CHAPTER 6 #3
“Alright, so how’s your sister connected to this conversation?” she asked, straightening up.
He exhaled slowly before dropping the bomb.
“She wants us to patch things up… give this marriage another chance.”
Aanya nearly choked on her drink. She coughed uncontrollably as he took the glass from her and set it aside. When she regained composure, she stared at him in disbelief.
“Are you serious? No. I mean, is she serious? This is insane.” Her voice rose with panic. “Wait. Don’t tell me you want the same thing? Is that why we’re here? You brought me here to… to convince me?”
He finally broke in. “Are you done jumping to conclusions? Can I speak now?”
She nodded stiffly.
“I don’t care what Di wants,” he said, leaning forward. “Normally, I’d shut this down without a second thought. But this time, I can’t.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because she’s pregnant.”
Aanya’s jaw dropped.
“So? She’s pregnant. Not me. Why does that mean we have to fake a fairytale?”
“Because she’s sentimental, emotional, and irrationally hopeful. She believes I’ll be happy if I give our marriage a second chance. She couldn’t be more wrong.”
The last line stung. She swallowed the pain and masked it with a sharp smile.
“Couldn’t agree more. Neither of us would survive in the same house, let alone in a marriage. We’ve never tried, and we never will.”
“We will,” he corrected, throwing another verbal blow. “We’ll pretend for her sake.”
Aanya’s head spun.
“Pretend? Isn’t she living abroad?”
“She’s flying in ten days. She’ll be here for two months.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “So?”
“So I want you to stay with us during that time. We act like we’re working things out, trying hard, and making an effort.”
It felt like someone had sucker-punched her. She was still midair, waiting to crash.
“This is my condition for agreeing to the venture with your father,” he added calmly.
She stared at him in stunned silence. Was he actually serious? This entire plan was doomed. She stood abruptly, grabbed her purse, and headed for the exit.
“I… I can’t do this.”
Reyansh’s irritation flared as he followed her out. How dare she walk away mid-conversation?
“Aanya, wait,” he called.
She ignored him and raised her hand to flag down a taxi. But before she could flee, he caught up, gripped her wrist, and yanked her back.
“You don’t walk away when I haven’t finished talking,” he growled.
She jerked out of his grip. “And you don’t get to expect me to participate in this circus. I’m not going to lie to a pregnant woman, give her false hope, and then watch her break down. When it all falls apart, you and your grandmother will point fingers at me. I won’t be your scapegoat.”
“No one will blame you. I promise,” he said firmly.
She studied him, trying to understand where this confidence came from. Then she softened, trying reason instead.
“Look… I know you love your sister. Just tell her the truth. Say you tried talking to me and I declined. She’ll get over it.”
“No, she won’t. She’ll try to call you , meet you , and convince you herself.”
“Fine. Let her. I’ll refuse her too. Just give me her number.”
Reyansh clenched his jaw. “Enough. You want this deal for your father? Then this is the cost. Agree to my plan, and I’ll handle everything else.”
Aanya met his gaze for several tense seconds. Then she exhaled in defeat.
“Fine. Why should I care? She’s your sister. You figure out what lies to feed her. I’m in. Happy?”
He let out a slow breath. He hated himself for doing this to Radhika, but her fragile pregnancy was reason enough. Her doctors had warned them against emotional stress. This was his only way to shield her.
“Alright. We’ll meet tomorrow at—”
“Your office. Sign the contract. Yeah, yeah, I know the drill,” she snapped.
He noticed the flicker of stress behind her sarcasm. She hadn’t been prepared for any of this and neither had he.
“After you sign, we’ll start prepping you. Sunny will brief you.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Prepping me?”
“Etiquette,” he said flatly. “I’m particular about conduct. You’ll learn how to speak, behave, and respect her and my family. No slip-ups.”
Aanya clenched her fists. Now he was dictating her behaviour too?
“Can I punch you now? I’m sure you wouldn’t appreciate it in front of your sister,” she seethed.
He raised a brow. No woman had ever wanted to hit him before. Not openly, anyway.
“We’ll revisit that once Di leaves. C’mon. I’ll drop you home.”
She muttered something under her breath and followed him reluctantly. He waved at the valet, got into the car with her, and waited for her to fasten her seatbelt.
“Seatbelt,” he ordered.
“Who wears one at night?” she grumbled.
“People who want to live.”
She rolled her eyes. “Right. How could I forget I’m in the car with a rulebook? Tell me, where do you buy so much patience to follow every social rule?”
He ignored her sarcasm and asked instead, “Where are you staying?”
“Navya’s place.”
“The same friend from abroad?”
She nodded. “Take the next right. I’ll direct you.”
They sat in silence as Reyansh drove through the night. Aanya’s frustration still lingered in the air like a storm cloud.
Suddenly, she shifted in her seat, fidgeting. Her fingers stretched awkwardly behind her back as she tried to tug something into place.
Reyansh glanced sideways only to hear her murmur.
“The damn zip on this dress is sliding down,” she hissed, trying again to reach it.
It was already halfway open, and she had no idea how to fix it without help.
Reyansh slowed at the next red light, watching her contort and fail. “You’re going to sprain something doing that.”
“I can manage,” she snapped, still struggling. “I’ve changed outfits in a moving car. A zip is child’s play.”
He didn’t argue. But the thought of her changing clothes in a moving vehicle hit a nerve.
If she wasn’t driving, then who was with her?
Hot and unexpected jealousy stabbed at him.
He didn’t ask. He didn’t want to know if she’d been with anyone else in the last year and a half, even if they were technically still married.
So he just drove…jaw tight, sulking in silence.
When they finally pulled into the quiet lane near Navya’s residence, he parked the car and turned to her. She was still struggling with the zip, clearly frustrated.
“Turn around,” he said quietly. “I’ll fix it.”
She narrowed her eyes. “No thanks. I’ve reached. I can manage inside.”
“No, you can’t,” he bit out. “There are guards patrolling your friend’s residence. I don’t want anyone catching a glimpse of your… current state of undress.”
She laughed bitterly. “And I don’t want to give you a free show of my flawless back. How about that?”
He clenched his jaw. “Trust me, Aanya, I have no such fantasy.”
His patience was fraying, and she saw it. The way his fingers gripped the steering wheel, and the flicker in his eyes was the proof of his restraint. Barely hanging on.
“I can zip you up without even looking at your flawless back,” he added.
She stared at him for a moment, her defiance fading. “How?”
“Come here,” he said, this time softer, like it wasn’t just about the zip anymore.
Against her better judgment, she leaned slightly toward him.
Just a little. Just enough.
Reyansh didn’t waste a second. His arm slid around her waist, just firm enough to pull her gently closer. The other hand moved to her back, fingers finding the edge of the zipper with frustrating ease.
And then she froze.
Because suddenly, she could feel him …not just his hand, but his presence. His breath, the press of his body, the faint hum of tension that vibrated in the narrow space between them.
The scent of his crisp cologne hit her first, making her skip a heartbeat. She had never been this close to him before, not like this.
Not now, she told herself. Not with him. Not after everything.
But her body wasn’t listening.
Even Reyansh didn’t say a word. Didn’t smirk. Didn’t tease. He just looked at her…eyes locked and unmistakably intense. And then, slowly, painfully slowly, he began to pull the zipper up.
Every inch was a heartbeat.
And with each tug, something inside her melted.
A flutter low in her belly. A breath she didn’t know she was holding.
Reyansh wasn’t too far either to feel the crackle of electricity between them. When his knuckles brushed her bare skin, blood gushed into his lower organ so fast that he could literally feel it. His hand stilled for a second midway.
Aanya looked up at him, her lips slightly parted, her breath grazing the edge of his throat. She wasn’t even thinking about the damn zip anymore. She was just... there …in the moment, in his hold, in something they both pretended didn’t exist for far too long.
And Reyansh?
He was dangerously close to not pretending anymore.
Finally, with great effort, regaining his focus, Reyansh zipped it up and released her.
She instantly pulled away and stepped out of the car, pretending like the moment never happened. She was about to turn away when his voice stopped her.
“Meet my assistant Sunny at my office tomorrow for the paperwork. He’ll guide you.”
Aanya blinked at him, exhaling a sharp, disbelieving sigh.
“May God bless you with some common sense before it’s too late,” she muttered.
He didn’t say a word in return.
Not because he didn’t have one. But because if he stayed a second longer, she might have read it all over his face—the questions, the confusion, the pull he didn’t understand and didn’t know how to name.
He didn’t even know what had just happened in that car.
Or why it had shaken something in him loose.
So he just drove off.
Aanya stood there, watching the car disappear into the dark street ahead. Was this really happening? Pretending to be a couple for two whole months just to sell a lie? How far was she willing to go to reclaim her independence… and at what cost?