Chapter 34
Aditya moved through the crowd, meeting and greeting everyone present with practiced ease, but no matter where he stood or who he spoke to, his attention never strayed far from her.
He knew where she was at any given time.
Like right now, he knew she was standing by the dessert table, speaking intently to Aisha.
He looked around the lawns. Everything was perfect.
The dark green and gold colors of the theme looked beautiful, and the food he’d sampled was delicious.
Even his mother would struggle to find fault.
He’d heard several guests praising the evening, and each compliment had filled him with pride.
It was all her. Sabrina. She was bloody brilliant at what she did.
He smiled at the woman in front of him, one of his mother’s friends.
The older lady went on and on about the Mumbai weather, and he smiled and nodded, not saying much.
From across the distance, he studied Sabrina.
She was smiling at Aisha, her expression light, untroubled.
None of her earlier distress showed on her face.
Guilt had pricked his chest when he remembered how shaken she’d been when he’d walked away from her. He was also pretty sure that his mother’s sharp words had added to her hurt. That’s why he’d sent Shauna to her. He was certain Shauna would cheer her up. What he hadn’t expected was Janak Sehgal.
Shauna must have called him to advice Sabrina, he guessed.
Seeing Sabrina walk out with Janak, her head held high, not a shadow of pain on her face, had left him feeling proud and relieved.
He’d also felt grateful to the older man for supporting her the way he had.
By having Sabrina on his arm, Janak had dared anyone to go against her.
Even his mother, for all her disapproval, couldn’t publicly insult Sabrina now.
He exhaled. He had to talk to his mother.
He didn’t approve of the way she’d confronted Sabrina, nor did he appreciate her cutting remarks to her.
On any other night, he would have already spoken to his mother. But considering the shitty mood he was in, they’d get into an altercation for sure. He couldn’t do that in front of her guests, certainly not on her birthday.
Fuck. His life was a mess of gigantic proportions. Despite feeling relieved that Sabrina was doing okay, he was still mad at her. What did she mean when she’d said she thought she’d killed someone? The question had been playing in his mind ever since he’d left her.
His gaze lingered on her as he thought through everything.
Sabrina looked up, and her eyes met his.
A sharp conflict began to churn in his chest. He’d wanted her for so long, and he’d wanted her to choose him.
But now, even after she’d told him she wanted to be with him, he was still unsure.
Did she really want to be with him, or was she being pressured by Aisha and Rithwik to do so?
His heart longed to go to her, to close the space between them, but his mind wrestled with the truth he knew all too well: wanting her had never been the problem.
It was the secrets Sabrina still held that kept him torn in two.
Would she really confide in him? Would she choose him when the going got tough?
The lady in front of him laughed at something she had said, and Aditya nodded, smiling at her.
He hadn’t heard a word of what she’d said.
She left him soon, and another guest took her place.
It went on and on. He began to feel suffocated by the endless chatter and the constant demands on his attention.
All he wanted was to be by himself in order to calm the chaos in his heart.
Excusing himself, he slipped through the crowd, moving toward the far side of the lawns.
He turned to the right and finally found a quiet corner.
He drew in a deep breath, and then let it out slowly, willing himself to settle.
Footsteps broke the silence. His jaw tightened.
Fuck. Couldn’t he get a single moment to himself?
And then he saw… Kanika? Good God! Shock ripped through him. What was she doing here? And why in hell had his mother invited her?
Before he could even process the thought, Kanika gave him a dazzling smile and flung herself into his arms. He went rigid as she clung to him, anger, confusion, and disbelief surging through him in equal measure.
“I’m so happy to see you,” she cooed, her arms tightening around him. “I missed you.”
Aditya stepped back, annoyed, as he pulled free of her grip. “What are you doing in my house?”
“I was invited,” she said breezily.
His brows shot up. “Invited? My mother invited you?”
A sly smile curled her lips. “Your mother invited Soham’s mom. She brought me along.”
“Soham, your fiancé, you mean? Is he here as well?”
She shook her head. “No, he’s away for work.”
She reached up as if to touch his face, but he stepped away, his jaw hardening.
“What are you doing here, and why are you following me?” he queried.
“I just wanted a moment alone with you,” she said sweetly. “I’ve been trying to catch your attention all evening, but you’ve been too busy with guest after guest. We need to talk.”
“I have nothing to say to you,” Aditya said coldly. “Please leave.”
“No.” Her voice snapped with sudden anger.
“I want to talk to you. After you cut off all contact with me, I’ve been miserable.
I’ve been thinking about everything. I now realize what a huge mistake I made.
I shouldn’t have pressured you to marry me.
You weren’t ready, and I forced your hand by breaking up with you and then getting engaged to Soham. ”
He stared at her, unable to make sense of what she was saying.
“I’ll call off the engagement with Soham,” she rushed her words, her eyes shining with desperation. “I want you back, Aditya. I can’t… I can’t live without you.”
“What?” he choked out.
“Please, I want you back.”
When she tried reaching for his face again, a firm hand shot out and caught her wrist mid-air. Kanika gasped.
Aditya’s eyes widened as he turned and saw Sabrina standing at his side, her grip on Kanika’s wrist steady and unyielding.
Kanika twisted, but Sabrina’s grip didn’t loosen. Her dark eyes locked on Kanika.
“Don’t,” Sabrina said fiercely, her voice ringing with finality. “Don’t ever touch him again.”
Recognition dawned on Kanika’s face. She yanked her wrist back.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Kanika spat out. “You’re just the caterer here.”
Sabrina’s chin lifted, her eyes glinting dangerously. “He’s mine.”
The words slammed into him, leaving him stunned. Sabrina was claiming him? Openly… like this?
Kanika turned to him, wide-eyed, searching his face. He ignored her, unable to look away from Sabrina.
“Aditya?” Kanika called out.
He finally looked at her.
“Are you with her?” Kanika asked.
Sabrina stepped squarely in front of him. “Yes, he is. You’re an engaged woman, Kanika. Have the decency to stay away from a man who belongs to someone else. Or are you truly so ill-mannered to throw yourself at a man who clearly doesn’t want you?”
Before Kanika could retort, a voice cut through the air.
“What is going on here?”
Aditya saw his mother standing a few feet away, her sharp gaze moving from him to Kanika, and finally to Sabrina.
Seizing the moment, Kanika hurried to her side. “Is it true that Aditya and she are together?”
Shock flickered across his mother’s face, but before she could respond, Aditya stepped forward, his voice firm and unyielding. “Enough, Kanika. Leave now, or I’ll have security escort you out.”
Kanika stiffened.
His eyes narrowed on her. “You and I were finished a long time ago. You’ll never be part of my life again, and it’s best you remember that. If you don’t, you’ll risk losing your chance with Soham too; I’ll make sure of it. I doubt you’d want another wealthy man turning you down?”
Without another word, Kanika turned and walked away.
His mother addressed him. “What was that?” Her eyes flicked briefly to Sabrina before locking back on him. “And you didn’t even deny her accusation.”
Aditya met her stare evenly, his jaw set. “Because there was nothing to deny.”
“Do you know the implication of this?” his mother raged. “Right this moment, she’s going to go tell her future mother-in-law that Sabrina and you are together. That woman is a known gossip. This news will spread through the party within seconds. Is that what you want?”
“Does it even matter what I want?” Aditya stormed at his mother. “Certainly not to you. Did you even care to ask me what I felt for Sabrina before you planned this event tonight, waiting for her to fail? What did you think? That you’d ensure she’d fail tonight, and that I’d stop loving her?”
“Love…” his mother squeaked. “You love her?”
“How does that matter?” His voice came out rough and cutting as he replied.
“All you women seem to think that you have the right to decide everything for me. Sabrina pushed me away because of her past, then she decided to claim me because of Kanika. You believe you can manipulate my life and my heart because you are my mother. And Kanika is the worst; she thinks she can stroll right back into my life simply because she wants to. Not one of you stopped to consider what I want.”
He addressed his mother, “Your biggest worry is that you think Sabrina was with me because I’m rich.”
Sabrina gasped. Horror crept over her face.
Aditya continued, “Do you know one of the reasons she broke up with me is because I’m too rich? As if being rich is a crime!”
It was his mother’s turn to look shocked now.
“Aditya, it wasn’t just that…” Sabrina said. “Please, we need to talk.”
His mother looked between Sabrina and him.
“I also need to talk to you too,” his mother said. “I need to expl—”
“Not right now,” he said sharply. “I’m done with both of you for tonight. I need time and space to think before I talk to either of you.”
Silence followed his outburst. His mother looked at him as if she didn’t recognize this version of him.
Sabrina’s mouth opened and closed as if she were debating whether to say something.
He was glad when she finally sealed her lips together.
He rarely, if ever, lost his temper, but when he did, it was best that no one antagonized him further.
Turning away, he returned to the party, waiting for this infernal night to end once and for all.