UNWILLINGLY HIS

Truth

Chapter: Aahana's POV

I stood by the door, my heart racing as I tried to keep my calm. The weight of the situation pressed heavily on me. Samaira had disappeared for so long, and now, here she was, sitting among us, so unexpectedly married to Advait. I thought I had moved past the shock, but seeing her there, so poised, still felt like a punch to the gut. And then, there was Anay—my boyfriend—sitting beside her, too casually, like everything was normal.

But it wasn’t. None of this was normal anymore.

I tried to push the uneasy feeling away as Samaira joined our conversation, but there was something in the air. An unspoken tension between her and Anay. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I felt it, deep down. Anay had always been the easy-going, reliable friend. He’d always been there for Samaira and me. But today? Something felt off. Maybe it was the way Samaira was looking at him, too intently, or the way Anay avoided meeting my eyes for just a second too long when I glanced at him.

I wasn’t sure if it was just my own insecurities, but the more I observed them, the more I realized that I had missed something. What was going on between them?

It only got worse when Samaira turned to Anay and asked him about his startup, the conversation flowing effortlessly. I forced a smile, trying to push my doubts away. But the unease lingered like a heavy fog.

“So, Anay,” Samaira began, breaking me from my thoughts. “How’s everything in your life going? I know your startup is doing well.”

Anay’s face lit up at the mention of his startup, and I could tell he was proud of what he had built. I wasn’t surprised—he had always been ambitious, but the gleam in his eyes was different now. Had he always been this eager?

“Yeah, things are great. My startup’s growing. We’re getting more clients, the team is expanding…” He smiled like it was the best news he’d ever heard.

That smile should have made me feel happy for him, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more to this conversation. Samaira seemed to be soaking in every word, her gaze locked on him.

“So, I’ve been having trouble with my laptop. It keeps hanging. Any ideas on how to fix it?” Samaira asked, her voice casual, but there was a strange undercurrent to it. Was she really asking about her laptop?

Anay didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, I can take a look at it. It’s probably a software issue.”

Samaira smiled, but it was different. More insistent. “Could you come to my room and check it out? I’ve tried to fix it myself, but it’s beyond me.”

Naksh, who had been listening quietly from the other side of the room, interjected. “Samaira, you can always fix it later. We’re having a good time. Don’t worry about it.”

I noticed Samaira’s gaze flicker to him, a soft but determined look in her eyes. “It’s never good to push things for later. I’ve been dealing with this for too long. Please, Anay? I could really use your help.”

I could tell Naksh was reluctant, but he finally nodded. “Okay, fine. If you really need it.”

Samaira turned back to Anay with a smile that made my stomach twist. She was insisting, almost too much. I wasn’t sure why, but I had the sudden urge to follow them. To make sure everything was fine. To make sure there wasn’t anything more happening between them.

But I stayed back. Just be patient, Aahana. You’re overthinking this. They’re just friends. Nothing more.

Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Samaira and Anay headed down the hall together, leaving the room behind them. I couldn’t stop myself from watching them. The way Samaira walked with him, the way Anay followed her almost too quickly—it didn’t sit right with me.

I stood there, trying to make sense of my own emotions. Why does this bother me so much? I had no reason to feel jealous, not with Samaira being married to Advait. Yet, watching Anay follow her down the hallway, something gnawed at me. Was I just being paranoid?

Before I could convince myself otherwise, I found myself walking toward the door where Samaira and Anay had disappeared. I didn’t want to eavesdrop, but I couldn’t help it.

As I stood quietly outside her room, I heard her voice. It was sharp, uncharacteristically tense. “Actually, Anay, I don’t need you to look at the laptop right now,” Samaira said, her tone cutting through the air. “I need you to answer me.”

I froze, my heart thudding in my chest. Answer her? What was going on?

There was a pause, and I heard Anay’s confused voice. “What are you talking about, Samaira?”

“I know it’s your number in my call log,” she said, her voice low but steady. “I know you called Advait. Why did you hide this from me? Why didn’t you tell me?”

I felt my breath catch in my throat. Anay called Advait? Why? My mind raced as I processed her words. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Was this some sort of twisted joke? Anay had always been like family to me. How could he keep something like this from me?

Samaira didn’t let him off the hook. “Don’t try to hide it anymore, Anay. You can’t. Do you know how much this will hurt Aahana if she finds out? How could you betray our friendship like this?”

I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want to hear it. But deep down, I could feel the truth settling into the pit of my stomach. Anay had been hiding something from me, from both of us. Something huge.

I couldn’t stand it anymore. I pushed the door open, stepping inside. My heart was pounding as I looked between the two of them. “Why did you betray me, Anay?” My voice was small, but I didn’t care. I had to know. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you trust me enough to be honest?”

Anay’s eyes shifted to the floor, and he didn’t say anything at first. The silence between us was deafening. Finally, he sighed, his voice shaky as he spoke. “I didn’t mean for things to go this way, Aahana. I... I didn’t want you to get hurt. I never meant to hurt either of you.”

Samaira’s voice was cold. “You could have told us. You should have. Instead, you chose to hide it. To lie. How do you expect us to trust you now?”

Aahana, I could feel my anger rising. I wasn’t just hurt—I was betrayed. How could he do this to us?

I turned to him, my eyes blazing with frustration. “You could have been honest. You could have told me what you were really involved in. But instead, you kept this secret from me, from Samaira. After everything we’ve been through—how could you?”

I stepped forward, my heart aching with the weight of his confession. “What was all of this about, Anay? Why work with Advait? Why not just tell us the truth?”

Anay opened his mouth to respond, but his voice faltered. “It just... spiraled out of control. I never thought it would get this far. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”

Samaira didn’t give him an inch. “You should have thought about that before getting involved with Advait. Before lying to both of us.”

I turned to Samaira, my heart breaking as I saw the anger and pain in her eyes. This isn’t just about me, I thought. This is about Samaira too. We’ve both been lied to, betrayed by someone we thought we could trust.

The room was heavy with silence as Anay stood there, unable to meet our eyes. “I’m sorry,” he finally whispered, but it didn’t feel like enough. It wasn’t enough

I stood there, my heart in pieces. I had trusted Anay with everything. He had been my childhood friend and now my boyfriend. But now? I wasn’t sure I could ever trust him again.

Samaira turned to me, her hand gently resting on my shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Aahana. I didn’t want you to find out like this.”

I shook my head, the tears threatening to spill over. “It’s not your fault, Samaira. I just... I just can’t believe he did this.”

We stood there together, letting the weight of everything sink in. I didn’t know how to process it all, but I knew one thing for sure—I would never look at Anay the same way again.

But then the words which left out of mouth were even more shocking.