CHAPTER 3
Malhotra Residence - Delhi
“Did you send the car to the airport, Kyle?” Anand asked as he stepped into the house after a long day at work.
Kyle gave him a knowing smile, her voice tinged with sarcasm. “I did, Anand. How could I possibly forget who’s coming today?”
Anand ignored her tone, too anxious to see his daughter. He began pacing the room, his eyes darting repeatedly toward the front door. Kyle noticed his restlessness and walked over to him.
“I suggest you sit down and relax for a while. She’ll be here.”
“I can’t help it, Kyle,” he admitted. “I’m excited to see my daughter. It’s been eighteen months since I last saw her.”
Before Kyle could respond, the familiar honk of the car echoed through the drive. Anand’s face lit up, and without wasting a second, he rushed outside. Kyle followed at a slower pace.
Aanya stepped out of the car, blinking as she tried to adjust to her surroundings. This place had once been home, but now, it felt foreign, empty, disconnected. Her gaze swept over the exterior of the house that held so many memories… memories that no longer brought warmth.
“Aanya, my sweetheart!” Anand called, enveloping her in a tight embrace.
Aanya returned it half-heartedly.
“How was your flight?” he asked, pulling back to study her face.
“Not bad,” she replied tersely.
“Look at you… you’ve lost weight. Aren’t you eating properly over there?” he asked with concern.
Aanya gave a humourless chuckle. “I eat. Isn’t that enough, Dad?”
Anand frowned at her evasive reply. Before he could say anything more, Aanya’s eyes landed on Kyle, standing a few steps away. The two women didn’t exchange a word, just a silent stare filled with mutual disdain.
“Where are the papers I’m supposed to sign?” Aanya asked, her voice cool and businesslike.
“They’re not ready yet,” Anand admitted. “And are we going to have this entire conversation outside? Let’s go in. Kyle had your room cleaned up.”
Aanya didn’t react. She followed Anand into the house, her steps slow, her posture stiff—more like a guest than a returning daughter. Several maids came forward to greet her. Some of them were the same ones who had looked after her as a child. Her expression softened.
“How’s your son, Rama?” Aanya asked one of the house helps with genuine interest.
“He’s doing well, Madam. He’s started school now.”
“Good. Make sure he goes to school. Let him build something for himself,” Aanya said with conviction.
From behind, Kyle let out a pointed scoff. “Look who’s offering life advice now.”
Aanya turned sharply. “Excuse me?”
Kyle didn’t flinch. “Even well-educated women these days rely on their fathers to survive. Irony, isn’t it?”
Anand’s voice rose with authority. “Kyle, that’s enough.”
But she wasn’t done. “I’m sorry, Anand, but someone needs to speak the truth. What has Aanya done with her degree? She spends her time wasting away in clubs and casinos. If she doesn’t value her education, she has no right advising others.”
Aanya’s hands curled into fists. She turned to her father, eyes blazing.
“Thanks for the warm welcome, Dad. But I won’t tolerate this. I’m leaving. I’ll be staying with Navya. When the paperwork’s ready, you can inform me.”
She stormed back to the car and shouted for the driver to reload her luggage. Anand rushed after her, trying to stop her, but she ignored him and got in without a backward glance.
Kyle walked up beside Anand, unfazed. “Let her go. She’ll come back.”
Anand angrily shrugged her hand off his shoulder. “You couldn’t stay quiet for one damn moment, Kyle? I waited eighteen months to see my daughter, and you ruined it the moment she stepped in.”
Kyle stood stunned, her mouth falling open. In all the years of their marriage, Anand had never spoken to her like that. Without another word, he turned and walked inside.
Kyle exhaled slowly. She didn’t believe she had said anything wrong. Someone had to be the responsible one. Someone had to show Aanya the mirror. If Anand was too blinded by love to do it, she would.
Singh Residence
The moment Aanya stepped into Navya’s house, she headed straight for the private bar counter without a word. She grabbed a bottle of vodka, unscrewed the cap, and poured herself a shot. Her frustration was palpable.
Navya, sipping coffee in the living room, stared in disbelief.
“Aanya! What the hell happened?” she asked, rushing over as Aanya poured a second shot.
Before Aanya could lift the glass, Navya snatched the bottle from her hand. “Stop! What are you doing?”
“Give it back, Navya,” Aanya growled.
“No way. We have plans tonight, remember? Don’t ruin it.”
Aanya sighed heavily. “What plans?”
“Disco, babe. You forgot? I called up all our old friends. Everyone’s going to be there.”
Aanya rubbed her forehead, still fuming. Her temples throbbed.
“You’re right,” she muttered. “I need to change my mood. Disco is perfect.”
She turned to head to the bedroom. “I’ll freshen up. Can you please pull out my red dress from the bag? Pretty please?” she added, attempting a playful pout.
Navya finally cracked a smile. “I’ll get it, darling,” she said with a wink.
Disco - Delhi
“Aanya!” a familiar voice called out as she made her way through the buzzing club. She turned and smiled wide.
“Robin, you’ve bulked up!” she said, throwing her arms around her college friend.
Robin grinned proudly. “You noticed?”
“I didn’t just notice, I’m impressed,” she replied, giving his bicep a playful squeeze. “I’ve always had a soft spot for guys with muscles. Takes some real discipline to keep at it, doesn’t it?”
Robin beamed, and Aanya turned to another friend. “Lucy! That short hair looks stunning on you,” she said, pulling her into a hug.
“And you look fire in that dress,” Lucy replied. “Where’s it from?”
Aanya gave a sly wink. “Valentine’s gift.”
“From your husband?” Lucy asked with a smirk.
Aanya burst into laughter. “Who’s he?”
Everyone laughed, and Navya finally dragged them all toward the dance floor. “Enough chit-chat. Time to dance!”
“I need a drink first,” Aanya announced, walking over to the counter. She picked up a glass already filled with an amber liquid.
“Aanya, that’s not ours,” Navya cautioned.
“So?” Aanya raised her brow, downed the drink in one gulp, and set the glass back on the counter. “Now it is,” she added with a wink.
Just as she turned to head to the dance floor, a woman in a sleek white dress stepped in her way.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? That was my drink!” the woman snapped.
Navya shrank back, clearly embarrassed, but Aanya remained unfazed.
“You left it unattended,” she replied coolly. “And that’s a shame. Ever heard of bar etiquette, lady?”
The woman’s eyes narrowed. “You’re ridiculous.”
Aanya laughed. “I’ve been told. Now, move.”
But the woman didn’t. She planted herself in front of them like a wall. “You want a fight? Then let’s fight.”
Aanya squared her stance, raising her fists in mock-boxing style. “You’re on.”
The woman looked horrified, but before Aanya could take it further, Navya grabbed her arm.
“Aanya, stop. Apologize.”
“I won’t.”
“You have to,” the woman demanded. “Or I’m not letting you leave.”
Aanya sneered. “You can’t stop me, babes. Don’t even try.”
She stepped forward, but the woman shoved her back. Aanya’s head smacked against the counter’s edge, leaving a stinging cut on her forehead. Blood trickled down. Navya cried out for help, but the music drowned her voice.
Aanya touched the cut, then looked up, her eyes burning. Without hesitation, she shoved the woman hard. She tumbled to the ground, drawing laughs from onlookers. Aanya laughed too.
“Get up and fight me properly!” she shouted, raising her fists again.
“ Suzzane! ” a voice called from behind the crowd.
Aanya froze. That voice. Here? Impossible!!
She turned slowly and there he was.
Reyansh Chopra!
He walked swiftly through the crowd, eyes scanning, brows furrowed. Aanya nearly took a step back. She blinked, convinced she was imagining him. But no. He was here. Real. Solid. And dangerously handsome.
She squeezed Navya’s hand whose expression of pure disbelief, matched hers.
Reyansh’s eyes locked on her before he turned to Suzzane, who was groaning in pain. He helped her up gently.
“Reyansh, what kind of place is this? People here have no manners!” Suzzane whined.
He glanced back at Aanya again. He hadn’t expected to see her…certainly not here, not like this.
“Are you okay?” he asked Suzzane, though his gaze occasionally flicked back to Aanya.
“No!” she huffed. “That girl attacked me.”
Aanya stepped forward. “Oh really? Won’t you tell him why I did that?”
She tried to move closer, but Reyansh stepped between them, his eyes darkening.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he snapped.
“Partying,” she replied with equal fire. “With my friends. Until she decided to pick a fight.”
Suzzane moved forward. “She stole my drink! What kind of manners has your family taught her?”
Aanya laughed bitterly. “They didn’t teach me anything. What I am today is my own creation. Don’t drag my family into this.”
“ STOP! ” Reyansh’s voice cut in.
Navya quickly pulled Aanya back. “Let it go. It’s not worth it.”
Reyansh turned to Sunny, who had just arrived. “Buy another drink for Suzzane.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Suzzane, go freshen up,” Reyansh said, his tone softening.
Suzzane gave Aanya a hateful glance and walked away with Sunny.
Navya tugged again on Aanya’s hand. “C’mon, Aanya, let’s go.”
But before Aanya could move, a sudden tug stopped her. Reyansh’s hand gripped her arm, holding her back. She turned to face him.
Seeing the intensity in his gaze, Navya released her hold from Aanya’s arm and stepped away. Without a word, Reyansh dragged Aanya out of the disco, away from the pounding bass and the flashing lights.
“Where the hell are you taking me?” she demanded.
He didn’t answer until they were outside, beneath the quiet night sky.
“What are you doing here ? In Delhi?” he asked coldly.
“Why should I tell you ?” she shot back, chin lifted.
He seemed ready to say something, something raw and territorial, but caught himself.
“What kind of behaviour was that? You know what you did inside? It’s embarrassing, Aanya. Grow up. And if you can’t, then stop showing up in places where you clearly don’t know how to behave in public.”
Aanya stepped closer, face flushed with fury. “This place isn’t yours. And I don’t need you managing my life. I’m not your responsibility, Reyansh.”
He took a step toward her. “Watch your tone, Aanya.”
Instead of retreating, she smiled, slow and wicked. Her hands reached up, wrapping around his neck. “Oh darling, did anyone ever tell you how hot you look when you’re angry?”
His brows furrowed, unsure whether to be enraged or disarmed.
Her gaze dropped to his lips, lingered there for a moment, and then lifted back to meet his eyes.
She could see the confusion flicker across his expression, and honestly, she mirrored it.
Whatever she was doing, even she didn’t fully understand.
Their marriage, hasty and humiliating, had played out like a bad business deal sealed with signatures instead of sentiment.
It had unravelled into chaos the very same night she became his wife.
That night hadn’t just ended a beginning.
It had buried whatever fragile hope might’ve existed between them.
From that point on, she had severed every emotional tether tying her to her father, and also shut every door that connected her to the man he had practically bartered her off to, for power, prestige, and an expansion deal.
Reyansh held her stare while she wandered inside her own storm.
He wasn’t a fool easily stirred by beauty.
Looks, to him, were currency that lost value over time.
He had always imagined a life with a woman of poise and control.
Someone who aligned with his goals, understood the gravity of his ambition, and played by the rules.
Aanya, with her impulsiveness and untamed spirit, didn’t fit that mould. She never had.
But some decisions, made in haste, left no room for reversal. She was that kind of mistake…unpredictable, wild, and carved from a completely different code than the one he lived by. Getting involved with her in any capacity now…emotionally, physically, or otherwise, was a risk he couldn’t afford.
And yet, they stood there, tangled in a silence louder than any argument they had ever had.
Their eyes locked for longer than either intended, and for the first time since that disastrous wedding night, he noticed something different.
The girl he had married eighteen months ago had vanished.
In her place stood a woman…still reckless, still volatile, but with a depth behind her gaze that unsettled him.
There were shadows in her eyes now, like thoughts she didn’t voice, wounds she didn’t show, and for the life of him, Reyansh couldn’t read them. He couldn’t decipher her anymore. And that, more than anything, made her dangerous.
Just then, Navya’s voice shattered the moment.
“Aanya!”
Reyansh was the first to react. He stepped back, peeling her arms off his neck.
Aanya’s smile turned sarcastic. “Let’s go home, babes. This party really sucks.”
Navya reached her, giving Reyansh a wary glance before the girls turned toward the car.
“What was that?” Navya whispered. “Did you two… kiss?”
Aanya shoved her playfully. “Shut up.”
But before getting into the car, she turned back once more… just once …and found Reyansh still watching her. Still confused. Still stuck between resistance and desire!