| 'Time' Series: Book One |
| 'Time' Series: The Azar-Dogra-Sassoon Saga. |
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In "Secrets Hidden in Time," a riveting tale unfolds as Hinduja Rao...
Hinduja Rao was never someone you would notice at first glance, or even at second glance, for that matter, in her high school epoch. She was that quiet and introverted teenager with just above average grades, typical South Asia-specific facial features, average height, a straight twig-like body, and a negligible amount of participation in extracurricular activities other than a few poetry writing and debate competitions here and there. Her only striking facial features were her eyes-pitch midnight black eyes and that always calm and indifferent face.
At the age of thirty-two, his mother told him about a certain 25-year-old maiden named Hinduja Rao. His two-year-old son, Anirudh, was instantly smitten with her. The boy started blabbering 'mamma' while giggling in her dainty arms, completely engulfed in her motherly warmth at the very first glance, his little fingers playing with her black tresses. He noticed how she casually wiped his toddler's drool off with the end of her saree pallu, without even a hint of disgust or dislike etched on her face. In lieu of that, his son was smothered with kisses all over his chubby little face from the said woman. The father in him subconsciously had a wide smile etched on his visage that day---a genuine and profound smile.
The next time he saw her again was when she strutted into the dingy-looking marriage registrar office with her confident steps turning heads, in her direction, followed by her parents, her older brother, and two uniformed men with guns-her bodyguards assigned by the central government. She was dressed in a maroon khadi saree with a Chinese-collared elbow-length blouse, a pair of tiny gold studs in her ears, and her regular Kolhapuri flats-clad feet. Her feminine elegance, ramrod straight back oozing out confidence, and quiet beauty in that dingy little chaotic courtroom were not ignorable. Even while signing their marriage registry papers, her center of attention was Anirudh. And as far as that brat was considered, that little traitor had conveniently ditched him and made a run towards his 'mamma'.
Her brother, Commander Vijaypath Rao, a retired cardiothoracic surgeon from the Indian Navy who was one of the state's most sought-after cardiothoracic surgeons, was still skeptical about this entire setup.
Throughout their time in the marriage registrar's office, until she signed the papers, the thirty-six-year-old commander had calmly asked her multiple times, "Molu, think again. He already has a child from his previous marriage. It's not just about you two; that innocent child is in the picture too. Are you sure that you'll be able to manage everything, including the child? Are you absolutely sure about your decision?"
