CHAPTER 13
Chopra Mansion
The party had finally come to an end. As Anand prepared to leave, he asked Reyansh about Aanya.
“Where’s Aanya? Can we meet her before we go?” he inquired.
Reyansh gave a polite smile. “She’s tired and resting in her room. Said she had a terrible headache from the loud music.”
“Tired?” Kyle cut in sceptically. “She loves parties, Reyansh. She never gets bored of them.”
Reyansh hesitated for a beat but recovered smoothly. “Yes, but the music tonight really got to her. She’s asleep now. I’ll let her know you both left.”
Kyle’s suspicions flared again, but she chose not to argue further. Instead, they discussed the upcoming meeting for their new joint venture. Once the details were finalized, Anand and Kyle made their exit. Gradually, the other guests began to leave as well.
“Thank you, Reyansh. It was a wonderful party,” Radhika praised warmly.
“I had a great time too,” Rishi added with a chuckle. “But we missed Aanya. Hope her headache’s better now.”
“Please make sure she’s alright,” Radhika insisted. “And check whether she ate or went to bed without dinner.”
“I will, Di,” Reyansh replied with a forced smile. Guilt crept in as his own words echoed in his mind. He’d gone too far. His anger, once again, had overshadowed his better judgment. He wanted to see growth in her, some maturity. But perhaps he expected it too harshly, too soon.
After everyone dispersed, Reyansh returned to the bedroom. But the bed was empty.
There was no sign of her in the room. He recalled when Radhika had knocked on the door earlier, Aanya had locked herself in the bathroom. Was she still in there? He walked over and knocked.
“Aanya? You in there?” he called.
Silence.
“Aanya, answer me, dammit,” he said louder, knocking again, this time with more urgency. “Fine. I’m coming in. I have the master key.”
Reyansh strode to the closet, retrieved the key, and unlocked the bathroom door.
She was there, curled up in the dry empty tub, asleep. Her face was stained with tears, her eyes visibly swollen. Guilt clawed at his chest. He hadn’t meant to break her like this. God, he truly was a fool. Every time his anger flared, he ended up causing irreparable damage.
Loosening his tie, he knelt beside the tub and gently scooped her into his arms. She felt featherlight, and she didn’t even stir. She wasn’t acting this time. He knew that and it worried him. Aanya was unconscious.
He laid her on the bed and patted her cheeks softly.
“Aanya? Wake up.”
Nothing.
He sprinkled water on her face and patted her again. “Aanya... please.”
Her eyelids finally fluttered open. Relief surged through him until she shoved him away with sudden fury.
“Get away from me!” she shouted, striking his chest with both fists as he tried to stay near.
Reyansh understood she had every right to be furious. He caught her wrists mid-blow, pinning them down on either side of her body. She struggled beneath him, her breath ragged.
“Ssh... listen to me,” he said softly.
“Just get off me, Reyansh,” she yelled again. Neither of them noticed how closely he hovered over her until the tension thickened around them. He used one hand to restrain both her wrists, and the other to tilt her chin up.
“ Look at me,” he growled.
Aanya clenched her jaw, her defiance shining through her red, tear-swollen eyes. But she stopped resisting. She had no strength left.
“I was cruel,” he admitted, voice low. “I was angry and I said things I shouldn’t have. That doesn’t mean I wanted to humiliate you.”
She averted her eyes, her head still fixed in his grip.
“I don’t want your explanations,” she murmured coldly. “Just get off me.”
“I will,” he replied. “But you should know I didn’t enjoy hurting you. You just… didn’t leave me with a choice.”
Her heart twisted at that. That was his excuse?
“You’re hurting my wrists, Reyansh,” she finally cried, her voice breaking.
He immediately released her and rolled off, sitting at the edge of the bed. Aanya sat up, rubbing her sore wrists in silence.
“Let me see,” he offered, almost in a whisper.
She ignored him and switched off the bedside lamp. Climbing back under the covers, she pulled the quilt over her head, effectively shutting him out.
Reyansh sat still. She wasn’t ready to listen. And for the first time in his life, he’d actually tried to apologize. That alone should’ve told him something about how far she’d gotten under his skin.
But she hadn’t accepted it.
He wouldn’t push again tonight. Maybe tomorrow, when she was ready, they could talk. For now, he let the silence stretch between them, heavy with everything they couldn’t yet say.
The Next Morning – Singh Residence
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Aanya,” Navya groaned, rubbing her sleepy eyes as she sat up in bed. “You really barged in at seven in the morning just to say this?”
Aanya sat cross-legged on the bed, munching on a biscuit she had hastily shoved into her purse before leaving home. Skipping dinner had left her ravenous.
“I had to,” she replied calmly. “I needed to tell you in person. I’ve made up my mind, Navya.”
“Okay,” Navya sighed. “You’re clearly furious and in shock. Just… don’t make big decisions while you’re in this state, alright?”
Aanya’s expression hardened.
“No. I’ve decided. I’m done living under someone else’s name. I’m going to stand on my own feet. I’ll show Reyansh Chopra exactly where I stand and what I’m capable of.”
Navya tossed the duvet off and reached for her hand.
“Are you even listening to yourself? You’ve always been a free spirit. How will you adjust to working under someone?”
“I’m not free, Navya,” Aanya snapped. “If I were truly independent, I wouldn’t be relying on my father or my husband to pay for my basic needs. That ends today. I want to earn. I want to build something of my own.”
Navya blinked, surprised by the conviction in her friend’s voice.
“Well then,” she said after a pause. “Why don’t you ask your dad? He must have something available at his company. It’s your inheritance anyway. You’ll run it one day.”
“I don’t want his help,” Aanya said sharply. “I don’t want anyone’s help. I want to do this on my own terms. No favours. No shortcuts.”
Navya exhaled heavily. “On your own? How? You can’t just walk into random offices and ask if they’re hiring.
Everyone knows who you are Reyansh Chopra’s wife, and Anand Malhotra’s daughter.
Even if someone does offer you a job, it’ll be because of your surname, not your skill set. Are you prepared for that?”
Aanya’s lips pressed into a defiant pout. She stood and picked up her purse.
“I don’t know how, but I’ll do it. I’ll find a job. I’ll earn my own money. I’ll prove to this damn world that I don’t need a man, whether it’s my father or my egotistical husband to survive. Will you help me or not?”
Navya stared at her for a long moment before finally nodding.
“I will, baby. Whatever it takes, I’m with you. Let’s figure it out. We’ll start hunting right away, alright?”
Relief swept across Aanya’s face. She wrapped Navya in a tight hug, holding onto the only anchor she had right now. The fire in her chest was real. For the first time in years, she had taken a real decision for herself . It wouldn’t be easy. But then again, nothing worth fighting for ever was.
She was determined to prove her worth to herself, and to the world that had so easily underestimated her.
Chopra Mansion
“Aanya, what’s going on here?” Radhika asked, pausing at the doorway with a curious gaze locked on the heap of newspapers scattered across the bed.
Aanya flinched slightly, caught red-handed. It was far too late to hide the mess now. She hastily pushed the newspapers aside, clearing space for Radhika to sit.
“Nothing, Di. I was just reading,” she lied, forcing a casual shrug.
Radhika arched a sceptical brow. “Reading? That many newspapers? I doubt it.”
Aanya pouted, attempting to change the topic. “Di, forget this. Tell me, did you take your medicine?”
“I won’t say a word until you tell me what all this is about.”
Aanya bit her lower lip, debating whether to tell the truth. After a pause, she exhaled sharply and confessed.
“I’m looking for a job.”
Radhika blinked, stunned. “A job? Why? Did Reyansh say something? Or was it Nani?”
“No, he didn’t,” Aanya replied quickly. “No one said anything. It’s my decision.
I get bored staying home. Reyansh leaves for work.
Nani is busy with her rituals and routines.
And you and Jeeju will leave soon too. So I figured instead of wasting time, I should use it to do something I genuinely like. ”
Though Radhika nodded, she didn’t seem entirely convinced. Her hand reached up to cup Aanya’s cheek gently.
“Are you absolutely sure? Reyansh or Nani didn’t push you into this?”
Aanya swallowed hard. She hated lying, especially to Radhika, who had shown her nothing but sisterly love and kindness.
“Even if someone did trigger the thought,” she admitted, “I still want to give it a shot. How long am I supposed to live like this dependent on my father or husband for every little thing?”
Radhika understood then. Reyansh and Aanya must have fought last night, likely over her drinking. She knew how rude her brother could be when angry.
“So what you’re saying is,” Radhika asked, “every housewife should work and not depend on her husband’s money?”
Aanya shook her head. “No, Di. That’s not what I’m saying. I respect women who run a household with all their effort and energy. But that’s not me. I want something different. I want to see if I can survive on my own feet.”
Her voice broke slightly, and tears brimmed in her eyes. Radhika pulled her into a warm hug, her heart aching for this young woman.
“I understand,” she said softly. “And who said you can’t survive? If you can survive as Reyansh’s wife, you can survive anything.”
Aanya chuckled, grateful for the attempt to lighten the moment.
“Thank you, Di.”
“I’ll help you,” Radhika offered.