Once Myra left with Amrutha and Rajesh, a heavy stillness settled over the house. The maid quietly began clearing the breakfast table.

Maithili turned to go upstairs. Abhiram followed her quickly.
“Maithili, just listen to me once,” he said, his voice low but urgent.

She turned around, about to respond, when her phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, she answered.

“Yeah, I’ll come directly to the flat,” she said. “Tina, you too be there. We can arrange everything before Bhai gets back this evening.”
She disconnected the call and looked at Abhi.
“I won’t be coming to the office today. I have some work.”

Abhi asked, “Is everything okay? Your brother’s coming today?”

Maithili sighed. “Yeah. He’s arriving this evening. Tina and I are going to his apartment—we need to set it up before he arrives.”

“I can come with you,” Abhi offered. “I’ll help you both.”

Before she could reply, her phone rang again. This time, it was Richa.

Maithili exhaled and picked up. “Hello, Di,” she said, trying to sound casual.

“Maithili… did Abhi come home?” Richa asked immediately.

Maithili glanced at Abhi. “Yes, Di. He came home.”

“Did he come last night?”

Maithili hesitated, not wanting to expose her personal troubles. “Yes, Di. He came last night. It was late, but he did.”

“Did you ask him why he met Alisha? And why he didn’t tell you about coming to India?”

Maithili forced a smile into her voice. “Actually, he wanted to surprise us. That’s why he didn’t tell me—or even Vikrant. And he met Alisha by chance. Later, he had some office work, so he was late.”

There was a pause. Then Richa’s relieved voice came through. “Thank God. I don’t know why, but I was just… worried.”

“There’s nothing to worry about, Di,” Maithili said, eyes fixed on Abhi. “I told you yesterday—Abhi doesn’t lie to me or hide things. We just overthought it.”

Richa chuckled. “You’re right.”

Maithili ended the call. Abhi stood still, guilt sinking into him like weight. Hearing her lie for him knowing how much she hated lies hit harder than anything else. He remembered how, not long ago, she had once told him that she valued honesty above all else.

“You shouldn’t have lied to Di,” he said softly.

Maithili looked at him, her voice calm but firm. “No matter what’s happening between us, I will not let anyone raise a finger at my husband. If you gave them a reason to question you, it becomes my responsibility to make sure they don’t raise a finger at you. That is—if you haven’t done anything wrong. And Abhi… I hope you haven’t.”

“I promise, Maithili,” he said quickly. “I haven’t done anything wrong. I haven’t done anything that would bring shame to you… or to our love. The reason I met Alisha was—”

She raised her hand to stop him. “No, Abhi. I don’t want to hear it, I wanted you to share it with me because you wanted to, not because I forced it out of you. I don’t need explanations right now.”

She paused. Her voice broke slightly, but her face stayed composed. “I trust you. But that doesn’t mean I’m not hurt. Not because you met Alisha—but because you chose not to tell me. Whatever the reason was… that silence hurt.”

Without waiting for a response, she turned and picked up her handbag.

“I’ll see you later,” she said quietly, and left the room—leaving Abhi standing there, drowning in his guilt.

The door closed behind her with a soft click, but it felt like a gunshot in Abhi’s chest.

She didn’t slam it. She didn’t shout. That silence—that steady, heartbroken calm—hurt more than any storm she could’ve thrown at him.

Abhi stood frozen in the middle of the room.

She said she trusted him.
But she also said she was hurt.
Not for who he met—but for how he kept her in the dark.

He dragged a hand across his face, sinking slowly onto the edge of the bed. His fingers curled into the bedsheet like he was trying to hold onto something—anything—that wouldn’t slip away.

Why didn’t I just tell her?

It would’ve taken one message. One phone call.
“Maithili, I’m in Mumbai. I’m going to meet Alisha.”
“It’s nothing. Just helping. Just being there for someone.”

But he hadn’t.
Not because he didn’t trust Maithili—God, he trusted her more than he trusted himself.
But because somewhere deep down, he didn’t want to see that look in her eyes. The same look she gave him this morning.

That quiet devastation. That strength she showed when she was breaking inside.

It wasn’t the meeting with Alisha that was wrong—it was the secrecy. The omission. And now Maithili, the one person who never hid from him, had to lie on his behalf.

“I don’t want anyone to raise a finger at my husband.”

Her words echoed inside him, sharp and full of shame.

She lied to Richa—for him. Defended him. Not because he deserved it, but because she chose to. Out of love. Out of loyalty.

And what had he given her in return?

A Night of silence.
A Day of confusion.
A Morning of pain.

He’d watched her cover her bruised heart with grace at the breakfast table, pretending everything was fine for the sake of their family. Pretending he hadn’t failed her.

Abhi let out a shaky breath, elbows on his knees, head in his hands.

This wasn’t just about one meeting.
This was about trust.
Transparency.
The foundation they’d built everything on.

And he had cracked it.

He wanted to run after her. To explain. To say the right words. But the truth was—he didn’t even know what the right words were anymore.

Would they even matter now?

Once Maithili and Tina met outside the apartment they’d rented for Mihir, they greeted each other with a warm hug and walked inside together. After speaking to the security guard, they took the elevator upstairs. The apartment was nearly ready—furnished and set up with everything Mihir would need after his return from the US.

They moved around the space, checking final details, fluffing pillows, rearranging kitchen items. Tina noticed Maithili was quieter than usual. It wasn’t that she was ever talkative—between Maithili, Tina, and Mihir, she had always been the quietest—but today her silence felt heavier.

“You, okay?” Tina asked gently, glancing over.

Maithili nodded, too quickly. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You sure? You seem… off. You can tell me, you know.”

Maithili hesitated for a beat before answering, “It’s nothing serious. Just a small disagreement between me and Abhi. It’ll pass.”

Tina raised an eyebrow. “First fight after marriage? That’s supposed to be iconic,” she teased. “I’m curious to see how Jiju plans to win you back.”

Maithili gave her a soft shake of the head but didn’t respond.

As they sat down for a quick break, Tina’s phone buzzed.

Abhiram: Hey Tina, can you share the address? Want to send lunch for you two—it’s already past noon. Have you both eaten yet?

Tina smiled and replied, not yet. Choosing food to win over your wife, Jiju? Nice move.

Abhiram: ??

Tina replied, Maithili told me you two had a disagreement. First fight, huh? Trying to woo her back with food?

Abhiram responded quickly. How is she? Is she really upset?

Tina sighed. To others, she looks fine. But I know her. She’s quieter than usual. Her mind’s clearly elsewhere.

A few moments later, she sent him the apartment location.

About an hour passed. When the security called about a delivery, Tina approved it, assuming it was the lunch Abhiram had ordered. But when the doorbell rang, she opened it to find him standing there himself—holding a large takeout bag and an even bigger bouquet with a "Sorry" card attached.

“Whoa, Jiju,” Tina grinned. “That’s bold. And kind of adorable.”

Abhiram walked in and asked, “Where is she?”

Tina pointed toward the bedroom. “Go. She’s been pretending to fluff the same cushion for ten minutes.”

He handed her the food and stepped inside. As Tina chuckled and gently shut the door behind him, Abhiram quietly walked into the room.

Maithili, crouched near the bed, was adjusting the pillows. She turned, surprised to see him.

“What are you doing here?”

“I brought lunch,” he said simply.

She looked down at the bouquet and the card in his hand. “And that?”

He stepped closer, then sank to one knee.

“Love… I’m sorry,” he began, voice raw. “I know I made a mistake. I should’ve told you. Not telling you wasn't meant to hide anything. I just… didn’t want to burden you with it useless issues. But I realize now that not sharing it hurt you more.”

He held out the bouquet but didn’t force it into her hands.

Maithili stared at him silently.

Her eyes were unreadable—stormy, yet still. Like the calm between two waves.

Abhiram continued, voice low, trembling slightly. “Maithili, you said I made you feel like an outsider. That’s not true—”

“Isn’t it?” she cut in, her voice cold, eyes sharper now. “You made promises to her. And to me. You kept hers.”

The words hit like glass breaking in a quiet room.

He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came. Just silence and the shame he couldn’t swallow.

“I’ve stood by you, Abhi,” she continued, her voice firmer now. “Even yesterday, when I saw you with her… I didn’t confront you. I didn’t accuse you. I waited. I gave you the space to be honest.”

“I was going to tell you—”

“When?” she asked, her tone sharpening with disappointment. “After another day? Another silence? Another half-truth wrapped in carelessness?”

He had no answer. And for once, he didn’t try to find one.

She stepped closer, and though her voice dropped in volume, it landed heavier than before. “If I’m your wife—your partner—if I’m the one standing beside you through everything, then I deserve honesty more than being left in the dark while you choose when and how to let me in.”

His face softened, guilt blanketing his expression. “You’re right,” he whispered. “You do deserve more. And I’m sorry. Truly. She’s not a part of my life anymore, Maithili. You are. That meeting… it was nothing more than a person from my past needing help.”

He hesitated, then added, “She was in a bad place. Crying. Desperate. I couldn’t just walk away. And truthfully, Alisha… she was there for me too, once. When Prachi di came to India… when Myra was born… Alisha helped us. She was kind, supportive. I couldn’t ignore that.”

Maithili’s gaze didn’t waver, but her shoulders lost some of their tension. She studied his face—every shift of his brow, every flicker of regret in his eyes.

Abhiram’s voice lowered, shaky but sincere. “I’m sorry, Maithili. You’re right—the world may not need an explanation from me. But you do. And I owe it to you. You have every right to be angry, every right to question me. But please… consider this my biggest mistake. My first and last of this kind. I swear—I will never give you a reason to feel like this again.”

He squeezed her hands. “You are my life, Maithili. There is no ‘us’ without you. Never, ever think you’re an outsider in your own home, in my world.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the truth of his words sink in—not just the words themselves, but the way he said them. With shame. With pain. With a love trying desperately to make its way back to solid ground.

“Then stop shutting me out,” she murmured. “If something is wrong—tell me. If someone else needs your time, fine. But don’t lie to me by pretending nothing’s happening when everything clearly is.”

He reached up then, slow and gentle, and took her hand in both of his.

“I’m sorry,” he said again, his voice barely above a whisper. “I should’ve told you everything from the start. I got caught in trying to fix something quietly. But I see now… that silence is its own kind of betrayal.”

He looked up at her, eyes steady now.

“I promise you, Maithili—from now on… no more secrets. No more hiding. Just us. Always.”

She didn’t pull her hand away.

But she didn’t hold his completely either.

There was still a space between them—not physical, but emotional.

The energy in the room had shifted. It was no longer tense—but it wasn’t peaceful either. It was the kind of silence that lingered between two people trying to find their way back to each other.