CHAPTER 11（aryan）
I was in the middle of a conversation when a thought crossed my mind.
Where was Mahi?
My eyes drifted toward the crowd.
Nothing.
Maybe she had found a way to escape another conversation.
Knowing her, she was probably questioning every life decision that had led her to this party.
A corner of my mouth almost twitched.
Almost.
Then several more minutes passed.
And she still hadn't returned.
A strange tightness settled in my chest.
My gaze moved across the ballroom again.
Searching.
Wine-red dress.
Green eyes.
Sarcastic remarks.
Anything.
Nothing.
She was nowhere to be seen.
Just as I was about to excuse myself from the conversation, a familiar figure appeared in front of me.
Kavya.
Wonderful.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
She stopped in front of me and smiled.
"Aryan."
I nodded once.
"Kavya."
Her smile widened.
"Come on."
Before I could react, she reached toward my arm.
"Let's dance."
I immediately stepped back.
Her hand froze in midair.
"You know I'm married, right?"
Her smile faltered.
Only slightly.
Then she rolled her eyes.
"So?"
My expression remained blank.
"So?"
She crossed her arms.
"Your wife isn't even here."
The words caught my attention instantly.
My eyes narrowed.
"What?"
Kavya shrugged.
"I saw her leave."
Every trace of amusement disappeared.
"When?"
"A while ago."
My jaw tightened.
"And you didn't think to mention that?"
She blinked.
Confusion flickered across her face.
"Why would I?"
I stared at her.
Then turned my gaze toward the entrance.
Mahi had left.
Without telling me.
That wasn't normal.
Not after she had practically glued herself to my side the entire evening to avoid conversations.
Something was wrong.
A very bad feeling settled in my stomach.
Kavya was still talking.
I wasn't listening anymore.
For the first time that night, my full attention was somewhere else.
On a woman wearing a wine-red dress.
And the fact that she had disappeared.
I walked towards entrance ignoring the calls of kavya
The moment I stepped outside, I spotted a familiar figure.
Ekaansh.
Alone.
I stopped.
"Ekaansh."
He turned immediately.
"Brother."
"Where is Mahi?"
A pause.
Too long.
My eyes narrowed.
Ekaansh rubbed the back of his neck.
"I took her home."
Every muscle in my body went still.
"You what?"
"She asked me to."
My jaw clenched.
"Why?"
Ekaansh hesitated.
And that hesitation told me everything.
Something had happened.
"I don't know."
I stared at him.
He sighed.
"Brother, I really don't."
"What did she say?"
"That she wanted to go home."
My expression remained unchanged.
Ekaansh crossed his arms.
"She said she was fine."
Fine.
Interesting.
Because in my experience, people who were actually fine didn't leave parties halfway through.
"Was she crying?"
Ekaansh looked surprised by the question.
Then his expression became thoughtful.
"No."
A pause.
"But she looked..."
He searched for the word.
"...off."
My chest tightened.
Off.
That was enough.
Because Mahi wasn't someone who showed weakness easily.
If Ekaansh had noticed something, then whatever happened had been serious.
I looked toward the mansion.
Music drifted through the open doors.
Guests laughed.
Conversations continued.
As if nothing had happened.
My gaze hardened.
Something had happened.
And I intended to find out what.
I looked toward the mansion.
Music drifted through the open doors.
Guests laughed.
Conversations continued.
As if nothing had happened.
My gaze hardened.
Something had happened.
And I intended to find out what.
"Ekaansh."
"Yes, brother?"
"What exactly happened in the car?"
He frowned.
"I told you. She asked me to take her home."
"And?"
He thought for a moment.
"She kept saying she was fine."
My jaw clenched.
Mahi saying she was fine meant absolutely nothing.
"What else?"
Ekaansh hesitated.
Then his expression turned serious.
"She asked why it was so hot."
I looked at him.
"The AC was on."
My brows furrowed.
"And?"
"Then she opened the window."
A pause.
"She looked... shaken."
The tightness in my chest grew.
That wasn't normal.
Not for her.
Mahi wasn't someone who showed her emotions easily
If she looked shaken, then whatever happened had affected her deeply.
I looked back toward the ballroom.
My eyes immediately found Kavya.
She was laughing with a group of people.
Completely relaxed.
A strange feeling settled in my stomach.
I didn't know why.
But I suddenly wanted answers.
"Stay here," I told Ekaansh.
Without waiting for a response, I turned and walked back inside.
The crowd parted as I moved through it.
My focus locked onto a single person.
Kavya.
She noticed me approaching and immediately smiled.
The smile disappeared when she saw my expression.
"Aryan?"
"What did you say to Mahi?"
For the first time that evening, Kavya looked nervous.
She looked at me and shrugged.
"Nothing."
My patience thinned.
"What would I even say to her?"
I closed my eyes briefly.
Then opened them.
"Don't fool me, Kavya."
Her smile faded.
"I know your games."
For a second, something flashed across her face.
Annoyance.
Then it disappeared.
"I am not playing games, Aryan."
A pause.
"She is."
My jaw tightened.
Kavya crossed her arms.
"Why are you so concerned about her anyway?"
My brows pulled together.
The answer came without hesitation.
"Because she is my wife."
The words hung between us.
For the first time that evening, Kavya's expression cracked.
Only slightly.
But I saw it.
I took a step closer.
My voice dropped dangerously low.
"Listen to me carefully."
The smile vanished completely from her face.
"If I find out you did something that hurt her..."
A pause.
"...you will not like the consequences."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
The music from the ballroom seemed distant.
Muted.
Kavya laughed.
A forced laugh.
"You are threatening me over a woman you've known for a few weeks?"
I stared at her.
Expressionless.
Her laughter slowly died.
Because she realized something.
I wasn't joking.
Not even a little.
"Tell me what happened."
She looked away first.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
People only avoided eye contact when they were hiding something.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
A lie.
An obvious one.
My gaze hardened.
Before I could say another word, Noor appeared beside us.
Her eyes moved between me and Kavya.
Then she frowned.
"What's going on?"
Neither of us answered.
But Noor was smart.
She immediately sensed the tension.
And judging by the guilty look on Kavya's face...
I was getting closer to the truth.
I looked at Noor.
Her gaze was fixed on Kavya.
Confusion was written all over her face.
"What happened?" she asked.
I didn't take my eyes off Kavya.
"She did something that made Mahi leave."
Noor's eyes widened.
Kavya immediately shook her head.
"I didn't do anything, Aryan."
Her voice rose defensively.
"I really didn't do anything."
Another lie.
Or at least not the whole truth.
My jaw clenched.
Mahi wasn't the type of person who created problems for no reason.
In fact, she usually did the opposite.
She ignored problems.
Made jokes.
Changed the topic.
Pretended she was fine.
If she had left the party looking the way Ekaansh described, then something had pushed her to that point.
And my instincts were pointing directly at Kavya.
I rubbed a hand across my face.
The headache forming behind my eyes was becoming impossible to ignore.
"Kavya."
My voice was calm.
Dangerously calm.
She stiffened.
"You know me."
A pause.
"I have many ways of finding out what really happened."
For the first time, uncertainty flickered across her face.
Just for a second.
Then it disappeared.
"And if I find out you were involved..."
I let the sentence hang between us.
The threat didn't need to be spoken aloud.
Kavya crossed her arms.
Defiance filled her eyes.
"Do whatever you want."
Silence followed.
Noor looked between us nervously.
I stared at Kavya for several long seconds.
Waiting.
Giving her one last chance to tell the truth.
She didn't.
Fine.
If she wanted to play this game, she had chosen the wrong opponent.
Without another word, I turned around.
"Brother?" Noor called.
I stopped.
"What are you going to do?"
My hand tightened into a fist.
The answer was simple.
"I'm going home."
Because right now, I wasn't interested in parties.
I wasn't interested in guests.
And I definitely wasn't interested in Kavya's excuses.
I wanted answers.
And the only person who had them was waiting at home
I made my way toward Ekaansh.
He looked up immediately.
"Brother?"
"Stay here."
His expression turned serious.
I glanced toward the ballroom.
"And keep a close eye on Kavya."
Ekaansh nodded once.
"I will."
Without another word, I turned around and headed for my car.
A few minutes later, the engine roared to life.
The drive back to the mansion felt longer than usual.
My grip tightened around the steering wheel.
Questions kept running through my mind.
What happened?
What did Kavya say?
Why had Mahi left?
The headlights cut through the darkness as I pulled into the driveway.
The moment the car stopped, I stepped out.
I didn't waste time.
I headed straight for the house.
Straight for our room.
My steps were measured.
Controlled.
But the closer I got to the door, the heavier the feeling in my chest became.
Then I heard it.
A sound so soft I almost missed it.
A sob.
My hand froze on the doorknob.
For a moment, I simply stood there.
Listening.
Another sob followed.
And something inside me tightened.
I pushed the door open.
The room was dimly lit.
My gaze immediately found her.
Mahi was sitting on the floor beside the bed.
Her back rested against the mattress.
Both hands covered her face.
Her shoulders shook with every breath.
Soft sobs filled the room.
For a second, I couldn't move.
I had never seen her like this.
Not once.
The woman who argued with everyone.
The woman who threatened my brother with a frying pan.
The woman who acted as if nothing in the world could shake her.
Was sitting on the floor.
Crying.
And suddenly, every question I had been asking disappeared.
Only one remained.
Who hurt her?
My jaw clenched.
Hard.
I slowly stepped inside and closed the door behind me.
The click echoed through the room.
Mahi didn't even look up.
She was so lost in her grief that she hadn't noticed I was there.
And somehow...
That hurt more than it should have.
I slowly crouched down beside her.
"Mahi."
She didn't answer.
Her shoulders trembled slightly as she wiped at her tears.
I lowered my voice.
"Why are you crying?"
She froze.
Then looked up at me.
The sight caught me off guard.
Her eyeliner had smudged beneath her eyes.
Tear tracks stained her cheeks.
For the first time since I had met her, she looked completely vulnerable.
"Nothing," she whispered.
A lie.
A terrible lie.
I sat down on the floor across from her.
"No one cries because of nothing."
She immediately looked away.
"Something happened."
A pause.
"Tell me what it is."
Her fingers tightened around the fabric of her dress.
For a moment, I thought she might actually tell me.
Instead, she shook her head.
"I don't want to."
I nodded once.
"Okay."
Her eyes lifted slightly.
Probably expecting an argument.
She didn't get one.
I released a breath.
"Then just answer one question."
Silence.
"Can you do that?"
After a moment, she gave a small nod.
I chose my words carefully.
"Did Kavya say something to you?"
The reaction was immediate.
Tiny.
Almost impossible to notice.
But I noticed.
Her body stiffened.
Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second.
Then she looked away.
"No."
I stared at her.
She couldn't even meet my eyes when she said it.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
I leaned back slightly.
"Okay."
She frowned.
That wasn't the response she had been expecting.
The truth was, I didn't believe her answer for a second.
Because people didn't freeze before answering simple questions.
And Mahi wasn't a good liar when she was upset.
The hesitation had already told me everything I needed to know.
Kavya had done something.
Or said something.
And whatever it was had been enough to reduce the strongest woman I knew to tears.
My jaw tightened.
Mahi lowered her gaze to the floor.
Clearly believing the conversation was over.
I let her think that.
Because right now, forcing her to talk wouldn't help.
But sooner or later...
I was going to find out exactly what happened.
Fresh tears slipped down her cheeks.
My chest tightened again.
That strange feeling returned.
The one I couldn't explain.
For a moment, I simply looked at her.
Then I sighed quietly.
Carefully, I reached forward and wiped away a tear before it could fall.
She froze.
Her green eyes lifted to mine.
Filled with surprise.
As if she hadn't expected kindness.
As if she had expected questions.
Demands.
Pressure.
I released a slow breath.
"Mahi."
Another tear escaped.
I wiped that one away too.
"Cry all you want."
Her lips parted slightly.
I shook my head.
"No one is going to judge you."
A pause.
"No one is going to force you to talk."
Another pause.
"Not even me."
The room fell silent.
Only the sound of her uneven breathing remained.
I lowered my voice.
"Okay?"
For a second, she just stared at me.
Her face was stained with tears.
Her eyeliner smudged.
Her hair slightly messy from the wind.
Yet somehow she looked more real than she ever had.
Slowly, she nodded.
A tiny movement.
Barely visible.
But it was enough.
After several minutes, her breathing finally steadied.
The tears slowed.
Then stopped.
The room fell into silence.
Mahi wiped the last traces of tears from her face and looked at me.
For a moment, she seemed uncertain.
As if she was debating whether to ask something.
Eventually, she did.
"Why did you stay?"
I remained quiet.
She lowered her gaze.
"Why didn't you just leave me alone?"
The question wasn't really about tonight.
I knew that.
She hesitated.
As though there were more words she wanted to say.
Words she couldn't bring herself to speak.
Why didn't you get tired of me like everyone does?
Why didn't you walk away like everyone did?
Why are you still here?
I understood anyway.
I looked at her for a long moment.
Then answered honestly.
"Because you are my wife."
She immediately rolled her eyes.
Even with red eyes and a tear-stained face.
Good.
That was more like the Mahi I knew.
I almost smiled.
"That's a terrible answer."
"It is the truth."
She looked away.
I continued quietly.
"And because you were crying."
Her fingers tightened around the fabric of her dress.
"No one should be alone when they're hurting."
For a second, something flickered across her face.
Surprise.
Disbelief.
Maybe both.
I leaned my head back against the bed.
"So I stayed."
Silence settled between us again.
Not uncomfortable.
Not awkward.
Just quiet.
For the first time that night, Mahi didn't look like she was carrying the weight of the entire world on her shoulders.
And somehow, seeing that felt like a victory.