Chapter 1: The Fall from Spotlight

The day my boyfriend lifted the championship trophy, a girl stumbled onto the stage and hugged him.

The arena buzzed, camera flashes popping like Diwali chakris, the air thick with the scent of sweat and excitement. As the cheers faded, I saw her—a whirlwind in sneakers and a sparkly dupatta—throwing her arms around Arjun, who looked more startled than pleased. Some in the crowd started wolf-whistling, while the rest craned their necks, hungry for the next twist like in a daily soap.

Backstage, a flood of comments suddenly popped up before my eyes:

[The female lead has finally appeared! She’s about to join Mumbai Titans as their new marksman and win the championship with the male lead again!]

[Ahhh, this is exactly what I wanted—a genius girl from nowhere, the top player in the league, and now the ultimate power couple!]

[When is Arjun going to break up with the doosri ladki? Didn’t he switch teams and dump her during the off-season?]

[Good, she’s just got a bit of money—why does she get to compete with the female lead for Arjun?]

The comments scrolled faster than WhatsApp forwards during family group fights. I could almost hear the 'hawww' and see the judging aunties nodding.

After a moment of stunned silence, I glanced down at my chipped nail polish—a nervous tic—then wiped my sweaty palms on my kurta before dialing my assistant.

"Take Arjun off the starting roster. Is there a promising jungler in the second team? I’ll go have a look."

I kept my voice calm, just like Ma would when the maid broke a glass—no shouting, only a cold, final decision that left no room for debate. My nails dug into my palm, the jumble of anger, disappointment, and maybe even relief pulsing under my skin.

"Yes, yes, there definitely is."

Sneha sounded a bit nervous, but she knew I meant business. Years of working together had taught her to read my moods from a single line.