𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟮 - 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁

◦•●◉✿ Broken trust cannot be the same again ✿◉●•◦

𝗗𝗵𝗿𝘂𝘃 𝗣𝗼𝘃

I wore my well-ironed white shirt paired with navy blue straight, crisp pants.

I left two buttons undone on my shirt, fastened my pants, and clasped my Gucci belt.

I slipped my hands into my navy blue coat, combed my hair back, wore my shoes, and sprayed on my daily perfume.

I clasped my Rolex watch around my wrist and left my room with my phone.

I walked down the stairs and headed toward my grandmother. She was engrossed with her device. I bent and touched her feet silently.

“Namashkar, Dadi,” I spoke in a low voice.

She looked up from her phone and patted my head.

“So, someone has time to enlighten us with their almighty presence.” She raised her brow.

“I was busy,” I gave her a short reply, on which she rolled her eyes.

“Piss off, Busy man,” she grunted and pushed me away. I was baffled inside but didn’t show it on my face.

Did she just say 𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘴 off?

I took my seat at the dining table. The maid gave me my early morning black filtered coffee and left. Dad sat on my right with his newspaper. He looked at me with a shocked face and closed his newspaper.

“Look who is home. 𝗗𝗵𝗿𝘂𝘃 𝗥𝗮𝗷 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮,” he clearly mocked me. I glared at him, but he just raised his brow.

“Mind it, I am your father .” He rolled his newspaper as if he was ready to hit me. I rolled my eyes with a scowl.

Mom sat beside Dad. She looked at me, then her plate, but suddenly looked back, realizing my chair wasn’t empty today. I was here.

“You’re home?” She blinked her eyes. I just looked at her.

“What do you think, Mother?” I asked her coldly. She smiled awkwardly and shook her head.

“Yeah, you are. Silly me! Haha!” She laughed awkwardly. I decided to ignore her and scrolled through my phone.

“So, how is business going?” Dad spoke.

I hummed. While looking at my phone, then closed it. I faced him.

“Successful.” I looked into his eyes and answered nonchalantly.

“Go—great.” He smiled. I nodded my head.

“𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗣 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘, 𝗜 𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗞𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗔𝗬! ”

I turned to look at the source of the noise. I saw a drenched Karan running behind Manik, who had an empty jar in his hand. Manik ran down the stairs while Karan chased him like a menace.

Manik climbed down the stairs when Karan jumped on him, pulling him into a headlock.

“Bhai, let go!” Manik thrashed like a wild monkey while Karan stuck on his back like a clingy koala.

“I will show you, you rascal.” Karan pulled his hair tightly.

“Let go, you pig!” Manik bit Karan’s hand, making him scream in a high pitch like a girl.

“Are you both done?” I said to them, my eyes throwing daggers. If looks could kill, they would have been dead.

“𝗡𝗼!” They both shouted together without even a second’s delay. I just looked at them until they realized and looked at me slowly.

“B-Bhai…” both stuttered, looking at me.

“Karan.”

He fidgeted in his place. “Yes—yes, Bhai.”

“𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 "

Manik covered his mouth, trying to conceal his laugh with coughs.

“And you, Manik.” He quickly stopped and looked at me with an innocent face, making me cringe.

“Stop roaming with a jug in your hand. You look like someone walking around with a kettle of tea and glasses.”

He put down the jug and sat in his chair, while Karan ran away. After a moment, Vivan came down. He was well-dressed. He stopped when he looked at me.

“Good morning, Bhaiya,” he greeted me with his huge smile.

“Morning,” I said quietly. He sat beside Manik.

“Papa.” I looked at the voice and quickly stood up.

“Arnav.” I went toward him. He ran toward me, skipping some stairs.

“Careful.” I climbed up the stairs. He threw himself in my arms. I carried him down. He hugged my neck tightly.

“You were away for a month,” he mumbled and landed his fist straight on my chest, making me groan.

“Arnav,” I growled in warning. He wailed out of my embrace and crossed his hands over his chest.

“Don’t Arnav me. You promised to call me. You didn’t. I’m not talking to you.” He glared at me and sat far away from me.

I sighed and looked at his small angry figure.

“You don’t want the gifts I bought for you?”

I saw how his head almost snapped toward me, the way his eyes brightened up. So I pushed it more.

“I thought to surprise you with your favorite candies and toys. It’s okay, we can always give them to someone else.” I sipped my coffee, looking at him.

He stood on his chair and slammed his hand on the table. “NO!”

“No?” I raised my brow.

“No, they are mine.” He got down from the chair and sat beside me.

“I thought you were angry.” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Angry or not, they are mine.” He rolled his eyes. I glared down at him.𝗕𝗿𝗮𝘁.

Karan joined us after. Everyone started eating their usual breakfast while I ate an omelette. I looked at Arnav, who managed to separate onion, peas, and tomato from his food, leaving just flavored rice.

“Why are you not having veggies?” I looked at him. He just scowled.

“Veggies are yuck.” My jaw tightened, but I decided not to scold him. I had been away for a month; I didn’t wish to scold him today.

I stood up as soon as my breakfast was done.

“Bhai, today we are thinking to go to the mall. Will you join?” Vivan asked me softly, almost hesitant.

“No, I am busy.” As soon as I said that, Dadi looked at me from her chair, chewing her apple.

“when does it not happen?” I looked at her.

“Dadi, there is a lot of work,” I said coldly.

“Papa, my gift?” Arnav grabbed my hand.

“In your room.” As soon as he heard that, he sprinted away.

“Don’t run on stairs,” I growled, making him slow down instantly.

“Son, If you could take a day off—”

I cut her off. “No. There is a lot of work to do. I can’t.” Just like that, I turned my back on everyone and went out without looking back at them. I heard Arnav’s voice, but that didn’t stop me.

I left the mansion in my Rolls-Royce with my security head, Raghav, and driver. I looked outside the window the whole way. It’s not that I don’t want to give my time and love to him, but—I am incapable of that. Every time I look at him, he reminds me of the betrayal I once had.

────༺♡༻────

I walked into my room after a hectic day. It was already 2 a.m. I saw Mahi (Dhruv’s ex-wife) sleeping on her side of the bed. She looked peaceful. I quickly took a shower and slipped beside her. Despite being my wife, we rarely held each other. We were intimate when I wanted to, we talked when I had time to—but I made sure to give her everything she wanted.

I fixed the duvet around her and lay down. She stirred a bit, her hand falling on my chest.

“Maharaj,” she mumbled slowly, waking up.

No one called my name except my parents and grandmother. Not even Mahi.

(𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴.)

I patted her head gently. “Shh, go back to sleep,” I mumbled to her softly. She nevertheless sat up and checked the time.

“You’re late. Again!” she yawned.

“Yeah. The company is facing a lot these days. I’m trying to work it out—I just hope it rises back.” I explained to her. She looked at me with wide eyes and nodded her head.

“It’s okay, I am beside you. Always.” She smiled and lay on the bed again. I smiled, kissed her cheek, and slept thinking she was meant to be.

────༺♡༻────

I was a fool to believe her. The moment she was sure my company would never rise again, she cheated on me. She didn’t just leave me and marry someone else, but a year later, she dropped Arnav outside my doorstep.

I shifted back with my family. They took care of Arnav. I did a DNA test to make sure he was mine. I built my company again, and after three years, it was even higher than where it used to be.

Arnav grew on my parents and siblings because I was never there for him. I couldn’t bring myself to. I ran away from him, and till this day, I do.

Even though he is not at fault, every time he smiles at me, calls me Papa—it stings like hell. Every day, I hate Mahi more and more.

We could have been the best family. Me, her, and our Arnav. But she turned out to be a gold digger. I don’t know whether I should thank time for showing me the real face of people around me or curse my fate for tying me with such people.

.. 𝗧𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲..