Page 107 of Obsession
“We’ve spoken often enough in the last few weeks,” Vedant said. “You’ve deliberately avoided or deflected all our questions concerning the two of you.”
“Do you still suspect her of telling Ivan about Mrs. Braganza?” Armaan asked.
“No,” he sighed, “I don’t.”
And therein lay the crux of the problem. He hadn’t been able to speak about her to his brothers because he hadn’t been sure what to tell them.
Her adamant refusal to accept her fault in the events of the past still stung. At the same time, his heart refused to accept that the Anna he’d been with during those days in Moscow was capable of hurting anyone, much less him. He was confused, angry, and now was doubting everything he had believed for years.
A constant ache burned in his chest. It was his heart yearning for her. His house in Moscow had been empty without her. Like an absolute fool, he’d continued to sleep in her room, on the bed she’d slept in, and with the pillows she’d used, just so he could sleep with her scent on him.
He’d busied himself with work and the upcoming board meeting he was due to attend, but every so often, his heart would remind him of her and how much it craved her.
His heart and mind had been battling for a while now. His heart wanted him to reconcile with her and figure out a way forward with her. His mind, however, continued to warn him that she had hurt him once and could do so again. But then, his heart further rejected that, assuring him that she wouldn’t hurt him. That she wasn’t capable of hurting him.
Thus, he’d returned to Dubai, restless and troubled, not knowing what to do about her and everything he felt for her. But the second he spotted her standing at the entrance of the restaurant today, all his doubts had vanished. Their eyes had met across the distance, and his whole being had come alive.
She’d looked so good, dressed in a simple brown, short flowing skirt and a beige sleeveless top, with matching brown knee-length boots. Her hair flowed down her back, and the only makeup on her face had been the kohl lining her eyes and the bold shade of red on her lips. She was beautiful.
His entire focus had been on her ever since she’d sat next to him. Her voice, her scent… Everything about her called to that deep, integral part of him, stirring a longing that he could no longer deny. He’d been so damn lonely, his heart bereft, ever since she’d left Moscow. But now, suddenly, he felt whole again. He knew now, without a doubt, that Anna was the missing piece needed to complete him.
In the many years of being away from her, he’d never been really, truly, happy. He’d missed that spark of delight that came from being totally content with your life. But he’d felt all that once again in those few days he’d spent with her. Being with her, showing her around Moscow, introducing her to the food he liked, taking her to his father’s grave, having her by his side at the gala, dancing with her, making love to her, holding her in his arms when she slept, just simply watching her—all that had made him so happy. And he wanted to be happy again.
Thus, if the cost of his happiness came with knowing that maybe she’d tried to hurt him in the past for the sake of her sisters, then he was finally ready to accept that as well. What he couldn’t accept was living without her.
But there was something he needed to clarify with his brothers. Something that had been niggling at him for a while now.
“I have to ask you both something,” Mihir said. “It’s about Navya and Reina.”
Vedant and Armaan exchanged a look.
“What about them?” Armaan asked, taking a sip of his wine.
“Have either of them ever told you that they were once kidnapped? Around the same time I was attacked?”
Armaan and Vedant looked at each other again, clearly not sure what this meant.
“Why do you ask?” Armaan queried.
“I’ll explain, but first, can you please answer the question.”
Vedant frowned. “No, Reina’s never mentioned it.”
“Neither has Navya…” Armaan frowned. “I don’t think this is true. If it were, then Navya would have told me. We have no secrets.”
“Same,” Vedant agreed. “Reina’s shared everything with me, and if she hasn’t mentioned this, then it is not true. If she could tell me about being…”
Vedant clamped his mouth shut. Even Armaan looked into his glass, not meeting Mihir’s eyes.
Mihir clucked his tongue. “You can finish the sentence. I know they’re both adopted by the Mehras.”
“What?” Armaan choked. “How do you know?”
“I’ve always known, Armaan. You forget that seven years ago, I was in a very serious relationship with Anna. While I hadn’t confided much about my life to her, she told me everything about herself.”
“You never told us,” Vedant said.
“It was not my secret to tell,” Mihir said. “Besides, I knew that it wouldn’t have mattered to either of you, and also that the girls would confide in you eventually.”
