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But Maya stood firm. “I'm not going anywhere until you stop hiding things, Ranveer. What's your link to Cindy?”
“We can discuss it later. I need to call my sources and update them, before she makes another move,” Ranveer insisted in frustration.
Maya waited stubbornly; arms crossed. Sensing her annoyance at his secrecy, Ranveer sighed and quickly kissed her forehead before she could react.
“Let me make this call. We have all night to talk about my past,” he whispered persuasively.
Maya finally conceded - the present issue needed handling first.
*************
Ranveer arrived from his consecutive calls to find Maya already serving dinner. Her mood was a mixture of sourness and worry. After their bathroom moment, where they had a brief make out session, Ranveer never anticipated that their night would take this turn—him having to explain another woman's involvement in their lives to Maya. As they began to eat, Maya once again inquired about Cindy, and this time Ranveer didn't hide anything.
“Cindy is Kunal's ex, not mine,” he finally confessed.
Maya's jaw dropped. Kunal's girlfriend?
“Why is she so angry with you then?”
Ranveer fed her while trying to answer her question, and she ate without much fuss. Her attention was more focused on the conversation than his actions.
“When she was dating Kunal, she also had her eye on me. I could sense it. And since there was animosity between Kunal and me, I used that to fuel their relationship,” Ranveer explained.
Maya shivered. What does he mean by ‘fuel their relationship’?
“Did you and Cindy…?”
“No, never,” he snapped before she could finish her sentence. “I never had any physical involvement with her. She tried to pursue me even while she was still with Kunal, but I had no interest in her.”
This brought Maya relief.
“But Kunal found out, and he ended things with her. She lost him, and then she realized that I deliberately stoked her interest in me to get back at Kunal. It deeply affected her, and ever since then, she has been constantly trying to find some evidence, construct narratives, and defame me. It's absurd.”
“It is absurd, but what you and Kunal are doing to each other is more than absurd, Ranveer,” Maya snapped. “I don't understand how this cold war began between you two. He wants to see you destroyed, and you want the same for him. Why? Just because you're step brothers?”
“Even if I stopped, he wouldn't. So, I never considered giving up this fight,” he replied. “I have nothing against Kunal; it's Dev Malik I have a problem with.”
Now what about him? Maya's subconscious mind jolted her.
“I believe he is responsible for my mother's sudden, accidental death,” he said in a pained voice.
Maya froze.
“Ranveer, wait. That's a serious accusation.”
“It is,” he nodded. “But during her last moments, Maa tried to tell me something. She clearly said his name and seemed panicked. I'm certain she wanted to disclose the same to me.”
Maya exhaled, trying to process all of Ranveer's revelations.
“She wasn't happy with the Maliks. I always had a feeling she wanted to share something with me, but she wasn't able to speak up, and I failed to understand.”
His voice cracked. Maya's lips formed a faint smile as she tried to uplift his mood.
“You're repeating the same mistake you made with me in the past. What may seem true from the outside may not be actually true. You need proofs, Ranveer, and until you have that, it's foolishness.” Ranveer sighed and leaned back in his chair.
“Foolishness,” he laughed. “I've crossed that line too before.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, growing more panicked.
