Aayansh’s POV
The car moved steadily through the quiet road, but my mind was anything but calm.
Ruuh sat beside me, staring out of the window, lost somewhere far away. Her fingers were curled in her lap, shoulders slightly stiff. She hadn’t spoken since we left the house.
I knew that look.She wasn’t scared.
She was guilty.
Guilty for forgetting someone who had once stood between her and hell.
“Ruuh,” I called softly.
No response.
Her eyes stayed fixed on nothing, like she was replaying a life she didn’t remember living.
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel for a second, then reached out and took her hand, squeezing it gently. My focus stayed on the road, but my thumb brushed over her knuckles reassuringly.
She startled slightly and looked at me.
“I’m here,” I said quietly. “Don’t worry. I’m with you. Everything will be alright.”
She nodded, a small “hm” escaping her lips, but she didn’t pull her hand away. Instead, her fingers curled tighter around mine.
And I let her.
The rest of the drive passed in silence, but it wasn’t empty. It was heavy, filled with thoughts I couldn’t say out loud.
Who was he?
Why did he matter so much?
And why did the idea of him standing in front of her back then make my chest ache? And why now after so long?
When we finally reached the location, I parked the car and turned off the engine.
We got out together.
Her hand found mine instantly, like it knew where it belonged, and I held on just as tightly.
The place looked ordinary. Too ordinary for something like this.
A restaurant.Warm lights. Glass doors. A few people inside. Not crowded. Not empty.Safe.
Or at least… pretending to be.
We walked toward the entrance slowly.
At the door, Ruuh stopped.She took a deep breath, her grip on my hand tightening until I could feel the tremble she was trying to hide.
She looked up at me.Her eyes were searching. Asking. Are you really here?
I gave her a small nod. I’m not going anywhere.
Only then did she push the door open.
We stepped inside together.
I scanned the place immediately, faces, corners, and reflections in glass. My instincts were on high alert.
Whoever had called her back into her past…I didn’t trust him.
And no matter who he was, or what promise he once made I wasn’t letting her face him alone.
Ruuh’s phone buzzed suddenly in her hand.
She stiffened.I felt it through our joined fingers.
She answered the call, her voice steady but cautious.
“Hello?”
A pause.Then her shoulders tensed.
“Come to the last table in the corner,” a male voice said calmly. “I’m waiting.”
The call disconnected.
We exchanged a brief look before moving.
Her hand stayed in mine as we walked toward the far corner of the restaurant.
That’s when I saw him.
A man sat there alone, relaxed like he owned the place. Black T shirt. Clean, well groomed. Sharp eyes that lifted the moment we approached.
He looked… familiar.
Not to me.But to her.
He smiled when he saw Ruuh.
“Hi,” she said softly.
“Hi,” he replied, his smile widening. “You came. I thought you wouldn’t.”
I stepped forward before Ruuh could respond and held out my hand.
“Hi,” I said evenly.He hesitated.Just for a second.
Confusion flickered across his face before he finally looked at my hand.
Before he could say anything, Ruuh spoke.
“He’s Aayansh,” she said. “My boyfriend.”
Something changed in his expression.It was subtle.But I caught it.
The smile didn’t reach his eyes anymore.
“Oh,” he said after a brief pause.
Nothing else.Just oh.
He gestured toward the chairs. “Please, sit.”
I pulled the chair out for Ruuh and waited until she sat before taking the seat beside her.
He sat across from us.Too close.
I could tell from the way he watched her that this wasn’t just curiosity.
It was recognition.And maybe something darker.
I laced my fingers with Ruuh’s under the table, a quiet reminder.
She’s not alone.
Whoever this man was…I already didn’t like the way he looked at her.
And something told me,This meeting wasn’t about the past being remembered.It was about the past refusing to stay buried.
“Well,” he said casually, leaning back in his chair, eyes fixed on Ruuh,
“How are you, doll? It’s been a long time.”
I felt Ruuh’s fingers tense in mine instantly.
The word didn’t sit right.
“I’m… I’m good,” she replied after a second, her voice polite, controlled.
But I could tell. She was uncomfortable.
The way he said it wasn’t affectionate.
It was possessive.
Ruuh shifted slightly and spoke again, forcing steadiness into her voice.
“I’m sorry for not remembering you,” she said. “There are still so many gaps. I have questions… but first, can you tell me your name?”
He smiled, slow and knowing.“Oh,” he said lightly. “My bad. I should’ve introduced myself.”
He straightened a little.“Vikrant Malhotra.”
The name hit something in the air.
“I know you don’t remember everything,” he continued calmly. “But you do remember the boy who helped you, right?”
Ruuh nodded faintly.
“The day your brother” he paused, then corrected himself deliberately,
“Sorry. Your stepbrother was throwing stones at you.”
My grip tightened under the table.Ruuh’s breath caught.
“And a guy stepped in,” Vikrant went on, eyes never leaving her face. “Stopped him. Took you back safely.”
“Yes,” Ruuh whispered. “I remember that.”
His smile sharpened.
“That was me,” he said. “That was the first time we met.”
Silence settled over the table.
Ruuh looked shaken.
I felt something cold settle in my chest.Because this wasn’t just a memory.It was a claim.
And I had a feeling,This was only the beginning of what Vikrant Malhotra planned to remind her of.
Ruuh swallowed, then spoke softly, though her voice carried strength.
“Thank you,” she said. “For helping me back then.”
Vikrant nodded once.
“But,” she continued, lifting her eyes to meet him, “I still have a lot of questions.”
She hesitated only for a second.“Why now?” she asked. “Why did you come back after all these years?”
The question hung heavy between us.
“You knew who I was,” Ruuh said, her voice trembling just slightly. “You knew about my dads death. If you knew something was wrong… why didn’t you come to me then? Why didn’t you tell us about Papa’s accident?”
For the first time since we sat down, Vikrant’s expression changed.The smile faded.
Something darker replaced it.
He leaned back, exhaling slowly.“I wanted to come earlier,” he said finally. “I really did.”
He looked at Ruuh, serious now.
“After I told your father everything,” he continued, “about what was happening in that house… about how your mother and her new family were treating you he was furious.”
Ruuh’s hands clenched in her lap.
“But even the court needed proof,” Vikrant went on. “To get your custody back. So your father asked me to help him collect evidence.”
My jaw tightened.
“And that’s how your father won,” he said. “That’s how he got you back.”
Ruuh looked stunned.
“But my father found out,” Vikrant added quietly. “That I was helping your dad.”
I felt Ruuh stiffen.
“He sent me abroad,” Vikrant said. “Because if your mother or your stepfather found out I was involved… I wouldn’t have been safe.”
Silence.
“Five years later, I came back,” he continued. “Just to check. That’s when I found out your father had died.”
Ruuh sucked in a sharp breath.
“I used to talk to him,” Vikrant said softly. “Calls. Messages. He asked me to keep an eye on you mothers family because my family was close to them. so I did.”
My fists clenched under the table.
“But then,” he sighed, “your father met with that accident.”
Ruuh’s eyes were glassy now.
“After that, your health got worse,” Vikrant said. “Panic attacks. Nightmares. Fragmented memories.”
Ruuh’s breathing grew shallow.
“He once asked you about me,” Vikrant added. “You didn’t remember.”
My chest tightened.
“So he didn’t bring me up again,” he said quietly. “He was planning to introduce us properly the day I was coming back.”
His voice dropped.“But things didn’t go as planned.”
Ruuh wiped her eyes quickly.
“After that,” he continued, “your family sent you abroad. They thought distance would help.”
She nodded faintly.
“I went there too,” Vikrant admitted. “But when I saw your condition… I stayed away. I didn’t want to be another trigger.”
Ruuh’s lips trembled.
“And as for coming back now,” Vikrant said, his eyes sharpening, “I always doubted your father’s accident.”
I stiffened.
“But back then, your Bade papa and Chachu investigated,” he said. “They concluded it was an accident. So I stepped back.”
He paused.
“But when you returned… things started changing.”
My grip tightened on the chair.
“I never stopped watching your mother and her family,” he said calmly.
Then“On your brother’s wedding day,” Vikrant continued, “I was there.”
Ruuh froze.
“They were planning something,” he said. “I didn’t know what at first. But when I started digging…”
He met Ruuh’s eyes.
“I found a connection. To Riya.” that your step father is her uncle so i checked everything if Riya also had any connection to but she did not have Riya's father knew that they are not good people so he made sure Riya to stay away from them and gave her Guardianship to Singhaniyas he said while looking at me.
“And that led me to your father’s accident,”
Ruuh gasped.
he said slowly. “Doll… it wasn’t an accident.”
The color drained from her face.
“It was connected to your mother,” he said. “She was involved.”
Ruuh stood up abruptly, the chair scraping loudly.
“I…I need to go to the washroom,” she said, her voice breaking.
I stood instantly. “It’s okay,” I said gently. “Take your time.”
She nodded once and walked away quickly.
The moment she disappearedSilence fell.
It was just me and him now.
I leaned forward slowly, my eyes locked on Vikrant.“You better be telling the truth,” I said coldly.Because if you’re not This ends very differently.
I leaned forward, my voice low but dangerous.
“Then why didn’t you come to us directly?” I asked. “To her. To her family. Why all this drama?”
He scratched the back of his neck, suddenly looking far less confident.“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean for it to go this far.”
I laughed bitterly. “Sorry?” I repeated. “Do you have any idea what she went through because of this? She had a panic attack again. Do you even understand what you triggered?”
He looked away for a moment.
“I just wanted Doll to remember me,” he muttered. “I was… angry. That she forgot me. Forgot the promise she made.”
My jaw clenched.“So I thought,” he continued sheepishly, “maybe a little prank would help. I didn’t think it would affect her like this.”
That was it.I scoffed, pushing my chair back slightly.
“Are you a kid or what?”
His eyes snapped back to mine.
“And stop calling her Doll,” I said coldly. “She has a name.”
He smirked.
“I’ll call her Doll only,” he said casually. “What will you do about it?”
“You” I started, my temper snapping.
But he interrupted, leaning forward now, his tone smug.
“Do you know what promise we made?”
I froze.
“What promise?” I asked sharply.
His smile widened.
“The promise we made when we were kids,” he said. “Even her father knew about it.”
My blood ran cold.
“What are you talking about?” I demanded.He didn’t break eye contact with me.
“We promised,” he said slowly, deliberately, “that when we grow up… we’ll marry each other.”
“What?” I shouted, shooting up from my chair.
The word ripped out of my chest before I could stop it.
The sound echoed.And then I felt it.The shift in the air.
I turned.
Ruuh was standing there.Frozen.Her eyes wide. Her face was drained of all color.She had heard everything.
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