The ride back from the gala was painfully silent.
Not the peaceful kind.
The suffocating kind.
Meera Sinha sat beside Aarav Khanna in the backseat, staring out the window while city lights blurred past.
But her mind was nowhere near the road.
It was stuck on one thing.
The locked room.
And Siya.
And Rajveer’s warning.
Curiosity can be dangerous in this family.
The words kept replaying in her head.
She finally broke the silence.
“Were you going to tell me?”
Aarav didn’t look at her.
“About what?”
Meera let out a dry laugh.
“Seriously?”
Still no reaction.
She turned toward him.
“About Siya. About that room. About whatever this family is hiding.”
Aarav’s jaw tightened.
“I don’t owe you explanations for my past.”
That did it.
Meera snapped.
“Right. Because apparently I’m just your decorative wife.”
His gaze finally shifted to her.
Cold. Sharp.
“Careful, Meera.”
She leaned closer, anger blazing.
“No. You be careful.”
For the first time, her voice shook.
Not from fear.
From hurt.
“Main tumhari zindagi mein zabardasti nahi aayi thi. Tumne yeh shaadi choose ki thi.”
(I didn’t force my way into your life. You chose this marriage.)
Aarav stayed silent.
Meera continued.
“Agar tum mujhe sirf naam ke liye yahan laaye ho, toh kam se kam jhooth bolna band karo.”
(If you brought me here only for your name, then at least stop lying to me.)
Silence.
The car stopped at the mansion.
Without another word, Aarav got out.
Which somehow hurt more than if he had shouted.
—
Dinner that night felt unbearable.
The entire Khanna family sat around the long dining table.
Plates clinked softly.
No one spoke much.
The usual.
Cold dinners.
Colder silences.
Kabir looked between Aarav and Meera.
Then toward Naina.
Then back again.
“Oh no,” he muttered.
Kabir Khanna sighed dramatically.
“You two fought.”
No response.
Kabir pointed his fork.
“You definitely fought.”
Still nothing.
Savitri looked unimpressed.
Savitri Khanna spoke calmly.
“Kabir. Eat.”
Kabir muttered, “I’m eating trauma at this point.”
Meera almost smiled.
Almost.
Then Rajveer entered.
The air changed instantly.
Rajveer Khanna sat down smoothly.
His eyes briefly landed on Meera.
Too observant.
Too knowing.
“How was the gala?”
Meera took a sip of water.
“Educational.”
Rajveer smiled faintly.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
She held his gaze.
“I learned people in this family love secrets.”
Silence.
Even Kabir stopped moving.
Rajveer’s smile didn’t fade.
But something colder appeared underneath.
“Secrets exist everywhere, Meera.”
Meera didn’t back down.
“Some secrets ruin lives.”
Across the table—
Aarav’s gaze lifted sharply to her.
Warning.
Clear warning.
Stop.
Meera ignored it.
Rajveer leaned back.
“Sometimes truth causes more damage than lies.”
Aarav suddenly placed his fork down.
The sound echoed louder than it should have.
Enough.
That single gesture silenced the room.
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
“That’s enough.”
Rajveer looked amused.
“Sensitive topic?”
Aarav’s expression remained unreadable.
“Drop it.”
The temperature in the room dropped.
Meera noticed something.
Rajveer wasn’t afraid of Aarav.
But Aarav…
Aarav hated Rajveer discussing this topic.
Why?
What was Rajveer hiding?
—
Later that night, Meera stood on the balcony trying to cool down.
The night air felt sharp.
Her thoughts were worse.
She didn’t hear footsteps.
She only realized Aarav was there when his voice came from behind.
“You enjoy provoking people.”
Meera didn’t turn.
“No. I enjoy truth.”
A pause.
Then—
“Truth isn’t always worth knowing.”
She spun around.
“Why does everyone keep saying that?”
Aarav looked exhausted.
Actually exhausted.
Not cold.
Not angry.
Just tired.
“Because some truths destroy people.”
Meera stepped closer.
“Then let me decide what destroys me.”
Aarav’s eyes darkened.
“Not everything is about you.”
That hit.
Hard.
Meera’s chest tightened.
“Then tell me what this is about!”
Her voice cracked.
“Siya? That room? Your uncle? What are you protecting?”
Aarav suddenly moved.
Fast.
Within seconds he stood right in front of her.
Too close.
Dangerously close.
His voice dropped.
“Tum samajh kyun nahi rahi?”
(Why are you not understanding?)
Meera’s breath caught.
He rarely lost composure.
Now his control was slipping.
“Kuch cheezein jaan lena... bohot mehenga padta hai.”
(Knowing some things… costs too much.)
She stared at him.
And quietly said—
“Ya phir tum darr rahe ho.”
(Or maybe you’re scared.)
That landed.
She saw it.
The shift in his expression.
A crack.
A wound.
Aarav whispered—
“Haan. Dar raha hoon.”
(Yes. I’m scared.)
Meera froze.
What?
Aarav looked straight into her eyes.
For the first time—
no mask.
No walls.
Only raw honesty.
“Dar raha hoon ki agar tumne sab jaan liya… toh tum bhi chale jaogi.”
(I’m scared that if you learn everything… you’ll leave too.)
Silence.
Meera stopped breathing for a second.
Too?
Too?
That one word broke something open.
Siya had left.
And he believed Meera would too.
Before she could respond—
Aarav stepped back.
The walls returned.
The mask returned.
Cold. Controlled. Untouchable.
Like the confession never happened.
“I said too much.”
He turned to leave.
Meera’s voice stopped him.
Soft.
Shaken.
“Aarav…”
He didn’t turn.
Neither spoke.
But for the first time—
Meera understood something terrifying.
She had been wrong.
Aarav Khanna wasn’t emotionless.
He felt everything.
Too deeply.
And that was exactly why he had buried his heart so far down that even he struggled to reach it.
End of Chapter 6
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