Page 73 of Forbidden

Not a pure lie. My team actually does this research, but since it’s Aarav Raichand, the man who forcibly married me, I wanted to do this on my own.

Aarav says nothing, just orders his coffee, then fixes his gaze on me. I don’t look at him though. I keep myself focused on browsing.

“Why not just ask me what you want to know?” he suggests.

“I don’t trust you.” I raise my gaze and meet his.

Aarav looks saddened, but I do nothing to change his mood.

I tried my best to look for his personal life on google and see if he’s ever seen with a woman on a personal level in public. But I am disappointed finding nothing as such, or should I say, I am glad he didn’t give me an opportunity to feel jealous?

“Can’t believe a man like you can have such a clean image in terms of women,” I tease.

Aarav sprawls on his chair behind, totally man spread and gorgeous, making me forget what I am currently doing.

“Why?” he asks. “Only because I am a billionaire doesn’t mean I have to lead a colorful life.”

I am about to debate when he continues, this time holding my arm over the table, the one I am using to scroll the page with the mouse.

“I am committed to only one woman, Jaan. And that’syou. Ever since the day our fathers chose us for each other, I promised myself that you will be the only one enough for me.”

How romantic!!My subconscious mind pokes me again. The remembrance of my father makes me emotional though. I haven't withdrawn my hand yet from Aarav’s.

“Is it really true that my father had chosen you to be my life partner?” I am curious to know.

Aarav had already confronted the same before Daadi and Mohit when he claimed me as his wife, but I still doubted if he had lied to pull me to his side.

“If you don’t trust me, why ask me this?” he taunts.

He is sharp. “I trust you a little more than the time we married. So, tell me, is that true? Dad really wanted me to be your wife in future?”

Aarav’s thumb strokes the back of my palm, sending a soft electric buzz in the pit of my stomach.

“I can never lie anything about our late parents. I am not that bad, Jaan.”

His admission is enough for me to trust his words.

“Even if he hadn’t chosen me for you, I would still chase you and make you my wife.”

Now he is bragging. I pull away my hand from his, which suddenly feels cold at the loss of his touch. Aarav takes a swig of his coffee.

“Is that so? Then why didn’t you ever show up in my life early? Why didn’t you pursue me before? I just knew you through Daadi and Mohit, otherwise, I would never know my father’s plans for my husband.”

I am annoyed that my father didn’t give me any sign of liking a boy for me if he adored him that much. Agreed I was too young and Dad had no clue his life would end so drastically in an accident, but even then, he could have told me something about Aarav in my childhood. I shared everything with my father, why did he fail in sharing such an important desire of his with me?

So, now I wait for Aarav to shed some light on this matter, which he does in his own way.

“I don’t know why he never talked to you about me.” Aarav answers. “But I didn’t pursue you because I wasn’t prepared to. What was I, Jhanvi, after my dad died? Just a loner who had no clue what to do with his life. All I knew was that Durga Raichand tagged me as forbidden, didn’t accept my mother and we were left to fend for ourselves.”

Tears pool in my eyes as I listen to him. I can literally imagine what he and his mother must have gone through.

“You had a big name, ancestors’ money. I had nothing. So, I decided to make you proud before meeting you personally. After school, Durga Raichand sent you to London with Mohit and I didn’t even have the means to sustain in India and look after my ailing mother.”

Yup, I know that because I read a few bits of his life in an article where he mentioned in the briefest possible way about his personal life. His mother was sick when Aarav was finishing his studies.

“Then Maa passed away.” He leans back, shuts his eyes and rubs his palms over his face to soothe himself. My hands automatically inch forward to touch him, but I stop. It’s hard to see him speaking about his mother because I know how much his mother means to him. He composes himself after a long minute and looks at me. “I made a security software and sold it to the government, earning me quite some amount to start up my software company and then you know there was no going back. In the span of 10 years, I had to slog to bring that company to such a level that I can compete with DG Group. I swear I had no time to pursue you, Jhanvi, and I regret that I didn’t show that urgency to do so. I had spies on you who gave me updates about your college, your friends and your life in London and I knew one day I would step into your life but what triggered me was the fact that Durga Raichand played her card before me. Though she knew our fathers wanted me to be your life partner, she still proposed you for Mohit. And the worse… you agreed to it.”

Mohit and the mere thought of that proposal churn my stomach. I look away for a minute before sipping some of my coffee and focusing back on Aarav.

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