Author's note: So, here is the new chapter, guys!! I hope you enjoy reading it. Please please remember to vote and comment if you guys enjoy it. It would mean A LOT to me!!❤

P.S. the chapter is a little shorter because the next few chapters are going to be emotionally charged, so I wanted this chunk out of the way. 😊

Shaurya splashed some cold water over his face as he stood in his bathroom.

He had sat around and mopped for a few hours now, but he couldn't do it anymore. What was done was done. He would never be able to forgive Dhvani for what she did to him and Dhruv; however, now he had to look at the future. In his anger, Shaurya planned to apply for complete custody of Dhruv but quickly trashed the idea. Despite what she had done, Dhvani was still his son's mother. Growing up without a mother, Shaurya and Dhvani both understood the void it had in a child's life. The last thing he wanted was for Dhruv to face that. Eventhough, Dhvani had decided to raise their son as though his father was dead.

They had to come to an arrangement!

He went back to the bedroom and picked up his phone and walked towards the living room.

My house tomorrow at 8

He texted Dhvani. He figured that it would be the best place to meet without any disturbance. When they were together in a room, there was bound to be a fight, and he didn't want anyone else to know. Just when he was about to ask her when she was planning to take Dhruv to the hospital tomorrow, he heard the door knob rattling.

A very few people except him had the house keys. Three people to be exact- Lucky, Priya and the maid.

Guessing it to be Lucky wanting to apologize, he went to open the door and tell him to leave. He couldn't talk to him right now. He needed some more time to get his feelings under control.

When he opened the door, he was surprised when he saw Priya Sinha standing there with a huge smile.

"What are you doing here?"

"This is some way to greet your friend," Priya smirked as she brushed past him into the house. "Did you eat dinner already?"

"No...Priya," Shaurya sighed. "I thought I told you that we were not going to be meeting each other for a while."

"I don't understand why you are behaving like this? It is the media's job to create drama. Remember, the more drama, the more popular you are." She said, laughing at his panic-stricken face.

"That doesn't mean we practically hand them the necessary material," Shaurya said as he sat on the couch beside her. "Recently, they have started spewing too much nonsense. I can't believe how they blew up the hotel room thing."

"Just relax! Who cares?" Priya laughed. "Plus, your ex-wife also thinks it is a good idea. I mean times have changed, huh? Remember that day when we had come back after tryouts in Delhi? She had caused such a drama. Embarrassing all of us. Now, she is contacting my agent to work on an affair angle."

"How would you have reacted if you found out your husband who was supposed to be visiting his ailing father had instead gone for tryouts? That tryout was one of the important ones, and she wanted to be there to support me, but I didn't call to talk to her... On top of that, she noticed your lipstick on my shirt from when you accidentally fell on me."

"But, I just found out when you were almost at your village, and I had to-"

"Whatever the reason, maybe. I should have told Dhvani. And what she is doing is her job. We both know how this showbiz thing works, but I have told her that we are not going be lying to anyone. We are friends and nothing more."

"Shaurya..." she stood up and sat beside him on the same couch. "Don't do this to yourself again. None of this was your fault. She is the one who couldn't see your pure love for her. You promised me that you would change your management agency too. Don't let that bitch-"

"Her name is Dhvani," Shaurya said curtly. "And I have told you before, too, please don't talk about her like this."

"She deserves it for what she did to you."

"That's for me to decide." Shaurya gave her a meaningful stare.

Priya gulped nervously and smiled. "She hasn't been back into your life for two months, and you are falling back into the rabbit hole, Shaurya. Remember how hard we had to work to get you up and playing when Dhvani left you. You can't let yourself get carried again. I have worked..." she stopped when Shaurya got up and walked away from her. "Don't walk away, Shaurya." Priya stood up and stomped her foot. "You had a nervous breakdown before your first try out for the Indian cricket just after your divorce. Remember? I was the one who took care of you, and I won't let you flush all of it down the drain because of her."

"I appreciate you have done for me, Priya." He held her shoulders. "I won't ever forget that you were there for me when no one else was, but that doesn't mean you can interfere in my marriage."

"Shaurya, I don't understand why you still love her?" She cried.

"I don't love her," Shaurya said adamantly.

Priya scoffed. "Right! Look at yourself, Shaurya." She cupped his face. "You are a mess."

"I... have a son." Shaurya blurted out.

Priya didn't seem as shocked as he expected to, but her expressions changed quickly. "W-what? She told you that?"

"No, it was a total coincidence that I found out," Shaurya told him how he had found out that Dhruv was his son. He pushed away from her and sat down before covering his face with his hands.

"How do you know that he is your son?"

"All the timelines match up perfectly. Dhruv Gupta was Dhavni name we had decided for our son."

"But, what if-"

"Don't say it," Shaurya warned.

"Okay," Priya said as she walked up to him and sat between his outstretched legs. She sat on her knees, so they were eye level.

"Was I such a bad husband that I didn't have the right to know about my son?" He murmured to himself as the tears began falling once more.

"Don't cry, Shaurya!" She pleaded as she cupped his face once more and scooted closer to him.

Shaurya stood up abruptly when she leaned in too close like she was about to kiss him. "Priya... We have been through this. What happened between us that night was..."

"I know... I am sorry." She said, licking her lips. "Let's eat something?"

"I'll order." He picked up his phone to order food but stopped when he saw the new Twitter update. It was a picture of Priya entering his building. With the headline, 'Priya Sinha visits boyfriend, Shaurya Gupta at his apartment.' "How do they always know?"

"They might have followed me..." she replied.

"That's why I am telling you that we should probably avoid meeting for a few days..." he sighed. "I don't want Dhruv to find out about all this."

"Why does it matter? It's not like you and Dhvani are together and you are cheating on his mother.... or are you guys planning to be a family for Dhruv's sake?"

Shaurya took a moment before he answered. "We are a family in some sense, but if you mean to be more than Dhruv's parents, then no. That's not what's going to happen. We separated before Dhruv was in our lives and having him might change the equation a little, but that's it. We all deserve better."

"But, you-"

"Like I said, I appreciate everything you have done for me." He said with a smile. "However, I would like to deal with this on my own."

Priya took a deep breath and smiled back. "What are you going to order? I am starving."

Two hours later, when she left Shaurya's apartment building, she made sure that someone from the media was there to take her picture for social media.

As soon as she sat in the car and the driver began driving, she picked up her phone and dialled a number she hadn't dialled in a long time, but recently started talking to them daily.

"He knows about his son." She said as soon as the person on the other side answered their phone.

"You had one job!" Haripraksh Mishra roared. "Now, that fellow is going to crawl back into my daughter's life. Again."

"My job was to create situations where Dhvani would assume that Shaurya and I had an affair. I did that perfectly, which is why they separated in the first place, and you said once the divorce papers were signed, Shaurya would be all mine."

Haripraksh scoffed. "Don't pretend like you didn't get anything out of this deal. I gave you ten crores. You had seven years to seduce him, and if you weren't able to do it, that's not my problem. If you could do that, then I wouldn't have to worry about them getting back together."

"You don't think I have tried? Who was the one that blocked all forms of contact between the two?"

Haripraksh massaged his forehead and sighed. "My daughter is going to hate me if she finds out the truth. I can't have that. I am coming down to Mumbai as soon as possible, but till then, I want you to make sure they don't communicate."

"Shaurya is refusing to talk to me about his feelings about Dhvani." Priya wiped her tears.

"Do you want Shaurya or not?" Haripraksh asked angrily. "Okay. I am going to be there as soon as possible and then let me figure it out."

Priya threw her phone on the seat and hit the back of her head against the headrest. She couldn't lose Shaurya now. Not after all these years. Not after going to such great lengths. She had taken some comfort in the fact that Shaurya was single and that she had a chance with him, but as soon as Dhvani entered his life, he was acting differently. She could see it. However, what she couldn't see was what was so special about Dhvani. Why did Shaurya love her so much?

'What does she have that I don't?' She continuously asked herself. 'What can I do so Shaurya falls in love with me?'

"Are you okay, Madam?" The driver asked when Priya cried uncontrollably.

"Yes!" She screamed. "Mind your own business."

No! She wouldn't let Shaurya go to Dhavni again. Shaurya belonged to her and only her.