Pari and the women at the manor received a message from Ishaan, instructing them to continue working from the manor until further notice.
Meanwhile, Vaishu returned to the bungalow and rushed to Ayaan’s room, where he was still fast asleep. She kissed his forehead gently before turning to Reyansh and Ishaan.
“What should we do now? He’s already hurting and I don’t want him to break down after reading that diary. I think it’s best we keep it away from him,” Vaishu murmured, her voice heavy with concern.
“Amma, he’s bound to find out eventually. Once he wakes up, he won’t rest until he meets Advik and the truth will come out. He will break down, yes but at least we would be here for him. We shall make sure he understands that his past doesn’t define him… and that his future lies with Zara.” Ishaan said softly sitting beside her and Reyansh nodded in agreement.
Just then, Vaishu noticed Ayaan stir in his sleep and his hand instinctively reached out beside him searching for Zara.
“Zara…” he mumbled faintly.
Vaishu’s heart ached and she knew he was searching for her even in his dreams and that the only reason he couldn’t sleep was because he was missing her.
Vaishu cooked food and returned to Ayaan’s room. He woke up close to noon and his eyelids were heavy with sleep. Blinking slowly, he saw two blurry figures by his bed. When his vision cleared, he found his parents watching him with worry etched on their faces. Instinctively, he turned and rested his head on Vaishu’s lap while Reyansh gently caressed his hair.
Vaishu let him rest for a few moments before softly stroking his back.
“Get up, cupcake. You need to eat and then take your medicines,” Reyansh said gently, helping him sit up. His greying hair and the deep lines on his face made him look older than usual, worn out from worry.
Ayaan sat up slowly, leaning against the headboard and managed a faint smile at his parents before getting out of bed. He entered the washroom and stared at his reflection in the mirror and he looked far from the charming, confident billionaire he was until three days back. His eyes were hollow and his face looked drawn and tired.
After a quick shower, he dressed in his home clothes and stepped out to find Vaishu waiting with a tray.
“I made your favorite dishes and I’m going to feed you myself.” she said with a warm smile and Ayaan sat beside her quietly and his mind drifted to Zara. He wanted to ask if she had eaten but hesitated.
“Zara had her breakfast. Now you eat. We have a long discussion after this.” Reyansh said firmly, as if reading his thoughts. Vaishu fed him patiently and once he finished his medicines, they moved to the study and Ishaan patted his brother’s back.
“Ayaan, we know what happened between you and Zara. You both made mistakes while what you did is not something that could be forgiven easily. Now you’re punishing yourselves and each other with this distance. You look like a wreck and she’s no better. You don’t deserve this misery neither her. Let’s go back home and you need to talk to her and try to fix what’s been broken or at least start.” Reyansh said and looked at Vaishu, who nodded in firm agreement.
“Ayaan, baby… I know you’re not in the right frame of mind, but there’s something you need to know. We didn’t want you to hear it from someone else. We wanted to be the ones to tell you. You’ve always been our strongest and we believe you still are.” Vaishu said and Ishaan silently handed her a diary, one Ayaan instantly recognized. His expression stiffened as Vaishu placed it in his hands. He looked at his parents and their eyes told him that they wanted him to read it in their presence.
He opened the diary and saw the old photograph tucked inside. As he began to read, his jaw tightened, his grip on the diary turned white-knuckled. The words cut deep, reopening wounds he thought had long healed. Betrayal stung sharper than ever and he swallowed hard, forcing down the ache that burned in his chest. Unable to continue, he finally shut the diary and lowered his head.
“This was found in Advik’s place,” Vaishu said quietly and Ayaan nodded his head, unable to find his voice.
“We don’t want you burdened by guilt or haunted by the past anymore. Your love back then was true but it wasn’t returned the way you deserved. Now, you have Zara… your wife, your present, your peace. She loves you the way you were meant to be loved.” Vaishu said and her tone was filled with motherly warmth.
“You both started off wrong, but you can’t deny the emotions, the love that binds you both. What’s the point of punishing yourselves when forgiveness could set you free? You had your reasons, Ayaan, and I’m sure she had hers too. You’ll never understand her pain and what she went through until you talk to her. That girl’s been alone her whole life and when you finally gave her a glimpse of love, she clung to it… only for you to take it away in the name of revenge. It’s natural for her to be scared, to doubt, to feel insecure. So please, let’s go home. Don’t keep hurting yourself or her. She’s breaking down, crying for you, missing you every second.” Vaishu said and cupped his face gently and wiped away his tears.
“Mom, this isn’t about hurting each other. You don’t understand what we are going through. But still… I’ll come back…… just not now. There are things I need to handle first and we both need time. Right now, we can’t even face each other, atleast I can’t do it. I have hurt her beyond words and may be that is the reason I m being punished in every way. I don’t want to discuss this further. We… we need space, even if it hurts like hell. She is my world, my life, my everything and I couldn’t think of a life without her but….. but I don’t want to tie her for my selfishness anymore. I know she is hurting and I want her to cool, think in her right mind if she wants me and she needs time for that. So I will come back very soon ” Ayaan said and his voice was low but firm.
Ishaan’s jaw tightened as he glared at him. “Then why did you send those papers to her, huh? You really think giving her everything you own would make things better? You made it worse, Ayaan. You made her feel like a gold digger. She’s not like the one who betrayed you before. She knows about the diary. She had read it when she was kidnapped years ago. She told Amma and Appa to find the dairy and keep it away from you because she didn’t want you to feel hurt reading it. Our Zara is pure, innocent and all she’s ever wanted is love. You gave her hope… and now you’ve left her with nothing but pain.”
Reyansh placed a hand on Ishaan’s shoulder, trying to calm him, but Ayaan rose to his feet, raking a hand through his messy hair. He looked at all three of them, his eyes shadowed with exhaustion and frustration.
“You should all leave. I know you’ll take care of her. I’ll come back but for now, I need to be somewhere else.” he muttered and turned to go but Ishaan stepped in front of him again.
“This isn’t the right time, Ayaan. Suryadev’s watching every move we make. He knows that no one other than us could have taken his son. Stay low for a few days. Our men will handle Advik until then. You can see him once things cool down.” Ishaan warned him.
Ayaan exhaled sharply, his silence heavy with unspoken conflict, before turning away torn between his duty, his guilt and the woman waiting for him back home.
“We are not leaving you alone so stop thinking of going back to drinking starving and losing sleep again. Your dad and I are staying until you are ready to return home.” Vaishu said firmly but Ayaan shook his head.
“No, Mom. I want you to take care of Zara. You know she’ll refuse to eat or sleep unless someone forces her. Please… just go back. I don’t want to argue about this, or I swear I’ll leave the country.” he said and his words were final, leaving no room for protest.
Sighing in defeat, Vaishu exchanged a glance with Reyansh and Ishaan, then watched as Ayaan turned on the TV. The news channels were buzzing with updates on Advik’s kidnapping. A special report showed people across the country hoisting black flags in silent protest and one image caught Ayaan’s attention, a black flag flying proudly over Hari Narayan’s residence. Ayaan couldn’t help but chuckle and the others joined in, the unexpected sight briefly lightening the tension in the room. Picking up his phone, he called Hari Narayan.
” My PA’s been getting calls all morning, Ayaan. Reporters want my interview about the black flag protest. I haven’t responded to any of them ” Hari Narayan’s voice came through the line, calm but amused.
Ayaan smiled faintly. “Good grandpa, Stay that way until I say otherwise” he said and cut the call turning his attention back to his family.
“There’s no point in looking at my face. I’m not changing my decision, so you better plan your return,” he said flatly, opening his laptop to resume work.
Reyansh, Vaishu, and Ishaan exchanged weary glances and walked out of the room. Ishaan instructed his PA to arrange their return by the end of the day.
Left alone, Ayaan opened their wedding photos and stared at Zara’s radiant smile, the blush that lit up her face. “Your love is selfless. What did I ever do to deserve you? And yet, I was a fool to mess it all up… wasn’t I? How could you even think of yourself as a gold digger? You have every right to everything I own. What’s mine is yours and it was my decision that you should have it all. You think too much but I will come back soon and I hope by then, you will be clear in your decision, if you want a man like me in your life. You are pure, too innocent and deserve much better than a idiot like me but I would be happy if you still choose me. I would cherish you, I swear. ” he mumbled, rubbing his face with his palms.
That night, the family returned to the manor. Zara looked past them, her hopeful eyes searching for Ayaan but Vaishu’s gentle shake of the head said it all.
“He’s caught up with work, dear. But he’s fine and promised to be home soon. You should take care of yourself,” Vaishu said softly.
“We gave him the diary and he didn’t seem to be affected by it. He’s doing better and will return soon,” Reyansh added, patting her head reassuringly and Zara smiled faintly.
“He won’t come back because he knows you will all take care of me. I think I should go back to the villa. That’s the only way he’ll return”, Zara said and everyone objected at once but Zara clasped Reyansh and Vaishu’s hands, pleading. “Please let me go. He is giving me a choice in life and I want him to know that I m choosing him. I’ve lived alone for years and now at least there will be staff and security at the villa. I’ll go to the office and take care of myself. I just don’t want this distance to destroy us before we can fix things.”
Vaishu sighed understanding her point and nodded reluctantly. ” But you should call us frequently or I would show up immediately ” she said and Zara agreed to her words.
The next morning, Zara returned to the villa and resumed working from home. She stopped sending messages to Ayaan and decided to wait for him to respond. With no one around to remind her to eat or rest, she barely touched her food and spent nights sleepless but she made sure to call Vaishu.
At the office, Rohan entered with her usual coffee. But the moment Zara caught the aroma, nausea hit her hard. She rushed to the washroom and threw up violently. Rohan panicked, waiting outside. When she emerged, pale and exhausted, concern filled his face.
“Madam, you don’t look well. Please go home and rest. There’s nothing urgent today. I’ll inform sir that you aren’t feeling well ” Rohan said and Zara cut him off sharply.
” No Rohan, You’re my PA. You will not to pass any information about me to Ayaan, understood? Your loyalty stays with me.” she said and Rohan nodded quickly.
“Good. Now get back to work. I’m just tired and will be fine soon. Don’t disturb me unless I call for you,” she said, forcing a faint smile.
Rohan hesitated but obeyed, leaving her alone. Zara lay down in the relaxation room and exhaustion soon pulled her into a deep sleep.
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A/N:
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