Chapter 9- Her Side Of The Story
490 Words
The living room felt smaller than it ever had.
Anika sat on the edge of the sofa—straight-backed, poised, but not cold.
Her presence wasn’t loud.
It was steady.
Meera sat opposite her, fingers knotted tightly in her saree pallu.
Riya stood near the doorway.
Aditya remained standing.
He did not sit.
Not yet.
Aditya: “How did you know my father?”
Anika looked up, her voice calm.
Anika: “I was his research assistant. At the office. Three years.”
Riya blinked.
Aditya’s jaw tightened.
Aditya: “So you were there at the time everything went wrong.”
Anika didn’t flinch.
Anika: “Yes. And I stayed when others didn’t.”
Her voice didn’t c***k, but pain lived under every syllable.
She reached into her bag and placed a file on the table.
The same company logo.
The same one Rajiv had mentioned.
Anika: “Your father discovered financial fraud inside the company. Illegal transfers. Manipulated shares.”
Meera closed her eyes.
Riya stepped closer.
Aditya stayed still.
Anika continued:
Anika: “He confronted the board. They threatened him first… quietly. Then not so quietly.”
The room went cold.
Anika: “He refused to give in. Even when he realized someone close had already helped them.”
She didn’t say Rajiv’s name.
She didn’t have to.
Aditya let out a slow breath.
Not anger.
Not disbelief.
Something heavier.
Aditya: “…He was fighting alone.”
Anika shook her head.
Anika: “No. He wasn’t alone. I was with him. Till the last day.”
It wasn’t pride.
It wasn’t sentiment.
It was loyalty.
A kind that doesn’t fade.
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After the Reveal
The room stayed quiet for a long time.
Finally, Meera spoke, voice soft.
Meera: “Why come now?”
Anika’s eyes softened. Warm. Gentle. Honest.
Anika: “Because it’s time. Because Aditya is ready. And because you don’t have to carry this alone anymore.”
Meera looked away, her composure cracking just slightly.
Riya walked to her and held her hand.
For the first time, they faced the truth together.
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Aditya & Anika – A Quiet Moment
Later, Aditya walked Anika to the gate.
Not to be polite.
But because something needed space.
Aditya: “You were important to him.”
Anika nodded.
Anika: “He changed my life. And I couldn’t save his.”
Aditya shook his head.
Aditya: “Nobody could have.”
Their eyes met.
Not romantic.
Not dramatic.
Just understanding.
The kind formed between two people who have lost the same person.
Anika exhaled softly.
Anika: “This isn’t the end, Aditya. It’s the beginning. You’re going to need strength. And proof. And patience.”
Aditya looked at her with steady resolve.
Aditya: “I have all three.”
Anika gave a small, tired smile.
Anika: “Then we’ll finish what he couldn’t.”
We.
A quiet promise.
Not love.
Not yet.
But trust.
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End of Chapter 9.
- Writer
