Page 97 of Addiction

“For that, I have to tell you my family’s history,” she sighed before continuing, “My paternal grandfather had two kids, Sara, the woman the world knows as my mother, and Gautam, her brother and my biological father. Sara, my mom now, was the elder one and showed signs of being a leader from very early on, while Gautam Singh turned out to be a wastrel. Mom started working in the business from a young age, while her brotheronly was interested in the money that came into his account every month via Poseidon and his trust fund. He was a typical rich, spoilt brat. He was charismatic, extremely good looking, and wild. He thought his money and looks gave him the license to do what he wanted and behave as he liked. He met my biological mother, Latika, at a common event and wanted her at sight. And Gautam Singh always got what he wanted. She had heard of his reputation. She knew that he was into wine, women, and gambling, but he charmed her thoroughly. She fell for him fast and hard. Besides, he came from a good family, and my maternal grandparents were more than happy to get their daughter married to one of the heirs of the Poseidon empire. She thought he’d change after he married her, but sadly he didn’t. He carried on as before, with no thought to her. He only took her out to events when it suited his image of a family man. Else, his many affairs and mistresses kept him busy.”

Navya looked away. “She hoped that after she birthed his children, he’d change. But he didn’t. He became worse. His nonchalance about everything began to slowly kill her spirit. He thought she ought to be happy being a rich, popular man’s wife, but it wasn’t enough for her. Of course, it wasn’t. She wanted to file for divorce, but his father and her parents were against it. What would society think? Fuck.”

“I suppose that was the way of the world then.”

“Unfortunately…” Navya breathed out. “Left with no option and stuck in a hopeless marriage, my mother began to slip into depression and took to drinking. I was seven, and Reina was six.”

“Oh God,” Armaan exhaled.

“My father was simply the worst,” Navya continued. “Her depression and alcoholism made him angry. He became violent and abusive with her and ignorant of us. He hated when one of us cried or made a fuss about anything. We both tried to beinvisible when he was around. But she never spoke ill of him to us and lived for the rare moments when things were okay between them.”

She looked at Armaan. “Our lives went on this way for a long time. Eventually, my birth mother died when I was twelve. One night, after a violent fight with my father, she went to sleep and never woke up. They said she died of a heart attack, but I know she had died of heartache. I was glad it was over for her. After she passed, my paternal aunt, Sara, and her husband, Anvay, wanted to look after us, but my father wouldn’t agree. I knew then I had to do something drastic to change that situation. Left with him, I knew he would destroy our spirit. So, I went on a hunger strike.”

His eyes rounded. “What?”

“Yeah.” She told him how she forced her father to give them to the Mehras. “They took us in, and I think Gautam was really happy to wash his hands off of his own children. There was nothing to hold him back from his flamboyant life from his home as well. Sara and Anvay Mehra offered to adopt us immediately, but he wouldn’t agree. Nonetheless, other than the one-off times he remembered he was a father and came to visit us, we were mostly free of him. For the first time in our lives, we were living in a healthy, happy environment.”

“How did he agree to Rajiv’s parents adopting you two then?”

“He didn’t. Well, not until my grandfather passed away, leaving almost the entirety of his wealth and Poseidon’s reins to Mom, Sara, that is. I was almost eighteen then. He left nothing to Gautam, but he did leave Reina and me a substantial inheritance. My father was so mad. He negotiated a deal with the Mehras then that he’d allow them to adopt us if he was given a significant position with a hefty salary at Poseidon and allowed to do what he wanted without any questions. Mom agreed forour sake but with the condition that he’d never force us to meet him. He agreed.”

Armaan wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. She sniffed.

“He passed away soon after, and all of us were finally free. Rajiv moved us to Dubai, and we’ve lived here since. Over time, people forgot that we were adopted. My aunt and uncle became Mom and Dad to us, and Rajiv and Ananya became our siblings. They have never treated us differently. We fight like normal siblings do, and we love one another to bits.”

“I’m so sorry, Navya,” he said. “I didn’t know.”

“How would you? We don’t talk about it at all.” She met his eyes. “The only reason I told you this is that on that day when my birth father so easily bargained for us to be adopted, Reina and I made a promise to one another to never fall in love, and definitely not with someone like him. And I kept that promise for years, until you came along. On that night, four years ago, I resisted you because, for the first time in my life, I was instantly attracted to a man. To you. There you were, so gorgeous, so wild, so wicked, and so fucking rich. I hated that I was drawn to you because you reminded me of everything I despised in a man.”

Hurt flashed on his face. “Fuck, how can you compare me to him?”

“I know. I was wrong to do so. But let me finish,” she said. “Four years passed, and I never forgot you. Meeting you on New Year’s Eve reminded me of how I felt about you. Only about you. After Ananya forced me to end things with you, I came to your house with the intention of sleeping with you, to get you out of my system once and for all. Even then, I was besotted by you. Only I didn’t realize how much. You wanted to date me, and I kept you a secret from my family, thinking that you and I were temporary, that I could never fall for you. Little did I know that I was already falling for you, that you made loving you so easy. You are warm, kind, and so gentle. That night, I took Ananya toClub Poseidon because I wanted to confide in her and tell her about us. She didn’t know you the way I do. Her first reaction was to protect me, and she did it by listing all the qualities I’d never wanted in a man. She pushed it across that you’d betray me and hurt me just like my birth father hurt my birth mother, and I reacted to that and said what I did. What you heard were words spoken by me in a moment when I was overwhelmed by fear and my own insecurities. It had nothing to do with you. When I saw you standing there looking so devastated after overhearing everything I’d said, and possibly what she had said too, I realized how foolish I had been. That simply being around you made my fears vanish and my insecurities disappear. It was a profound moment of realization for me.”

Tears filled her eyes. “I’m sorry Armaan, really sorry for not understanding earlier that I am in love with you. I’m sorry you had to overhear that conversation between my sister and me. And I am sorry that I took you outside to the parking lot and you were hurt because of it. Please forgive me and give me a chance to make you as happy as you make me.”

He touched his head to hers. “Fuck, Navya. I love you so much.” He pulled her in his arms, settling her head against his chest, his heart beating in tandem with hers.

“I was so upset with you,” he said. “And about everything you’d said to Ananya, so I stayed away from you. Even then, I knew that if you said the right things to me to convince me, I’d never be able to resist you, and I didn’t want to get hurt in the future. I also stayed away because I was… I am scared of being with you. If my enemies realize the depth of what I feel for you, then they will target you to get to me, and I cannot let that happen. I cannot lose you. I won’t.”

She kissed his cheek. “Then keep me here with you. Keep me safe. You have the means to.”

“This separation from you has been so damn hard. And now, after having you back in my arms, I don’t think I’ll be able to keep you away. But your family… your brother? Will they allow you to move in with me?”

“Let’s go meet them. I need to introduce you to all of them as my boyfriend, the love of my life. But not right now. Tomorrow. Tonight is for you and me.”

“Yes, but first, I have to tell you something,” he said. “You’re aware that Vedant is completely under home medical care. What you should know is that the doctor treating him at our home in London is Reina.”

Navya shot to her feet. “My Reina?”

“Yes.”

“How the hell is she there?” she yelled. “Why would she agree to even come and stay in your house? Vedant better not harm a hair on her head, or else I will kill him.”

Armaan stood. “First of all, Vedant is in no condition to even move, so hurting her is out of the question, not that he’d hurt her even otherwise. My brother is not cruel.”

Navya felt her temper rise. She lifted her phone. “I’m calling her. She’s going back home today, and you won’t stop her.”

Armaan caught her hand. “Will you please hear me out first? Call her after that. If she says she wants to leave, then I swear on you, I’ll ensure it.”

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