Page 88 of Right Where I Belong
The words settled deep within her, unraveling something inside her. Faith. She’d never trusted anyone enough to give them the truth, to risk being seen fully for who she was.
A shaky breath left her trembling lips. Could it really be that simple? To tell him, to trust him? To stop running from the shadows of her past and let someone share the weight?
Her heart jumped at the hope.
“Please, can you give Uncle Aditya a chance?”
Sabrina gasped, her head whipping around. Ahaan stood in the doorway, clutching the frame, his eyes wide with urgency.
“Ahaan!” she exclaimed, her voice sharp with shock. “Haven’t I told you not to eavesdrop?”
“Sorry, Mom,” he mumbled, stepping into the living room. “But I heard Uncle Aditya’s name, and I had to listen.” He shook his head, his face earnest. “Will you talk to him, Mom? Please? I miss him. Maya misses him. I want him back with us.”
Her heart twisted painfully as he came closer to her.
“With him,” he continued, “you were finally smiling—just like Aish smiles around Uncle Rithwik. I want that happiness for you, Mom.”
Her vision blurred. Her little boy was too mature for his own good, seeing more than he should, understanding her more than she deserved. She opened her arms, and he ran into them, Maya trailing after him like always. She hugged him tight, her tears falling into his hair.
“You’re such a good boy…” she whispered, holding him close. “And I love you very much.”
Ahaan leaned back to search her face. “So will you give Uncle Aditya a chance?”
“I hurt him, Ahaan. I don’t know if he’ll forgive me. But if he does, then yes. I’ll accept him with all my heart and will do my best to make it up to him.”
“Yay!” Ahaan cheered.
“Then let’s do this tomorrow!” Aisha grinned, her eyes shining. “It’s his mother’s birthday party. Go there and tell him. Rithwik says he’s been miserable without you. Let’s end all the heartbreak tomorrow.”
For a heartbeat, hope flared in Sabrina’s heart. But then, it crashed just as quickly. “I can’t tomorrow night,” she murmured. “I have another event to cater.”
“Who is it? Can Dilnaz not manage it?” Aisha pressed.
“A Mr. Dutta. He’s paid in advance, and he’s paid more for me to personally oversee everything,” Sabrina explained with a sigh. “I can’t hand this one off. Let me finish that event… and then I’ll see Aditya the day after.”
Two more days and she’d see him again. Two more days and she’d sort everything out with him.
She lifted her gaze to see Ahaan bouncing with excitement, his eyes shining in a way she hadn’t seen in days. Aisha was smiling too, her eyes sparkling. Even her mother-in-law had a faint smile on her face.
For the first time in what felt like forever, Sabrina’s heart felt… at peace. As if a storm had finally begun to still. She was going to make things right with Aditya. No more running, no more fear. If he’d forgive her, she would give him everything—her heart, her trust, her love.
For the first time, the thought didn’t terrify her.
It filled her with hope.
31
“This is ridiculous!” Sabrina’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. “Who gives out the venue details at the last minute without even considering the logistics or the planning we have to do?”
“It’s inconsiderate, that’s what it is,” her assistant Dilnaz replied. “I’ve been following up with Mr. Dutta for days to give us the venue details, but he didn’t care to share them. And then, he calls this morning, on the day of the event, and sends me a pin to this location. At least I managed to route the staff directly here. The team should be setting up by the time we arrive, and hopefully all will be in order.”
“Let’s hope for that,” Sabrina muttered, already annoyed by the way this day had unfolded. To get a last-minute venue from the client was too taxing. Too many things had to be rejigged, too much had to be changed to fit a location they hadn’t even seen yet. They’d simply been given the dictate that the party was to be held in some lawns big enough to fit three hundred people, and she had to organize accordingly.
She grimaced. On days like this, it sucked to be at the whim and fancy of a rich person, who simply waved a hand and expected magic to be delivered.
She exhaled slowly, reminding herself that no matter this disruption, tonight had to go well. A set of massive iron gates appeared up ahead, and to her right, her destination for tonight. She turned her car and drove past the towering gates, easing her foot on the pedal as the gates swung open. The driveway stretched ahead like a grand boulevard. The mansion revealed itself slowly—an immense white structure with soaring windows, balconies draped in flowering vines, and gardens trimmed to perfection.
Her breath hitched. “This… isn’t a house. It’s a palace.”
