Rajiv's POV
I picked up her diary.
Should I return it today or wait until she comes back to it?
I've been thinking about this for a while now.
"I should return it," I thought to myself.
"But it should look special. I'll wrap it up like a gift and make it a surprise for her." Just as I was pondering, my mother's voice echoed in my room,
"Rajiv!" She entered, and her eyes dilated as she saw me holding the diary.
I quickly dropped it back in its place, but she had already seen me.
"What is it?" she asked, her eyes narrowing slightly as she gazed at the old book, then back at me.
"Anita's diary," I said simply with a neutral voice, and I continued adjusting my tie.
"Was it hers all along, and I kept seeing it without destroying it?" She thundered, her voice rising with rage and hatred.
"What are her belongings still doing here? Didn't she leave you?" She spat, her eyes blazing with fury and more hatred, while her face twisted in anger.
My expression remained calm. "She left this behind, but I'm planning to return it to her today."
Her brows furrowed, her eyes narrowing into slits. "Today?" she repeated, and then, slowly, her eyes widened in shock. "Is she in Mumbai?" she whispered.
"Yes, and you know what? She's doing amazingly well. She now owns a restaurant." I said it with a smile, but my mother's angry voice cut me off.
"A restaurant? The daughter-in-law of this family would work." she spat,
"Did you forget? We're divorced," I reminded her, my voice firm but still calm.
"It's pointless!" she snapped, her face red with rage.
"She's bound to you for seven lives. I'll call her father and tell him what his daughter has been up to. She'll return here, and then I'll make sure to teach her a lesson."
"No need," I said with an authoritative tone.
"I'm bringing her back already. I'm working on it, and this time, when she returns, she'll be treated with respect. I expect this from everyone," I asserted, my eyes staring on hers briefly, before turning and walking away, leaving her seething with anger.
••••
I arrived at the restaurant with some of my employees, who would measure the size of the building.
"I hope everything is ready," I said.
"We'll prepare the report and hand it over to Anita before we leave, since they want the work to start as soon as possible." I added.
"Yes, sir!" one of my employees replied, and we went into the elevator.
While we ascended, I couldn't help but wonder about her sudden success.
How did she manage to afford a restaurant in the BKC area?
As far as I know, her family has always struggled financially.
They still do.
The elevator opened on the top floor, and I saw her sitting on a couch with another man.
She was engrossed in her phone, the latest iPhone model, while he was on a phone call.
But after the elavator's doors opened with a beep, their attention turned to me.
She rose from the couch, and he smiled at her while still on his phone call.
I am relieved to see her wearing a saree, a more modest attire for a married woman compared to her outfit the previous day.
But my relief was short-lived when my gaze shifted to the man, and my expression turned into anger.
Who is he, and what is his relationship with her?
"Good morning, Mr. Rajiv," she said, her voice cheerful and radiant, but I can't help but feel she is pretending.
I eyed her warily, my patience becoming very thin as my mind wondered with questions and doubts.
Does she not recognize me, or is she deliberately trying to forget the past?
Seeing her with another man also protrudes envy into my veins.
My eyes narrowed slightly towards him and then towards her.
Her smile towards me seems forced, and I can see the nervousness beneath her friendly exterior.
"Good morning," I replied, my tone neutral, but my eyes squinted slightly.
"I didn't expect you to be with someone. I remember they all said they would be busy." I raised an eyebrow,
Her smile never vanished, but I still detected nervousness in her eyes. "Let's focus on the task at hand, shall we?" She said. Her voice was bright and professional.
"The restaurant has three floors. This one, and then there are two more below." She gestured gracefully, her hands sweeping across the room.
I eyed her, my mind racing with questions, but regardless, I nodded, my gaze never leaving hers.
"Go ahead!" I directed my employees, my voice becoming strict, and they quickly dispersed into the elevator.
The man finished his call.
He stood up and approached me while extending his hand. "Akash Kapoor." He introduced himself with a smile, but his eyes gleamed with arrogance.
"Rajiv Pandey," I replied, my tone neutral but my grip on his hand tight.
As our hands clasped, his gaze turned to mine, and I could just sense animosity from him.
His eyes changed slightly while his smile vanished for a moment before he quickly recovered.
I can tell he doesn't like me any more than I do.
His attention shifted to Anita, and his expression transformed, softening into a warm, affectionate smile. "I'm so sorry, but my mom found out I dodged work, so she's insisting I spend the day with her," he explained, with an apologetic tone.
"I have to go. Sorry again."
Her face lit up with a gracious smile. "Please, of course, go. And extend my greetings to her, please."
"Sure!" He stepped forward, his lips brushing against her hair in a tender kiss.
My mouth dropped open in shock, my eyes wide with disbelief.
How could she let him?
"I forgot to tell you how beautiful you look today, like every day," he added, his voice filled with affection.
Her cheeks turned pink while she smiled, not bothered by his gesture.
My shock turned to discomfort as I watched them interact.
"I'll try to finish quickly," he said.
"We won't waste time. I'll only spend an hour or two..."
However, she cut him off. "No way, you'll stay with her for as long as she wants. I don't mind waiting here for you; don't worry."
I rolled my eyes, my discomfort turning to annoyance.
Why is she so accommodating to him?
His eyes stared at hers, his expression becoming more tender. "I honestly don't want to leave you, but... goodbye."
My gaze dropped to their hands, where he gave hers a light squeeze.
She just smiled, looking comfortable, while I felt like an outsider.
How could she let him cross these boundaries?
After the elevator doors closed with him in it, I grabbed her hand with fierce intensity, pinning her against the wall.
My anger boiled over, and I growled, "How dare you let another man touch and kiss you? In front of me?" My eyes blazed with fury, while my voice echoed off the walls.
Her eyes widened in shock, and she trembled beneath my grip. "S-stay away, Mr. Rajiv. What are you doing?" she stuttered.
I stamped my foot angrily on the floor, making her flinch. "Keep quiet!" I thundered, my voice dripping with venom.
"I want answers. How did you suddenly become rich? I was happy to see you among India's most successful men yesterday, but now I'm wondering what it cost you to get there."
My gaze bore into hers, demanding the truth.
Her eyes darted around, searching for escape, but I held her tighter.
She swallowed hard, then released a long, trembling sigh before meeting my gaze again. "I owe you no explanation. We don't share any relationships. This is purely professional and..."
I let out a cold, mirthless chuckle. "So you're admitting that you slept with others to get money?"
Her brows furrowed, and she feigned shock.
"How dare you! How many men, exactly? Was it all of them who came yesterday? And what about the one who just left? Was that how desperate you were to achieve your dreams?"
My voice rose, fueled by anger and hurt.
"Do you know, when I read your diary, I thought we could work things out again? I thought fate had given us a second chance. And when I saw you yesterday, I immediately fell in love with you. I believed I could live with you as my wife, but not after what I just witnessed. You're telling me that..."
"Enough!" she screamed, her voice piercing the room.
"You've spoken enough! It's sad that even after reading my diary, you still don't understand who I am. You didn't even try to understand. Akash is my friend, and when I came to Mumbai with nothing, he helped me. I had no home, no money, and no food, and I slept on the streets for months. I begged for food but still went to bed hungry. Akash was like an angel sent by God. I'm not explaining myself to clear up your misconceptions. I don't care what you think about me, but you questioned my mother's upbringing, so I won't let that slide. Yes, I know it's against my family's principles for a man to get close to me or touch me. If my father had seen it, he would have killed me by now. Still, I agreed to move in with Akash, but he never entered my room. He respects my privacy. I didn't sleep with anyone to get rich. I'm not like you. Akash is a generous man. At first, he was against the idea of me even being in Mumbai to provide for myself because he said it was my family's responsibility to provide for me. But when he called my father, he told him I'd been disowned. This is the only reason he allowed me to live with him so I won't stand anyone questioning his intentions. He is a generous man—a man with a heart of gold. I won't let you besmirch his name or his reputation." She paused, wiping away a tear.
"Do you know what?" She spat out while forcing a smile.
"You just accused me of selling my body to get rich. Well, let me ask you, how did you get so wealthy overnight? Who did you sleep with to get ahead? Was it Divya? Your boss's sister? Did you use her to climb the corporate ladder?"
Her words cut me deep, each one a razor-sharp stab to my heart.
I couldn't take it anymore, so I slapped her, the sound echoing through the room like a thunderclap.
The force of my blow sent her stumbling back more against the wall, and her eyes became wide with shock.
"How dare you!" I thundered, my anger unleashing like a storm.
"Thank you for reminding me of my father," she whispered, her voice trembling with pain.
"So, it hurt you to be accused of sleeping around? However, I didn't react the way you did." Her eyes overflowed with tears, and her voice cracked as she spoke.
I gazed at my hand in horror, the one that had just slapped her.
I had promised to never raise my hand against a woman, and yet I had broken the promise.
"You will return home this instant," I asserted, trying to regain control of the situation.
"I don't want you working anymore. Mother was right. I now understand why she said the daughter-in-law shouldn't work. I won't let your mind be corrupted by the ways of the world."
"You and I are divorced!" she exclaimed, her voice echoing like a death knell.
"I want nothing to do with a heartless man who disrupted a funeral ceremony and raised his hand to a woman!" She added.
I glared at her, my eyes blazing with rage. "Don't test my patience," I warned.
"We know each other all too well. If you don't return willingly, I'll have your father call you back. And I'm certain you wouldn't want that."
She laughed with a cold, mirthless sound. "I've left my past behind," she proclaimed.
"If my father reappears in my life again, he'll kill me, because this time, I won't be forced to marry you again. And I thought you hated me. Wasn't I the darkness in your life? Go, find your light elsewhere."
"I want you now," I growled, my voice raw with desire.
"You had your chance to have me," she replied in a cold and distant voice.
"When I was forced to devote myself to you, but not now. You've lost that chance."
"You're going to be mine," I snarled, my eyes with possessiveness.
"You'll always be mine because your father and our grandparents wanted us to be partners for seven lives."
"Never," she whispered, and then turned and walked away.
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