Chapter 5

(Raghav's Point of View)

Next day... (At night)

(Raghav’s Point of View)

Yesterday, when kiyara took us at our old apartment, I didn't know what the hell had happened to me.

I couldn't think straight

I remember how I pinned Kiyara beneath me on the bed

Just to feel her again.

That same feeling.

The craving for touch, for nakedness, for the sex we used to have in our college days.

But Kiyara was there.

She handled me.

She sensed something was off.

She felt it too.

She stopped me.

And she made me stop.

Before I could break the boundary I had set for us.

Sex

The only thing I've never done with her after my marriage… was to have sex.

Not because I was being loyal to Natasha or trying to follow some moral code.

No.

It was because I didn't want to corrupt kiyara.

I didn't want her to feel like I was using her.

Because that's not true.

I love Kiyara.

We had been intimate before I got married. And for me, that was never just about the physical. It was the closest I'd ever felt to her soul.

It was pure. She is pure.

I didn't want to turn her into the other woman in the wreckage of my life.

She deserved more than stolen nights and whispered lies.

She deserved to be loved out loud, not in the shadows.

****

It's already 8 pm now.

And she was sitting just across from me on the sofa as we were having our dinner.

"Dinner was amazing," I said softly, wiping my hands on a tissue. I leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Thanks, love."

"I missed your homecooked meals"

She smiled faintly, still playing with the fork in her hand. Her eyes didn't meet mine.

Then, almost in a whisper, she murmured, "Can't you stay here tonight? I mean... we'll just watch some movies or something. Nothing more. Just... stay."

God, how much I wanted to. I looked at her at those tired eyes and soft lips and for a second, I considered it. Just letting everything else burn and staying here in this little world she had created around us.

But reality pulled me back.

"I really want to, Kiyu..." I sighed. "But tonight’s the business party. It's a big one for the project’s success. My dad will be there. It's important."

She nodded slowly, but then paused. Her voice was low, almost careful.

"She'll be there too?"

My jaw clenched. Of course she would. Natasha wouldn't miss a party that offered the spotlight.

I gave a stiff nod. "Yeah."

She hesitated, then looked up at me with those pleading eyes that always made me weak. "Can I come with you?"

I hated this part. I reached for her hand and brought it to my chest, pressing it there. "Kiyara... you know I can’t take you there. I wish I could. But with everything going on, I can't risk your safety.I can't lose you."

She looked down, her thumb brushing against my wrist. "Hmm," she nodded. But her silence screamed louder than any protest.

I tilted her face toward me gently. "Why are you getting tense?" I asked.

She looked away, then finally whispered, "It’s just... Natasha will be there. And I don't know... I don't want her standing next to you like a couple."

My heart twisted. I pulled her close by the waist, my fingers pressing into the fabric of her t shirt.

"You know me, right?" I asked quietly. "You know I haven't looked at any other woman... not once. Not since the day I fell for you."

Her eyes finally met mine.

"You won't go near her? Right? Promise?"

I frowned. "Promise? Don't you believe me?"

"I do," she whispered, though her voice cracked a little.

I placed my forehead against hers and closed my eyes. "I love you only, Kiyu."

Then I kissed her.

Not a rushed kiss. Not a stolen one.

But the kind that said everything words couldn’t. The kind that said I hate the world that keeps us apart, but I love you more than it all.

She responded, her fingers digging softly into my shoulders pulling me closer as she kissed me back, like this was the only moment we had.

And maybe it was.

***

(Natasha's Point of View)

The chandelier above shimmered softly, scattering golden light across the long dining table where the family had gathered.

The warmth of the evening felt like a celebration, but for me, it was something else entirely.

It was a stage.

Raghav sat beside me, stiff and unreadable. He hadn't even looked at me once all evening.

The food on my plate had long gone cold, untouched. All I could focus on was the man beside me. My husband. At least in the eyes of everyone else.

His fingers gripped the stem of his wine glass tightly, his expression distant. Not a single part of him was here with me. He was physically present, yes, but his heart and mind? They were elsewhere.

I tried to smile through the ache in my chest. I leaned in slightly, my voice low and light.

"You've been so busy lately, Raghav. I barely see you at home these days."

His jaw tensed, his eyes still fixed ahead.

"Work," he said quietly.

A lie. A rehearsed, convenient lie.

I reached for my glass and took a slow sip, letting the wine soothe the burn in my throat.

"Of course," I said, setting it down. "I imagine it's not easy... juggling so many responsibilities."

His fingers twitched.

I glanced toward his mother who was chatting animatedly with a relative, completely unaware of the tension sitting between her son and me.

Suddenly, A relative turned to us with a warm smile.

"Raghav, why don't you dance with Natasha?" she suggested brightly. "It's been so long since we've seen you two together on the dance floor."