Chapter 3: No Turning Back

Aisha stood frozen, stunned by Robin’s icy words. He’d never spoken to her so harshly before.

The man before her seemed transformed—unyielding, distant, a stranger.

"Robin, how dare you be so ungrateful! Let’s be clear: if anything happens to your mother, it’s not our fault! This has nothing to do with us!" Margaret Fernandes snapped, her voice dripping with disdain.

The monsoon rain pounded outside the Banjara Hills apartment, soaking the pavement where the ambulance waited. The air still held traces of biryani and sheer khurma, now stale, as the untouched chocolate cake sagged on the dining table under the LED chandelier.

"Ma, enough!" Aisha pleaded, her voice soft.

"What’s wrong with speaking the truth? Good thing you registered your property before marriage, or dividing it now would be a mess!" Margaret retorted, folding her arms.

Aisha sighed, turning to Robin. "If you sign the divorce papers, you can ask for anything except Tara. Whatever I can give, I will—generously. Let’s end this cleanly, Robin. Maybe… we can still be friends."

"Di, what are you saying?" Anna Fernandes cried, her eyes wide with panic. "Have you forgotten how Robin gave you the startup funds for your first club in Jubilee Hills? Or how he faced down those goons alone when your company was targeted, nearly dying to fix it? Or how he—"

"Anna, stop! That’s ancient history!" Aisha cut her off, her tone firm. "Robin helped me, sure, but I’ve repaid him over the years. Five crore is more than enough to settle his kindness!"

"Di, how can you be like this? Have you forgotten everything? Without Robin, would you be the CEO of Fernandes Enterprises? Would our family be where we are? How can you be so heartless?" Anna’s voice cracked.

"Enough, Anna! You’re stuck in the past. We need to live in the present, look to the future!" Aisha’s gaze softened as it landed on Vikram Malhotra. She believed her First Love was her true destiny, not Robin, who she thought had trapped her youth in a mistake.

"Di, if you divorce Robin, you’ll regret it! You don’t even know your own heart!" Anna pleaded.

"I’ll never regret it!" Aisha shot back, though a strange pang tugged at her chest. "Even if I do, I’ll own it!"

Looking at Robin, she felt something slipping away, like sand through her fingers.

"Five crore? This guy’s getting a steal!" Vikram muttered, his eyes narrowing. To him, Aisha’s wealth was already his. Handing Robin five crore felt like losing his own money. He’d find a way to claw it back later—Fernandes Enterprises was his future prize.

"Papa, Mummy… please don’t fight, don’t divorce!" Tara’s tears spilled over, her small hands clutching Aisha’s lehenga.

"Anna, take Tara inside," Margaret ordered, frowning. She feared Aisha might soften, and she’d despised Robin for years. Once useful with his underworld ties, he was now a relic, useless to their thriving family. Aisha’s empire—salons, clubs, Tollywood deals—had outgrown him.

Anna scooped up Tara, then turned to Robin. "Brother-in-law, Di’s been misled. She’s confused. Give her time—she’ll see her mistake."

"Anna…" Robin’s voice was low, final. "Your sister and I are done."

He grabbed the divorce papers, barely glancing at the clauses. His eyes locked on Tara’s custody section. "I’ve said it before: divorce is fine, I don’t want your money, but I won’t give up Tara."

"Robin, in your state—jobless, broke—you can’t care for Tara properly. If you want her happiness, let her stay with me," Aisha said, pausing. "I won’t change her surname. You’ll always be her father."

"Aisha, do you really think everything you have is yours alone?" Robin’s tone was sharp, his smartwatch vibrating with Sarita’s pulse data from his AI-driven Ayurvedic app.

"What’s that supposed to mean?" Aisha frowned.

"Here’s my deal: add a clause to Tara’s custody. One year from now, whoever has more assets gets her. For this year, Tara stays with you, but no one else—especially him—gets near her." Robin’s gaze pierced Vikram.

"Who’re you calling ‘no one’?" Vikram snapped, bristling.

"Fine! I agree! I’ll have the agreement revised. We’ll file at the registry tomorrow, and after the one-month cooling-off period, we’re done!" Aisha said without hesitation. In her mind, Robin could never surpass her empire—not in a year, not in a lifetime. She was no longer the helpless girl who needed his protection.

"Di, brother-in-law…" Anna clutched Tara, tears in her eyes.

"Anna, look after Tara. I’ll visit her twice a week. In a year, I’ll take her," Robin said calmly, his voice steady but laced with resolve.

"Brother-in-law, is there no chance for you and Di?"

"When love’s thrown away, there’s no point holding on. You can be a fool once, not forever."

The ambulance siren wailed closer, cutting through Hyderabad’s rain-soaked streets. Robin gently lifted Sarita onto his back, her frail form limp. To Tara, still sobbing, he said, "Be good, beta. Papa’s taking Dadi to the doctor. Eat well, sleep well, and wait for Papa, okay?"

"Okay! Tara promises Papa!" Tara nodded, wiping her tears.

"Here’s a cheque for five crore, cashable at any bank." Aisha handed him the cheque and the revised divorce agreement.

Robin took the cheque, tore it to shreds, and let the pieces scatter in the rain. He signed the agreement, kept his copy, and sneered, "Aisha, I turned you from nothing into Hyderabad’s top CEO. I can turn you back to nothing just as easily."

"Robin! Still clinging to your ego? Drop your pathetic pride. With five crore, you can live decently. Your old tricks don’t work anymore!" Aisha’s voice dripped with disappointment.

"Aisha, you understand nothing. Soon, you’ll regret this for life."

Robin turned, striding toward the ambulance, his silhouette sharp against the rain. Love was a dream he’d woken from. Years ago, Aisha’s smile at his Hussain Sagar bar had been his world. For her, he’d abandoned his underworld empire, protecting her silently. Now, only disgust remained.

He settled Sarita in the ambulance, his app confirming her vitals were stable, thanks to his modernized Ayurvedic techniques—pressure points guided by AI diagnostics.

"Robin, take my car to Apollo Hospital. I’ve called Dr. Rao—he’ll have a bed ready. I won’t let anything happen to Ma," Aisha said, stepping forward.

"If it weren’t for you, Ma wouldn’t have collapsed. Don’t fake concern now—it’s sickening. Stay here with your precious First Love," Robin shot back. "And I told you: stop calling her Ma. Didn’t you hear?"

Aisha’s face hardened. "Robin, how did you become this way? Even if we’re not husband and wife, we can be friends. You’re still Tara’s father. If you need help, I’ll do what I can."

"No need."

"Robin, you’re such a disappointment."

Aisha felt vindicated choosing Vikram over Robin’s stubborn pride.

"Some people don’t deserve pity. Let them rot. Let’s go eat—their mess isn’t our problem anymore," Vikram said, smirking.

"No, Sarita was good to me. I messed up today," Aisha admitted. "Vikram, I can’t host you now. I’m going to the hospital."

"I’ll come with you!" Vikram offered.

"Thanks, Vikram." Aisha’s voice softened.

Robin’s expression didn’t flicker. His heart was done with Aisha. His Kalaripayattu mastery—modernized with VR simulations—made him untouchable. His AI-driven Ayurveda had saved Sarita tonight. Aisha would never grasp his power.

"Aisha, remember: keep Vikram away from Tara. If he gets near her, I’ll take her immediately. If I want something done, you can’t stop me," Robin warned, his tone cold.

Aisha frowned. "Robin, why this hostility toward Vikram? My divorce isn’t about him."

Robin waved her off. "Just remember what I said."

"Why bother with him? Outside this apartment, he’s nothing!" Vikram scoffed.

Aisha nodded, turning to leave with Vikram. Just then, a sleek convertible Porsche roared through the rain, screeching to a stop before Robin. The door opened, and a striking woman in a simple white top and fitted jeans stepped out, her long hair swaying gently in the monsoon breeze. Priya Reddy’s understated elegance made her stand out, her warm smile lighting up the rain-soaked street. "Robin, heading to the hospital? Hop in—I’ll drive."

"Priya Reddy? What are you doing here?" Aisha gasped, her eyes wide.

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