Unexpected Horizons

(3)

Mine

**Sixteen Years Ago**

The rain was relentless that night, hammering against the windows of the old family mansion like a torrent of unspoken grief. Reyansh stood in the dimly lit hallway, the weight of the world pressing down on his shoulders as he stared at the closed door in front of him. Behind that door lay his wife, Natasha—pregnant with their first child, a child he had hoped would bring light to the dark corridors of his life.

When Reyansh was just 20, life as he knew it was abruptly shattered. His father, the pillar of both their family and their thriving business, passed away unexpectedly, leaving behind a legacy that Reyansh was far from prepared to shoulder. At the time, Reyansh was studying abroad, immersed in his own world of academic pursuits and the dreams of a young man who had yet to face the harsh realities of life. But with the devastating news, he found himself on the next flight back to India, burdened with the weight of responsibilities he had never anticipated.

Upon his return, he was thrust into a world of boardrooms and balance sheets, of decisions that would make or break the empire his father had built. The business, once thriving under his father's leadership, was now teetering on the brink of collapse. Competitors circled like vultures, eager to take advantage of the young and inexperienced heir. For the first time in his life, Reyansh felt the crushing pressure of expectations—from his grieving family, from the employees who relied on him, and from the society that watched his every move, waiting for him to fail.

Those first two years were the hardest of his life. He faced loss after loss, struggling to keep the business afloat while learning on the job, often the hard way. The sleepless nights, the endless meetings, the mounting debts—it all took a toll on him. But despite the challenges, Reyansh refused to give up. He knew that if he failed, everything his father had worked for would be lost. He pushed himself beyond his limits, determined to honor his father’s legacy, even as he lost pieces of himself along the way.

It was during this tumultuous period that Natasha's father, a long-time friend and business associate of Reyansh’s father, stepped in. Mr. Khanna had always been a supportive figure, offering advice and guidance when Reyansh was at his lowest. But now, he came with a different proposal—one that would change the course of Reyansh's life forever.

One evening, after a particularly grueling day at the office, Mr. Khanna invited Reyansh to his home for dinner. Reyansh, too exhausted to refuse, accepted the invitation, unaware of the conversation that awaited him. Over dinner, Mr. Khanna spoke of the challenges Reyansh was facing and expressed his admiration for how he had handled them so far. But then, he presented a solution—marriage.

Natasha, Mr. Khanna's daughter, was to be married to Reyansh. The union, Mr. Khanna explained, would not only strengthen the ties between their families but also provide the support Reyansh desperately needed. In exchange, Mr. Khanna promised to invest in the business, offering financial backing and strategic guidance to help Reyansh stabilize the company.

Reyansh was stunned. He hadn’t expected this. Marriage had been the furthest thing from his mind, and he knew little about Natasha other than the fact that she was beautiful and well-educated. But with the business in such dire straits, and with his family’s future on the line, he felt cornered. He couldn’t refuse Mr. Khanna's offer without jeopardizing everything he had been fighting to save. And so, reluctantly, he agreed.

It wasn’t until a few days before the wedding that Natasha revealed a secret that shook Reyansh to his core. She was pregnant. The father of the child was someone she had been involved with before the marriage was arranged, but the relationship had ended abruptly. Reyansh was furious, not with Natasha, but with the situation he found himself in—trapped in a marriage he hadn’t wanted, now complicated by a child that wasn’t his.

But despite his anger and frustration, Reyansh kept his promise. He married Natasha, knowing that it was his duty to protect the family name and the business. He vowed to be a good husband and to raise the child as his own, though the situation weighed heavily on his heart. The marriage was one of duty and obligation, not love, and it was something Reyansh would carry with him, a constant reminder of the sacrifices he had made to fulfill his responsibilities.

And so, at just 22, Reyansh found himself bound to a life he had never imagined—one of constant struggle, compromise, and unfulfilled dreams. Yet through it all, he remained steadfast, driven by a promise he had made to his father and the legacy he was determined to protect.

The marriage had been one of duty, not love—a decision made in the shadow of Responsibilities burdening on his shoulders. Marrying Natasha had been a way to solidify alliances, to ensure the business stayed in the family’s control. She had been kind, patient, and understanding, but their relationship had always been more business arrangement than romance offering her the security she needed for her unborned child.

Now, as the sounds of the storm outside mixed with the muffled cries from within the room, Reyansh felt a wave of helplessness crash over him. The doctors had been inside for hours, their voices urgent, their expressions grim. He had been told to wait outside, to let them do their work, but every second felt like an eternity.

His thoughts drifted to his father—a man of stern discipline, who had built their business from the ground up with an iron fist. When he passed away, Reyansh had vowed to honor his legacy, to become the man his father had always wanted him to be. But standing there, his future uncertain, he couldn’t help but wonder if his father’s vision had robbed him of the life he might have had—the life he had once dreamt of as a boy.

Suddenly, the door creaked open, and the doctor stepped out, his face pale and drawn. Reyansh straightened, his heart pounding in his chest.

“Mr. Malhotra, I’m sorry…”

The words hit him like a physical blow. The doctor’s voice faded into the background as Reyansh struggled to process the reality of what had just happened. Natasha—his wife, the mother of his unborn child—was gone. She had died in labor, and the baby, a daughter, was alive but premature, fighting for her life in the nursery.

He felt the world spin around him, the walls closing in. The mansion that had once seemed so grand now felt like a prison, trapping him in a life he no longer recognized. A life that had taken everything from him, leaving him alone with a newborn he wasn’t sure he was ready to raise.

Hours later, Reyansh found himself in the hospital nursery, staring down at the tiny, fragile life that was now his responsibility. She was so small, so delicate, her little chest rising and falling with each shallow breath. He placed his hand gently on the glass, his vision blurred by tears he didn’t even realize he was shedding.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, his voice cracking. “I don’t know how to do this. But I promise, I’ll try. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you. I won’t fail you.”

In that moment, he made a vow—not to his father, not to the business, but to the little girl who had just lost her mother. He would be there for her, no matter what. He would become the father she needed, even if it meant burying his own pain, his own dreams, deep within himself.

And so, Reyansh began a new chapter in his life—one defined by duty, sacrifice, and an unyielding determination to shield his daughter from the harsh realities of the world, even as he struggled to navigate them himself. The boy who had once dreamt of love and warmth was gone, replaced by a man who had learned that life was rarely kind, but who was determined to rise above the darkness, for her, only her.

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