2
Chapter 2
Unfinished Goodbye
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
The hallway was almost empty now. Most of the employees had already returned to their offices, leaving behind an uncomfortable silence.
Anaya forced herself to meet his gaze.
Aarav looked exactly as she remembered.
Maybe even more intimidating.
The boy she had fallen in love with was gone.
In his place stood a man who commanded entire rooms with a single look.
"You disappeared without a word," he said again, his voice calm but carrying years of suppressed anger. "Not a call. Not a message. Nothing."
Anaya's fingers tightened around her file.
She had imagined this conversation countless times.
But now that it was happening, she couldn't find the right words.
"What was I supposed to do?" she asked quietly.
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"That's funny. I was hoping you'd answer that."
The sarcasm stung.
Because she deserved it.
At least part of it.
"Aarav-"
"No."
His jaw tightened.
"For five years, I respected your silence. I told myself you had a reason. I told myself maybe you needed time."
His eyes darkened.
"But then days became months. Months became years."
Anaya looked away.
The guilt never truly disappeared.
No matter how many times she convinced herself she had done the right thing.
"I searched for you."
Her head snapped up.
"What?"
"I searched for you."
This time there was no anger in his voice.
Only exhaustion.
"I checked every place I could think of. I contacted people from your college. Your old friends. Even your landlord."
Anaya's throat tightened.
"Aarav..."
"You vanished."
For the first time, she saw genuine hurt behind his cold exterior.
And somehow that hurt more than his anger.
Before she could respond, a phone rang.
Aarav glanced at the screen.
His expression immediately hardened.
He rejected the call.
Then another came.
And another.
Whoever it was seemed determined.
Finally he answered.
"What?"
His voice turned sharp.
Anaya couldn't hear the person on the other side.
But she noticed the change in his posture.
The tension.
The alertness.
Something wasn't right.
"I'll handle it."
The call ended.
Aarav ran a hand through his hair.
For a brief moment, he looked tired.
Not like a billionaire.
Not like a powerful businessman.
Just tired.
"I have to go."
Anaya nodded.
Maybe that was for the best.
This conversation was reopening wounds she had spent years trying to bury.
But before leaving, Aarav looked at her again.
The intensity of his gaze made her heart skip.
"You're not disappearing this time."
It wasn't a question.
It sounded like a promise.
Or a warning.
Without waiting for her response, he walked away.
Anaya remained frozen in place long after he was gone.
---
That evening, she picked Kabir up from school.
The little boy immediately launched himself into her arms.
"Mumma!"
She smiled despite the chaos inside her head.
"How was school?"
"I got a star."
"Only one?"
"Three stars."
"That's better."
Kabir proudly showed her a drawing he had made.
It was a messy sketch of a house.
A stick figure.
And a much smaller stick figure beside it.
"Who's this?" she asked.
"That's me."
"And this?"
"You."
Anaya smiled.
Then she noticed another figure standing beside them.
Her smile faltered.
"And who is this?"
Kabir shrugged.
"I don't know."
Her chest tightened.
"You don't know?"
He shook his head.
"My friends have fathers in their drawings."
The words hit harder than she expected.
Kabir looked down at the paper.
"So I drew one too."
Anaya felt her eyes sting.
For years she had managed to avoid difficult questions.
But children grew up.
They became curious.
And eventually, they wanted answers.
"Do I have a father?" Kabir asked softly.
The question she had always feared.
Anaya crouched in front of him.
"Yes, sweetheart."
"Where is he?"
She swallowed.
Far closer than either of them realized.
"He's... away."
Kabir seemed to think about that.
Then he nodded.
Accepting the answer for now.
But Anaya knew it wouldn't last forever.
One day he would want the truth.
And she wasn't sure she was ready for that day.
---
Across the city, Aarav sat alone in his penthouse office.
The city lights glowed through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Normally he would be working.
Reviewing contracts.
Attending meetings.
Making decisions worth crores.
Tonight he couldn't focus on any of it.
Because after five years, Anaya was back.
He opened an old drawer.
One he rarely touched.
Inside was a faded photograph.
A younger version of them smiled at the camera.
Happy.
Carefree.
In love.
Aarav stared at it for several seconds.
Then his phone buzzed.
His trusted right-hand man, Vikram.
"What is it?"
"We found something."
Aarav straightened.
"About what?"
"About Anaya."
The room suddenly felt colder.
"What did you find?"
There was a brief pause.
Then Vikram spoke.
"She has a child."
Aarav frowned.
A child?
For some reason, the information unsettled him more than it should have.
"How old?"
"Five."
The photograph slipped from his fingers.
Five years.
Exactly five years.
A strange feeling settled in his chest.
One he couldn't explain.
"Sir?"
Aarav's gaze remained fixed on the city skyline.
His instincts rarely failed him.
And right now, they were screaming that something was wrong.
Very wrong.
"Get me everything," he said quietly.
"Everything?"
"Everything."
After ending the call, Aarav looked at the photograph again.
For the first time since seeing Anaya, a question entered his mind.
A question that refused to leave.
Could the child somehow be connected to him?
To be continued...