Chapter 9

7 months ago

Anushkaa

@nushhkiee

Chapter 9 -

The car was packed. Her belongings were neatly arranged in the backseat, but her heart was a turbulent mess. Geet sat behind the wheel, her hands clutching the steering wheel as if it might anchor her to something solid, something real. The house was now a distant memory in her rearview mirror. It had felt like a prison for the past few days, and yet, as she drove away, it felt like a part of her was still trapped there.

She should feel relief. She had left. She had finally walked away from the man who had never cared for her, not in the way she needed, and certainly not in the way she had hoped. But why did leaving feel like such a betrayal?

Geet swallowed hard, pushing the gnawing emptiness away. Maan didn’t care about her. He never had. She had convinced herself that love would be enough to change him, to make him realize she wasn’t just another conquest. But it was never going to happen. He had made that clear.

So why couldn’t she shake the ache in her chest?

The phone buzzed on the passenger seat. She glanced at it, her breath catching. It was an unknown number. The fleeting hope that it might be Maan had her reaching for it before she could stop herself. Her fingers hovered over the screen, hesitation creeping in, but she swiped it open anyway.

"Geet?" A familiar voice spoke through the phone, pulling her from her reverie.

Her heart gave a small lurch.

It wasn’t Maan.

"Anika," Geet said, her voice softer than she intended, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips despite the chaos in her chest. Anika was a close friend from her college days, someone who had stuck by her even when Geet’s life had taken sharp, painful turns.

"Where are you?" Anika’s voice was warm, but Geet could detect the worry underlying the words. "You’ve been gone for days. Is everything okay?"

Geet hesitated, looking out the window, at the city blurring past her. She hadn’t told anyone about Maan, not even Anika. She couldn't. Her family knew nothing of the one-night contract, of the twisted pull she had felt toward him. They thought she had simply been looking for a job, hunting for a way to earn money.

Lying had become second nature.

"I’m fine," Geet said, taking a deep breath. "Just... needed to get away for a while. Taking some time for myself."

Anika was silent for a moment. “Geet... I know you’re hurting. But you don’t have to do this alone. Talk to me, okay? We’ve been through a lot together. You don’t have to keep everything in.”

But Geet felt the walls rising again. She wasn’t ready to tell Anika everything, not the truth of the pain Maan had caused, not the shattered parts of her heart. Instead, she forced her voice to sound light, almost detached.

"I’ll be okay, Anika. Really. I’m just focusing on finding a job, something to keep me busy. You know, get my life back on track."

"Are you sure?" Anika pressed. "Because you’re not fooling me. I know something's wrong, Geet."

“I’m sure,” Geet said quickly, the words coming out a little too hastily. “I’ll be fine. Promise.”

She could hear Anika sigh on the other end. "Alright, but if you need anything... anything at all, I’m here."

“Thanks, Anika,” Geet said softly. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

The call ended, and Geet sank back into the seat, exhaling slowly. She had become so accustomed to wearing the mask of “fine” that even her closest friends couldn’t see through it. She was tired. So tired of pretending. But what else could she do? The truth was too painful, too messy. And Maan? She couldn’t explain him to anyone, least of all to herself.

Geet’s hands gripped the wheel harder, her mind returning to the broken pieces of what had once been.

---

Maan

Maan sat in his study, the room colder than usual. His mind had been tangled with thoughts of Geet for the past few days. Each time he closed his eyes, he saw her...the way she had looked at him when she left, that heartbreaking mixture of pain and determination in her eyes. He had let her go so easily. And yet, the absence of her presence felt like an emptiness he couldn’t fill.

He couldn’t understand it.

He didn’t need anyone. He never had. His life had always been about control...control over everything and everyone. Emotions, relationships...they were messy. Useless. He had built walls around himself so high that he had stopped feeling anything a long time ago.

But Geet had shaken him in ways he hadn’t expected. She had dared to care, to push him, and he hadn’t known how to handle it.

His phone buzzed, pulling him out of his thoughts. The screen lit up, and for a split second, he thought it was Geet.

But it wasn’t.

It was a message from the woman from the gala, the model who had been hanging on his arm that night. She wanted to meet, to discuss business, she said. But Maan’s mind wasn’t on business. His thoughts kept wandering back to Geet. Her absence had created a void in the house that he couldn’t seem to fill. He didn’t need her, but he missed her.

The irony wasn’t lost on him.

Maan tossed the phone onto the desk, his jaw tightening. He needed to focus. He needed to move on, just like Geet had done. But why did it feel like everything he touched now felt hollow?

---

Days passed, and Geet found herself back in her family’s home, surrounded by the comforting noise of everyday life. Her parents, oblivious to the turmoil that had consumed her, were happy to see her return. She told them she had simply taken a break, focusing on finding a job.

They didn’t ask many questions...her family never did...but the guilt gnawed at her. It was a lie. She wasn’t looking for a job. She was running away from a past that had broken her, from a man who never wanted her.

But Geet wasn’t ready to face that truth. Not yet.

At night, when she lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, it was impossible to push away the memories of Maan. The way he had looked at her with cold indifference. The way he had dismissed her, made her feel as if she were nothing. She had convinced herself that his touch was more than just desire, but now she knew it had been nothing more than a fleeting obsession for him.

She couldn’t keep doing this to herself. She couldn’t keep lying to herself, believing that someday he would wake up and realize that she was worth loving.

But despite the heartache, despite the betrayal, part of her still clung to the hope that maybe, just maybe, Maan would come to his senses. That maybe, this pain would lead to something more.

But deep down, Geet knew it was time to let go.

---

The days after her return to her parents’ house felt like a blur...each one blending into the next, filled with forced smiles and hollow conversations. Geet had lied to her family, and she knew it. She’d told them she was job hunting, and for the most part, they had accepted it. But she wasn’t looking for a job. She wasn’t even sure if she cared about finding one anymore. The truth was, she was still reeling from what had happened. From Maan.

The house was familiar, comforting in a way, but it wasn’t home anymore. Not in the way it used to be. Not now that a part of her heart had been shattered, left behind in the cold, distant walls of Maan’s world.

Geet spent her days with her mother, helping around the house, or sitting in the quiet corners of her room. Sometimes, she would pick up her phone, only to put it back down again, unwilling to look at the missed calls or unanswered messages. It was always the same...friends checking in, her family sending their love, but never anything from him. No message from Maan.

He hadn’t tried to reach her. Not once. And with every passing hour, the truth settled deeper into her bones. He didn’t care. He never had.

But that didn’t make it any easier to let go.

---

Maan

Maan stared at the phone in his hand, the screen dimly lit, his finger hovering over Geet’s name. It had been over a week since she’d left, and despite everything he had told himself, every attempt to bury his thoughts of her, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

It was more than just physical attraction now. That had faded, replaced by something else...something he couldn’t quite define, something that made his chest tight and his mind restless.

He had told himself that he didn’t need her. He had told himself that it was for the best that she had left. He couldn’t offer her the love she wanted. He wouldn’t...couldn’t...be that man. He was too damaged, too broken. But even as he thought those words, a part of him resented them. A part of him didn’t want to let go.

Her absence had left a hole in his life. It wasn’t just her beauty or the way she had made him feel; it was the way she had challenged him, the way she had made him feel alive. For the first time in a long time, he was facing something he couldn’t control...and it scared him.