5
Chapter 5
Familiar Eyes
The drive back was a disaster.
At least for Anaya.
Kabir had somehow decided that Aarav was his new favorite person.
Which made absolutely no sense.
The boy usually took weeks to warm up to strangers.
Yet here he was, sitting in the backseat and talking nonstop.
"I got first place in my class once."
"Really?" Aarav asked.
Kabir nodded proudly.
"Because my drawing was the best."
Anaya snorted.
"Your teacher said everyone's drawing was good."
Kabir gasped.
"Mumma, don't expose me."
Aarav shook his head, clearly trying not to smile.
Anaya couldn't remember the last time she had seen him this relaxed.
And that scared her more than his anger ever could.
Because angry Aarav was predictable.
This version wasn't.
When they finally reached her apartment building, Anaya almost sighed in relief.
She quickly unbuckled Kabir's seatbelt.
"Thank you for the ride."
"It wasn't a problem."
"It was."
Aarav ignored her.
As usual.
Kabir climbed out of the car before suddenly turning around.
"Bye, Uncle."
Aarav paused.
The title seemed to affect him for some reason.
Then he nodded.
"Bye, Kabir."
The little boy waved enthusiastically before disappearing into the building with Anaya.
Only after they were gone did Aarav look away.
His expression immediately hardened.
Because the feeling hadn't disappeared.
That strange, unsettling feeling he'd had since learning about the child.
Something wasn't adding up.
And he hated unanswered questions.
---
That evening, Aarav was sitting in his study when Vikram entered.
"You wanted an update?"
Aarav nodded.
"Tell me."
Vikram handed over another file.
"I checked everything we could legally access."
"And?"
"The records don't mention the father's name."
Aarav frowned.
"Nothing?"
"Nothing."
That wasn't normal.
Not in a country where paperwork followed you everywhere.
"Keep digging."
Vikram hesitated.
"Sir, are you sure this is a good idea?"
Aarav looked up.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean... if the child isn't yours, you're reopening old wounds for no reason."
Aarav leaned back in his chair.
Maybe Vikram was right.
Maybe this was all coincidence.
Maybe he was imagining connections because he wanted answers.
But then he remembered the boy's face.
Those eyes.
That stubborn expression.
The strange familiarity.
"No."
His voice was quiet.
"But if he is mine..."
The rest of the sentence remained unfinished.
Neither man needed to hear it.
---
The next few days passed in a blur of meetings.
Unfortunately for Anaya, most of those meetings involved Aarav.
She was beginning to suspect he was creating excuses just to keep her around.
And the worst part?
He wasn't subtle about it.
On Thursday afternoon, she was reviewing venue decorations when her phone buzzed.
A message from Aarav.
Come to my office.
Anaya stared at the text.
No greeting.
No explanation.
Nothing.
Typical.
She marched straight to his office.
The moment she entered, she crossed her arms.
"You know phones work both ways."
Aarav didn't look up from his laptop.
"They do."
"You could have explained why I'm here."
"You would have come anyway."
The irritating part was that he was right.
Anaya dropped into a chair.
"What do you want?"
Instead of answering, Aarav slid a folder across the desk.
She opened it.
Inside were new sponsorship offers for the gala.
Her eyes widened.
"This is huge."
"That's why you're here."
For the next hour, they worked through the details together.
And despite herself, Anaya found herself enjoying it.
Years ago, they had made a good team.
They still did.
The realization left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Because some things were easier to lose than forget.
---
Later that evening, Anaya arrived home exhausted.
She opened the apartment door and immediately knew something was wrong.
The living room was suspiciously quiet.
Very suspicious.
"Mumma?"
Kabir's voice came from his room.
Anaya followed it.
The sight waiting for her nearly made her laugh.
Kabir sat in the middle of the floor surrounded by crayons.
Dozens of them.
And on the paper in front of him was a family drawing.
A large woman.
A small child.
And a tall man.
Anaya froze.
Not again.
"Who's that?" she asked carefully.
Kabir looked up.
"The uncle."
Her heart stopped.
"What uncle?"
"The one from school."
Of course.
Of course it was Aarav.
"Why did you draw him?"
Kabir shrugged.
"He looks nice."
Anaya sat beside him.
"You barely know him."
"I know enough."
The confidence in his voice was ridiculous.
Then he pointed at the drawing.
"Look."
Anaya followed his finger.
Her stomach dropped.
The man in the picture had dark hair.
Dark eyes.
And was standing right beside them.
As if he belonged there.
"Pretty good, right?"
Kabir asked proudly.
Anaya forced a smile.
"Very good."
But her chest felt painfully tight.
Because children noticed things adults ignored.
And sometimes they understood feelings before anyone else.
---
At the same time, across the city, Aarav was attending a private gathering at the Rathore mansion.
The entire family was present.
His grandmother.
His parents.
His cousins.
The usual chaos.
Unfortunately, family gatherings also meant questions.
"When are you getting married?"
Aarav closed his eyes.
Here we go again.
His grandmother sat beside him.
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
"You need a wife."
"No."
"You need children."
"No."
His grandmother smacked his arm.
Several family members laughed.
Then one of his cousins spoke.
"Actually, I heard something interesting."
Aarav immediately became suspicious.
"What?"
"There's a woman."
The entire table became interested.
Aarav already regretted attending dinner.
"A woman from your company project."
His eyes narrowed.
Anaya.
The moment her face appeared in his mind, the noise around him seemed to fade.
His grandmother noticed immediately.
And smiled.
A dangerous smile.
One that promised trouble.
"Oh?"
Aarav stood.
"I'm leaving."
The family erupted into protests.
But he ignored them.
Because the last thing he needed was his relatives interfering.
Unfortunately, as he walked toward his car, his grandmother's words followed him.
"You only look like that when you care."
For the first time in years, Aarav didn't have an answer.
Because despite everything that had happened...
Despite the anger.
Despite the betrayal.
Despite the years apart...
A part of him still cared.
And that was far more dangerous than any enemy he had ever faced.
To be continued...