“Y-you seem h-ha-happier. You always to-took on more r-res-responsibility than was yours, st-stubbornly insisting on putting m-more p-pr-pressure on yourself than n-necessary.”
“I’m notthatbad.”
Nanu’s rough chuckle brought a smile to her face as well.
“You’re my m-most p-precious child, Vera. M-my greatest g-gift. S-seeing you h-happy brings me p-p-peace.”
The tremor of emotion in his voice had Vera twisting her neck to look up at her grandfather. Old eyes, tired with age but brimming with love stared back at her.
“L-little M-master t-treats you well, d-doesn’t he?” Ambernath asked.
“Like I’m a princess," she replied softly.
Her confirmation had Nanu grinning wide. “He’s st-stubborn. L-like you.”
“He is.” She nodded. “Very.”
“He l-loves you.”
“He does,” she accepted with a fond smile. “Immensely.”
“And y-you love h-him.”
She did. Even if she’d never said the words out loud, she knew that she’d slowly and surely fallen in love with Vihaan once more.
“I. . . Nanu. . .” She sighed. “Is it ok if I’m scared to love him? With everything that happened before. . .”
“Y-you care for him—it is c-c-clear. B-but if y-you let f-fear win, you are n-not living the life y-you s-should be living. My Vera is n-not one who c-cowers. She conquers.”
Vera glanced at him, feeling so very loved when Nanu ran a tremulous hand over her forehead, smearing the remnant oil on his palm across her face by mistake. She laughed at his sheepish look, rising up to wrap her arms around his neck, hugging him like she used to when she was a young girl.
“I love you, Nanu. You’re my most favourite person in the entire universe, you know?”
“S-silly girl,” Ambernath mumbled, affectionately patting her back as best he could. “Y-you a-are always m-my f-favourite.”
It was late into the afternoon when Ambernath finally sighed, looking a little worn.
“Ready for a little lie-down?” Vera asked, pushing his wheelchair towards his bedroom. As they settled him into bed, Ambernath held her hand. “R-r-remember to l-let yourself l-live, beta. You a-are s-st-stronger than y-you know.”
“I will, Nanu.”
Vera pressed a kiss onto the sunken hollow of his cheek, promising him the same thing she’d been trying to work up her nerve to. She stepped out into the hallway, a small smile on her face. Nanu always believed that she could do anything she set her mind to. But howdid one control their emotions with their mind? If that were true, she’d have forgotten Vihaan over the years they’d been apart. Simply a few months in his company proven that wrong. To leave behind the pain of the past and old grievances was scary enough, especially since they’d been her crutch for so long. To open herself up and admit out loud that she loved Vihaan was terrifying.
“There you are.”
She looked up, startled to see the object of her thoughts walking towards her. She took a moment to appreciate what a handsome man he was, his long pant clad legs covering the distance between them with ease. His navy suit stretched taut across his impressive chest, his biceps flexing as he reached for the single button that held his coat together, releasing it with one hand in a move that felt like open seduction. She stared, until she realised what a fright she must seem—oily hair, pants muddied from kneeling in the grass—while he looked like he’d emerged from the pages of a magazine.
Embarrassed, she tucked a clumpy strand of hair back.
“I. . . What. . .”
Her words made no impact in slowing him down. He came right up to her but instead of stopping, his hands slid past her jaw, fingers spearing the hair at her nape. He tilted her head and before she could get a sound out, his lips were on hers.
She couldn’t hold back a soft moan when his tongue swept into her mouth, taking possession of her with an authority that made her body hum. His unabashed need for her, his clear and utter lack of awareness for anything or anyone else if she was in the room, made her feel so powerful, drunk on the knowledge that she held such sway over another. Over him. Her husband.
“Hi, Princess,” he husked, pecking the side of her lip before raising his head.
“Hi, Charming.”