Her Dangerous Obsession

Chap 17 - A Wedding Proposal

Author’s POV

The Sharma household was gathered in the dining hall in the night, the aroma of freshly cooked dal and soft chapatis lingering warmly in the air.

Brass bowls gleamed faintly in the yellow light, the clink of steel spoons echoing gently.

From the outside, it looked like a picture of peace — a family sharing dinner, laughter waiting to rise with every passing second. Yet, beneath that surface warmth, one shadowed presence sat apart from it all.

Adhrit.

He sat silently at the corner of the long wooden table, his posture slouched, shoulders weighed down, as though carrying an invisible burden. His eyes, tired and hollow, were fixed on the plate before him. He moved his spoon absentmindedly, stirring the dal, tearing pieces of chapati, but hardly tasting anything.

His body was present. His soul wasn’t.

Each passing second dragged him back to the storm of the afternoon mess at restaurant. Anaisha’s face. Her words. His own anger, his hurt, his shattered trust.

Every moment replayed mercilessly, stabbing him with the sharpness of betrayal. The laughter they once shared, now mocked him — the moments he once cherished, now suffocated him.

Everyone could sense something was wrong with him. His silence was heavy, unnatural, too loud to ignore.

His mother, Mamta, glanced at him more than once, her brows knitted in worry. She tried to reason with herself — he must be tired from work, maybe a client meeting didn’t go well.

His elder sister Kriya nudged her elder brother, Arjun under the table, nodding discreetly toward Adhrit, but she too assumed, it was stress.

The Sharma family valued space, and so they didn’t push him. They respected boundaries, even when their hearts longed to intrude.

But Namish Sharma was not a man, who overlooked details — especially not in his son. A observant professor, he was trained to read silences, to weigh, what was left unsaid. And tonight, his gaze had been fixed on Adhrit, since the moment he sat down. 

There was a tightness in the boy’s jaw, his fingers trembled slightly every time he lifted his spoon, and his eyes… those looked like, they had fought a long war with sleep.

Breaking the uneasy silence, Namish set his spoon down, and spoke, as though recalling something trivial. "You know what, my old friend Bhaskar called me today."

The casual tone disguised his intent, but instantly, the air shifted at the table. All heads turned toward him. Mamta’s face lit up with surprise, her lips curving into a delighted smile.

"Bhaskar bhaiya?", she exclaimed, leaning forward eagerly. "After such a long time! What did he say?"

Her voice carried genuine excitement, the warmth of someone recalling family, she had cherished in younger days.

Namish’s lips stretched into a fond smile. "He’s doing well. Can you believe it? He’s one of the top lawyers in that country now. His daughter, Bani, has also followed in his footsteps. She’s practicing law too."

Mamta clasped her hands together. "Bani? Oh, really?", Her tone brimmed with nostalgia. "I still remember her running around in frocks during Diwali. She was such a cute, sweet little girl."

Namish chuckled softly. "Yes, she was. But now, she must have grown into a fine young woman. Pretty, sharp, and accomplished. And do you know, what Bhaskar said further?"

Mamta leaned closer, her curiosity alive in her eyes. "What?"

Namish’s gaze shifted, deliberately, to his youngest son. Mischief and something heavier lingered in his tone. "He asked for our Adhrit’s hand in marriage for his daughter Bani."