Chapter 36
Aditya stirred awake in the stillness of the night. Something had disturbed his sleep, but he couldn’t remember what it was. He exhaled, and then smiled as he felt her. Sabrina was curled against him, her arm draped over his chest, her face pressed into his shoulder.
A deep calm settled over him. For the first time in what felt like forever, his heart was content. Sabrina was here, in his arms, where she belonged. The knot of restlessness that had choked him for days finally eased.
His mind drifted to his mother. She had tried to talk to him, but he’d kept his distance. He’d had been too preoccupied with Sabrina to think of anything and anyone else. He’d wanted to fix what had broken between Sabrina and him before dealing with his mother and her biases.
His phone rang on the nightstand, sharp and insistent. He realized in a beat that it had been ringing earlier too, and that was what had pulled him from his sleep. He frowned when he saw the caller ID.
Why was Ananya calling him at this hour? He quickly donned his trousers before answering the call.
“Ananya? What happened? It’s midnight in Singapore. Is everything alright?”
Sabrina stirred awake. “Who is it?”
“Sleep,” he caressed her cheek. “I’ll return shortly.”
He quickly went out to the living room. “Ananya, what’s up?”
“I’m so sorry to call you like this,” Ananya said. “But this is important. Remember the last time you were here, you told me about this woman you liked? I forgot her name.”
“Sabrina?” he frowned. “Why are you asking about her?”
Why was Ananya asking about Sabrina in the middle of the night?
“I’m going to send you a photo,” Ananya said, her tone cautious and measured. “Can you please confirm if that is Sabrina?”
His phone vibrated as a message came in. His jaw dropped as he opened the image Ananya sent him. How and why did Ananya have a photo of Sabrina?
“From where did you get this?” Aditya asked, concerned. “Ananya, I need some clarity before I answer any of your questions.”
A male voice spoke this time. “Hi, Aditya. It’s Mihir Oshnov. My brothers are also with me.”
Confusion swamped over him. Mihir Oshnov was the man Ananya had a history with.
Rajiv had requested him to go to Russia to check on Ananya because of this man.
Why did Mihir Oshnov want to speak to him?
He’d crossed paths with the Oshnov brothers more than once during his trips to Dubai, and the encounters had left him unimpressed.
They were entitled, arrogant, and carried their wealth like a weapon.
They behaved as though the world existed to bend to their whims.
“I’m not sure what’s happening here,” Aditya said.
“I apologize for the late hour and all the questions,” Mihir said. “But if the woman Sabrina is indeed the same as the one in the photo, then she… Aditya, she is our sister, Karina, whom we lost many years ago. My brothers and I have been looking for her.”
Aditya froze. Sister? Lost sister? He shook his head, confusion and disbelief tangling in his chest. Sabrina was the Oshnovs’ sister?
“That doesn’t make sense…” Aditya said aloud.
“Do the photos match, Aditya?” Ananya asked.
“Yes.”
Silence followed his response.
“I know this sounds unbelievable,” Mihir spoke again. “But can you help us reach her? It would mean a lot to us.”
Were the Oshnovs the past Sabrina kept talking about? Were they the secret Sabrina was hiding from him? Fuck, he really should have spoken to her last night and cleared everything. At least then he wouldn’t be so baffled now.
“She’s actually right here, with me, in Singapore,” Aditya said.
“Oh God!” Another male voice said. Aditya recognized it to be that of Armaan Oshnov, Mihir’s middle brother. “Can we talk to her, please?”
“Actually, wait,” Ananya cut in, “Have you seen the latest issue of Noir?”
“I have…” Aditya said, his eyes falling to the magazine on the sofa. He’d read it on the flight to Singapore. He knew Mihir was on the cover.
“Can you please show Mihir’s photo to Sabrina? Please, Aditya,” Ananya requested. “Can you do this for me?”
He sighed. “Okay. Give me a few minutes. Let me call you back.”
He returned to Sabrina’s bedroom with the magazine. Her eyes opened when he entered, and she sat up, pulling the covers up to her chest.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Has something happened?”
“Hey, I need to show you something, okay,” he said, placing the magazine in her lap. “Do you recognize this man?”
Frowning, she lifted the magazine. He watched her face as she read Mihir’s name on the cover page. Her chest rose and fell, her breaths quickening as she flipped through the magazine until she reached the center spread, where a large picture of Mihir was printed.
Color drained from her face, shock widening her eyes until she finally looked at him. “That… that looks like… How do you know him? It’s been many years, and he looks older, mature, but he could be… I mean, there’s a scar on his face, but I think he’s…”
“That is Mihir Oshnov, one of the richest men in the world. He lives in Dubai,” Aditya said. “He has two brothers—”
“—Armaan and Vedant,” Sabrina completed for him, her eyes shining with tears.
Aditya studied her. She was staring at Mihir’s picture again. Sabrina smiled. “They went. It’s written here that they went to Russia with Alexander.”
She raised her gaze to meet his. “I was born in an orphanage in Rishikesh. Mihir, Armaan, and Vedant… they’re my brothers.
By a stroke of luck, the four of us became a family there.
Fourteen years back, thanks to my idiocy, I ended up losing them.
” She swallowed thickly. “How did you know to show me this?”
“Do you remember when I went to Moscow as a favor to Rajiv?” At her nod, he continued.
“Well, Mihir is the man Rajiv’s sister, Ananya, has a history with.
I went to Dubai after you and I broke up.
Ananya… she’s, my friend. I was distraught, and told her about you.
I even showed her a photo of us. She called me earlier and asked me to show you this.
I’ve met Mihir before. In fact, I’ve met Armaan and Vedant too.
They’re each involved with Rajiv’s sisters.
They’ve been searching for you, Sabrina, and if you want, I can connect you to them right now. ”
“Right now?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“Yes. Actually, they’re waiting for my call.”
Swiftly, she snatched his shirt from the floor and slipped it on, fastening the buttons with shaky fingers. He too pulled out a t-shirt from his trolley and wore it. Sabrina ran a hand through her hair before joining him again.
She took his hand in hers. “Will you be patient with me for a little more time? I promise I’ll explain everything to you once I talk to them.”
Aditya nodded. There was still so much untold between them. But one thing was for certain. If Sabrina truly was the missing sister of the Oshnovs, then everything was about to change for her.