CHAPTER 59! HOME AGAIN
Vote.
Comments and follow.
Downstairs, Ayaan's laughter drifted through the open doorway-bright, soft, and entirely unaware of the silence that had settled over the bedroom.
For a long moment, neither of them moved. The sound of their son playing below should have brought some warmth into the space. Instead, it only made the distance between them feel wider, stretching quietly from one side of the room to the other.
Aadhira stayed where she was beside the bed, her fingers resting lightly against the edge of the mattress as she watched Aryav. His last words were still floating in the air between them.
I'll try.
They were just two words. Not a full promise, not a guarantee of anything changing overnight. But coming from Aryav, it was more than she had expected him to offer.
He was a man who rarely admitted uncertainty, a man who never asked anyone to wait around while he sorted through his own mind. Yet he had looked right at her and said it anyway.
She wasn't ready to trust him. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to try again. And yet, somewhere beneath all that heavy caution, a quiet, stubborn part of her wondered if he actually meant it.
Aryav's attention shifted toward the open doorway, his gaze lingering on the empty hallway outside.
Downstairs, the faint sound of laughter gradually faded away. As the house quieted down, Aryav's posture noticeably stiffened.
The brief softness that had touched his face just a moment ago was completely gone, replaced by a rigid, distant focus.
"What?" Aadhira asked, her voice quiet in the space.
He turned back to look at her.
"Come home with me."
She stared at him, watching a firm, unspoken decision settle across his sharp features.
Whatever thoughts he had been weighing in his head over the last few minutes, he had already reached a conclusion.
He wasn't asking her a question; he was telling her what was going to happen next.
"I already told you, Aryav," she said, taking a small step back. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Aadhira."
"No." She shook her head firmly. "I told you, I'm not going back to that house with you. I don't trust you."
"I didn't ask you to trust me."
Aadhira searched his eyes, looking for any sign of frustration or defense. There was none. No defensive edge, no sudden attempt to plead his case or persuade her.
"Then what are you asking?"
"For you to come home."
"That's not an answer, Aryav."
"It is for tonight."
She gave a small, humorless laugh and turned her face away from him.
"And my answer is still no."
A deep silence settled in behind her-heavy, deliberate, and absolute.
She had known Aryav long enough to know that his silence was always far more dangerous than his temper.
Standing in the middle of her bedroom, this quiet resolve felt much worse than an actual argument.
When she turned back around, he hadn't moved an inch. But whatever slight hesitation had been in his posture before was entirely gone.
"Aryav?" she asked softly.
"We're leaving," he said.
"No, we're not."
His gaze locked onto hers, steady and unyielding. "You have a choice right now. You can walk out to the car with me, or I can carry you out."
Her mouth fell open in disbelief.
"You wouldn't do that."
"You know me better than that, Aadhira."
"Aryav, think for a second. My parents are right downstairs," she said, her voice dropping to an urgent whisper.
"I know."
"Shaurya bhai is downstairs too."
"I know."
"Then stop acting like this," she said, looking at him with wide eyes. "Stop acting like you've completely lost your mind."
"I haven't." His voice stayed low and remarkably calm, and that lack of emotion frightened her far more than anger ever could.
"Then why are you doing this?" she pressed, her hands coming up between them. "Why now?"
For the very first time, something fractured through his rigid composure.
"Because I want you safe."
Aadhira stared at him, catching her breath.
Something in his tone had shifted entirely. It wasn't impatience, and it wasn't the cold authority he usually carried. It was an unmistakable edge of fear.
She tried to search his face for answers, but Aryav was already putting his guard back up, his expression closing off before she could read anything else.
"From?" she asked.
He didn't give her an answer. Instead, he took two slow steps toward her, closing the remaining distance between them.
"I am not leaving you here alone," he said softly.
Before she could process what he meant by that, he bent down.
He was careful to avoid the fresh bandage wrapped around her wrist as he reached around her, effortlessly lifting her up into his arms.
"Aryav!" She gasped, her hands instinctively flying up to grab his shoulders to steady herself.
The book she had been holding slipped right out of her fingers, falling to the carpeted floor with a dull thud. "Put me down right now!"
"No."
"I am serious, Aryav!"
"So am I."
Without another word, he turned on his heel and carried her straight toward the open bedroom door.
Aadhira's heart raced as he stepped into the hallway. Desperate to stop him, she reached out with her uninjured hand and firmly grabbed hold of the wooden doorframe.
"Aryav, please," she begged, looking up at him. "Just put me down."
He stopped in his tracks. His eyes tracked down to where her knuckles were white against the frame, then slowly moved back up to meet her eyes.
"Let go, Aadhira."
"No."
"Aadhira."
"Absolutely not."
A quiet exhale left him-not quite a sigh, and certainly not amusement, but something heavy in between.
Then, with gentle precision, he placed his fingers over hers and peeled her hand away from the wood, holding it firmly so she couldn't reach out again.
"You can hate me for this tomorrow," he murmured, his hold tightening safely around her as he kept walking. "But tonight, you're coming home."
Just as they reached the top of the landing, the sound of quick, tiny footsteps echoed up the stairs.
Ayaan appeared at the far end of the hallway, a bright yellow toy car clutched tightly in his hand. He came to a sudden stop, blinking up at them in complete confusion.
"Mumma?" he asked, looking back and forth between them.
Aadhira's grip on Aryav's shirt tightened instantly, her face flushing with heat.
"Are you guys going somewhere?" Ayaan asked, tilting his head.
Aadhira froze, a sudden knot forming in her throat as her son took in the sight of his father holding her.
She opened her mouth to try and explain, to say anything at all, but the words wouldn't come out.
Then, everything else came rushing back into her mind-the strange recording, the black truck that had been following her, and the subtle, unspoken threat hovering around her family.
The embarrassment slowly faded under a cold wave of reality. Whatever was waiting for them outside the safety of this house, she couldn't afford to just sit back and be angry. She had to think about keeping Ayaan safe.
"I'm... I'm going home with Papa tonight," she said, her voice tight as she worked past the lump in her throat.
Ayaan's whole face lit up instantly. "Really?"
"Really," Aryav answered for her, his tone softening as he looked at their son. "Go wait by the car, Ayaan."
"Yes!" Ayaan cheered, spinning around on his heel and dashing right back down the wooden steps.
Aryav continued down the hallway toward the main staircase, holding her securely against his chest.
Her fingers stayed caught in the fabric of his shirt. She wasn't forgiving him for forcing her hand like this-not even close-but for right now, in this exact moment, she needed to rely on his certainty.
"Aryav, everyone is sitting right downstairs," she whispered frantically against his shoulder as they neared the steps.
"Please, they're going to see us!"
Aryav didn't slow his pace for a second, completely unbothered by her panic. Left with no choice, Aadhira buried her face directly into his chest, hiding her eyes from the room below.
They reached the bottom step.
The entire family was gathered together in the living room-her father sitting on the armchair, her mother beside the coffee table, and Shaurya leaning against the side wall.
The moment Aryav stepped fully into the light of the room, a complete silence fell over everyone.
Padmini's teacup paused halfway to her lips. Her father's eyebrows pulled up in sheer disbelief.
Over by the archway, Shaurya stared at the two of them, his jaw tightening slightly as he took in the scene.
He blinked slowly, processing what he was seeing.
"Are you really taking her out of the house like that?" Shaurya asked, his voice flat.
"Yes," Aryav replied without stopping.
"Aryav, I swear to God," Aadhira hissed, her voice completely muffled against the front of his shirt. "If you carry me past my entire family like a piece of luggage, I will never speak to you again."
"You weren't planning on speaking to me anyway," he said quietly.
Panicking, Aadhira peeked out from behind his shoulder. "Shaurya bhai! Do something!"
Shaurya took a quick step forward to block his path. "Aryav, set her down."
Aryav didn't even alter his stride.
Shaurya moved to put himself directly between Aryav and the front door, but before he could, Padmini reached out and caught her son softly by the wrist.
"Not tonight, Shaurya," Padmini said gently, setting her teacup down onto the glass table.
She looked closely at Aryav's face, taking in the sharp line of his jaw and the tension in his eyes. "Look at him. He isn't doing this to win an argument."
Her gaze shifted over to Aadhira, her eyes softening with quiet understanding.
"Aadhira, beta. Let him take you home."
"Maa!" Aadhira looked at her mother in utter betrayal, her cheeks burning.
Her father cleared his throat from the armchair, attempting to maintain a stern, serious expression, though a tiny flicker of amusement gave him away. "That man has apparently forgotten he has an audience."