Chapter 46: Chapter 46 : Betrayed In Love
To the side, beside Meera, her supposed-to-be boyfriend’s face went white with frustration.
He had pursued her for so long, but only to see her snuggle into another man’s embrace? How can he tolerate that?
For a whole year, the closest he had come to Meera was taking her hand.
And compared to that, this scene sliced him like a knife.
"No... this is the end of it. That rich man surely will not like her in the long term," he convinced himself.
"Yes, Meera only belongs to me!!" he assured to himself, holding on to his final ray of hope.
If his friends knew what was going on in his mind, they would probably laugh and say that he was mad but at least he was stubborn enough to keep on trying.
At the birthday celebration, everybody except Meera’s boyfriend was enjoying themselves.
Ananya was not an exception either. She was so joyful today that, though she never took alcohol in normal times, she consumed glass after glass until she was half intoxicated by it today.
Whenever a toast was proposed, she smiled happily and joined in without hesitation.
At the end of the night, she had drunk much more than she could manage.
"Ananya, I didn’t expect you to find such a good boyfriend. I’m so envious," one of her classmates said with a warm smile.
"Yeah, Ananya, when are you two going to get married? Make sure to invite us, we’ll be there for sure!" another added, teasing lightly.
"I’m honestly so happy for you, Ananya" said a third. "Among all of us present here today, you have definitely found the best match."
Her classmates toasted again and again, full of envy.
Even the boyfriends who accompanied them participated in the act, raising their glasses in a toast to Alex.
None of them dared be compared to the stature of such a wealthy individual, so they could only laugh and toast him, praising him and drinking in good spirits.
For every toast, Alex respectfully lifted his glass of juice in its place.
After all he has to drive back also and having driven all the way here he would be the one escorting Ananya home later too.
He can’t be drunk. but by the third round, Ananya’s face was flushed already, she began to walk wobbly.
She had consumed almost half a bottle of heavy liquor—a lethal quantity for one like her.
Alex was not sure if he should laugh at her or scold her, but he also knew.
After all, it was to be expected that old classmates would go wild in reunion wine toasts.
Everyone was intoxicated by the time the party was over.
Half-intoxicated and staggering, Ananya hugged Alex, who had no other choice but to hold her up and bring her to the parking in a princess carry.
Later, Alex drove his Bentley to bring Ananya home.
Halfway through the trip, Ananya stirred back awake, her stomach suddenly making a few gentle rumbling noises.
Her cheeks turned bright pink at once. "Oh no... I think I’m still a little hungry," she confessed shyly, rubbing her stomach.
Alex laughed, his eyes meeting hers with a gentle smile. "Then let’s not head home yet. Want to go get a midnight snack?"
The meal at the Taj Mapel Hotel had been fancy but disappointing.
The presentation of food was stunning, but the food was tasteless and by no means filling.
Recalling it now, Alex couldn’t help but feel bad about his stomach.
So they did make a stop at a busy street corner lined with food vendors instead.
The scent was heavy in the air from the fried spices, roasting meats, and oil sizzling.
They stopped at one food stall offering spicy egg rolls, and the taste won them over from the very first.
"This... this is actually quite good," Alex said after the first bite, surprised at how flavorful the simple dish was. "No wonder people say street food often puts fine dining to shame."
They were midway through enjoying their food when Alex’s eyes suddenly froze on a familiar figure a short distance away.
"Huh?" he muttered to himself. "Isn’t that Satyansh? What is he doing here at this hour?"
Satyansh had been his best friend when he was in his high school.
They used to play basketball after school and walk home together nearly every day.
The two of them had been good friends, even though they hadn’t seen that much of each other in years.
Alex was about to yell when he saw something unusual.
A girl in a short skirts and a black top ran towards Satyansh and, without so much as a greeting, hugged him so tightly that Alex could see their faces pressed against each other.
The scene left Alex stunned.
"Hmm. they really are close, aren’t they?" Ananya whispered to him, her eyes widening in interest. "The way she hugged him, it must be because they are more than friends, isn’t it?
Alex nodded, his voice relaxed. "Appears so. Otherwise, she would not be hanging on to him so tightly."
As if on cue, Satyansh took her gently by the arm, his voice equally worried.
"Didn’t you say you were going to drink less from now on? Look at you, you can hardly stand.
I have said it before, it’s not good for your health. You can’t go on overdoing like this."
The woman who was obviously drunk muttered with a half-smile, "Oh, come on... it was a reunion. Everyone was having drinks, and I didn’t want to be the odd one out.
What’s the harm in a few extra glasses?"
Satyansh let out a helpless sigh and pushed a lock of hair out of her face.
"It’s not about blending in. I just don’t want anything to happen to you. You get too drunk and I always end up having to take you home.
Come on now, let’s get going before it gets too late."
The woman laughed unbothered, stumbling with her phone. "Wait, I locked my Über app with our secret code. You remember what it is, don’t you?
The day you told me everything about how much you love me."
Satyansh’s eyebrows knitted. He typed in the date he recalled the one that was ingrained in his brain that he can’t forget, but the phone beeped with a alert.
Incorrect password.
He tried once more.
Again, incorrect.
A knot began in his chest. "This can’t be. I knew, I didn’t forget the date. It was April 1st. I even recall holding those flowers in my hands."
The phone denied him again.
His face clouded over as a uneasy thought crept in. There was only one explanation left this wasn’t their anniversary she was referring to.
Satyansh struggled to speak slowly, his voice cracking. "Tell me... what date is our anniversary again?"
The woman smiled at him, a drunken laugh on her lips, unaware of the turmoil in his eyes.
"Satyansh, please don’t be an idiot. How could you ever forget?
You publicly confessed your love to me on the beach, amidst flowers, remember?
It was August 9, 2023. You can be such an idiot sometimes."
For a long moment, Satyansh just stood there in silence, his chest heavy.
Finally, with trembling fingers, he entered the numbers 892023.
The phone unlocked instantly.