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“When I first saw your pictures with him on TV, I made up my mind never to look at your face again. I was consumed by anger and lost control, wanting to confront you and unleash my fury for lying to me and hiding your affair all this time. I don’t have a problem that you are in love, Meher. The problem is that the man you claim to love is my enemy. I don’t have a problem that you went against me. I’ve a problem that it was Ayaan Shergill you chose to go with. I’ll never accept your relationship with him as long as I’m alive. The day I see him, I’ll kill him myself. He has to die for touching my daughter.”
“No,” I replied, turning around and sitting on the bed, unable to continue pretending to be asleep. Whatever Dad said at the end triggered the images of Kailash uncle’s accident and his blood on the road. It suddenly occurred to me that it could be Ayaan’s too, if… No!! With my trembling heart, words failed to form in my head.
I glanced at my Dad, who was staring at me as though attempting to read my mind, waiting for me to reply. I had to think quickly.
“I don’t love him,” I lied, holding his hand tightly, tears streaming down my face. “I know the enmity between these two families runs deep, Dad. How could you even think I will ever fall in love with Ayaan?”
My voice trembled, but I did my best to sound confident. Dad stiffened.
“Then what were you doing with him in Dalhousie?” he asked.
I looked down, trying to buy time to find an excuse, which thankfully popped into my head that very moment.
“I wanted to break my alliance with Niraj, Dad. So, when I learned that Ayaan was going to Dalhousie, I decided to join him.”
I met Dad’s gaze again.
“And you know I always told you I didn’t want to marry Niraj. But you never took me seriously. I even spoke to Niraj about it and tried to convince him to break the alliance, but he, too, did nothing. That’s when I decided to… to create situations where you all think I am having an affair with someone else, with the hope that Niraj and his family themselves break this alliance and free me from this arrangement.”
Dad clenched his jaw, and I squeezed his hand harder.
“Dad, I didn’t know it would create such a huge scandal. Please believe me.”
“And Ayaan?” he inquired, his eyes burned with rage just uttering that name. “Why him?”
My heart skipped a beat.
“Think about it, Dad. Who could have been a better choice to stage such a situation than an enemy? Everyone in the family despised Ayaan Shergill, making him the perfect candidate for my little deception.”
Dad kept staring at my face, so I continued to lie to make him believe it was the truth. I sincerely hoped he was convinced by my excuses.
“Ayaan warned me to stay away from him. But I kept chasing him.” I admitted, my voice filled with remorse. “He didn’t do anything, Dad. It was all my fault. All my plans. Had I known that things would escalate to this extent and would fuel a scandal this huge, I would have been more cautious, Dad. Even going to Dalhousie with Ayaan was a part of my plan.”
“Was sleeping with Ayaan a part of your plan too?” Dad shouted, forcefully shrugging off my grip on his arm.
His question caught me off guard. I wasn’t prepared for him to ask me this. Shocked and speechless, I didn’t know what to tell him when thankfully, I was saved from answering when Aksh burst into the room with Vishnu, both clearly agitated.
“You won’t believe what has happened,” he exclaimed, turning on the television in my room and tuning it to a news channel.
Another news segment played featuring Ayaan’s video footage. The news anchor announced to the public that Ayaan was holding Dad responsible for the accident of his father, Kailash Shergill. The video was taken in a Mumbai hospital where Ayaan’s father was hospitalised, and Ayaan defiantly challenged Dad, glaring into the camera, promising to seek justice.
“This Shergill guy has crossed all limits,” Aksh snapped, his frustration evident.
Aksh’s phone started ringing.
“That’s the Chief Minister’s call,” he said, shaking his head with disappointment towards me before stepping out to answer it. This breaking news had caused a stir, and people from Dad’s political circle had begun to call to inquire about the situation, despite the lack of authenticity or evidence. I was equally shocked by how Ayaan had arrived at such a conclusion. Why was he accusing my Dad for his father’s accident? It was overwhelming to process everything. Despite Dad’s loss of composure, he turned to face me.
“You chose the wrong man, Meher,” Dad said, his voice laced with bitterness.
I stood blankly, unable to reply.
“Meher, he had the audacity to accuse me of such a grave matter because of what you did,” Dad’s voice was stern. “You might not love him, but I know Kailash’s nature. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I hope you understand the gravity of the situation. You played with fire, and now we are all vulnerable to the consequences. Ayaan won’t take your playful game lightly. He will retaliate, and it won’t just end here. This is just the beginning of a storm that will sweep us all away before we know what hit us. Be prepared for what’s coming, for it won’t be easy.”
“Dad…” I pleaded, but he left my room, leaving me to grapple with the situation on my own. Vishnu stared at me, realising I had lied to Dad that I didn’t love Ayaan. But I had to, and just like every other time, I hoped Vishnu would hide this fact from my father, no matter how loyal he was to my dad already.
When you have no one to trust, you need to rely on your intuition and pick the safest one. I’d learnt it from Ayaan. So, I did the same. Knowing Dad and Aksh could go to any lengths to hurt Ayaan if they learn about my affair with him, I chose to lie to them, denying any kind of love for him, and put my trust in Vishnu that he would not disclose my lie either as Vishnu had hidden my interactions with Ayaan earlier from Dad even in the past. And I believed he would do it one more time for me. After all, he also wanted Dad to be stress-free. And with the scandals and allegations looming on our heads, that was the best I could do at that moment.
The following 48 hours were incredibly nerve-racking for the entire family. The police frequently visited our home for inquiries. Several leaders from the ruling party started showing up to discuss the issue, while a few individuals within Dad’s political circle warned him that if he didn’t take swift action to resolve the situation, he might have to step down from his position as Deputy CM. The family was embroiled in controversy, and all eyes were on me.
