His Bride

12 | I Knew You Would Come Back

Arushi's Pov

My mind replayed K's words, each syllable like a thunderclap in my head.

"He is alive."

Alive. That one word was enough to shatter the fragile sense of normalcy I had built over the years. It couldn't be true. How could he still be breathing after everything?

Saif Ali Khan... no, Saif Inman Hasan. The name itself felt like venom on my tongue. The world knew him as a ruthless international criminal, a ghost in the underworld with no trail, no face, and no weakness. But to me, he was more than that—he was my nightmare. My last mission.

It was six years ago. My team, the best operatives I had ever known, was tasked with bringing him down. It should have been simple: infiltrate, extract, neutralize. But nothing about Saif was simple.

One month later, I buried my team. Not just them, but their families too. Saif didn't just retaliate—he annihilated. Wiped out every trace of their lives, as if they had never existed. And then he came for me.

I don't know how I survived. Maybe it was fate, or maybe it was sheer dumb luck. No... it was Aadhi.

But death might have been kinder. My family was gone. My home was no more a heaven. Saif had taken everything from me, and yet somehow, I was the one still breathing. But breathing never meant living.

And now, K was telling me that Saif was alive. The man I thought I had eliminated. The monster I had spent six years trying to forget.

My hands clenched into fists, my nails biting into my palms. I couldn't let this consume me again. Not now, not after everything. But deep down, I knew there was no running from this.
If Saif was alive, he wouldn't stop until I was dead.

Or until I stopped him.

"Mama." Aadhi's voice shook me out of my thoughts.

"Aadhi. Are you okay baby?" I asked while cupping her face in my palms.

"Mama, who were they? What did they want?" She asked me, her little eyes wider.

"They were Mama's friends. We were playing hide and seek." I told her, trying to convince her.

"Don't lie Mama, if they were your friends I would have met them earlier." She told me. She was too mature for her age.

"We lost contact before you were born. I shifted to Paris after your birth." I told her.

"Are you hungry? Come I will make you your favourite sandwich and juice." I told her while picking her up and we went to the kitchen. I placed her on the kitchen counter. Started making her favourite sandwich and apple juice.
As I handed Aadhi the sandwich, my mind couldn't stop racing. The warmth of her tiny hands brushing against mine as she eagerly grabbed her plate grounded me momentarily.

"Mama, why were you shaking earlier?" Aadhi asked in her soft yet piercing voice, her little brow furrowing.

"Shaking?" I tried to dismiss it with a laugh. "It's cold, sweetheart. That's all."

"You're lying again," she replied, her gaze unwavering. It was moments like these I saw too much of her father in her—unflinchingly honest, always questioning.

I sighed and leaned against the counter, watching her nibble on her sandwich.

"Aadhi, sometimes grown-ups have things they need to deal with. Things they don't want to talk about. But that doesn't mean I won't protect you. Always."

Her eyes softened, but I could tell she wasn't entirely convinced. She nodded slowly, chewing in silence.

I stepped away, needing space to think. My phone vibrated on the counter, and the screen lit up with K's name. My heart sank.

Not in front of Aadhi.

I snatched the phone and stepped into the hallway. "What do you want?" I hissed into the receiver.

"He's resurfaced in Istanbul," K replied, his voice low and urgent. "And Lil N, he knows about Aaradhya."

The walls seemed to close in around me. My worst fear had come true.

"No," I whispered, my voice trembling. "No. I've kept her safe. I've stayed off the radar. How could he—"

"Doesn't matter how," K interrupted. "What matters is what you're going to do now. This isn't just about you anymore."

I closed my eyes, trying to steady my breathing. "Until I am alive he  doesn't get to touch her."

The line went silent for a moment before K sighed. "You are not safe alone. Take Aaradhya and come to our place."

I hung up and leaned against the wall, staring at the closed kitchen door.

Aadhi's laughter filtered through the crack, light and innocent.

I would not let him take her from me.
Not this time.

"Aadhi, change your dress. We are going somewhere." I told her and left to pack her and mine clothes and necessities.

After packing I put our baggage in my car's trunk and took Aadhi and left the house after locking it.

We reached the old cottage where K and team were settled.

I took Aadhi's hand and led her inside.
"I knew you would come back." K told me.