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We lock eyes, both brimming with anger, neither of us willing to back down.
“Saving Meher’s life today does not grant you forgiveness for your sins,” Vishnu sneers.
“People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones at others. Before accusing others of their sins, make sure to examine your own,” I snap back.
“Enough!” Meher’s voice pierces through our anger. “Stop blaming other people, Ayaan. Just stop!” Her frustration echoes in the empty space, silencing us momentarily.
“I’m not blaming anyone,” I retort, my voice tinged with frustration. “Why don’t you ask him,” I gesture towards Vishnu. “Ask him what he had told me in Dalhousie. He clearly insinuated that you wanted to cause a scandal to break your alliance with Niraj. Later, Aksh called me and implied that you didn’t exchange Rima’s phone that night because you wanted to keep the evidence of your family’s bribes from reaching me. They both lied to me, Meher. They are the reason for this distance between us. I won’t let them get away with it.”
I’m about to lunge at Vishnu again, but Meher stands between us.
“Yes, they lied,” she shouts back. “Raj, Vishnu and Aksh… they all lied for their own selfish reasons. But they are not responsible for the distance between us, Ayaan.Youare responsible for the crack in our relationship. You and no one else.”
Her words sting, and I can see the anguish in her eyes as she continues.
“They did what they had to, but you? You believed them over me. You believed them over the woman who gave you her everything. That’s what you did.”
Tears spring in her eyes again, but she wipes them away before they roll down.
“Ayaan Shergill, the King, who claimed to love his Queen for eternity, could trust his enemies, but not the woman who gave him her all. You didn’t even hesitate to make our kiss in Arya Bhavan a breaking news headline, Ayaan.”
Vishnu blaming me for the media scandal was one thing, but now Meher discussing it makes me feel guilty. I know I’m at fault, and no excuse I offer will ever justify my actions.
“It was a private and intimate moment between us. Even though you threatened to leak it to the media, I had faith you wouldn’t. I trusted you, Ayaan, but I was so wrong. You broke my trust and shattered me.”
She looks at me in disappointment.
“I was consumed by rage,” I mumble, hanging my head down in shame. Yes, I am man enough to admit that I was so wrong. “I never shot any video of our kiss, nor did I intend to share our intimate moments with the world. But, seeing you supporting your father and behaving so coldly with me hurt me, Meher. I thought when you could share our private photos of Dalhousie with the media without feeling guilty, I, too, could do the same to make you taste the bitterness of such deceit. So in a fit of impulsiveness, I leaked the kissing headline. But I instantly regretted doing it. I was wrong. This whole f*cking time, I was wrong to do that to you.”
I try to explain, but the moment I take a step closer, Meher stops me with a raised hand.
“Don’t. I don’t need your explanations. No matter what you say, Ayaan, the truth will never change.”
Krish approaches us. “Sorry to interrupt, but the cops need a statement of what happened here,” he says, looking at me. He immediately senses the tension in the air and realises his lousy timing.
Since Meher and Krish have never met before, I take a moment to introduce them.
“Meher, this is my friend, Krish,” I tell her, and immediately, her eyes widen in anger again.
“Oh, so you’re the spy Krish, the one who blindly trusts his staff?” she lashes out at him. “Raj worked for you for years, right? What kind of spy service do you run that employs rats who easily sell their loyalty for money?”
Krish nods nervously, understanding her point. “Look, Meher, I’m really sorry for—”
“I don’t need your apology, Krish,” she cuts him off. Meher’s frustration continues to escalate as she directs her anger towards poor Krish, venting her pent-up emotions.
“You pride yourself on being a clever spymaster, but how can you be so blind to not see the traitors within your own team?” she scolds him, her voice laced with bitterness. “Instead of focusing on background checks on whom the Walias bribed, you should have invested more time in verifying your own team members’ backgrounds. Then maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess, drowning in complications and misunderstandings!”
Krish, taken aback by Meher’s accusations, tries to explain, “I didn’t know Raj was capable of such betrayal. He was one of my most trusted agents.”
“Trusted?” she scoffs, her eyes flashing with indignation. “Clearly, your trust isn’t worth much if your agents can so easily be swayed by a few extra bucks. You were so focused on your mission that you failed to see what was happening right under your nose!”
She takes a deep breath, trying to compose herself, but boy, she is on a roll.
“Your lack of vigilance has jeopardised my relationship with Ayaan.”
Krish looks regretful and apologetic, and turns to me for help, but I ignore him. He deserves it.
Meher is in no mood to accept my apology, forget his.
