Ayaan sat in his study with Sameer and Mithun, listening as Dario spoke. Dario was pleased as his business had flourished across the globe with Ayaan’s help, everywhere except Ayaan’s home country.
“Razaq found out we have been doing business and after our meeting with the diamond merchants, my profits have exploded. Most of Razaq’s customers have shifted to me, so he’s spiraling in his madness. He’ll try to get back at you. I’ve already informed my man inside Nafel’s circle to tell me immediately if he learns anything about Nafel’s plans against you.” Dario said and Ayaan smirked and leaned back in his seat, unfazed.
“I’ve only set the beginning. You’ll take it forward and wipe him out of the market completely. From this point on, we don’t speak unless it’s a life-threatening emergency,” Ayaan said.
Dario agreed and ended the call. Three months had passed since Ayaan partnered with Dario, and just as he had promised, their collaboration had begun crushing Nafel’s business.
Ayaan walked out of the living room and saw Zara. Six months pregnant now, she was nibbling on fruit while watching a movie. He sat beside her, took the fruit bowl from her hands and began feeding her gently. Things between them were still the same but Ayaan had learned to be patient with her.
“What about your plans for this week? I thought you had one today,” Zara asked.
Ayaan smiled hearing her words. Despite her lingering hurt, she still kept track of all his schedules and checked on him from Sameer during every trip. He couldn’t wait for the day she would forgive him completely. He missed her deeply, the quiet cuddles at night were the only thing that kept him sane.
Many times he had desired her, especially now, when she was glowing pregnancy. Her body fuller and softer in ways that made him crave her desperately. Cold showers were the only reason he remained in control.
And Zara… she craved him even more than she craved her tamarind and guava. She was slowly preparing herself to cross the bridge of hurt and betrayal. She no longer lashed out at him and that was a small progress.
Zara was scrolling through her phone when a photo of Ayaan and a young girl stopped her from scrolling further. The girl’s palm was resting boldly on his chest while he looked at her. It was clearly taken at the party he had attended the previous night at one of the minister’s homes. The girl was staring at him dreamily.
All the hurt and pain Zara had buried surged back with a violent rush. Her chest tightened and anger flooded through her. Without a word, she turned the screen toward him.
Ayaan frowned as he looked at the photo and simply shook his head.
“That was from last night. I was leaving when she suddenly stumbled and fell on me. The guards rushed in and pulled her away immediately, that’s all. Someone has framed the picture to make it look different. I’ll have Sameer check on it,” Ayaan explained but Zara only shook her head, her mood swing rising at the worst possible moment.
“You always have a reason and a perfect explanation to justify yourself Ayaan ” she mocked him in her voice sharp.
Ayaan felt her words cut deep. “Zara, I don’t talk to any woman unnecessarily. And if I ever have to do even for business, I keep a respectful distance. I don’t get involved with women or their scandals. I know my life and you are always on my mind. I only think about, you’re my wife.”
Zara shook her head bitterly. “Of course. I’m the wife of the great Ayaan Rey Badrinath, who married me for revenge.”
She walked up the stairs, anger burning through her. Ayaan followed her to the room and caught her wrist.
“Zara, I have told you countless times that I did want revenge at first. But I fell in love with you. My love is real, my revenge is not. What do I have to do to prove that you are the only one in my heart?” he asked and Zara turned to him, tears spilling down her cheeks.
“Only me? What about your girlfriend? I never had a problem with you having loved someone in the past. I’m mature enough to know that I can still have all of you. I was happy just to be part of your life and make my own space in your heart.” she said, pulling her hand away and wiped her tears as she sat on the bed.
Ayaan let out a bitter laugh. “Yes, my girlfriend, the same girl who wanted me dead?” he said and Zara froze, staring at him in shock.
Ayaan continued to talk, his voice was low but trembling with buried pain, “Since you’ve opened this, let’s finish the only thing we never discussed. May be we would finally get over everything that is stopping us. Mom said you read her diary. And if you really did, how could you believe I would be still be lost in thoughts of the same woman who tried to kill me? The woman who betrayed me with another man for power? Who played with my family for years?”
He took a breath, rage and sorrow blurring together.
“I read the diary, Zara. It hurt me like hell but I forced myself to read line by line. I let every word kill whatever love I had felt for her. You were right, most people find a second love that becomes their last and maybe they still carry their first love’s memories… but how could I? After knowing she pretended with me for power?” he asked and his voice cracked.
“I’ll be honest. I could have forgiven her for breaking my heart, maybe even for wanting me dead. But she played with my family’s emotions. She was involved in the plan to kill my mother. That… I will never forgive. I don’t feel anything for her now. She is lucky that she is dead already, because if she were alive, I would have killed her myself. I would have tortured her to death for playing and hurting my family, that lucky bitch.” Ayaan snarled and Zara’s breath hitched.
“Look at me, I cried over her for years without knowing the truth. And then God sent you to me… but I failed to cherish you. Now I’m trying everything to win you back and I’m failing in every attempt. Maybe I don’t deserve to be alive. My family wouldn’t have suffered all that pain… and maybe if she had succeeded in her plan to kill me, you wouldn’t have to see me every day and feel guilty for not forgiving me.” he whispered in his broken voice.
Zara’s eyes widened hearing his words and his pain felt like a sharp stab in her chest.
“I’m sorry, Zara. Truly. I have said everything I can. I’ll be patient. And I will do anything you say but please don’t stress yourself ” he said and without waiting for her reply, Ayaan entered the closet to get changed.
Zara hated herself for hurting him again. She cried silently, pulling the sheet over her head. Ayaan watched her body tremble beneath the covers and knew she was crying because she had wounded him once more.
He gently pulled the sheet away from Zara’s face. “Please stop crying. Come… let’s have lunch,” he said softly.
Zara went into the washroom to compose herself. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, shame tightening her chest.
“How do I even look at him after hurting him again? I promised I would stand by him in everything… but I keep failing and I have tortured him for months. How do I face him now?” she whispered to herself.
After refreshing, she walked out. They sat at the dining table and the maids served the food. Ayaan didn’t try to feed her this time, not knowing if she would be comfortable but he made sure her plate had everything she liked and poured juice into her glass with quiet care.
Zara’s guilt deepened, her appetite fading completely.
Ayaan’s phone started ringing and seeing Sameer’s name, he answered immediately and turned his attention to Zara.
“I’ve got a call so I’ll be in the study. Call me if you need anything. And please… please finish your lunch wifey “ he said before quickly finishing his meal and heading to his study.
Zara barely touched her food and pushed it around her plate before giving up. She only finished the juice he had poured for her and quietly returned to their room. Lying on the bed, she stared at their wedding portrait, both of them smiling at each other with a purity that now felt distant.
Meanwhile, Ayaan immersed himself in the study, reviewing the latest report from Sameer and the team working at the ground level. The survey showed significant shifts in public opinion across the country after Vaishu joined the opposition. Ayaan was pleased with the progress that the people clearly wanted a change in the government. But he wanted more. He wanted the graph to rise to a point where the entire nation rejected Suryadev completely.
He sat with his team on call, planning the next steps. They discussed collecting detailed public feedback about expectations for the constitution and categorizing each point on a scale of importance from 1 to 10. He instructed Sameer to identify political campaign organizations and schedule a meeting as soon as possible.
He paused only once to have dinner. He arrived at the dining and saw Zara waiting for him quietly. He served her food, making sure she had everything and waited patiently until she finished eating.
“I will be leaving early in the morning and I’ll try to be back in time to have dinner with you,” he told her.
Zara nodded silently. After dinner, Ayaan returned to the study to continue his work, while Zara waited for him, determined to stay awake and apologize for everything. She sat on the couch instead of the bed, hoping the discomfort would keep her alert but exhaustion won and she drifted off to sleep.
Late into the night, Ayaan finally returned to their room. He saw her curled up on the couch, fast asleep. Without disturbing her, he gently lifted her in his arms, carried her to the bed, removed his shoes and lay beside her. He managed only two hours of sleep since he had to leave before dawn.
At 3 a.m., he got ready quietly. Before leaving, he leaned down, pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Zara woke up to the soft morning light slipping in through the curtains. For a moment her hand reached out beside her, instinctively searching for Ayaan’s warmth. But soon realized she had fallen asleep waiting for him.
She sat up slowly and noticed a folded note placed neatly on the nightstand. She picked it up and her chest tightened as she recognized his handwriting.
” I had to leave early. Please take care of yourself and have breakfast on time.
I’ll try my best to be back for dinner. I love you.
— Ayaan”
Her fingers lingered on the paper and guilt pricked her. She shouldn’t have fallen asleep, she thought. She wanted to apologize, to tell him she trusted him, to tell him yesterday’s anger came from fear, not doubt.
“Come back soon,” she whispered into the empty room, wishing he could hear her through the quiet walls.
“Today… when he comes home, I’m going to make things right. I’ll forgive everything, every misunderstanding, every scar we gave each other. I can’t bear this distance anymore. We’ve hurt enough… drifted enough. I want a fresh start… just for us. A clean and fresh start for the two of us.” Zara whispered to herself, clutching the note her heart, her eyes stinging with tears she refused to shed.
“I love you, Ayaan, and I’m going to tell you. I’m going to fix us.” she whispered into the quiet room, the confession finally slipping free.
Ayaan reached the college with his thoughts still circling around Zara. He paused outside the auditorium, drew a steadying breath and stepped inside. The hall was packed, students waiting with eager eyes. Once he began his lecture speaking about self-confidence, resilience and strength, his voice grew firm. He answered every question patiently, encouraging healthy discussion, igniting a spark in them to dream bigger and achieve more.
By the time the session ended, the students applauded him warmly. Ayaan walked out with his guards forming a protective circle as he headed toward the car. He glanced at Sameer, who immediately smiled.
“Madam called, she wanted to make sure you reached safely… and to confirm the guards are with you.” Sameer said and Ayaan’s heart fluttered that she still cared.
They reached the airport, where the media had gathered as usual, waiting for a statement from him. Ayaan had always avoided them, but today he felt different. Today, he didn’t want to hide.
He opened the door to step out but Sameer quickly held him back. “Sir, madam gave strict instructions. You must board the jet immediately after the session.”
“I know, but I can’t keep running like a coward. Just five minutes. I’ll finish and leave.” Ayaan said quietly and before Sameer could argue, Ayaan stepped out of the car. But he didn’t even reach the media line when a sharp gunshot cracked through the air.
The crowd screamed. His guards reacted instantly, pushing him to the ground and forming a shield, but the bullet had already struck, tearing through his arm.
Back at home, Zara had been waiting restlessly, refreshing her phone again and again, hoping students had posted pictures from Ayaan’s lecture. But instead of his smile, she saw breaking news.
” Billionaire business tycoon Ayaan Rey Badrinath shot at airport “
Her scream tore through the room, the phone slipped from her hand and she collapsed, losing consciousness.
*****************************
A/N:
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