Chapter 8: Breaking the Chains

"Kaveripur?" Rohan’s voice spiked, anger swirling like a monsoon gust.

He glared, realization dawning, lips twisting. "You want to threaten me? Pretend to leave so you can demand more? Priya married me properly—there’s no reason to return your place to you."

He was sure I wouldn’t leave, certain I still cared for the house, the name, the old ties. I nearly laughed—at him, at myself, for ever believing in promises made beneath mango trees.

"My husband is in Kaveripur," I replied quietly.

Rohan’s face drained of colour. "You married in Kaveripur?"

I nodded, leading Ananya past him. My steps were steady, my decision final.

"Now that both of us are remarried, there is nothing left between us."

Suddenly, Rohan grabbed the corner of my saree, pulling hard. The fabric dug into my skin, but I did not turn.

His voice broke. "I don’t believe it. I’m a Deputy Secretary—can you really give up such honour? In Kaveripur, your husband’s rank is nothing. Will you suffer for him?"

For a moment, his mask slipped—I saw the boy I once loved, lost and afraid.

I turned away. "Rohan, you and I are different. I care only for him."

Rohan’s grip tightened, pain biting, but my heart was numb.

"And Ananya? Arjun? Don’t you care for them?"

Ananya clung to me, trembling. I squeezed her hand. "Ananya will come with me. As for Arjun—he does not wish to know me. Let him be."

I offered Rohan the last kindness I could: a path of retreat for his pride.

He tried to block my way, but I tore a strip from my saree with a knife, the sound sharp as the final break. Guards moved in, staff and neighbours watching from the shadows.

He stopped, defeated. "Ananya’s surname remains Sharma."

I walked away without looking back, Ananya’s hand in mine. My steps felt lighter, the burden finally lifted.

"From today, she will not bear the Sharma surname."

Behind me, the old house stood silent, its doors closed tight against the past.