The Unwanted Royal Marriage

44. She's gone.

Adhyay's POV:

I had been lying there, eyes closed, pretending to be asleep. But the moment I heard the ring of her phone, something in me tensed. It was late—too late. And I knew Meera had always been connected to her work, but there was something about the urgency in her voice tonight that felt different.

I kept my breathing steady, feigning sleep, as I heard her voice cut through the quiet darkness of the room. "Haan, Siddharth Bhai sa, boliye!" Her tone, though groggy, carried an unmistakable sharpness that told me something wasn't right.

The words that followed made my heart skip a beat. "Meera, reach the factory behind the Oberoi Group right now!" Siddharth's voice was sharp, serious—laced with urgency.

I shifted slightly, my chest tightening with unease. There was no mistaking the urgency in his words. Whatever was happening, it was serious. I knew Meera—she didn't take these calls lightly. But this time, there was a certain tension in the air that made me sit up, my thoughts racing.

I stayed still, watching her silently, hoping she'd look at me, hoping she'd confide in me. But she didn't. She only nodded, as if she understood everything Siddharth was saying, then quickly ended the call.

Her face was already hardening, and I knew that whatever this was, it would take more than just a few comforting words to fix it. I could feel her slipping away from me again, just like she always did when her world collided with her darker, secretive work. 

My heart raced as I watched Meera grab her jacket and hurriedly leave the room without a word. The unease settled deeper in my chest, gnawing at me. Siddharth's call—urgent and cryptic—had stirred something inside me, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

Siddharth had always been close to Meera, but I knew well enough that their conversations were often about business—business I wasn't privy to. But tonight, the way he had spoken to her, the urgency in his tone, it didn't sit right with me. Why would he call her at this hour, asking her to go to the factory behind the Oberoi Group? And why hadn't she told me anything?

I couldn't let it go. I couldn't let her walk into whatever it was alone.

I quickly got out of bed, still in my white kurta and pants, the fabric soft against my skin. I grabbed a shawl and wrapped it around myself, trying to shake off the growing sense of dread. Without thinking twice, I grabbed my car keys, quickly moving out of the palace.

As I stepped outside, I saw her car just leaving the gates. My pulse quickened, and without wasting another second, I jumped into my own car and started the engine. I was going after her—no matter what.

I kept a steady distance, making sure she wouldn't notice me following. But I couldn't ignore the gnawing feeling in my gut, the sense that something was happening behind the scenes, something Meera wasn't telling me. She had always been so guarded about her work, about her life before me. And it made sense—after everything she'd been through, I couldn't expect her to open up about everything.

But tonight was different. I needed to know. I needed to make sure she was safe.

I followed her through the dark streets, my eyes never leaving the taillights of her car, my mind racing with questions. Where was she going? Why was it so important to her to leave without telling me?

I kept my foot on the gas, pushing my car faster, my thoughts scattered, my concern for her growing with every passing second. I had to reach her before she did something reckless.

As we neared the outskirts of the city, I saw her car pull into an old, industrial area. The factory. It was dark, abandoned-looking. I parked at a distance, making sure to stay hidden, my breath shallow as I watched her walk into the factory without looking back.