Chapter 10: The Fractured Call

The amber glow of the city filtered through the massive windows of Arjun's penthouse. He sat in the corner of his living room, a nearly empty bottle of whiskey was on the table beside him. His tie was loosened, his shirt crumpled, and his usually sharp eyes were glassy with alcohol.

The picture of Meera and Raghav on his phone mocked him. She was smiling -- laughing even -- and it wasn't because of him. His jealousy bubbled over like a dam breaking under pressure.

Arjun grabbed his phone, his fingers unsteady as he dialed the number he had sworn never ever to use again.

Meera was in her apartment, brushing her hair in front of the mirror. For the first time in years, she felt… hopeful. She picked up her phone to text Riya about her evening when it buzzed with an incoming call.

The name on the screen stunned her. It was Arjun Malhotra.

She stared at it for a moment, her heart pounding. "Why is he calling me now?" A thought ran through her mind.

Against her better judgment, she answered. "Hello?"

There was silence on the other end, followed by the sound of heavy breathing. Then his voice came, slurred but unmistakable.

"You think you've moved on, don't you?" Arjun spat. "You think he can make you happy, right? "

"Arjun?" Meera said, frowning. "Are you drunk?"

"Does it matter?" he snapped. "You're out there smiling, laughing with him, and I'm here… thinking about you every damn second."

Meera's grip on the phone tightened. "What do you want, Arjun? Why are you calling me?"

"I want to know why." he said, his voice breaking slightly. "Why you let him in? Why you didn't fight for us?"

"There was no us, Arjun." Meera replied, her voice firm. "You made sure of that when you treated me like I was disposable."

"You think I didn't care?" he said, his tone rising. "I cared, Meera. I cared too much. That's why I tried to push you away. But you…" He let out a bitter laugh. "You didn't even wait. You just moved on like I never mattered."

Meera closed her eyes, her chest tightening with a mix of anger and pain. "You have no right to say that. You were the one who turned your back on me. And now, year later, you think you can call me drunk and guilt me into... what? Into leaving the life I'm trying to build?"

"Because he'll never love you like I do! Trust me. " Arjun shouted, his voice raw.

Meera's breath caught. For a moment, the weight of his words hung in the air, but then she shook her head, grounding herself.

"No, Arjun." she said softly but firmly. "What you feel isn't love. It's control. It's obsession. And I won't be part of it."

"Don't -- don't act like you're above this," he said, his tone dripping with desperation. "I know you, Meera. I know you still think about me."

She sighed deeply, her resolve hardening. "Yes, Arjun. I think about you. I think about how you broke my heart, how you treated me like I wasn't enough, and how I wasted a year trying to forget you. But you know what? I deserve more. I deserve someone who doesn't see me as a weakness."

Her words hit him like a punch to the gut. He was silent for a long moment, and when he spoke again, his voice was barely a whisper. "Meera, I -- "

"No," she interrupted. "Don't say anything else. Don't call me again for the God's sake. This chapter of my life is over."

She hung up, her hands trembling as she placed the phone on the table. She didn't know she has done right or wrong but one thir she was sure about that was not turning back.

Arjun stared at his phone, the call disconnected. Her words echoed in his mind

" I deserve more. I deserve someone who doesn't see me as a weakness."

He threw the phone across the room, shattering it against the wall. His chest heaved as he sank into the couch, his head in his hands.

For the first time, he realized that no amount of money, power, or manipulation could fix what he had destroyed.

Meanwhile, Meera sat on her bed, tears streaming silently down her cheeks. Raghav's kind smile and gentle words from earlier replayed in her mind, contrasting sharply with the storm Arjun had brought into her life.

She wiped her tears, taking a deep breath. "I'm not going back." she whispered to herself. "Not this time."

In that moment, she decided that her future belonged to her -- and she wouldn't let Arjun take it away. No matter what Raghav was best for her.

.

To be continue...