, Aryan, chiii!" she spat angrily, shaking her head in disbelief.

Then, suddenly, something seemed to click in her mind.

Her eyes narrowed as she looked at me again, this time with a different kind of suspicion.

"Oh, now I get it. Now I understand why you were always so eager to help with Ansh. All the constant caring, playing with him, taking him to the park... it was all just so you could get close to me, wasn’t it?"

Her voice trembled with accusation.She knows she is intentionally hurting while saying this thing but right now her anger is overpowering everything .

"No, no, Ankita, that's not true!" I shook my head desperately, trying to explain, but she cut me off before I could get another word in.

"You used my child’s innocence for your own advantage, didn’t you? This was all part of your plan, wasn’t it, Aryan?"

Her words were sharp, filled with venom.could barely breathe as her accusations piled up, each one worse than the last.

"Ankita, what are you saying? How does Ansh even come into this?" I whispered, my voice breaking from the pain.I stood there, speechless.

My mouth was dry, my throat tight, and it felt like someone had stabbed me in the chest with a hundred knives at once. The pain was unbearable, coursing through me with every breath I took.

Ankita’s words echoed in my mind, cruel and twisted, like a nightmare I couldn’t wake from.

How could she think I’d ever use him? I loved my jaan like he was my own flesh and blood...like me own child. Every moment I spent with him was pure, out of nothing but love and care for him.

How could she believe I would manipulate that innocence? I could feel my heart breaking, the weight of her accusation crushing me from the inside. I had never, not even for a second, thought of something so vile. But she… she thought I had.

I opened my mouth to say something, anything to make her understand, but no words came out.

Everything felt numb.

How had everything gone so wrong? I stood there frozen, watching her retreating figure as tears slipped down my both cheeks.

My grip tightened around the yellow roses in my hand, their petals crumpling under the pressure.

"Is loving someone really a crime, God?" I whispered, my voice barely audible over the ache in my chest.

"I just confessed my love, and she accused me of things I never even thought of." A bitter smile tugged at my lips, pain swirling in my heart.

Ankita's POV :-

I slammed the door shut behind me, my breath ragged as I collapsed onto the bed, tears streaming down my face uncontrollably.

"Why, Aryan? Why?" I choked out between sobs.

"Why did you have to destroy everything? The bond we had..."

I thought you were my true friend—someone I could trust. And what did you do in return?Grabbing the photo frame of Aditya, I clutched it tightly to my chest, holding on until exhaustion finally pulled me into an uneasy sleep.

The next morning felt quieter than usual.

Ankita, as always, was in the kitchen preparing breakfast while her little son, Ansh, played nearby in his walker. Her mother was by her side, helping with the chores.

After a while, Aryan silently walked downstairs in his office attire, just as Ankita was serving tea.

His eyes were pale and usual warmth seemed absent—he didn’t even greet her with a “good morning,” nor did she.

"Dadda," Ansh's tiny voice chirped, beckoning Aryan to pick him up.

Aryan’s lips curved into a faint smile as he lifted Ansh into his arms, but then, in an instant, the warmth in his eyes faded.

His little fingers brushing  cheek, his expression shifting as his eyes widened in surprise.

“Booo booo,” Ansh babbled, unaware of the tension that suddenly filled the room.

Everyone’s attention snapped to Aryan, and Ankita’s heart raced. She knew what was coming.

"What happened to your face, Aryan?" his mother asked, her voice thick with concern as her gaze fell on the deep red bruise on his cheek.

Ankita felt her stomach twist in guilt.Whatever is the reason but she shouldn't have slapped him like that. She looked down.

"It's nothing, Mom," Aryan replied, his voice distant as he looked away.

"I just fell off the bed last night. That’s all." he lied.

Without waiting for another question, he bent down, kissed Ansh gently on the forehead, and left, leaving behind a silence that weighed heavily on everyone.

___________________________

How's the chapter??