Page 238 of One Hellish Wedlock
Later That Day
Reyansh spent the afternoon playing with Ruhi after her long nap. Parenting didn’t come naturally to him, but he knew he’d have to step into that role someday and this was good practice.
“Reyansh, I’ll feed her the baby food,” Radhika said, entering with a small bowl in hand.
“I’ll do it,” he offered, surprising her.
“You?” she blinked.
He nodded, and she handed the bowl over. Reyansh settled Ruhi on his lap and fed her slowly with the spoon. She ate without fuss. Radhika, touched by the moment, quietly recorded a video of him and sent it to Aanya who was just wrapping up her day.
The video melted Aanya’s heart. Her husband doting over a baby…it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. On her way down from the office, she video called him.
“Hi baby,” she beamed. “I saw you feeding Ruhi. Di sent me the video.”
Reyansh looked confused. “She recorded that?”
“Hmm. You were amazing. I’ve always known you’d be a great father.”
He blushed.
“You’re coming home now, aren’t you?”
“On my way!”
“Where to?” she asked. “Di’s house or—”
“Penthouse,” he cut her off, the need in his eyes unmistakable.
She giggled and blew him a kiss before hanging up.
Penthouse – Night
“Now, tell me,” he said, handing her a mug of hot coffee. “What happened at that meeting?”
An hour had passed since she returned from work. The first half had been a blur of kisses and laughter. The next twentyminutes she’d spent showering…alone, thankfully. For the last ten, she’d been bracing herself to tell him the news while he brewed coffee.
As he sat beside her, snapping his fingers playfully to get her attention, she set the cup down and met his gaze.
“My client extended the contract.”
He arched a brow. “Meaning?”
“Meaning Shikha and I have to stay in California for another year.”
Reyansh went still. A full year? That was... heavy. He didn’t like it, but he respected her work too much to argue. She had built her career brick by brick, and he knew what it meant to her. Forcing her to choose between love and ambition would never be an option.
“That’s amazing,” he said, masking his emotions. “US clients are hard to impress. This says a lot about your dedication.”
She saw through his smile, of course.
“You’re okay with another year like this? Long-distance?” she asked softly.
“If that’s what it takes, yes. Or better…I’ll shift my work here. I run my business; I can run it from anywhere I want. That way, we don’t have to be apart at all.”
Then, he cupped her face.
“Come on, baby. It’s not something we can’t handle. We’ll face it together,” Reyansh murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
