Page 106 of Obsession

Her sisters nodded.

She was grateful to them and their acceptance.

She didn’t want Mihir to know a thing before she had enough time to process it for herself. Her hand reached for the ring on her chain, but it caught air instead. She no longer had the ring. She’d left it for him, along with the signed divorce papers. Mihir and she were divorced now.

The divorce was supposed to finish everything between them. But now, this baby… It would never allow her to be fully finished with Mihir. It would forever link the two of them together. A stone lodged in her stomach.

Oh God, she’d have to tell him at some point. Knowing him, he’d blame her for this too… this time, for tricking him.

Her eyes burned. She hardened her heart. She swore that from this day on, she wouldn’t cry over Mihir again. No matter how he reacted to this news, she wouldn’t cry. She would be strong for the sake of her baby.

Confusion and uncertainty swamped her. She was eager to be alone, to figure out what her next steps would be.

29

Mihir checked the time. It had been twenty minutes since Anna had rushed inside the restroom, looking white as a sheet. His fingers drummed against the table incessantly, and his eyes kept glancing in the direction of the washroom. Was she okay? Was she unwell? What was wrong with her? The not knowing was driving him insane. Armaan had returned the food back to the kitchen. They were all waiting for the girls to return to eat together.

The situation between Anna and him was stilted now. She was too cold, refusing to look at him or even talk to him directly. He breathed heavily. He’d spent most of the last seven years hating her and blaming her for wronging him. It was only after she’d left him, after she’d ended it all, that he’d started rethinking everything.

His phone beeped with a message. He frowned as he read it. He typed a quick reply and looked up.

“Chekov just texted,” Mihir told his brothers. “Andres wants to meet me in Tallinn.”

“Why?” Armaan asked.

“Apparently, he has some information about Ivan’s whereabouts.”

Vedant pushed his glasses up his nose. “Does he think we have nothing better to do than jump when he asks us to?”

“Exactly. That’s why I’ve asked him for proof. He said he will revert,” Mihir said. “We’re not taking any unnecessary risks at this point.”

“Do we know anything more about Ivan?” Armaan asked. “Have our guys found out where he went off to after the party in Moscow?”

His brothers had already been updated on the situation with Ivan. That Anna had asked Anton to get someone to tail Ivan.

“Not yet, but we’ll know soon enough.” Mihir looked at Vedant. “Did you manage to speak to Mrs. Braganza’s daughter?”

He and his brothers had been trying to reach Sheila, Mrs. Braganza’s daughter, for weeks, but she refused to take any calls. Their men in India had confirmed that she was devastated and hadn’t been staying in her own house.

“About that,” Vedant said. “Yes, I finally spoke to Sheila. She’s shattered, obviously. She confirmed the same things our guys told us. The police have concluded that it was a failed robbery attempt.”

“That’s such bullshit,” Armaan said. “Mrs. Braganza wasn’t rolling in money. The thieves in her neighborhood would most likely be small-time opportunists. I doubt they’d even have a gun.”

“Exactly,” Mihir concurred. “I spoke to some of the old caretakers from the orphanage—people who knew she was close to us. None of them reported meeting any new people asking about Mrs. Braganza or us. Hence, how did Ivan get her name?”

“We’ll find out,” Armaan said. “Let’s talk to everyone from that time. I’m pretty sure someone has spoken about us and our closeness to her to one of Ivan’s men. I can’t imagine how else Ivan knew that Mrs. Braganza was important to us.”

Vedant continued, “Sheila is unable to even return home to the site where her mother was shot. I’ve told her that she can choose any property she wants, and we can buy it for her. She refused. Sheila’s young, barely in her twenties, but she has strong principles like her mother.”

“Ask her if she would like to come work for us,” Mihir suggested. “That way, we’ll surely look after her.”

“I’ll propose that,” Vedant said.

They would find some way to compensate their old matron’s family. Her death would be avenged.

Armaan studied Mihir. “You haven’t told us how things are between Ananya and you.”

“I landed a few hours ago and came straight here, Armaan,” Mihir said. “Where was the time?”

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