Page 96 of One Hellish Wedlock
Aanya led Reyansh up the stairs, still unsure what he was up to.
She opened the door and turned on the lights.
To her astonishment, the room remained untouched. The same curtains, the same furniture, the same cozy chaos she’d left behind on her wedding day. Her eyes fell on a familiar doll hanging by the wall.
“Oh God! This is still here?” she whispered, rushing to embrace it.
Reyansh watched silently. She still loved dolls? Hmm!
Aanya kissed the doll and turned back, suddenly remembering she wasn’t alone.
“That doll’s from the time your mother was alive, isn’t it?” he asked gently.
Her eyes widened. “How do you know?”
“That doesn’t matter.” He stepped closer. “Is it?”
“Yes,” she replied with a soft smile. “She gave it to me when I was ten.”
Tears pricked her eyes, but before they could fall, Reyansh reached out and gently brushed them away with his fingers. She looked up, startled by the softness of his touch.
“Are you okay?” he asked quietly.
That one question, spoken with such tenderness, shook something inside her. But she forced herself to blink it away and took a step back, breaking the moment.
“Don’t pretend like it matters to you.”
“It didn’t before,” he admitted. “But now? Yes. It matters.”
What?There was no jest in his tone, no sarcasm. Just raw, unapologetic truth.
Before she could respond, he got to the point.
“I’m flying to South Africa next week. For three days. And you’re coming with me.”
Her jaw dropped. How could she travel?
“Are you out of your mind?” Aanya snapped.
“If wanting to take my wife along on an official trip means losing my mind,” Reyansh drawled, “then yes, I’ve completely lost it.”
Aanya let out a frustrated sigh. His insistence was triggering all her alarms. She gently set the doll aside, no longer in the mood for sentiment. She needed to focus because if she didn’t draw a line now, he would bulldoze right over it.
“I’m not coming,” she declared firmly. “I’ve just started my job, Reyansh. I have commitments. I can’t take off on such short notice.”
“I’ll speak to Prem,” he replied coolly.
“You will not,” she snapped, stepping toward him. “You don’t get to interfere in my career. Stay out of it.”
He exhaled, unfazed by her fury. “Fine,” he said. “Then you speak to Prem tomorrow. Tell him whatever reason you want and pack your bags. We’re flying Monday.”
She stood rooted in place, disbelief flashing in her eyes. Reyansh roamed the room like he had all the time in the world, taking in every corner like it belonged to him, when technically, it didn’t. He paused at her childhood photo with her father. She was ten years old in it. He picked it up and studied it with unexpected softness.
“You had chubby cheeks back then,” he smirked, glancing over his shoulder to catch her reaction.
“Stop buttering me,” she muttered, stepping forward and snatching the frame from his hands. “Why do you want me to come to South Africa with you? It makes no sense.”
“It will make sense,” he said, plucking the frame from her hands again and setting it gently on the table. “Once you’re there, everything will.”
