After the kiss, Manik guided Nandini into the passenger seat and closed the door gently, as if she were something fragile. He slid into the driver’s seat himself, his gaze locking briefly with the man standing nearby. A slow, smug smirk curved Manik’s lips before he started the engine and drove away.

At the same time, the man left behind stood frozen, watching the love of his life disappear in another man’s arms. His chest constricted painfully. The girl he had cherished since childhood, the one he had worshipped like a goddess, was smiling and safe in someone else’s care. That sight shattered something deep inside him, breaking his heart into a thousand jagged pieces.