Page 99 of Right Where I Belong
“Yes.”
Silence followed his response.
“I know this sounds unbelievable,” Mihir spoke again. “But can you help us reach her? It would mean a lot to us.”
Were the Oshnovs the past Sabrina kept talking about? Were they the secret Sabrina was hiding from him? Fuck, he really should have spoken to her last night and cleared everything. At least then he wouldn’t be so baffled now.
“She’s actually right here, with me, in Singapore,” Aditya said.
“Oh God!” Another male voice said. Aditya recognized it to be that of Armaan Oshnov, Mihir’s middle brother. “Can we talk to her, please?”
“Actually, wait,” Ananya cut in, “Have you seen the latest issue of Noir?”
“I have…” Aditya said, his eyes falling to the magazine on the sofa. He’d read it on the flight to Singapore. He knew Mihir was on the cover.
“Can you please show Mihir’s photo to Sabrina? Please, Aditya,” Ananya requested. “Can you do this for me?”
He sighed. “Okay. Give me a few minutes. Let me call you back.”
He returned to Sabrina’s bedroom with the magazine. Her eyes opened when he entered, and she sat up, pulling the covers up to her chest.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Has something happened?”
“Hey, I need to show you something, okay,” he said, placing the magazine in her lap. “Do you recognize this man?”
Frowning, she lifted the magazine. He watched her face as she read Mihir’s name on the cover page. Her chest rose and fell, her breaths quickening as she flipped through the magazine until she reached the center spread, where a large picture of Mihir was printed.
Color drained from her face, shock widening her eyes until she finally looked at him. “That… that looks like… How do you know him? It’s been many years, and he looks older, mature, but he could be… I mean, there’s a scar on his face, but I think he’s…”
“That is Mihir Oshnov, one of the richest men in the world. He lives in Dubai,” Aditya said. “He has two brothers?—”
“—Armaan and Vedant,” Sabrina completed for him, her eyes shining with tears.
Aditya studied her. She was staring at Mihir’s picture again. Sabrina smiled. “They went. It’s written here that they went to Russia with Alexander.”
She raised her gaze to meet his. “I was born in an orphanage in Rishikesh. Mihir, Armaan, and Vedant… they’re my brothers. By a stroke of luck, the four of us became a family there. Fourteen years back, thanks to my idiocy, I ended up losing them.” She swallowed thickly. “How did you know to show me this?”
“Do you remember when I went to Moscow as a favor to Rajiv?” At her nod, he continued. “Well, Mihir is the man Rajiv’s sister, Ananya, has a history with. I went to Dubai after you and I broke up. Ananya… she’s, my friend. I was distraught, and told her about you. I even showed her a photo of us. She called me earlier and asked me to show you this. I’ve met Mihir before. In fact, I’ve met Armaan and Vedant too. They’re each involvedwith Rajiv’s sisters. They’ve been searching for you, Sabrina, and if you want, I can connect you to them right now.”
“Right now?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“Yes. Actually, they’re waiting for my call.”
Swiftly, she snatched his shirt from the floor and slipped it on, fastening the buttons with shaky fingers. He too pulled out a t-shirt from his trolley and wore it. Sabrina ran a hand through her hair before joining him again.
She took his hand in hers. “Will you be patient with me for a little more time? I promise I’ll explain everything to you once I talk to them.”
Aditya nodded. There was still so much untold between them. But one thing was for certain. If Sabrina truly was the missing sister of the Oshnovs, then everything was about to change for her.
37
Fourteen years. It had been fourteen years since Sabrina had last seen her brothers, and now, suddenly, impossibly, they had found her. It felt so damn unreal, as though she would wake up and discover this was all just a cruel dream. Yet, beneath the shock, happiness bloomed in her chest. They hadn’t forgotten her. They had cared enough to search, to hold on, to bring her back into their lives.
She stared at Mihir’s picture. He looked so mature, so handsome, so confident, so successful. She was so proud of him, of all of them. A sharp fear gripped her chest suddenly. Fourteen years was too damn long. What kind of men had time, wealth, and distance shaped her brothers into? She wanted to believe in the bond they’d once shared, but fourteen years was a long time. What if they had changed? What if they didn’t forgive her for running away?
“Are you okay?” Aditya asked her. “Shall I make the call?”
A realization hit her, freezing her hopes in place. What if they weren’t her brothers at the other end of the line, but Dorab or JD? But Aditya knew her brothers, right? But what if he was mistaken too? God, her fears were driving her crazy.
