Crave: The Blood Oath

Chapter 7 - The truth

Aaravi sat in the majestic expanse of Rian's grand, exquisitely appointed office. The room, adorned with luxurious furnishings and rich decor, seemed to amplify the gravity of the moment. She had been waiting patiently for ten minutes as Rian handled an urgent call from Edward, which had interrupted their meeting as soon as they arrived. Despite his engagement in the call, Rian's piercing gaze never wavered from Aaravi, scrutinizing her every movement with a calculating eye.

"I'll address this later, Ed. I'm currently occupied in some serious issue," Rian stated with a commanding tone, ending the call quickly.

Aaravi adjusted her posture as Rian placed his phone on the desk, the finality in his actions underscoring the seriousness of their conversation.

"Will you please tell me now why we are here and let us go?" Aaravi asked softly, her voice trembling with fear.

"You are my brother's wife, and your son's life is in danger. That's why you're here," Rian said, his tone direct and unwavering.

"What? No, you're wrong. I can't be your brother's wife. My Riyansh has no family. You must be mistaken," Aaravi said, her face contorted in disbelief. She was overwhelmed by a paralyzing fear, her mind struggling to reconcile the truth with the life she had known. Riyansh had always claimed to be an orphan.

"I am never mistaken, and it's not my fault that my brother hid the truth from you," Rian replied, his voice cold and unyielding.

"But sir, please believe me. Riyansh could never lie to me," Aaravi pleaded, her voice quavering. "We met in the orphanage; he worked as a teacher and lived in a small, broken house. Why would he lie to me if he really is your brother?" Her eyes were wide with terror and confusion, desperately searching for a resemblance of the reality she had once trusted.

Rian took a file from the drawer and tossed it towards Aaravi with a grim expression.

"What is this?" Aaravi asked, her voice tinged with confusion and anxiety.

"Open it," Rian instructed. As he was about to light a cigar, he noticed Riyan perched on Aaravi's lap and paused. He set the cigar aside and began to absentmindedly toss the paperweight, his mind clearly troubled.

Aaravi hesitated before flipping through the photos in the file. Each image revealed Riyansh's childhood: joyful moments with his parents, siblings, and other family members. Every picture depicted him in happiness and laughter. But one photo struck her with chilling clarity: Rian, Riyansh, and a younger girl, all exuding an air of reality and bearing an uncanny resemblance to each other.

"Why did he hide the truth?" Aaravi's voice wavered, barely a whisper. "Why... I thought he had no family... I... and then he left... he died in an accide... accident." Her words were fragmented, overwhelmed by a tidal wave of fear, confusion, and a gut-wrenching sense of betrayal. Her husband had lied to her, and now, after enduring his supposed death, a stranger was revealing a horrifying truth.

"Riyansh is not dead. He is alive," Rian finally disclosed, his voice heavy with a dark finality. "He's been in a coma, hidden away from the world, while the truth was twisted into lies. The accident was a cover-up, a deadly deception."

The revelation hung in the air like a chilling mist, exposing the depth of deceit and the treacherous secrets that had ensnared Aaravi in its dark web.

"What?" Aaravi was overwhelmed with shock, her entire body going rigid as the words sank in. For a year, she had mourned as a widow, only to be confronted with the unimaginable truth that her husband was still alive. She had prayed endlessly for his return, never imagining the revelation would come like this. "But... but he... he died in an accident."