• 𝗖𝗛-13 "𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀"

Roohi pov

The evening was unusually calm.

The sky carried a soft peach shade, birds settling back into their nests, the wind brushing past me like it had something gentle to say.

I was standing near the window, watching the trees sway, trying to believe—for once—that peace could stay.

My phone rang.

Rinki.

I frowned. She never called me unless it mattered.

“Hello…?” My voice was soft, unsure.

“Roohi…” Her voice cracked. “Roohi, listen to me…”

Something in her tone made my fingers go cold.

“Rinki? What happened?”

She didn’t answer immediately. I heard breathing. Then sobbing.

“Roohi… Sarika maa.. she’s in the hospital…”

The world tilted.

“W-What?” I whispered. “Hospital…? Why?”

“She collapsed,” Rinki cried. “Doctors said it’s serious. She’s in ICU.”

My phone almost slipped from my hand.

Sarika.

The woman who never once called me beta.

The woman whose eyes always passed over me like I didn’t exist.

And yet…

After my mother died, I had waited for her.

Every day.

Every festival.

Every fever.

When my father brought her home, I remember standing at the door, clutching my frock, thinking—Maybe God sent me a mother again.

She never came,Still… I waited.

“Roohi…” Rinki sobbed harder. I don’t know what to do…”

Her crying broke something inside me.

“I’m coming,” I said suddenly. “I’ll come right now.”

I don’t remember when my legs gave up.

The next moment, I was on the floor.

“No… no…” I shook my head, tears blurring everything.

I fell on my knees, clutching my chest.

“Why does it hurt?” I cried aloud. “She never loved me… so why does it hurt this much?”

“Roohi!”

Strong arms caught me before I could collapse completely.

“Sidharth…” My voice shattered as I fell against him. “Sarika aunty… she’s in the hospital…”

“What?” His body stiffened. “What happened?”

“I don’t know…” I cried into his shoulder.

My words dissolved into sobs.He didn’t speak for a moment.He just held me tighter.

“Roohi,” he said softly, unusually gentle. “I’m here.”

“I need to go,” I said suddenly, pushing myself up. “I need to see her.”

***

The hospital lights were too bright.

Too cruel.

“She’s in ICU,” the nurse said.

I rushed ahead, heart pounding, tears blinding me.

“Doctor?” I grabbed the first coat I saw. “My… my mother—Sarika—”

A female doctor looked at me calmly.

“She has multiple complications,” she said. “Her condition is critical.”

Critical.

My mind went blank.

“She needs immediate treatment,” the doctor continued. “The initial cost will be ten lakh.”

Ten lakh.I couldn’t breathe.

“I—” My lips trembled. “I don’t have…”

A familiar voice cut through my panic.

“Start the treatment.”

I turned.

Sidharth stood there, eyes cold, voice firm.

“No need to think about money,” he said. “I’ll take care of it.”

The doctor nodded and walked away.

I just stared at him.

“You… why…” My hands trembled as I joined them together unconsciously.

“Thank you… I don’t know how to—”

“Roohi.” He held my hands, stopping me. “Don’t.”

I looked up, eyes swollen, helples

She can’t… she can’t…”

It’s my responsibility,” he said quietly. “Your family… is my family.”

That was it.I broke.I hugged him—tight, desperate, like he was the only thing keeping me standing.

He froze for a second… then slowly patted my head.

“I’m here,” he murmured. “You’re not alone.”

I closed my eyes against his chest.

***

Author POV -

A few days had passed.

On the surface, everything looked... better.

The mansion had returned to its usual rhythm.

Laughter echoed again in the corridors.

Roohi moved around more freely now, her steps lighter, her smiles less guarded.

Siddharth noticed it all-even when he didn't say anything.

Their bond had softened, stitched together by quiet moments, shared silences, and unspoken care.

He thought... maybe things were finally settling.

Until his phone rang.

Siddharth was in his office when his assistant's name flashed on the screen. He answered without much thought.

"Yes?"

The voice on the other end was hesitant. Careful.

"Sir... I verified the hospital records you asked for."

Siddharth straightened slowly in his chair.

"And?"

There was a pause.

"Sir... Sarika is completely fit. No critical condition. No emergency surgery. Everything... was fabricated."

Silence.

Not the calm kind.

The dangerous kind.

Siddharth's fingers tightened around the phone.

"What?" His voice dropped, cold and sharp.

"They created a fake emergency, sir. The reports, the operation urgency-everything was staged. The money was taken under false pretenses."

The call ended shortly after.

But something inside Siddharth snapped.

This wasn't just about money.

It was about lies.

About trust.

About betrayal.

He couldn't tolerate deceit. Never had. And this-this wasn't a small lie told in fear. This was manipulation. Calculation. Planning.

He drove home with clenched jaws, knuckles white against the steering wheel. Every red light felt like an insult. Every passing second fed the storm rising inside him.

When he reached the mansion, his anger was no longer controlled.

He walked in, his presence heavy enough to quiet the room.

Roohi wasn't there.

Siddharth heart sound from washroom.

He moved toward the bed when her phone vibrated again.

Sarika maa.

He answered instinctively.

"Hello?"

There was a deliberate pause on the other end.

Then a voice-too casual, too smug.

"Hello... hello... Roohi?"

Siddharth froze.

"I'm not able to hear your voice properly," Sarika continued deliberately. "Network issues, I think."

His chest tightened.

"Oh, Roohi," she laughed lightly, unaware. "Our plan succeeded."

Siddharth didn't move.

Didn't breathe.

"Your fool husband believed us completely," Sarika went on, her voice dripping with satisfaction. "He gave all the money without a second thought."

Each word struck like a blade.

"You never fail, Roohi," she continued proudly. "Your plans never flop."

Siddharth's jaw clenched hard.

"First Raghav," Sarika said, amused. "He fell for you exactly as you planned."

Siddharth's hand shook.

"And then Siddharth," Sarika chuckled. "Perfect target."

The world seemed to tilt.

"I mixed the sleeping pills exactly like you told me," Sarika added casually. "It worked. He married you."

Every muscle in Siddharth's body went rigid.

"And the hospital drama?" Sarika laughed softly. "He fell for that too. My girl... you never lose."

A pause.

"Roohi?" Sarika called again. "Are you listening? Hello?"

Siddharth's thumb moved slowly.

Deliberately.

He ended the call.

The screen went dark.

But his world had already shattered.

His face was unreadable now-no anger exploding, no shouting.

Just devastation.

And something far more dangerous than rage.

Disappointment.

The washroom door opened somewhere behind him.

But Siddharth didn't turn.

Because the man standing there was no longer the same man who had trusted blindly, protected silently, and loved without asking questions.

The truth had arrived.

And nothing would be the same again.

Roohi walked out, wiping her hands with a towel, her face brightening the moment she saw me.

"You came fast today?" she asked softly, a small smile forming.

I didn't answer.

I didn't even look at her.

I walked past her like she wasn't there.

The smile on her face faltered.

"Siddharth?" she called, confusion creeping into her voice.

I didn't stop.

If I had opened my mouth, something irreversible would've come out.

I went straight to my study and shut the door behind me-not loudly, not dramatically. Just firmly. Like closing something forever.

My hands trembled.

I pulled my phone out and dialed my assistant.

"Find everything," I said the moment he answered. "Everything about Raghav and Roohi."

There was a pause.

"Yes, sir."

I dropped into the chair, elbows on the desk, fingers pressed against my temples.

My chest felt tight, as if something heavy was sitting on it, crushing every breath.

Minutes felt like hours.

My phone rang again.

I answered.

"Sir..." my assistant hesitated.

"Speak."

"Yes, sir. Raghav was Roohi ma'am's ex-fiancé."

The words didn't register immediately.

Ex... fiancé.

The phone slipped from my hand and hit the floor with a dull sound.

I stared ahead, unmoving.

My ears rang.

My vision blurred.

Ex-fiancé.

The room tilted.

So it was true.

Every word Sarika had spoken-every laugh, every lie-fell into place like pieces of a puzzle I never wanted to solve.

My hands curled into fists.

My chest burned.

I stood up so fast the chair screeched behind me.

"No," I whispered. "No..."

But denial didn't last long.

Because truth has a cruel way of standing tall no matter how much you beg it to disappear.

I laughed.

A hollow, broken sound.

So this was it.

I wasn't just lied to.

I was played.

I loved her.

I trusted her.

I protected her when the world turned its back.

And she...

I swung my arm.

The glass table shattered instantly, splinters exploding across the room. Pain shot through my knuckles, sharp and biting, but I didn't feel it.

Anger drowned everything.

Tears burned behind my eyes, blurring my vision, turning the world red and cruel.

I loved her.

That was the worst part.

I loved her more than I ever admitted to myself.

Every smile of hers.

Every innocent glance.

Every moment she clung to me in fear.

Every night she stayed awake for me.

Was it all an act?

My chest heaved as I leaned forward, gripping the edge of the desk to steady myself.

"Why?" I whispered.

Why hurt the person who stood by you when no one else did?

Why break the trust of someone who never questioned you?

My eyes stung, tears threatening to fall-but I refused to let them.

I wasn't weak.

I wouldn't be.

But betrayal from the ones you love... it doesn't wound the body.

It destroys the soul.

I remembered her trembling that first day.

Her tears.

Her apologies.

Her silence.

Was that guilt?

Or just performance?

My jaw clenched so hard it hurt.

"You planned everything," I muttered to myself, my voice shaking with rage. "Every step... every tear... every word."

My reflection stared back at me from the shattered glass-eyes red, face pale, anger and heartbreak tangled together.

"I trusted you, Roohi," I whispered. "And you turned me into a fool."

The anger surged again, stronger now.

Cold.

Controlled.

Dangerous.

"I won't tolerate lies," I said aloud, my voice low and steady now. "Especially not from the person I loved."

Loved.

Past tense.

That realization hurt more than the broken glass.

I straightened slowly, wiping my hand against my coat, ignoring the blood seeping from my knuckles.

"If you think you can play with my life," I whispered, eyes darkening, "then you have no idea who you married."

Outside the door, the mansion remained silent.

But inside me...

Something had died.

And something else-far more terrifying-had taken its place.

***

Roohi pov

The door crashed open.

Not slammed.

Not closed.

Crashed.

I was talking to myself-softly, foolishly-about how quiet the house felt without him.

About how maybe tonight he'd finally talk to me properly.

Then I saw the blood.

My words died in my throat.

Sidharth stood there, chest heaving, eyes burning-his right hand clenched so tight blood slid between his fingers and dripped onto the floor.

"Sidharth-" I rushed toward him. "Your hand-oh my God-"

"STOP."

His roar froze me where I stood.

I had never heard that voice before.

Not this loud.

Not this broken.

"What did you do?" I whispered, terrified. "Why are you bleeding?"

He laughed.

A harsh, ugly sound that didn't belong to him.

"You really don't know, do you?" he said.

He walked toward me slowly.

Every step heavy.

Dangerous.

I shook my head weakly.

My heart began to pound painfully.

"LIAR!"

I flinched.

His fist slammed into the wall beside my face.

Blood splattered.

I screamed.

"You want to know why my hand is bleeding?" he shouted. "Because this wall felt less painful than trusting you!"

Tears poured down my face. "Please... please calm down."

"Calm?" He laughed again, eyes glassy now. "You destroyed me, Roohi."

"I don't even know what I did," I sobbed. "How can you hate me without telling me my sin?"

His chest rose and fell violently.

"You stood there," he said hoarsely, "pretending to be innocent... while everything behind my back was rotting."

"I never betrayed you," I cried. "Never!"

"Then why does it feel like my heart has been torn out?" he screamed.

He grabbed his hair, pacing like a caged animal.

"I trusted you," he said, voice breaking. "I trusted you more than anyone."

My knees buckled.

I shook my head desperately. "Not like that-please listen to me."

"NO!" His eyes filled suddenly, tears spilling without warning. "I listened enough."

He turned away, wiping his face angrily, ashamed of the tears.

"You know what hurts the most?" he asked quietly. "I defended you."

I looked up.

"I fought my family," he said. "My friends. My own doubts."

He turned back to me.

"And you made me look like a fool."

"I loved you," I cried. "That was never fake."

His lips trembled.

"Don't say that word."

"Why?" I begged. "Because it still hurts you?"

His voice cracked completely.

"Because I loved you more."

Silence exploded between us.

He walked to the cupboard, yanked it open, and pulled out a file.

White papers.

My vision blurred.

He threw them onto the bed.

"Sign it."

My breath stopped.

"What... is this?" I whispered, though I already knew.

"Divorce."

The word crushed my lungs.

"No," I cried, falling to my knees. "You can't-this isn't fair."

"Fair?" he laughed bitterly. "You think fairness survived your lies?"

"I never meant to hurt you," I sobbed. "I was scared of losing you."

He looked at me then.

Truly looked.

"And you lost me anyway."

I crawled toward him, grabbing his bleeding hand despite the blood.

"Please," I begged. "Punish me. Yell at me. But don't leave."

He ripped his hand away.

"I hate you, Roohi."

The words stabbed deeper than any wound.

"You broke my heart," he said, tears streaming openly now. "You broke my trust."

"I'll die without you," I cried.

He flinched.

Just for a second.

Then his face hardened again

.

"Sign the papers," he said coldly. "Before I completely lose myself."

He picked up his coat.

"Sidharth," I whispered.

He stopped at the door.

"I loved you," he said without turning. "That's why this hurts."

The door closed.

And the sound echoed like a verdict.

I stayed there on the floor, clutching the divorce papers, surrounded by blood, silence, and the ruins of a love I never meant to destroy.

______________________________________

✨Hey readers!

Hope you liked this chapter.