Her Dangerous Obsession

Chap 10 - A Precious Gift

Author’s POV

Anaisha first looked at the gift box, which Adhrit gave her, and then at Adhrit himself.

Her gaze lingered on his face for a few extra seconds, before she finally tore her eyes away and unwrapped the paper with a mix of curiosity and mild nervousness. The moment her eyes fell upon gift inside the box, her heart skipped a beat.

There was candle holder inside it. It was simple yet striking — a heart-shaped candle holder, carved delicately, and within that hollow heart, sat a small sculpture of a mother holding her daughter lovingly.

The design was not extravagant, nor studded with diamonds like the things, she was usually surrounded with. It was subtle, meaningful, almost too intimate for her arrogant nature.

Anaisha’s lips parted in surprise. The candle holder wasn’t just an object — it carried a weight, an emotion, a longing ,she had buried deep within herself.

She had never seen her mother in person. She had only grown up with her pictures, her father’s stories, and her brother’s efforts to fill that void.

She always told herself, that she didn’t need to miss her mother — because Pranay and Jeet had ensured, she never felt unloved. But staring at that sculpture now, she realized she had always missed her. Perhaps more than she ever allowed herself to admit.

For the first time in years, Anaisha felt her throat tighten. She gently traced her fingers over the tiny carved daughter’s face, as if she were caressing her own childhood, a version of herself, that had always yearned for a mother’s touch.

She was lost in the sculpture’s beauty, when Adhrit’s hesitant voice broke her trance.

"What happened… you didn’t like it?", he asked, his tone unsure, his eyes betraying a flicker of nervousness.

Anaisha blinked, snapping out of her thoughts, and looked at him. He was standing there, his shoulders stiff, lips pressed into a worried line, like he had made the biggest mistake of his life by choosing this gift. The uncertainty in his eyes pierced something inside her.

Before she could stop herself, she placed the gift gently on the table and stepped closer. Without giving him a chance to react, she wrapped her arms tightly around him.

Adhrit froze at his place. His breath hitched, as Anaisha hugged him — too tightly, too suddenly. His arms remained stiff by his sides, his heart hammering against his ribs in shock.

He could smell the faint trace of her perfume, warm and intoxicating, and yet he stood motionless, trying to process what had just happened.

He has always been an introvert person, always maintaining his distance from others, and mostly avoiding physical touches, hence, this kind of situation was as awkward for him like always. 

Anaisha tightened her grip on him, then, in a muffled whisper, she said, "I just loved it. This is my best gift till date."

Adhrit’s chest loosened with a sigh of relief. His nervous heart calmed for a moment. Only he knew the kind of mental storm he had gone through, while deciding what to give her.

She was Anaisha Mehrotra — daughter of one of the most influential politician, sister of most richest businessman, and a capable woman, who could buy whatever she wanted. What could a middle-class boy like him possibly gift her?

But his upbringing had taught him something — when someone gives you something, you don’t measure it in terms of money, you give something back with thought.

It wasn’t about matching her, it was about the sincerity. And so, he had remembered the one personal thing Anaisha had shared — that her mother was no longer in this world — which made him soft towards her.