Aakriti's POV

The first thing I felt when I woke up was a throbbing headache, like a marching band had decided to rehearse inside my skull.
The second thing I noticed was a heavy arm draped over my waist.

Oh no.

I turned my head slowly, dreading what I'd see.
There he was, Dhruv, asleep beside me, looking unfairly peaceful. His hair was messy, one side of his face buried into the pillow, the other catching the soft morning light.

For a brief moment, I almost melted. Then my memories hit me.

Oh my God.

I sat up abruptly, the blanket falling off me. "No, no, no..." I muttered under my breath. "Tell me I didn't make a fool of myself."

Dhruv shifted slightly and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like my name. I froze.

"Don't wake up, please don't wake up." I whispered like I was bargaining with fate.

Carefully, I lifted his arm off me and placed it back on the bed. Then I slipped out as quietly as possible, tiptoeing like a thief. My head was spinning, but the real pain was the embarrassment about to erupt if this devil wakes up.

I needed to leave this house now. I quickly rushed inside the bathroom to get ready.

My reflection in the mirror looked like a crime scene culprit. My hair was a mess, my kajal was smudged, and my lipstick was half gone. "Great," I muttered. "I look like a witch."

I quickly got ready to go to the office. I came out, and luckily Dhruv was still sleeping.

I tiptoed towards the main door, clutching my bag. I am sneaking like a thief.

"Good morning, Bhabhi."

I froze mid-step.

Kabir. Standing in the hallway. Arms crossed. Smiling like a shark who smelled blood. I am so done. This idiot is not going to spare me.

"Y-you're up early," I stammered, pretending to fix my hair.

He raised a brow. "Not as early as you, apparently. Sneaking out before breakfast?"

"I'm not sneaking out," I said quickly. "I just... have an urgent meeting."

"At eight in the morning? "Is it on a Sunday?" he inquired, his smile expanding.

I scowled. "Yes. It's... important."

Kabir held up his phone. "Would this meeting have anything to do with the video I took last night of you confessing that you are Bhai's baby and yelling at your mirror twin?"

I froze. My mouth went dry. "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh, I would," he said cheerfully. "Karan already saw the first ten seconds and laughed so hard he dropped his toast."

I wanted the ground to swallow me whole. "Kabir!" I hissed. "Delete it. Right now."

He shrugged. "Depends."

"On what?"

"On how nicely you say please." He said with a smug.

I glared at him. "Kabir, I swear I'll—"

"Good morning, everyone." Dhruv's voice came from behind me.

Of course. Because life

I turned to find him leaning against the doorway, sleepy-eyed but with that smug smile that made me want to throw a pillow at him.

He looked at me, then at Kabir, then back at me again. "Running away from me, Mrs. Rathore?"

"I—no—I was just—" I fumbled, wishing I could disappear.

Kabir snickered. "Don't worry, Bhai. Bhabhi just has an urgent meeting."

Dhruv's smirk deepened. "Oh, does she? Should I drive her there?"

My cheeks burned. "You both are insufferable," I muttered, pushing past them and marching toward my room.

"Bhabhi!" Kabir called after me. "Next time you get drunk, warn us first—I'll set up better lighting for the video!"

"KABIR!" I yelled, and he just gave me a mischievous smile.

"Looks like someone is messing around." I heard Dhruv saying in a dangerously low tone.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing"

"Dhruv." I called him.

"It's nothing important." He said nonchalantly.

"Clearly it is," I countered, folding my arms. "Because you look like you're about to murder someone."

"I am." He said, still glaring, looking at his phone screen.

"Show me." I said, losing patience. When he didn't move, I reached forward and snatched the phone from his hand before he could stop me.

"Aakriti—"

But it was too late. I was already staring at the screen.

My stomach dropped.

There it was—a viral post, spreading like wildfire. A photo of me dining with foreign clients in the past. The caption below was venom disguised as gossip.

Aakriti Malhotra, known for her "business dinners," seems to have mastered the art of turning charm into profit. Sources say she hides her affairs behind professional meetings. Dhruv Rathore—her biggest catch yet. Will she ditch her husband for an even bigger fish?

The blood rushed to my face. My ears rang. Every word sliced through me like a blade.

They'd called me characterless. A woman who used her charm and her body to climb ladders and maintain her position. What about my talent, my dedication, and my patience and perseverance? People think all my success was not because of my hard work but because I am a slut.

I felt my throat tighten painfully. "Who would do this?" I whispered, my voice shaking.

Dhruv's voice turned to ice. "Someone who doesn't know what it means to cross me."

My words came out rushed, trembling. "Dhruv, all this is a lie. All those are my business partners and nothing more. All those people in the pictures are my business partners and nothing more. They're the clients I've been negotiating with for months. Every meeting, every dinner—it's all been about work. I am not like how I am mentioned in the post." My voice cracked as I spoke. It's not the first time somebody questioned me, but I don't want Dhruv to think like that about me.

"Trust me. I have never interacted with anyone with the intention of using them. Not for money. Not for success. Not for anything. I've worked too hard to be reduced to this......" I whispered, blinking back the tears stinging my eyes.

He finally lifted his eyes from the screen, and for a second, I braced for disappointment, doubt—anything.

But what I saw instead was something far more dangerous.

Not anger at me.
Anger for me.

Dhruv didn't say anything more. He just stepped closer and pulled me into his arms, his hold firm and certain, the kind of embrace that told me I didn't have to explain, didn't have to defend, and didn't have to prove anything.

"I know." he said quietly.

And that one word—that simple, steady 'I 'know'—undid me completely.

My tears that I'd been holding back started flowing uncontrollably, blurring everything except him. I didn't even try to stop them this time. I felt safe in his arms.

For a moment, I just stood there, letting my forehead rest against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against my ear. And that sound—that quiet, constant beat—felt like the only thing anchoring me in a world that had turned cruel overnight.

All my life, when people had pointed fingers, whispered behind my back, and thrown shade at my choices, it had always been me, standing alone, fighting back with forced calm and a brave face.

But this time... I wasn't alone.

Now I had someone who didn't just stand beside me—he held my hand, became my voice when mine trembled, and became my strength when mine faltered.

For the first time, I wasn't fighting by myself.

I had him.

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