𝓛𝓸𝓼𝓽 𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓷𝓮𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓕𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭 𝓑𝓸𝓷𝓭𝓼 [*Complete*]

Ch. 44 ⭐

Next morning.

Rishi and Sujal were on their way to office when Sujal suddenly slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a harsh stop. Rishi, grateful for his seatbelt, shot his brother a bewildered look.

"Why did you stop the car like that, Big B?" Rishi asked, confused.

Sujal remained silent, his gaze fixed outside. Curious, Rishi leaned forward and followed Sujal's line of sight. Across the street, he saw Mahir and Naina standing by a mobile ice cream stall, enjoying cones together. Rishi whistled, quickly catching on. Deciding to stir things up, he added, "How sweet! Despite being so rich, he's still enjoying street-side ice cream just for her."

Sujal's eyes narrowed as he glared at Mahir and Kashish. "You know, Rishi, zindagi ke har mod par mujhko dhokebaaz toh mile, par unmein paraye kam aur apne zyada mile. [At every turn in life, I encountered betrayers, but most of them weren't strangers—they were my own.]"

Rishi was now convinced his brother was slowly beginning to remember fragments of his past, perhaps recalling something significant from their college days, possibly related to Naina. Determined to speed up Sujal's connection with Naina before he could fully remember his past with Kashish, Rishi plotted silently.

"Should we say hello to them?" Rishi asked.

"No." Sujal answered before driving off.

.. .. - - - - .. ..

Mahir had noticed that Naina seemed lost in thought since breakfast, so he decided to lift her spirits. He took her out for a day of sightseeing, hoping to distract her from whatever was bothering her. As they strolled along, Naina suddenly spotted an ice cream truck and exclaimed that she wanted ice cream.

At first, Mahir hesitated, refusing to eat from a street-side stall. There was no way he would indulge in something he deemed beneath him. However, seeing the excitement in Naina's eyes, he ultimately relented. They approached the stall together, and as they enjoyed their ice cream, they began reminiscing about their childhood days. Laughter and fond memories flowed easily between them, and soon they were reveling in the moment like old friends, sharing stories and enjoying the simple pleasure of the treat.

"By the way, Naina, Sujal had invited us over for dinner tonight." Mahir told her suddenly.

Naina paused for a split second before she nodded her head. "Okay. I'll be ready on time."

.. .. - - - - .. ..

For the first time since his return, Sujal made a significant purchase using his credit card, catching Rishi's attention. Curious, Rishi tried to figure out what his brother was planning to buy. But then, to his surprise, Sujal purchased a ice cream truck.

With a smirk, Sujal handed the details to Rishi. "Have this sent to the hotel where Naina's staying," he instructed, a hint of satisfaction in his voice. Rishi chuckled, finding the gesture both amusing and revealing. Without further questions, he followed his brother's instructions, arranging for the truck to be parked right in front of Naina's hotel as per Sujal's request.

Around noon, Naina received a call from the hotel staff informing her that she had a "gift" waiting downstairs. Intrigued, she headed down, only to be greeted by the sight of an entire ice cream truck parked out front, stocked with every flavor she could imagine.

Just as she was marveling at it, her phone buzzed with a text notification. The message was from an unknown number:

"Did you get the gift? Now you can eat as much ice cream as you want without needing to be with outsiders. And why were you laughing so much with him? What was so amusing, huh? Don't forget you're my wife, and I won't tolerate seeing my wife roaming around with other men like that. If I see this again, you'll meet a side of me that you won't like."