The next day, the whole family planned to return home. Reyansh and Vaishu insisted that Ayaan and Zara stay at the manor for a few days but Ayaan politely refused and returned to the villa with Zara. Reyansh didn’t push further since everyone had witnessed how much had changed between the couple at the hospital. Besides, Ishaan had already arranged for a doctor to visit the villa daily to check on Ayaan.
The family arrived at the villa and gathered in the living room. A heavy silence settled as Ayaan looked toward the CSO and Sameer, both were standing as if awaiting permission to speak.
“Sir, the man who had been arrested is a member of the ruling party. He confessed that he acted alone because he believed madam and the entire family were a threat to Suryadev and the party’s position in the upcoming election. We checked his home and bank accounts for any indication of payment for the assassination attempt, but there was nothing. In fact, his family is living in extreme poverty. His children work on farms just to put food on the table.” the CSO said and Ayaan’s jaw tightened as he absorbed the information.
“If his family is that poor and his children are working for food… how did he afford a pistol? What model was it?” he asked and his eyes was sharp as he asked the question.
“We are still awaiting for the details from the police department. Also I have collected the bullet from the hospital to check on it too. ” the CSO replied carefully.
Vaishu’s breath hitched and her eyes filled with tears. “Did I do the right thing by returning to politics?” she whispered and Reyansh immediately reached for her hand and squeezed it firmly.
“Mom, this was expected and nothing went wrong. In fact, what happened gives us the upper hand. Our campaign now has the strongest ground to expose Suryadev. I’m certain he is behind this, maybe not directly, but his shadow is everywhere. We shall uncover the truth… and he will pay for messing with us.” Ayaan said gently yet firmly and Vaishu nodded weakly, though worry still clouded her face.
“Ayaan, you should rest now,” Zara said softly, breaking the tension.
Ayaan rose to his feet and despite the seriousness of the discussion, his eyes softened when they met hers. The family took their leave and Zara held Ayaan’s hand as if he had struggle to walk. Ayaan happily used the opportunity, wrapping his arm around her and walked slowly, trying hard to hide his smile.
Halfway up the steps, Zara stopped and turned to him with a suspicious frown.
“Your arm is hurt, not your leg. Why am I helping you walk?” she asked.
Ayaan chuckled at her tone. “Actually… I still feel a little dizzy from the medicine. So I think you should support me, Zara,” he said, pretending to wobble as he rested his head dramatically on her shoulder.
Zara clicked her tongue and gently tugged his ear playfully as they walked into the room still holding hands.
The moment the door closed, Ayaan pulled her into a gentle hug, careful with her bump between them. “I missed you,” he murmured against her shoulder and Zara smiled softly patting his back.
Zara gently removed the arm sling and helped Ayaan slide out of his shirt. Her fingers brushed the bandage and she paused, looking up at him with concern clouding her eyes. Ayaan understood her unspoken question and shook his head immediately, assuring her it didn’t hurt.
She carefully helped him put the sling back on and guided him to sit against the headboard. Once he was comfortable, she called the home manager to bring their lunch to the room. Zara fed him slowly, making sure he didn’t strain his arm.
Ayaan couldn’t take his eyes off her, he watched her as if he was memorizing every detail. Zara felt her cheeks flushed under his intense gaze.
“You look beautiful Zara, I have waited all these months just to sit here like this and tell you how beautiful you are.” he murmured, leaning forward to kiss her cheek softly.
Zara lowered her gaze, flustered and fed him the rest of the meal in silence. Once he finished, she gave him his medicines and stayed beside him until he drifted into sleep. Only then did she quietly pick up her laptop and begin going through the emails Rohan had sent her.
Her phone buzzed and without waking Ayaan, Zara stepped onto the balcony to take the call.
“Madam, that girl from the photo has issued a statement. She explained it was an accident and I gave her the real video, where she stumbled into sir. She clarified that someone tried to tarnish sir’s reputation. All the photos have been taken down, and she has apologized.” Sameer said and relief washed over Zara as the photo was going viral. She thanked him softly and returned to the room, closing the balcony door behind her as she glanced at Ayaan sleeping peacefully.
In the evening, Ayaan and Zara walked slowly through the garden, their fingers intertwined. When Zara grew tired, they settled onto the swing and she leaned into his shoulder with a soft sigh. Ayaan glanced down at her hand resting protectively over her bump and gently placed his hand over hers.
“That night… I was just angry when I saw the photo, My mood swings didn’t help either. I regretted every word I said. I wanted to apologize, so I waited on the couch… but I must have fallen asleep. And when I woke up, you were gone. I missed you so much, Ayaan. I kept waiting for you to come back so I could say sorry. But the moment I saw the news… I felt like I lost everything. I was scared, Ayaan. Too scared.” she said and her voice trembled
Ayaan stroked her back gently and pulled her closer. “Nothing is going to happen to me, I won’t leave you alone in this life. We have suffered too much to end up with a short story. We shall die only after seeing our great-grandchildren running around us ” he murmured and pressed a tender kiss to her temple.
Zara lifted her head with tears glistening in her eyes. Ayaan cupped her face and wiped them away with his thumb before placing soft kisses on her eyelids. His gaze slowly dropped to her lips and he swallowed hard as desire curled in his chest.
Zara, almost unconsciously, bit her lower lip and Ayaan’s breath hitched. He gently freed her lip with his thumb, then leaned back slightly pulling himself away before he acted on the urge to kiss her without knowing if she was ready for such closeness again.
Zara changed into a loose shirt and night pants, then lay on the bed. Ayaan was still sitting against the headboard, watching her quietly.
“You’ve taken your medicines, Ayaan. You should sleep. Why are you still sitting? Don’t tell me you are planning to work,” she warned and Ayaan shook his head immediately.
“No, Zara. I’m not planning to work though I’m perfectly fine to do. I just… have something to ask you.” he said and Zara frowned, confused but attentive and nodded for him to continue.
Ayaan lowered his gaze for a moment before he spoke in a soft voice. “Since the day we found out about our babies… you let me cuddle you but otherwise, I have never really gotten to touch them except during the scan one time. Zara… can I look at them? And touch them… not just over your shirt?” he mumbled, almost shy and reluctant.
Tears welled in Zara’s eyes instantly. She hadn’t realized how deeply he had been yearning, how much he felt she had deprived him of these moments and she nodded, unable to speak.
Ayaan’s lips curved into a relieved, emotional smile. He gently lifted her shirt and his breath caught as her bare bump came into view. His eyes turned moist and his hands trembled slightly as he placed his palms on her warm skin.
He closed his eyes and felt overwhelmed as he felt their babies move beneath his touch.
Zara reached out and wiped a tear that escaped down his cheek with her thumb. Ayaan opened his eyes and looked at her with gratitude shining in them.
“Thank you,” he whispered and leaning down slowly, he pressed a tender kiss to her bump.
“I love you both,” he murmured to the babies and felt a kick that made him chuckle. He moved up and placed a soft, lingering kiss on Zara’s forehead as if sealing the moment in his heart.
“You don’t have to seek my permission, Ayaan,” she whispered and Ayaan nodded softly. He lay down beside her and Zara shifted closer, resting her head on his chest. His breath rose and fell unsteadily, overwhelmed by the simple miracle of having her in his arms again with everything fixed between them.
No words were spoken. They simply existed in each other’s warmth, letting the silence mend what the months had broken and soon drifted into a peaceful sleep.
In the morning, Ayaan woke up to find Zara’s face inches from his. Her lips were gently parted, soft and inviting. Her bosom rested against his arm…..fuller with pregnancy and his morning hormones tugged mercilessly at his restraint. For a moment he felt the urge to steal a soft kiss, but he forced himself to look away, shaking his head and swallowed hard to steady his thoughts.
Zara had already woken and was watching him silently, amused by the play of expressions on his face.
“What happened?” she asked and Ayaan jolted at her voice.
“N–nothing… I just woke up and wanted to use the washroom, but I didn’t want to disturb your sleep,” he replied quickly, trying to mask the truth.
Zara shifted back a little to give him space to get up. Ayaan pressed a quick peck to her cheek before escaping to the bathroom. Once inside, he shut the door and took a deep breath, leaning back against it to calm his racing senses.
Zara had noticed it three times and each time Ayaan would lean close, each time his eyes softened toward her lips but and then he pulled back.
She didn’t understand why he held back when his heart clearly reached for her?
“What was running through his mind? ” she thought and laid on the bed lost in those thoughts. After breakfast, she walked into the study and found Ayaan and Sameer in a serious discussion.
“Sameer, no work, no meetings for the next two days. Go back to your family and handle everything from home.” she said firmly and Sameer immediately smiled and nodded towards Ayaan before he stepped out of the room.
Zara walked straight to Ayaan and sat on his lap. He instinctively wrapped his arm around her to support her gently, carefully and protectively.
“You’re too bad, Mr. Ayaan. I’ll tell Mama and Papa that you don’t listen to me. Or… should we shift to the manor instead?” she complained softly and Ayaan looked at her, amused and completely entertained by her playful scolding.
“I haven’t done anything… or given you anything to complain about. Now tell me, what do you want, Zara?” he asked brushing his thumb along her arm.
Zara shook her head with a soft smile, “You’ve already given me everything…..a family and your love. I don’t need anything else.” she replied and flicked his nose gently with her finger. Ayaan caught her hand and his eyes softened with an emotion he didn’t put into words.
“You deserve everything, sweetheart, so tell me any wish, somewhere you want to visit, something you want to buy, anything you want to eat? I’ll take you to any part of the world. I’ll buy you anything. Just name it and it’s yours.” Ayaan said brushing his knuckles along her arm.
Zara leaned her head on his shoulder feeling thoughtful and shy.
“I do have some wishes…but I doubt you can fulfill them.” she admitted softly and Ayaan arched a brow feeling half offended and half amused.
“When I started working, there was a tiny chaat shop nearby. The grandpa there used to make the tastiest snacks. It’s been years and I haven’t eaten anything from there.” Zara said and hesitated for a moment, then whispered the second wish like it was something fragile.
“And I wanted to… watch a movie in a theatre. But that’s impossible. We can’t step outside without atleast twenty guards. With all the security, people and the media will swarm, its impossible. The whole theatre will probably shut down just because we walked in.” She groaned in frustration and Ayaan chuckled, shaking his head at her dramatic complaint.
“I never told you this, but Dad used to take all of us on long drives at night. We would stop at a tiny roadside shop and eat kulfi together. I think Ishaan bro and Pari still go there sometimes.” Ayaan began said and Zara looked surprised.
“There is nothing we can’t make happen, sweetheart especially when it’s something you’ve asked for,” he said and he leaned forward to place a soft kiss on her cheek.
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A/N:
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