Chapter 21 - The Night He Came Back
The call had ended three minutes ago.
And yet Aadhira still sat frozen on the edge of her bed, phone clutched tightly in her hand as if letting go of it would somehow make everything real.
Outside, rain poured endlessly over Mumbai's skyline, turning the city into a blur of silver lights and shadows. Thunder echoed in the distance, low and heavy, matching the ache building inside her chest.
Arjun's voice still lingered in her ears.
Deep.
Controlled.
Dangerously calm.
"You were crying."
That was all he had said before silence swallowed the conversation.
But somehow those three words shattered every wall she had spent months trying to build between them.
Aadhira closed her eyes tightly.
She hated this.
Hated how one phone call from him could still affect her so deeply.
Hated how her heart still searched for him even after he had made her feel invisible for so long.
The Oberoi mansion felt colder these days.
Too large.
Too empty.
Every hallway carried traces of him-the scent of his cologne lingering in the study, his untouched whiskey glasses in the bar room, the black piano he never had time to play anymore.
Even his absence had presence.
And that was the cruelest part.
Her gaze drifted toward the rain-covered balcony doors.
Without realizing it, she whispered softly into the silence-
"Why does it still hurt this much?"
No answer came.
Only rain.
A bitter laugh escaped her lips.
Of course.
Arjun Oberoi always knew how to make her feel loved from a distance while leaving her lonely beside him.
The thought burned.
She stood up restlessly and walked toward the balcony, wrapping her cardigan tighter around herself. Cold wind brushed against her skin instantly.
Far below, the mansion driveway stood empty.
For some reason...
Her eyes searched for his car anyway.
Stupid.
She looked away immediately, angry at herself.
Why was she expecting him to come?
Arjun never stopped his life for emotions.
Meetings mattered.
Deals mattered.
His empire mattered.
Not this marriage.
Not her.
A sudden flash of headlights cut through the rain.
Her breath caught.
Slowly, a black Rolls Royce entered the driveway.
Her heart stopped completely.
No...
Before she could process the thought, the driver-side door opened.
And there he was.
Arjun Oberoi.
Standing in the rain in a black shirt already soaked through, broad shoulders tense beneath the storm, one hand resting against the car door while his dark eyes lifted directly toward her balcony.
Toward her.
Aadhira's fingers tightened against the railing.
God.
He came.
The security guards near the entrance straightened immediately, nervous tension filling the driveway, but Arjun ignored everyone.
He only looked at her.
Like nothing else existed.
Rain dripped from his hair onto his face, yet he didn't move. Didn't care.
And suddenly Aadhira remembered every little thing she had tried to forget.
The way he silently covered her with a blanket when she fell asleep on the couch.
How he adjusted the AC temperature at night because she always complained about feeling cold.
The quiet cups of coffee left outside her study room during stressful days.
Arjun never loved loudly.
He loved in dangerous little details.
The kind that crawled into your soul slowly until leaving became impossible.
Her chest tightened painfully.
Downstairs, he finally spoke.
Even through the storm, his deep voice reached her clearly.
"Are you going to make me stand here all night?"
That familiar arrogance almost made her cry.
Almost.
Instead, she crossed her arms defensively.
"Nobody asked you to come."
"I know."
"Then leave."
But the weakness in her voice betrayed her immediately.
Arjun's expression softened slightly.
"You sounded upset."
Aadhira laughed bitterly. "Since when do you notice things like that?"
"Since always."
The answer came too fast.
Too honestly.
She looked away first.
That was her mistake.
Because the second her eyes left his, tears burned unexpectedly behind them.
She wiped them away angrily.
"I hate you."
Below, Arjun stared at her silently for a long moment before speaking quietly-
"No, Aadhira." His voice turned softer. "You're trying to."
The tears fell harder after that.
Damn him.
Damn him for understanding her so well.
A few minutes later, footsteps echoed inside the mansion.
Slow.
Heavy.
Coming closer.
Her pulse became uneven instantly.
Then he appeared at the balcony entrance.
Tall.
Drenched.
Powerful.
His black shirt clung to his body from the rain, sleeves rolled slightly upward, expensive watch glinting under the dim lights. Water dripped from his hair onto the marble floor as his dark eyes settled completely on her.
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
Too intense.
Too personal.
Too dangerous.
Aadhira instinctively stepped backward.
"You're soaking wet."
"You noticed."
"Don't flirt with me."
A faint tired smile touched his lips for half a second.
God.
That smile used to ruin her completely.
Arjun stepped closer slowly. "You called me."
"I didn't ask you to come."
"You didn't have to."
The air between them became unbearably heavy.
Emotional.
Fragile.
Aadhira looked at him carefully now.
And suddenly the exhaustion on his face became impossible to ignore.
Dark circles beneath his eyes.
Jaw constantly tense.
The look of a man carrying pressure too heavy for one person.
But instead of sympathy, anger rose inside her again.
Because despite all his power...
He still made her feel alone.
Her voice trembled softly.
"Maybe we should get divorced."
Everything stopped.
Even the rain outside seemed quieter for one terrifying second.
Arjun went completely still.
Aadhira immediately regretted the words after seeing his expression.
Pain flashed across his face before disappearing behind cold control.
"What did you say?"
"I'm serious."
His jaw hardened dangerously.
"No."
The immediate answer shocked her.
"You don't get to decide that alone," she whispered.
"The hell I don't."
His possessiveness hit the room instantly.
Aadhira's chest tightened painfully.
"You barely act like a husband anymore, Arjun!"
"I work for us."
"You work for your company."
"I work to protect you."
She froze slightly.
But the hurt inside her refused to disappear.
"Then maybe you should stay with the people who actually understand your world," she whispered bitterly. "Like Naina."
For the first time that night, anger flashed openly across his face.
"Naina?"
"She's always beside you." Tears slipped down her cheeks again. "Meetings. Events. Business trips. She understands your life better than I ever will."
Arjun stared at her in disbelief before laughing once under his breath.
Not amused.
Frustrated.
"All this time..." he murmured. "You thought there was something between me and Naina?"
"Everyone else does too."
"I don't care about everyone else."
His voice sharpened suddenly.
"I care about my wife standing in front of me asking for a divorce because of office gossip."
Aadhira flinched slightly at the intensity in his tone.
Arjun stepped closer until barely inches remained between them.
"You think I built all this because I enjoy it?" he asked quietly.
She stayed silent.
His dark eyes locked onto hers.
"My family name comes with enemies, Aadhira."
The seriousness in his voice made her heartbeat slow.
"You married into power," he continued roughly. "And power attracts dangerous people. I needed enough money and influence that nobody would ever dare come near you."
Her breath caught.
Every memory suddenly connected.
The bodyguards.
The security checks.
His constant need to know where she was.
The possessiveness.
It wasn't obsession alone.
It was fear.
Arjun ran a frustrated hand through his wet hair.
"Every deal I closed... every sleepless night... every expansion..." His voice lowered painfully. "I was building protection around you."
Aadhira stared at him silently.
"And while I was busy protecting you from the world," he laughed bitterly at himself, "I didn't realize I was hurting you myself."
That broke something inside her.
Because for the first time in months-
He sounded vulnerable.
Human.
Not the ruthless Arjun Oberoi feared by the entire business world.
Just her husband.
Tired.
Possessive.
And terrified of losing her.
Aadhira's voice cracked softly.
"You should've told me."
"I didn't want this world touching you completely."
"Well congratulations," she whispered through tears, "now I'm standing in it alone anyway."
The pain on his face became visible then.
Raw.
Unhidden.
Before she could step away again, Arjun closed the distance completely.
One hand gripped her waist firmly.
The other braced against the railing beside her.
Possessive.
Protective.
His forehead almost touched hers as his deep voice dropped lower.
"Listen carefully to me."
Her breathing became uneven instantly.
"I don't care about Naina."
His fingers tightened slightly against her waist.
"I don't care about any woman except the one standing in front of me destroying me with the word divorce."
Aadhira's lips parted softly.
Emotion burned violently in his eyes now.
"You think I'll let you go?" he whispered. "After becoming this addicted to you?"
A tear rolled down her cheek.
Arjun wiped it away immediately with his thumb like instinct.
Like loving her was the most natural thing he had ever done.