Growing Divide

                                        

                                              
Pehele vote kardo guys !!!
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The tension in the singhania mansion was palpable as the morning sun spilled through the windows. Raj sat at the dining table, flipping through the newspaper, though his mind was far from the words on the page. Across the table, Rashi quietly sipped her tea, her movements graceful but distant.  
It was the calm before the storm.  
Raj couldn’t help but steal glances at her. Her composed demeanor frustrated him. She wasn’t yelling, questioning, or even demanding answers. Instead, she sat there, exuding a quiet resolve that unnerved him.  
Finally, unable to bear the silence, Raj broke it. “Rashi.”  
She looked up, her expression neutral, her eyes giving nothing away. “Yes?”  
He hesitated, his voice sharp when he finally spoke. “Why are you acting like this doesn’t bother you?”  
Rashi blinked, taken aback by his tone, but she didn’t let her guard down. “Acting like what?” she asked, her voice steady.  
“You know what I mean,” he snapped, his frustration spilling over. “yesterday, i—” He paused, not wanting to give away his guilt. “i don’t know why that happened, but my actions weren’t acceptable. And now, you’re sitting here, calm, like none of it matters.”  
Rashi set her cup down gently, meeting his gaze with an unnerving composure. “It doesn’t bother me, Raj,” she said simply.  
Her words hit him like a slap. He didn’t know what reaction he was expecting—guilt, maybe, or anger—but not this.  
Her next words were softer, but they carried a weight that struck him deep. “I just want you to be happy.”  
  
The truth was, Rashi was far from calm. Her heart was breaking into a thousand pieces, but she refused to let it show. She had spent the entire morning replaying the events of the previous night in her mind—the bar, the café, and most painfully, the image of Raj with Maya.  
When she had seen him with Maya, something inside her had cracked. But what had truly shattered her was the lie. When she called him, hoping for reassurance, and he told her he was in his office, the betrayal was sharper than she could bear.  
Rashi wasn’t sure why she even cared so much. After all, Raj had made it clear that their marriage was just an arrangement. But despite her best efforts, she couldn’t control the growing feelings she had for him.  
Now, as she sat across from him, she vowed to keep her emotions in check. He didn’t need to know how deeply his actions affected her.  
  
Raj stared at her, his jaw tightening. Her calmness infuriated him, but not for the reasons he pretended. He wanted her to yell at him, to demand answers, to show him that she cared enough to be angry.  
But she didn’t.  
Instead, her quiet acceptance only deepened his guilt. She was trying to be selfless, and it tore at him because he knew the truth. He was keeping her at arm’s length not because he didn’t care, but because he cared too much.  
"She doesn’t know the dangers she’s in," he thought grimly. "If Vikram finds out how much she means to me, she’ll become a target."
That thought alone was enough to keep him from crossing the invisible line he had drawn for himself. No matter how much his heart pulled him toward her, he had to stay away.  
  
“Happy?” Raj repeated bitterly, standing abruptly. “Do you really think my happiness is what matters here?”