Lawfully Yours - Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Kushal’s Penthouse.
Kushal stood still in the quiet aftermath of his confession, his gaze fixed on the woman standing inches away from him—the woman who was still his wife in name and still, somehow, the only person who had ever held him completely without even trying.
Every damn thing that had been clawing at his insides for months, he had finally put it out there, before her. His hand lingered at the side of her face, fingers lightly brushing against her cheek as if memorizing its shape all over again. The amber glow from the bedside lamp fell softly across her skin, but there was something brighter illuminating her—something that came from within. Flustered, shaken and breathless, Arundhati looked like she was unraveling silently.
And he had done that.
Not through force, not through charm, but by simply speaking the truth.
“I want a fresh start, Aru,” he said. “Just give me a chance.”
His face was close now, his lips barely brushing hers, and waited for her to meet him halfway. But her eyes snapped open, wide and startled as if he had crossed a line she’d only just remembered was there. And before he could process the shift in her gaze, her hands pressed firmly against his chest and she shoved him back with unexpected strength.
The connection broke. The warmth vanished.
Kushal took a stunned step back, watching her with disbelief. Her breath came fast and uneven, as if she too hadn’t anticipated her own reaction. Their eyes locked across the room again. She looked wounded. Angry. Torn.
He moved toward her, instinctively, unable to accept the space now widening between them. But she stepped back again.
And this time, without a word, she turned on her heel and walked out of the bedroom. Out of the home they once shared. Out of his reach.
The front door opened with a faint creak, and the soft sound of it shutting behind her landed like a final verdict.
For a long moment, Kushal didn’t move. The echo of her absence settled into the room like fog, and only then did he truly feel the sting. His chest tightened as fury surged inside him. Without thinking, he turned to the glass wall and slammed his fist against it. The force of the blow reverberated through the room, the sound of skin meeting glass sharp and unforgiving.
She was gone. And this time, she hadn’t even left him with anger, or a fight, or a parting word. Just silence. Crushing, punishing silence.
Dragging a hand through his hair, Kushal stepped back and lowered himself onto the edge of the bed, elbows resting on his thighs, fingers still clenched. He had known this wouldn’t be easy. He had known Arundhati wouldn’t simply fall back into his arms because he’d finally said what he should have long ago. But what he hadn’t expected—what gutted him more than anything—was the way she left him hanging in the hollow of uncertainty.
No closure. No expression. Not even anger.
Just… nothing.
And that, more than anything else, was what undid him.
Because Arundhati didn’t walk away from things easily. She burned them down first. Only if he could read what she really had going in her heart and head.