Page 90 of Right Where I Belong
The words struck him like lightning, rooting him to the spot. His pulse thundered. She sounded fierce, determined, and utterly sincere. For one reckless heartbeat, hope surged inside him. But then, he tamped it down. He wasn’t going to do this again with her.
“I saw how my son looked at you in Singapore,” his mother said, her tone like ice. “I knew he already felt something for you—even if he hadn’t admitted it to himself yet. So I did what any mother would do. I tried to find out about you.” Her eyes narrowed. “But no one knows anything about you, except that you came from an orphanage near Mumbai. I checked, Sabrina. I checked every orphanage in Maharashtra. None of them has a girl by your name on their records. So, tell me. Where do you really come from? Who is your family?”
Shock rippled through him. His mother had run a background check on Sabrina?
“You are no one,” his mother hissed. “But my son? He is someone important. Look around you.” She gestured at the glowing lawns. “This is his world. He dines with the most powerful businessmen and politicians in the country. Many of them are here tonight. And you…” He saw her gaze rake over Sabrina with contempt. “You don’t belong. I will never allow him to throw his life away for you.”
Aditya’s chest went tight as anger flooded his veins. His mother had no right to do this. He stepped forward, his sudden movement drawing both women’s eyes. Sabrina froze, while his mother’s lips curved into a smile.
She went to him. “I was just telling Sabrina that our guests must be looked after well tonight. They should remember this party for days.”
His gaze shifted past her to Sabrina. She stood stiffly, her expression unreadable. Why had she been talking to his mother? What was she even doing here?
His gaze drifted past her to the lawns. He noticed the trays being passed around, the staff moving discreetly in the background, and the clipboard in a woman’s hand not far away. Dilnaz—he’d met her during those times he’d gone to Sabrina’s office.
Suddenly, it all made sense.
He looked at Sabrina. “You’re catering here tonight?”
She lowered her chin in a nod.
“Why didn’t you tell me when I invited you to this party?
“Because I found out literally ten minutes back that this is your house,” Sabrina snapped. “A Mr. Dutta had visited my office when I was in Singapore and booked my team for tonight. We all believed it was his event. The venue details were to be shared at the last minute, and sure enough, we found out just this morning that we were to cater for a party here.”
He frowned and looked at his mom. “Your assistant, Mr. Dutta?”
His mother nodded, and it hit him with stunning clarity. His mother had carefully orchestrated this. Why? Just to tell Sabrina off?
“Don’t make a big deal out of it.” His mother clucked her tongue. “We must return to our guests. Let’s go, Aditya.”
When Aditya stayed in place, she tugged on his arm. “Aditya?”
“Go ahead, Mom,” he said, his tone firm. “I’ll be along shortly.”
She must have seen his resolve because she said, “Don’t take too long.” With a dismissive glare at Sabrina, she left them.
As soon as his mother was out of sight, he said to Sabrina, “I’d like to apologize for all the confusion behind tonight. I’m sure it must have been challenging for your team and you.”
She stared at him, her eyes roaming over him, and as usual, his heart rate escalated. Annoyed with himself, he turned to leave her.
“Aditya, please, can we talk?” she said in a small voice.
He turned back slowly, and she stepped toward him. “It’s I who should be apologizing.” When he didn’t reply, she continued, “I’m sorry for all that I said that night. I was scared, so scared that my past would hurt you. You see, I did something a long time ago. Something horrible. And I didn’t want the shadow of that to fall on you. And that day, when the reporters started clicking photos of you, I got scared. I’ve… I’ve hidden myself for so long that I panicked, and in my worry, I behaved awfully with you. You told me what you felt about me, and I turned you down in the most ruthless way possible. I am truly sorry. Please, can we talk? I want to tell you everything.”
Frustration coiled tight in his chest like a storm waiting to erupt. He’d been miserable and heartbroken for days, and now here she was, wanting to fix everything, probably because she’d had some grand epiphany. Or, in all likelihood, Rithwik or Aisha had convinced her to. But he was so done with this push-and-pull behavior. He was done pandering to her whims. He was done being the good guy.
“Nothing you did in your past could have changed what I felt for you,” he said, his voice rough. “All you had to do was confide in me. But instead, you decided to shield me, assuming you knew what was better for me. Who gave you the right to decide that? Certainly not me.”
Her eyes widened. She opened her mouth, but he held a hand, cutting her off. “I’m not a toy for you to play with, Sabrina. One moment you want me, the next you push me away. Do youeven realize what that does to me? Do you think I’m here just to wait patiently for you, while you keep running behind walls you refuse to let me break?”
Her face paled, her eyes shimmering with pain. For a fleeting moment, he wanted to pull her into his arms. But the anger in his heart still burned hot.
“Right now,” he seethed, “I’m just so hurt and mad at you that I can’t think straight. And as you can see, I have a party going on. Guests I need to attend to. So, this… us… stays as it is. I can’t forgive you for hurting me. Not yet, at least. I need to think. I need to decide if you’re being earnest, or if one day, when another situation arises, you will push me away again because you think that’s good for me.”
Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. She simply stared at him, her expression one of agony. But he’d spoken the truth. He couldn’t do this right now. He needed time.
His hands clenched at his sides, and he spun on his heel, ready to walk away.
