Page 144 of Obsession

She stared at him, unable to believe that he’d done this even when nothing had been resolved between him and her. She exhaled. She was finally beginning to believe that he had truly wanted to make things better with her despite what he believed she had done to him in the past. She looked at her painting again.

“It’s… it’s stunning. I don’t know what to say.” She tilted her head to the left. Her own eyes followed her. She tilted to the right. Her eyes followed her movement.

She laughed. “It’s not creepy anymore. It’s perfect.”

“Do you know why I bought the paintingNoir comme la nuit?” he asked.

She shook her head slowly. Her heart was already racing in anticipation of his answer.

“It reminded me of our first date. It reminded me of all that I felt for you. When it went on auction, I just knew I had to own it, because it reminded me of you.”

Her heart swelled, knowing how he had loved her through the years.

Mihir looked at her intently. “You are perfect, and I’ve been an utter fool for wasting years of my life living without you.”

Before she could reply to that, she heard a loud squeal from behind her.

Navya and Reina rushed up the stairs, both of them hugging her at the same time.

“You’re here!” Reina exclaimed.

“You’re actually here!” Navya said. “I couldn’t believe it when Armaan told me that you’d come here to check on Mihir. And you helped them find Karina! Armaan is so excited and so happy. It’s all thanks to you.”

“You’re really the best, Ananya!” Reina said. She looked between Ananya and Mihir, her eyes lit with hope. “Does this mean that Mihir and you are together again?”

“It only means that I’m here to check on him because he’s unwell. Please don’t make this to be more.”

“It’s a start,” Mihir said.

“It’s… something,” Ananya responded.

“Oh my God,” Navya exclaimed, pointing at the painting. “That’s you, isn’t it? Mihir’s got a portrait of you on the wall.”

“It’s lovely,” Reina gushed.

“It is!” Ananya looked at Mihir.

Just then, Mihir sneezed once, then three more times in succession. Right at that moment, Dmitri appeared behind them, followed by a few of the household staff, all of them carrying platters of food. Ananya shooed her sisters away, promising to meet them soon.

Taking Mihir’s hand, she followed the staff into his bedroom. His bedroom was a large suite, with a separate sitting area. His staff placed the platters on the coffee table and left. All except the butler.

She dropped down on the couch beside Mihir as Dmitri opened all the cloches. The delicious aroma of hot chicken soup and warm garlic bread reached her nostrils, making her mouth water.

When Dmitri insisted on serving them, Mihir spoke to him in rapid Russian. The older man was clearly arguing back.

“He’s been fussing over me the whole day,” Mihir told her.

“Go ahead,” she told the butler. “I’ll look after him. It’s just a cold.”

The butler gave Mihir an annoyed look as Mihir waved him away. She handed Mihir the bowl of soup and the bread. Both of them dug in, not talking at all as they finished their food.

“Do you mind if I take the last slice?” she asked, reaching for the bread.

He looked amused as he saw her polish off her meal. “You’re actually finishing your food? That is new.”

“It’s the babies!” She clucked her tongue. “I’m going to be fat if I keep eating all the time.”

He caught her hand and kissed it. “You’re going to be perfect.”

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