It had been four days since the incident. Since Reeva stormed out of the bedroom with a fire in her chest and tears she didn't let fall. Since Trisha stood there with a Tinder notification in her hand and regret she didn't yet have the language for.
The day after the Toast of Royals inauguration, Trisha packed her essentials, told Reeva and Yashika she had "some expansion meetings in Jaipur", and left Udaipur.
Without a proper goodbye.
Instead, she sent Arjun (Monty) to Udaipur to oversee operations, manage any BOD escalations, and ensure the elite dining palace didn't collapse under personal drama.
[Scene: Singhania Royale HQ, Jaipur – Trisha's Office]
Tanvi watched her boss pour herself into work like it could stitch up the growing hollow in her chest.
"Double espresso?" she asked.
Trisha didn't look up. "Make it black. No sugar. Just like my love life."
Tanvi raised a brow. "So tragic. Shakespeare would've wept."
Trisha cracked a smile. Barely.
[Scene: Toast of Royals – Udaipur, Lounge]
Reeva had never been this quiet.
Not even when the bar licensing got delayed. Not when the foundation team messed up the flooring. Not even when Sasha (Legal Head) sent a 27-page contract draft on a Saturday night.
Now, she sat at the same lounge couch, eyes blank, fingers hovering over her tablet. But nothing registered.
Arjun noticed.
He leaned toward Yashika at the reception. "She's broken. What the hell happened?"
Yashika glanced at Reeva, then at Arjun, and sighed. "Trisha happened."
Arjun froze. "What?"
Yashika whispered, "They were sleeping together for months. But Reeva caught a Tinder notification on Trisha's phone mid-makeout. Lost it. Told her she loved her. Trisha panicked. Told her she can't."
Arjun ran his hand through his hair. "Damn."
Yashika nodded. "She's not eaten properly since. And trust me, Reeva Khanna doesn't skip food."
[Scene: Rooftop, Toast of Royals – Arjun & Reeva]
The pink Udaipur sky made the palace glisten. But Reeva sat on the edge, knees pulled up, chin on her arms, eyes hollow.
Arjun handed her a glass of water. "Thirsty or just done with everything?"
She took the glass. "Both."
He sat beside her. Silence.
Then, softly, "I know about Neha."
Reeva didn't react.
"I know she left Trisha for being 'too available.' For loving too hard. I know that broke her. But… Reeva, you knew. And you still fell."
Reeva finally looked at him, raw. "I knew. Every broken piece. Every wall. Every scar. I knew the landmine I was walking into."
She swallowed. "But she was swiping on Tinder while fucking me, Monty. Who even does that?"
Monty didn't reply.
"Was I not enough?" Reeva's voice cracked. "I gave her all the space she needed. I never pushed for labels. Never demanded love. But the one time I ask for honesty, I become the villain."
Arjun placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're not the villain. You just fell in love with one who's still learning how to hold it."
[Scene: Singhania Royale – Jaipur]
Arjun called Aisha.
Within ten minutes of that call, Aisha was on the first private flight from Delhi to Jaipur.
And within an hour, she was standing outside Trisha's private suite at Singhania Royale, arms crossed, fire in her eyes.
Tanvi opened the door. "Oh. You're here. I didn't tell her—"
Aisha walked in like she owned the damn place. "She's not answering my calls. So I came to collect her soul in person."
[Scene: Trisha's Suite – Jaipur]
Trisha looked up from her laptop, saw Aisha, and blinked. "Is the world ending or are you just early for brunch?"
Aisha dropped her bag. "Why are you punishing Reeva for loving you?"
Trisha closed her laptop slowly. "Wow. Straight to the throat."
Aisha walked closer. "You don't answer her. You leave the day after the biggest moment of your life. You send Arjun like it's just another project. You're doing it again."
Trisha looked away. "Doing what?"
"Running," Aisha said. "From something that feels too good. From someone who didn't ask for anything but truth."
Trisha clenched her jaw. "She said she loved me, Aish. In the middle of an argument."
Aisha: "So?"
Trisha (quiet): "So what if I break her too? Like Neha says I do?"
Aisha sat down beside her. "You're not Neha's Trisha anymore. You've built an empire. You've learned boundaries. You let someone in. Reeva didn't ask for a fairytale, Trish. She just asked not to be lied to."
Trisha finally cracked. Her voice broke. "I didn't mean to lie. I just… I was scared. Tinder was an old ghost. I forgot I even had that app."
Aisha gave her a side hug. "Then go tell her that."
Trisha wiped her face. "I don't think she wants to hear it."
Aisha stood up. "Too bad. You're going to say it anyway."
[Scene: Tanvi and Yashika – On Call, Night Before]
Tanvi (in Jaipur): "She hasn't eaten properly in two days."
Yashika (in Udaipur): "Same here. Are they moon signs twins or something?"
Tanvi: "They miss each other so badly it's suffocating us."
Yashika: "I think we should lock them in the Toast wine cellar until they talk."
Tanvi: "I support that emotionally and logistically."
Both: sigh dramatically.
And so the Queen without her crown sat on the throne of her empire… hollow, heavy, and hurting.
But maybe, just maybe…
There was still time to get it back.