Chapter 3 - The Damage that started everything

The car slowed down.

Too soon.

Manik adjusted his watch, his movements precise, controlled—like everything else about him. He didn't look at Nandini when he spoke.

"This is where it ends."

Her heart skipped.

"E–ends?" she repeated softly.

"Abhi?"

"Yes."

She turned fully towards him now, confusion clouding her face.

"You'll step out," he continued calmly. "Smile for the cameras. Then you'll leave."

"Par—" her voice trembled. "Date toh—"

"No interviews."

"No reactions."

"No statements."

Each word was clipped. Final.

She stared at him, disbelief slowly replacing excitement.

"Aap aise kyun baat kar rahe ho?" she asked, hurt creeping in. "Did I do something wrong?"

For the first time, he looked at her.

And there was nothing in his eyes.

"This isn't personal," he said coldly.

"It's necessary."

Necessary.

The word cut deep.

The car stopped.

Cameras exploded outside, flashes blinding. Manik stepped out first, slipping seamlessly into his public role. He offered his arm—not with warmth, not with care—but with practiced perfection.

She took it.

Because she didn't know how not to.

To the world, it looked flawless.

To her, it felt like standing beside a stranger.

The moment they were out of frame, he let go.

"That's it," he said.

"Someone will drop you home." He looked behind, and as he asked his manger there was a car ready with driver to drop her and his PR team to explain her to not go around and give interviews until she is asked to do so.

She didn't move.

"Bas?" she whispered. "Yahi tha sab?"

"Yes.. Remember what I told you."

No explanation.

No apology.

He turned to leave.

Something inside her shattered.

Outside Hotel

"Nandini!"

Navya's voice broke through the fog.

"Kya hua? Tum itni chup kyun ho?"

Nandini tried to speak. She couldn't.

Her throat burned, eyes stinging as the truth crashed down on her all at once.

"Navya..." she finally choked. "Woh bilkul alag tha."

"Kaisa alag?" Navya asked urgently.

"He didn't look at me," Nandini blurted out, words tumbling out raw and unfiltered. "Na baat... na smile... jaise main wahan thi hi nahi."

Navya frowned. "Maybe nervous hoga."

"Nahi!" Nandini snapped, anger laced with pain. "Yeh nervous nahi tha."

"He was behaving so weird with me," Nandini continued desperately. "So distant... so cold... sab kuch planned tha."

She lowered her voice, almost ashamed of the thought forming in her mind.

"I don't think..."

She hesitated, then whispered, "I don't think he even likes girls."

Navya stiffened. "Nandini—"

She laughed bitterly, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Shayad isiliye uske liye yeh sirf ek act tha."

Behind them—

A recorder clicked off.

The sound was soft. But it echoed like a gunshot.

Nandini turned.

And saw her. Nyonika.

She wasn't surprised.

She wasn't shocked.

She was thrilled.

"That was very... honest," Nyonika said smoothly. "And honesty sells.. Thanks Nandini"

Navya grabbed Nandini's arm. "Nandini... chal yaha sei."

Nandini's blood ran cold.

That Night

Every news channel screamed the same story. The television volume was low. But the words were loud enough to destroy lives. The screen flickered.

BREAKING NEWS

Contest Winner Nandini Murthy questions Manik Malhotra's sexuality
"He doesn't like girls," she claims
Was today's date just a cover-up?
Is Manik Malhotra hiding the truth behind a flawless image?

TV Tropes cut in with a special segment, dramatizing every word, every pause.
Nyonika's voice filled the room—smooth, calculated, merciless.

"Since we have already reported him to be gay... Manik Malhotra now seems hell-bent on proving otherwise."

"Will such meaningless stunts—like going on a date through a TV program— actually hide his true identity?"

"Is this just another attempt to stop us from exposing the truth?"
"Will this dating drama really help him?"

"Tune in to TV-Tropes for more spicy updates on the one and only—" "Hidden in Shadows: Manik Malhotra."

"Signing off—this is yours truly, Nyonika from TV-Tropes."

The screen went blank. The damage didn't.

Nandini stared at the television, her entire body trembling.

"Navya..." she whispered brokenly. "Maine... maine sirf woh kaha jo mujhe laga... Mujhe sach mein nahi pata tha ki meri ek baat...itna bada issue create kar degi."

Navya pulled her into a tight hug. "Par media ko sach nahi chahiye... sirf scandal," she whispered.

ELSEWHERE

A glass shattered against the wall.

"ONE thing!"

Manik roared, fury tearing through the room. "I told them ONE thing to handle!"

His phone buzzed endlessly.

Sponsors. Brand heads. Emergency meetings.

His name crawled across every screen— not as the golden boy... but as a question mark.

His chest heaved as the television replayed the clip— her words, frozen into a headline.

Everything he had built so carefully... was burning.. And she had lit the match.

For him, it was betrayal. For her, it was a mistake.

For fate— It was the beginning.

And for the first time— Manik Malhotra lost control. Because of her.