Chapter 47 The Return of the Black King
Shorya storms toward Neeti, his eyes sharp with anger and concern. Grabbing her arm firmly, he stares straight into her green eyes and asks, “Why did you come here, Neeti?”
Neeti lowers her gaze, unable to face his piercing stare. In a soft, hesitant voice, she replies, “I just… felt like seeing everyone.”
Shorya steps closer, his eyes narrowing, his voice turning stern. “You’ve seen them now. Let’s go. You’re not staying here anymore.”
Neeti steps back, trying to steady herself. “I’ll leave after a week.”
Shorya’s frustration bursts out. “Are you trying to drive me mad, Neeti? I keep calling you again and again, and you don’t even pick up! What’s going on with you?”
Neeti turns her face away, letting out a deep sigh. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”
Shorya doesn’t believe her. He gently lifts her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Neeti, I’ve already explained everything to you. What’s left now? What’s bothering you?”
Tears gather in Neeti’s eyes, though she struggles to hold them back. Then she finally says the words that shatter everything, “I understand everything. I know Sunaina will always have a place in your life one that no one can replace. That’s why I think you should marry her and divorce me."
Shorya freezes, as if the ground slips beneath his feet. His eyes widen in shock. “What…? Neeti, what are you saying? Everything was fine till now. Why are you saying this all of a sudden?”
Neeti remains silent, staring at the floor. Her heart screams, but her lips refuse to move. Shorya takes a shaky breath. “Neeti… you’re my best friend.”
Before he can finish, Neeti breaks down. Her voice rises, shaking with anger and pain. “I don’t want to be your friend! I’m not your friend anymore! I’m tired of pretending. I’m exhausted. I can’t take this anymore! Just marry Sunaina and let me go. I can’t keep watching you with her, acting like it doesn’t hurt. I tried to accept it… but I can’t!”
Shorya stands frozen, unable to say a word, watching the woman he loves crumble before him.
Neeti, trembling with heartbreak, speaks sharply, “Mr. Shorya, I don’t want to hear another word from you. It’s better if you leave.”
Without waiting for his response, she turns and walks toward the elevator. Her steps are fast, but her heart is completely shattered.
Shorya remains standing there, fists clenched, heart pounding heavily. He has no words only the crushing weight of the moment.
After a while, he too walks toward the elevator and goes downstairs, silent, lost, and broken.
Shorya comes downstairs slowly, his steps heavy, his face drained not from physical exhaustion, but from the burden of an aching heart and restless thoughts.
As he moves toward the exit, Mrs. Shobha notices him and calls out warmly, “Shorya beta, where are you going? Come, have dinner.”
He replies in a low voice, “No… you all eat. I’m not hungry.”
But a mother’s heart doesn’t listen to refusals. She immediately holds his hand and gently yet firmly leads him to the dining table. “We were all waiting for you. Come, sit and eat.”
Shorya has no choice. He sits quietly. Karan, already seated, smirks and teases, “Stop acting like a drama queen. You’re behaving like a girl with all these moods.”
A few chuckles echo around the table, but Shorya doesn’t react. His face remains blank, his mind stuck on the terrace scene.
Mrs. Shobha turns to Neeti and says, “Beta, serve Shorya food.”
Neeti stands up silently. Her movements are calm, but a storm rages inside her. She serves the food and places the plate in front of Shorya without looking at him. Neither of them meets the other’s eyes, yet the tension between them is thick and suffocating.
Their silence speaks louder than words. Everyone at the table senses it something is terribly wrong.
After dinner, Mr. Ajay, Karan, and Shorya sit together, trying to talk. Neeti sits quietly, avoiding Shorya’s gaze, though her entire attention remains fixed on him. She tries to ignore him, but her heart refuses to listen.
Suddenly, the screeching sound of tires cuts through the silence. A sleek black luxury car speeds inside the mansion gates and stops abruptly in the middle of the driveway.
Everyone freezes.
The car gleams under the mansion lights, its presence commanding attention. Silence fills the air, thick with suspense, Mrs. Shobha steps forward anxiously. “Who could it be at this hour?”
Karan and Mr. Ajay exchange glances and move toward the door. All eyes turn toward the mysterious car. Even Shorya looks on, unease tightening his chest.
Neeti’s heart skips a beat. A strange fear grips her for reasons she cannot explain, The car door opens.
Two polished leather shoes step out, The door shuts with a soft thud, Everyone inside Rajput Mansion freezes in disbelief, Standing before them is Samar.
For a long moment, it feels as if time itself stops. Samar’s face looks sharper, more intense like a man who has fought life and returned victorious. Black goggles cover his eyes, hiding the storms within them. Slowly, he lifts his hand and removes them, and in that instant, no one can breathe.
Neeti and Ruhi stare at him, completely stunned. Their bodies refuse to move, yet tears gather in their eyes. It feels as if their souls are tied, unable to accept what they are seeing.
Is this real? Is Samar truly standing there alive, in front of them? Samar looks at them, not with tears, but with a fierce longing to hold them close. He opens his arms wide, silently inviting them in.
Neeti and Ruhi run toward him, tears streaming freely. Thud! They crash into his chest, clinging to him as if he might disappear again.
Their pain, their love, their breath everything dissolves into that single moment. They sob uncontrollably, as if they have lost him once before, and now the universe has returned him to them.
Neeti cups Samar’s face with trembling hands, her voice shaking. “Bro… is this a dream? How are you here? I don’t understand what’s happening…”
Her words crack. Her lips try to smile, but her eyes overflow with disbelief and joy.
Ruhi clutches Samar tightly, pressing her face against his chest. “Bro… you’re back… we thought… we lost you.” Her voice breaks completely, but her tears speak what words cannot.