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Ever since Sanjana had entered his life, Aaryan looked more at ease. For years, he had blamed himself for the events ofthatnight when their parents had been cold-bloodedly murdered. The night they’d lost everything. He’d blamed himself for trusting Dev. For never seeing through his façade. Sincethatnight, Aaryan had become too quiet and withdrawn. His only mission was to protect their family and keep all of them safe. There’d been a darkness that haunted him, which had been slowly sucking the life out of him. But now, thanks to Sanjana, he looked brighter, happier, and more relaxed. Avantika was delighted for him.
Not just for him, she was delighted for all her brothers. She looked around at the rest of her family. Vihaan, younger than Aaryan by ten minutes, was standing next to his wife Tiya, and Shaurya, her third brother, had his arm around his wife, Myra, his palm resting on Myra’s growing belly. They were going to be parents in a couple of months.
Shaurya was their adopted brother. He wasn’t bound to them by blood, but was bonded to them by his heart.
Her chest soared, seeing all her brothers finally happy. They each had their own stories, and they each had faced difficulties in finding their own happiness. Their journeys had been hard, but each of them had found their destination with these lovely women she was proud to call as family.
“What does he even want with Avi?” Shaurya asked Sanjana.
Sanjana shook her head. “I wish I knew. But Dev refuses to tell me. I begged him to free Avi from the vow she made to him because of me. But he’s simply refusing to budge on this.”
A month ago, Dev had taken Sanjana away from Aaryan and had refused to return her until he met Avantika. Without her brothers’ approval, Avi had gone on to face her sinner.
On that day, she had promised Dev that she’d give him twelve days of her life. Twelve—one for each year they’d been apart, as per him. In exchange for that vow, he’d returned Sanjana to Aaryan and had promised to hand over all her family’s lands and assets back to her brothers. The same lands and assets that Dev’s father had ruthlessly stolen after killing Avi’s parents twelve years ago. He’d even promised to leave Dubai and never return once Avi fulfilled her bargain with him.
And hence, in order to get rid of Dev once and for all, she had no choice but to go tohim.
“Hewon’t hurt me,” Avantika said strongly.
“Somehow, that doesn’t sound reassuring at all,” Vihaan grumbled.
When Sanjana looked at him crossly, Vihaan raised his hands in the air. “Sorry, Sanjana. I have to say it as it is. We all know Dev’s your brother, and you think the world of him, but you also know what he did to us.”
Sanjana sighed. Avi was well aware that Sanjana’s belief in her brother was absolute, and she refused to see him for the villain he truly was. And Avi was okay with that.
Sanjana’s mother had died giving birth to her, and her father had blamed her for that misfortune all her life. Hence Dev, from a very young age, took over her responsibility. Sanjana was, thus, very close to her brother and thought the world of him.
Besides, Dev’s sins were not Sanjana’s to bear. In fact, Sanjana had been shipped off to Switzerland a day before Avi’s family had been attacked. Sanjana was completely innocent from the events of the past.
“Why can’t we tell him that you’re not doing this?” Myra asked.
“Then he won’t stop harassing all of us until he gets to her,” Tiya replied.
Vihaan scowled at Tiya, and she rubbed his forehead with her fingers. “Hey, don’t get mad at me. I’m not saying Avi should go to him. I’m just saying what will happen if she doesn’t.”
“We can protect her and each other,” Vihaan countered. “We’ve kept her safe for so long.”
Before Avantika could reply, the door to her house opened, and a young boy came inside. He dropped his football bag on the floor and rushed to her.
Neil…Her son. Her reason for staying alive.
He zipped straight to her and gave her a hug. “Hi, Mom.”
He was sweaty and dirty, but that didn’t stop her from holding him close and kissing his cheek. “How was your day, sweetheart?”
He grinned. “It was great. Coach says, my penalty shots are the best.”
Her heart warmed, looking at his dear, sweet face. He was all of eleven and was already taller than her. In a few years, he’d be even taller than his father. Her pulse skipped. His father—hersinner—Dev Luthra, who didn’t know this precious boy existed.
Neil spun around and went to greet the rest of their family.
Her brothers spoke to him about his football and his studies, while Tiya and Myra asked about his day and his friends. Finally, Neil went to Sanjana.
“Hi, Sanj,” he kissed Sanjana’s cheek. “The new Marvel movie is out on Hotstar. Can we watch it tonight?”
“Absolutely,” Sanjana agreed with a soft smile. She ruffled his hair. “Perhaps we can finally succeed in converting your Uncle Aaryan to a Marvel fan.”
Aaryan shook his head. “I still prefer DC over Marvel. Superman is the best.”
