CHAPTER 41
RAGHAV
Next Morning
I ride Rogan through the familiar trails winding through RK Estate.
For a change, Zephyr stays back at the stable while I take Rogan out across the hills.
The stallion moves with an ease I haven’t seen in him before, responding to the slightest touch on the reins.
It’s almost as though the restlessness that usually passes from me into him has disappeared overnight.
I absently run my palm along his neck as he slows to a comfortable walk.
He’s unusually calm today. Or perhaps... it’s me.
As I return to the villa nearly an hour later, memories of last night replay in my mind. How the nightmare consumed me once again, but this time, I wasn’t alone to face it. I had Siya. I finally spoke about the darkest chapter of my life to her, and we even shared our first real hug.
For the first time in all these years, I felt as though I had someone willing to carry a part of that pain with me.
Yes, Baba, Ayaan, and even Haider know about my past and the nightmares that still haunt me.
But, somehow, talking about it with Siya felt different.
She could’ve kept her distance last night, could have let me deal with it on my own without getting involved, and I wouldn’t have blamed her.
But she stayed, listened, and held me together when I couldn’t do it myself anymore.
It definitely meant something to both of us.
Suddenly, Ayaan’s smug face flashes before my eyes.
He’d warned me that love would soon come knocking on my heart’s door.
Back then, I’d scoffed at him, calling him delusional and accusing him of having a hangover.
But today, I realise my brother wasn’t entirely wrong.
I smile at the thought and push open the front door of the villa.
The aroma of freshly prepared breakfast greets me as soon as I enter.
Siya’s mother has stubbornly put an end to my habit of eating every meal at the resort.
She believes in Baba’s philosophy that a family should eat together under one roof.
It doesn’t matter that there are enough chefs here to feed an army.
She still cooks for us herself and feeds us, refusing to let me argue anymore.
Perhaps that is what mothers do. They don’t ask for permission before becoming one.
My gaze instinctively drifts towards the kitchen just as Siya walks out, disconnecting a call, happiness practically radiating from her.
She’s wearing something completely different from her usual style today, a simple chikankari kurti set in a soft shade of pink.
Her freshly washed hair falls loosely over her shoulders, still slightly damp.
Siya sees me, and her entire face lights up. She starts walking towards me, and for one absurd second, I actually think she’s going to run straight into my arms like a wife who’s been waiting for her husband to return home. I almost laugh at that unexpected thought.
She stops in front of me with a bright smile.
“You know what?” she blurts out. “Esha just called me. Haider met her this morning. They had breakfast together and did some talking too.”
Really? A smile tugs at my lips. Yesterday I’d told Siya about speaking to Haider. How he, too, had feelings for Esha but was stubbornly refusing to admit them because of his fears and insecurities.
“He didn’t exactly confess anything to Esha, but he didn’t deny his feelings either. And that alone has made her so happy. She said that now it feels like they’re finally walking in the same direction... towards each other. If they keep talking like this, I really think they’ll make it.”
Oh! So that’s why Haider had messaged me early this morning, asking if we could meet after my ride instead of before it. The idiot had been avoiding me so he could meet Esha.
“I’m so happy for them,” she sighs happily.
“So am I,” I nod.
The excitement on her face slowly fades as she steps closer and cups my face, as though her hands instinctively know where to go whenever she’s worried about me.
“Are you okay?” she asks quietly.
I lean into her touch and give her a small nod. “I’m okay.”
Her shoulders visibly relax. But then her gaze shifts to the open collar of my T-shirt and rests on the pendant against my chest. Her fingers brush against that piece of jewellery, and every muscle in my body stills.
What are you doing to me, Princess?
One innocent touch is all it takes, and every ounce of control slips through my fingers. Almost instinctively, I lift my hand and wrap it around her wrist. Not to stop her, but to simply keep her there.
She looks up at me, colour instantly rushing to her cheeks as my thumb slowly strokes the inside of her wrist. I could get used to seeing her like this. Forever.
A subtle clearing of someone’s throat breaks the moment. Both of us instinctively step apart. Siya turns first and sees her mother standing a few feet away. Her gaze briefly travels from Siya’s flushed face to the hand I’ve only just let go of... before finally settling on me.
“If the love birds are done,” she grins, pretending she hasn’t interrupted anything, “breakfast is waiting.”
“Mom!” Siya exclaims, looking adorably flustered. “I... I was just calling him for breakfast. I’ll go set the table.”
Avoiding my gaze, she disappears inside, leaving me behind with a smile I have absolutely no control over anymore. Rukmini Vardhaan watches her walk away. There’s a quiet contentment in her eyes that kind of relieves me. Perhaps she finally believes her daughter is happy… with me.
“I’ll just take a shower and come,” I tell her.
“No.” She immediately shakes her head. “Absolutely not.”
Before I can protest, she walks over, takes my hand with quiet authority, exactly as a mother would, and begins leading me towards the dining room.
“The breakfast will get cold. You can shower later. I’ve made aloo parathas.”
She did?
“Kailash Bhai Sahab told me you may count every calorie you eat, but you’ll never say no to aloo parathas.”
For once, I follow her without arguing. If Siya has slowly begun breaking down the walls around me as my wife, then her mother is giving me the ordinary moments I had always wished I could have shared with my own mother.
Without even realising it, she’s filling a dark corner of my life with motherly love that been remained painfully absent for years.
And I don’t want to walk away from that feeling. I want to hold on to it.
SIYA
Evening
I’ve been sitting on my desk in our bedroom for almost an hour now, completely immersed in a new shoe design.
The laptop screen is filled with sketches, leather textures, and colour palettes, while my fingers move effortlessly between the mouse and the stylus lying beside it.
Every now and then, I lean back to study the curve of the heel before making another tiny adjustment.
Work has always had this strange ability to pull me in, shutting out every distraction around me.
So when I hear the bedroom door open, I barely register it. I know it’s Raghav. I continue working, completely focused on perfecting the proportions of the design in front of me.
My focus wavers only when I realise he’s already standing behind my chair. Before I can turn, Raghav’s hand closes over mine. My fingers freeze as he leans in, so close that I can feel the warmth of his breath.
“Princess...” His lips graze my ear as he murmurs. “We need to talk.”
My heartbeat instantly loses its rhythm. Ever since last night, ever since he let me see the most vulnerable side of him, my heartbeat races whenever Raghav gets this close to me. But right now, I force myself to stay calm.
“Not now, RK,” I reply without looking at him, clicking the mouse again as though I’m completely unaffected. “I’m busy.”
He exhales, and before I can continue, Raghav turns my revolving chair around. The movement is so sudden that I instinctively grip the edges of the seat.
“Raghav...”
Ignoring my protest, he places both his hands on the armrests of my chair, turning me to face him. He’s standing between my knees now, both his arms caging me in. There’s nowhere for me to look except at him. Then he bends slightly until we’re almost at eye level.
“One rule, Siya,” he says.
I raise an eyebrow.
“No matter how busy either of us gets...” His gaze never leaves mine. “We’re never too busy for each other.”
I agree. But unfortunately for him, I’m not about to make this easy. A grin slowly spreads across my face.
“That’s a lovely rule,” I say sweetly. “But you know I’m not very good at following rules that I didn’t make myself.”
“Siya...” His jaw actually tightens.
I almost laugh at his adorable frustration.
“Fine,” I sigh dramatically, pretending to take pity on him. “You have exactly two minutes. Tell me whatever you have to say. I really am busy, so make it quick.”
He stares at me for a long second before finally straightening up. “You’re coming out with me tomorrow evening.”
I blink. “Out? Where?”
“You’ll find out tomorrow.”
I fold my arms across my chest and study him thoughtfully. “Give me one reason why I should agree?”
He frowns as though the question itself is ridiculous. “Because you’re my wife.”
“So?”
“So…” he exhales. “I can take my wife wherever I want, Siya.”
“No, Mr. Kundra.” I immediately shake my head. “Just because I’m your wife doesn’t mean I’ll blindly go wherever you decide to take me. Convince me... then maybe I’ll consider coming along.”
The look on his face is priceless. The man seems genuinely offended.
“Convince?” He looks as though nobody has ever dared to use that word with him before. “Me?”
I nod.
Raghav scoffs in disbelief. “You remember we had a deal? I speak to Haider about Esha, and in return, you give me something. Consider this is it. I’m asking for tomorrow evening.”
“Oh, really?” I can’t help smiling. “As far as I remember,” I begin thoughtfully, “Haider still hasn’t confessed his feelings openly to Esha.”