Page 39 of One Hellish Wedlock
“Sure.”
Sunny retrieved an old photo album and slid it toward her. Aanya opened the cover and saw a photo of two children—one slightly older girl protectively holding the hand of a little boy. The girl’s arm was wrapped around the boy with such intensity, it looked like she was guarding her whole world.
“Who are these little munchkins?” she asked, genuinely curious.
“That’s Reyansh and his elder sister Radhika Negi.”
Her smile faded slightly. “He looked hot in those half-pants,” she quipped to cover her discomfort.
Sunny flushed, clearly unsure how to respond. Aanya, as always, was impossible to categorize. Her unfiltered behaviour was far too casual for the wife of his boss, hence the training. Still, he continued.
“Reyansh and Radhika were always close. She got married when he was still in his teens, moved to California with her husband, but distance never touched their bond. They speak daily, share everything, and still manage to give each other space.”
“Sounds like the perfect sibling duo,” Aanya admitted.
“They are,” Sunny said proudly.
A frown crept over her features. “Then why didn’t Reyansh invite her when he got married to me?”
“He did,” Sunny replied softly. “But she was recovering from a miscarriage at the time. She couldn’t travel.”
Aanya’s heart dipped. That, she hadn’t known.
“She and her husband recently celebrated eight years of marriage,” Sunny continued. “They’ve been trying for a baby for years. This is the second time she’s conceived, and it’s going well so far. After the last miscarriage, the doctors put her under strict supervision—no stress, no emotional turbulence.”
Aanya listened intently, feeling an unexpected pull in her chest.
“Her birthday’s in two weeks. And this time, she asked for just one gift: for Reyansh to reconcile with you. That’s why the deal.”
Aanya exhaled sharply. “So let me guess. The deal conveniently ends when she’s in her final trimester. But what happens after that? You really think she won’t break when she finds out we faked it all?”
“She won’t be here by then. She’ll return to California for the last few months, under the care of top doctors. Once the baby is born, Reyansh plans to tell her the truth…that it didn’t work between you two. That you’ve gone your separate ways.”
Aanya leaned back, trying to process that.
“You think just because the baby is out of her body, she’ll be immune to stress? Postpartum is the most emotionally fragile time. And if she finds out then... she’ll be devastated.”
Sunny hesitated, then said, “Reyansh Sir will handle it.”
Aanya scoffed. “He’d better, or his sister will be the one paying the price for all of this.”
Suddenly, her gaze flicked up to the small surveillance camera mounted on the wall. A red light blinked steadily. Her eyes narrowed.
“Wait… am I being watched?” she asked sharply, rising to her feet.
Sunny stood quickly. “Aanya, please calm down. It’s Reyansh. He’s just monitoring—”
“Monitoring?” she snapped. “Are you kidding me? It’s day one of this ridiculous ‘Family Etiquette 101’ and I’m already being spied on?”
“I’ll talk to him,” Sunny promised.
“You’d better,” she said through gritted teeth. Then she looked directly at the camera, her glare unflinching. “From now on, sessions happen atmylocation. Not at this set up here.”
Reyansh, who was watching everything on his laptop from the quiet of his cabin, leaned back and let a smirk tug at his lips. Her fury practically crackled through the screen. So, she thought she could set the rules now? Not happening!
He had switched on the feed not to spy, but to study her, to observe how seriously she was taking this arrangement. He wanted to see how deeply she’d understood the emotional weight behind Radhika’s fragile condition.
And to his surprise, Aanya hadn’t disappointed. In fact, she’d picked up on concerns he hadn’t even considered. She wasn’t just listening. She wascaring.
