Chapter 19: A Fall Too Deep
738 Words
Shalini Malhotra was not done.
She would not allow things to settle between Arjun and Lina—not now, not ever.
That morning, Arjun stood by the window of his room, staring at the garden below. Sleep had abandoned him the night before. Lina’s tear-streaked face haunted him, her trembling voice replaying in his mind.
Perhaps I was too harsh, he thought.
Maybe she didn’t do it intentionally.
For the first time since the incident, doubt crept into his anger.
“I should apologize,” he murmured. “At least hear her out.”
He changed quickly and headed downstairs.
But Shalini Malhotra had already taken her position.
---
The dining hall buzzed with quiet morning chatter. Everyone was present—Arjun’s father, his sisters, and his cousin Riya. Shalini stood near the staircase, leaning lightly against the railing, exactly where everyone could see her.
She waited.
Lina had cried the entire night. Her eyes were swollen, her body heavy with exhaustion. She had slept late and woke up late.
She was already late for work.
Rushing out of her room, Lina adjusted her dupatta and hurried toward the stairs.
That was when Shalini stopped her.
“My dear,” Shalini said softly, placing a hand on Lina’s arm. “You look unwell. Are you alright?”
Lina stiffened.
“Yes… I’m fine,” she replied quietly.
From the dining table, Riya, Arjun’s cousin, noticed the scene.
“I think we should forgive Lina,” Riya said aloud. “After all, this is her first mistake.”
She smiled faintly.
“Look, it seems Auntie has forgiven her.”
“Yes,” Arjun’s younger sister added. “Mother looks calm now.”
Arjun opened his mouth to speak—
That was when it happened.
Shalini screamed.
Her body lurched backward.
She rolled down the stairs.
Step after step.
The scream echoed through the house.
“Mother!”
“Call an ambulance!”
Arjun ran down the stairs, his heart pounding as he saw his mother lying at the bottom.
“What happened?” he shouted in panic.
“She pushed me,” Shalini whispered weakly, pointing at Lina.
“Lina… pushed me…”
The world stopped.
“I didn’t,” Lina whispered. “I didn’t touch her.”
No one listened.
No one believed her.
The ambulance arrived. Arjun went with his mother, fear and rage battling inside him.
Lina stood alone.
She had an urgent meeting.
A very important one.
If I go, she thought, they’ll say I don’t care.
If I don’t, I’ll still be blamed.*
With a broken heart, Lina went to the meeting.
---
The conference room was filled with important business partners. Lina forced herself to present, though her hands trembled.
Suddenly, the door opened.
Arjun walked in.
“You know,” he said loudly, “I am confused.”
Everyone turned.
“Who are you?” he demanded. “Were you pretending all along?”
Lina’s face drained of color.
“You push my mother down the stairs,” Arjun shouted, “and then come here like nothing happened?”
“Arjun, please,” Lina begged. “This collaboration is very important. Let’s talk at home.”
“My mother is fighting for her life in the hospital,” he snapped.
“And you’re here thinking about business?”
Tears rolled down Lina’s cheeks.
“This is the second time,” Arjun said bitterly, “the second time you tried to kill my mother.”
“Arjun, please,” Lina cried.
“I want a divorce,” he declared.
The room went silent.
“You should be in prison,” he continued coldly. “But because of what we shared, I’ll let you go.”
He turned and walked out.
Someone in the room was recording.
---
By nightfall, the video was everywhere.
Headlines exploded.
The stock of Lina Design & Co began to fall.
Lina didn’t stay to watch it.
She went back to the only place that felt safe.
Her mother’s house.
---
“Savriti…” Lina sobbed, collapsing into her mother’s lap.
Savriti held her tightly, stroking her hair.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Lina whispered. “Why does no one believe me?”
Savriti didn’t answer.
She only held her daughter closer.
For days, Lina refused to leave the house.
She cried.
She broke.
And somewhere else, lying in a hospital bed—
Shalini Malhotra smiled.
- Writer
