Chapter 8 The Man From Her Past
Chapter 8
The Man From Her Past
The black car stopped near the mansion entrance.
Rainwater slid across its glossy surface while the headlights cut sharply through the darkness.
Aadhira's heartbeat instantly turned uneven.
No.
Not tonight.
The driver's door opened slowly, and a tall man stepped out holding an umbrella. He looked older than before. Sharper. More confident. The softness of youth replaced by quiet control.
But Aadhira recognized him immediately.
Vivaan Malhotra.
Arjun noticed the exact second her expression changed.
And something ugly twisted inside his chest.
The man walked toward them calmly through the rain, expensive shoes splashing lightly against wet stone. His gaze found Aadhira instantly, concern flashing across his face the moment he saw her standing there.
"Aadhira."
His voice was warm.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
Arjun's expression hardened dangerously.
Aadhira recovered first. "Vivaan... what are you doing here?"
Vivaan stopped a few feet away, clearly noticing the tension between husband and wife now. His eyes briefly moved toward Arjun before returning to her.
"You weren't answering calls," he said softly. "Dadi called me."
Arjun's jaw tightened further.
Dadi?
Since when was another man close enough to his wife that his grandmother called him directly?
Aadhira looked embarrassed suddenly. "She shouldn't have bothered you this late."
"It's not a bother."
The ease in Vivaan's tone irritated Arjun instantly.
Too comfortable.
Too personal.
Rain continued pouring around them while silence thickened heavily between the three.
Finally, Arjun spoke.
Coldly.
"And you are?"
Vivaan looked toward him calmly, extending his hand politely despite the tension.
"Vivaan Malhotra."
Arjun didn't shake it.
Not even close.
Vivaan noticed immediately but remained composed. "Old friend of Aadhira's."
Old friend.
The phrase sounded harmless.
But Arjun wasn't stupid.
There was history here.
He could see it in the way Aadhira avoided eye contact. In the familiarity between them. In how naturally Vivaan looked at her like he already understood her moods.
Arjun hated it instantly.
"Aadhira," Vivaan continued gently, "Dadi said you were upset. I came to check if you're okay."
The concern in his voice made something possessive rise violently inside Arjun.
His wife.
Why was another man comforting his wife?
Before Aadhira could answer, Arjun suddenly stepped closer beside her.
"She's fine."
Vivaan's eyes finally settled fully on him now.
Sharp.
Observant.
And for one brief second, tension crackled between the two men silently.
Aadhira immediately sensed it.
"Vivaan, you should go home," she said softly. "It's late."
But Vivaan didn't move.
Instead, he looked at her carefully.
"You've been crying."
Arjun's expression darkened instantly.
Aadhira looked away uncomfortably. "I'm okay."
"No, you're not."
That sentence landed too personally.
Too intimately.
Arjun's patience snapped slightly.
"She said she's fine."
Vivaan's gaze shifted back toward him slowly. "And yet she looks miserable."
Silence.
Deadly silence.
Rain thundered around them while Arjun stared at the man in front of him with growing hostility.
Because somehow, within minutes-
Vivaan had already noticed Aadhira's pain more clearly than he had in months.
The realization tasted bitter.
Very bitter.
Aadhira rubbed her forehead tiredly. "Please stop."
But neither man seemed interested in stopping now.
Vivaan looked at Arjun calmly. "You know, she used to smile a lot before this marriage."
Wrong thing to say.
Arjun's eyes turned ice cold instantly.
"And what exactly are you implying?"
Vivaan held his gaze without fear. "Nothing."
Lie.
The challenge was obvious.
Aadhira stepped forward quickly before things worsened. "Vivaan, seriously, go home."
He looked at her for a moment before sighing softly.
"Fine." His expression softened again while looking only at her now. "But call me if you need anything."
Anything.
Arjun hated every syllable of that sentence.
Vivaan then removed a small paper bag from the car seat beside him and handed it toward Aadhira.
"You forgot this at Dadi's old house last week."
Aadhira blinked in surprise before taking it carefully.
The moment she opened it slightly-
Arjun's chest tightened unexpectedly.
Inside was the silver charm bracelet she stopped wearing months ago.
The bracelet he gave her.
Vivaan smiled faintly. "You used to panic whenever you misplaced it. Thought you'd want it back."
The world around Arjun suddenly felt very quiet.
Because another man knew his wife used to treasure his gifts.
Another man had seen sides of her he missed completely.
And worst of all-
Aadhira looked more emotionally seen in five minutes with Vivaan than she had looked with him all night.
Vivaan stepped back toward his car finally.
But before leaving, he looked directly at Arjun once.
Calm. Polite.
Warning.
"Take care of her," he said quietly. "Not everyone gets a second chance."
Then he left.
The gates slowly closed behind the car.
Rain continued falling softly.
Neither Aadhira nor Arjun spoke for several seconds afterward.
Arjun's eyes remained fixed on the bracelet still sitting in her hands.
His gift.
Protected by another man.
His jaw tightened painfully.
"Who is he really?"
Aadhira looked exhausted already. "An old friend."
"Don't lie to me."
Her eyes finally met his.
And for the first time that night-
Arjun saw something dangerous inside them.
Not sadness.
Distance.
"He was the man I almost married before you."