‘You’re stuck with me as I am forever.’ I giggled.
‘See what you’ll have to deal with?’ Rhea asked Jai.
He caught my eye, smiling. ‘Consider me warned.’
Soon it was time for Jai to leave.
‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’ He pressed a soft kiss on my lips. ‘Have a good evening.’
Warmth returned to my heart. ‘You too.’
I shut the door and leaned back against it.He’s so damn perfect!
Rhea was looking at me, her face even. No smirk. No teasing me for blushing or being cringe. Just a frown.
I blinked, my high faltering.
‘What is it?’ I asked, sitting on the sofa and hugging a cushion.
‘You’re happy,’ she said softly. ‘And he seems like a great guy. He looks at you like you hang the damn moon.’
Her tone made my smile waver. My grip on the pillow tightened.
‘So why …’ she continued, ‘did you look like you were going to pass out when I walked in?’
My stomach twisted. I wanted to laugh it off, to deny it, but something deep within me had already split. Memories from the event resurfaced. The bathroom. Rekha’s threats. Her hand on my arm. The suffocating fragrance of Chanel N°5. My panic attack.
‘Rekha—’ A thick knot formed in my throat. ‘She cornered me in the bathroom at the event.’ I dragged in a breath and told her about the threats. About the weight pressing in on me until the world seemed to tilt. How I couldn’t breathe. I had to grip the bathroom counter to hold myself up through the panic, fogging my brain.
Rhea’s face grew more concerned, but she didn’t interrupt.
My vision blurred. ‘I was about to have another panic attack when you walked in.’ My heart stuttered. ‘I wanted to accept Jai’s offer; of course, I did. But all I could think about was that Rekha would ruin my life if I accepted it. I can’t lose Jai.’ My voice cracked. ‘And I can’t give up on my dream.’
‘Oh, Anu.’ She pulled me into a hug, her chin resting on my shoulder. ‘I’m so sorry.’
A sob escaped my mouth.
She pulled back, her thumbs brushing away the tears on my cheeks. ‘Listen to me. You cannot let Rekha toy with you. And Jai …’ She hesitated, then said softly, ‘He’s not the kind of guy you risk like this. You love him. I can see it all over your face.’
I did. I loved him. I really did.
I swallowed. ‘What do I do?’
‘You tell Jai the truth and hope he forgives you,’ she said, as if it were that easy. ‘You can’t keep splitting yourself in half like this. You’ll break. And if you keep going like this, you won’t just lose him or your career. You’ll lose yourself.’
‘Jai …’ A sob escaped my lips. ‘He will never forgive me. I …’ All the air escaped my lungs. My chest caved in. ‘I’ll lose him forever.’
He valued honesty and loyalty deeply. I’d seen how angry he was after what Lehenga Bazaar had done. Hiscompetitor. If he found out whatIhad done … I sobbed harder.
Rhea pulled me into another hug.
‘I’ll lose everything.’
‘Jai seems like a good guy. If you’re honest with him, he might forgive you.’ She rubbed my back. ‘And until you come clean, you’ll always fear the worst. That’s no way to love.’
The thought made my stomach twist. My breath shallowed, and I felt like the air had thinned. ‘I … I can’t tell him, Rhea. I can’t.’
‘Then end it with Rekha. And pray to God it doesn’t come back to you.’
