Chapter 5 Why Is She Here?
Chapter 5
"Why Is She Here?"
For a moment, nobody spoke.
The silence inside the bedroom turned sharp enough to cut skin.
Aadhira looked down at Arjun's hand still wrapped around her wrist. His grip wasn't painful, but the tension inside him was impossible to miss now.
Naina.
Even hearing her name tonight felt like gasoline thrown into fire.
Kabir, completely unaware of the disaster waiting behind the door, continued casually from outside.
"And Mom says since the media's already making noise, it'll look suspicious if bhai doesn't attend breakfast tomorrow with-"
"Get out."
Arjun's voice was ice cold.
Outside, silence immediately followed.
Then Kabir muttered quietly, "Yep... he's definitely losing his mind."
His footsteps disappeared down the hallway.
Inside the room, the atmosphere remained dangerously heavy.
Aadhira slowly pulled her hand free from Arjun's grip this time. Surprisingly, he let her.
She stepped back immediately, creating distance between them.
"See?" she whispered tiredly. "This is exactly what I mean."
Arjun ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "You're turning this into something it's not."
A soft laugh escaped her lips.
Not mocking.
Just exhausted.
"She's coming here at midnight, Arjun."
"It's business."
"Of course it is."
Her calmness irritated him more than shouting would have.
Because she sounded done.
Completely done.
Arjun stared at her for a long moment before speaking again. "You think I wanted her here tonight?"
Aadhira looked at him quietly.
Did it matter anymore?
"She comes because your mother invites her," she said softly. "She stays because you allow it."
"That's not fair."
"No," Aadhira smiled painfully, "what's unfair is spending years feeling like the third person in your own marriage."
The sentence hit harder than he expected.
Because somewhere deep down...
He knew she wasn't entirely wrong.
Arjun had never physically betrayed her.
Never crossed that line.
But emotionally?
The boundaries had blurred long ago.
Not intentionally.
That somehow made it worse.
He remembered the countless times he canceled plans with Aadhira because Naina insisted certain clients only trusted her presence. The nights he prioritized meetings over dinners. The way he unconsciously started discussing work more with Naina than with his own wife.
At some point, convenience replaced effort.
And Aadhira slowly disappeared into the background of his life without him realizing it.
Arjun suddenly looked toward her sharply.
"Did you ever ask me to stop working with her?"
Aadhira's expression changed instantly.
That answer alone told him everything.
No.
She hadn't.
Because she never wanted to become the insecure wife begging for attention.
Instead, she suffered quietly.
Something ugly twisted inside his chest.
Guilt.
Before either of them could speak again, another knock came at the door.
This time softer.
More elegant.
"Aunty said you were upstairs."
Naina.
Aadhira closed her eyes briefly.
Perfect timing.
Arjun's face darkened instantly. "Who let her come here?"
The bedroom door slowly opened before anyone answered.
Naina Kapoor stepped inside confidently, wearing a cream silk dress and heels that clicked softly against the floor. Beautiful as always. Polished. Sophisticated. The kind of woman magazines loved placing beside powerful men.
And tonight-
She looked far too comfortable entering Arjun's private bedroom.
Aadhira noticed everything instantly.
The familiarity in Naina's eyes.
The expensive watch Arjun had gifted the executive team last year sitting on her wrist.
The subtle confidence of someone who already believed she belonged here.
Naina's gaze briefly landed on Aadhira before returning to Arjun.
"There's a crisis online," she said calmly. "The board is worried about investor reaction after tonight."
Business.
Always business.
Arjun didn't answer immediately.
For the first time since Naina returned years ago, irritation appeared openly on his face while looking at her.
"We'll handle it tomorrow."
Naina blinked slightly, clearly surprised by his tone.
"The Singapore investors are already calling," she continued carefully. "We need to control the narrative before markets open."
Normally, Arjun would've immediately shifted into work mode.
Normally, he would've forgotten everything else around him.
But tonight something was different.
His eyes briefly moved toward Aadhira standing silently near the window.
And suddenly-
The thought of discussing business with another woman while his wife stood there looking emotionally destroyed felt disgusting.
Naina noticed the shift too.
Her expression changed subtly.
Interesting.
Aadhira picked up her phone from the table quietly. "You should continue your meeting. I'm leaving."
The moment she started walking toward the door, Arjun moved instantly.
Fast enough to block her path completely.
Naina froze in shock.
Because in all the years she had known Arjun-
She had never seen him react emotionally over anyone.
"Aadhira," he said lowly.
She looked up at him, exhausted. "Move."
"No."
His answer came without hesitation.
Naina's brows furrowed slightly. "Arjun, the board call-"
"Cancel it."
The room went silent.
Even Aadhira looked surprised.
Naina stared at him carefully now, as if seeing a stranger.
"The investors won't like that."
"I don't care."
Those four words changed something in the room instantly.
Because Arjun Oberoi always cared about business.
Always.
Aadhira's heartbeat started betraying her again.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Because the man standing in front of her tonight no longer looked emotionally detached.
He looked desperate.
Arjun lowered his voice slightly, eyes fixed only on her now.
"We're not finished talking."
Naina watched the interaction silently, but jealousy slowly crept into her expression for the first time.
Because suddenly she understood something horrifying.
Aadhira may have been neglected.
Ignored.
Taken for granted.
But despite everything-
She was still the only woman Arjun Oberoi truly looked at like she mattered.