| Dark Devotion |

20

I R A

We had been walking for what felt like hours, and Amaira and Niti still hadn't satisfied their shopping thirst. My mother left a while ago once she had bought what she needed and desperately walked away from us; most likely from Rishabh, who wouldn't leave her alone.

Eventually, we decided to ditch the rest because I got too tired, and

Abhiman took me back to his hotel room.

I ran a bath, creating a mountain of bubbles while Abhiman ordered food. The moment I slipped down into the hot water, a sigh of pure bliss escaped my lips.

"Take a bath with me." I moved forward so he could sit behind me. I leaned against him, and instantly, his hands glided across my body to wash me.

"Jaan?" Abhiman broke the comfortable silence.

"Hmm?"

"We're leaving the day after tomorrow." He said, making me turn around to face him.

"Already?" I didn't even try to hide my disappointment. Deep down, I had hoped he would stay until Niti's and Rudransh's wedding, but I knew he couldn't.

"You're coming back with me." His brows furrowed when I shook my head.

"I thought we had already talked about it? I'll be there one week before the wedding."

"You think I'm going to leave you here when you're pregnant?"

"You're talking as if I'm in the middle of a war zone!" I gaped.

"You might as well be."

I wanted to roll my eyes at his exaggeration.

"Abhiman, trust me, I'll be fine. Besides, Lakshya will be with me." I argued . Gautam wasn't back yet; he was staying a bit longer in Portugal to make sure Laila would be safe. He saw this as the perfect chance to escape babysitting me and enjoy a mini vacation for himself.

I was happy that Laila kept her promise and updated me whenever she could. She had finally reunited with her family, and she promised she would get all the help she needed.

I wrapped my arms around Abhiman, giving him a sweet smile.

"It's only two weeks, then I will be there. I haven't had the chance to spend a lot of time with my mother." I told him. He said nothing, visibly unhappy about it.

"Permanently." Abhiman said after a while. "You're coming back permanently. We will find a home for us where you and our baby will be safe."

"You're expecting me to leave everything behind in two weeks' time?" I raised my brows in surprise.

"Yes." His expression told me he was dead serious about it. I took my lip between my teeth as I thought about it. I loved the idea of living with him, but two weeks was no time at all.

"How about we talk about this another time? I'm too hungry to have this conversation right now." I moved to get up, but Abhiman held my waist to stop me, and I was met with his intense gaze.

"It's not up for discussion, Jaan, but fine, another time." He gave me a quick kiss before he let me go. I let out a small sigh, knowing it was going to be one hell of an effort to convince him.

I was still in the bathroom, brushing my hair when I heard that room service had arrived.

"Good evening, Mr. Rajvansh. Are you still enjoying your stay with us?"

I stopped brushing my hair, frowning as I heard the sultry voice of a woman.

"Yes, is there anything we can do for your stay to be more...satisfying?" I let out a small gasp when I heard another woman.