Chapter 7 — The Confession
978 Words
The city woke to a scandal.
Every news channel.
Every newspaper.
Every social media platform.
Only one name dominated the headlines.
Samuel Reed.
Again.
This time, the accusations were even worse.
Attempted murder.
Financial fraud.
And now...
A suspected attack on Shiv Malhotra.
Samuel's empire was falling apart faster than anyone imagined.
And Samantha was the one pulling the strings.
---
Inside Reed Corporation headquarters, chaos erupted.
Employees resigned.
Investors demanded answers.
Board members refused to support Samuel.
The once-powerful businessman sat alone in his office staring at the television.
A reporter appeared on screen.
"Sources claim evidence links Samuel Reed to the recent attack on businessman Shiv Malhotra."
Samuel turned off the television immediately.
His hands trembled with rage.
"This is her."
Every disaster.
Every loss.
Every humiliation.
Samantha.
The woman he once considered weak.
The woman he pushed off a cliff.
Now she was destroying him.
And there was nothing he could do to stop it.
---
Across town, Samantha stood before a large conference room filled with reporters.
Cameras flashed continuously.
Questions echoed from every direction.
The entire country wanted answers.
Today, Samantha intended to give them some.
She stepped onto the stage confidently.
The room immediately fell silent.
For a moment she remembered the frightened woman who begged Samuel to spare her life.
That woman felt like a stranger now.
A reporter stood.
"Miss Reed, do you believe Samuel Reed was involved in the attack on Shiv Malhotra?"
Samantha looked directly at the cameras.
Then slowly opened a folder.
Inside were photographs.
Witness statements.
Financial records.
Phone logs.
Evidence.
Strong evidence.
The room erupted.
Another reporter shouted,
"Are you officially accusing him?"
Samantha's expression hardened.
"I'm not accusing anyone."
She paused.
"I'm revealing facts."
The statement spread across every news channel within minutes.
Samuel's reputation collapsed even further.
And this time...
There was no way back.
---
That evening, Samantha returned to the hospital.
Although Shiv had been discharged, he still needed rest.
When she entered the room, she found him reading.
"You should be sleeping."
Shiv smiled.
"You sound like a doctor."
"And you sound stubborn."
He laughed softly.
God.
She loved hearing him laugh.
The realization surprised her.
Not because she didn't know.
Deep down she had known for weeks.
Maybe months.
Maybe even longer.
She was simply afraid to admit it.
---
Shiv closed his book.
"How was the press conference?"
"A disaster."
"Good disaster or bad disaster?"
Samantha smiled.
"Good."
For a moment, silence filled the room.
Comfortable silence.
The kind that existed naturally between them now.
Then Shiv noticed her expression.
"You okay?"
She nodded.
Then shook her head.
Then sighed.
Shiv laughed.
"That clear, huh?"
Samantha rolled her eyes.
"I need to tell you something."
His smile faded.
The seriousness in her voice caught his attention immediately.
---
Outside, rain tapped softly against the windows.
Inside, Samantha's heart raced.
This felt harder than confronting Samuel.
Harder than revenge.
Harder than returning from the dead.
Because this time...
She had everything to lose.
Shiv waited patiently.
As always.
Never rushing her.
Never pressuring her.
Just waiting.
---
"I spent years believing love looked like Samuel."
Her voice was quiet.
Painful.
Honest.
Shiv remained silent.
"I thought love was grand gestures."
She laughed bitterly.
"Fancy gifts."
"Dinners."
"Promises."
Her eyes met his.
"I was wrong."
Shiv's heartbeat accelerated.
"Samantha..."
She stepped closer.
"No. Let me finish."
For once...
It was her turn.
---
"When I nearly died..."
Tears filled her eyes.
"The person who saved me wasn't my husband."
Shiv stared at her.
"The person who stayed beside me wasn't my husband."
Another tear rolled down her cheek.
"The person who believed in me when I couldn't believe in myself wasn't my husband."
His chest tightened.
Because he knew exactly where this was going.
And he was terrified to hope.
---
Samantha smiled softly.
"It was you."
Silence.
Heavy.
Emotional.
Perfect.
Shiv couldn't speak.
Couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe.
After all these years...
After loving her for so long...
This moment felt unreal.
---
"You never asked for anything."
Samantha continued.
"You never expected anything."
"You just stayed."
Her voice broke.
"And somewhere along the way..."
She laughed nervously.
"I fell in love with you."
Everything stopped.
For both of them.
The words hung in the air.
Simple.
Yet powerful enough to change everything.
---
Shiv stared at her.
Completely speechless.
Samantha suddenly became nervous.
"Say something."
Nothing.
"Shiv?"
Still nothing.
Then finally—
He laughed.
A genuine laugh.
The kind Samantha rarely heard.
"You have terrible timing."
She blinked.
"What?"
"I'm injured."
A smile spread across her face.
And then...
For the first time in years...
She felt completely free.
No revenge.
No pain.
No fear.
Just happiness.
---
Slowly, Shiv stood.
Ignoring the protests of his injured ribs.
"You're an idiot."
Samantha laughed.
"Excuse me?"
"You waited years to tell me."
His eyes softened.
"So yes."
Her heart stopped.
"Yes?"
"Yes."
A tear escaped her eye.
Then another.
Then another.
And before she could say anything—
Shiv gently pulled her into his arms.
Carefully.
Protectively.
Like he always had.
Only now...
Everything was different.
Because she wasn't hugging her best friend anymore.
She was hugging the man she loved.
---
Across the city, Samuel sat alone in darkness.
Another bottle of whiskey rested on the table.
His company was gone.
His reputation destroyed.
His allies abandoned him.
And then his phone buzzed.
A news article appeared.
SAMANTHA REED AND SHIV MALHOTRA CONFIRMED TO BE TOGETHER.
Samuel stared at the screen.
His face twisted with rage.
Then heartbreak.
Then obsession.
Because the final thing he lost...
Was the one thing he could never replace.
Samantha.
And now she belonged to someone else.
As the glass shattered in his hand, Samuel made a final decision.
If he was going down...
He wasn't going down alone.
And somewhere in the darkness...
- Writer
