Estranged lovers

Chapter 35

AUTHOR'S POV

SIDDHARTH & ANNIKA

The home was eerily quiet when Annika returned.

The last few hours felt like a blur, she had been trying to shut out her thoughts, trying to avoid the reality of the situation. But now that she was home, she couldn't escape. Siddharth was already there, sitting on the couch, his back straight and his gaze locked onto something distant, an unreadable mask on his face.

Annika stood by the door for a few moments, watching him. His presence alone was enough to send a chill through her. The conversation at the office still echoed in her head, and now, here she was, forced to confront it again.

She took a deep breath, walking toward him slowly, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts, none of them clear enough to speak aloud.

Siddharth didn't acknowledge her at first, but she could feel his eyes on her, sharp and calculating. The silence between them was thick, oppressive. Annika could feel the weight of it, but she didn't know how to break it.

Finally, Siddharth spoke, his voice cold, like it always was when he was angry or frustrated.

"Did you make up your mind?" His eyes never left her as he turned to face her, his posture stiff, his tone clipped.

Annika flinched, her throat tightening.

Annika felt the sting of his words, but she held her ground. "You were wrong. I'm not shutting you out, Siddharth. I just... I don't know what you want from me."

Siddharth's expression didn't soften. If anything, it hardened, the usual indifference settling back into his features. He looked at her like she was a problem he needed to solve. "I want you to stop pretending. I want you to stop acting like this is just some arrangement that doesn't matter anymore. We matter, Annika, whether you like it or not. Last night changes everything. You made this choice too."

The coldness in his tone struck her harder than it should have. It wasn't just anger. There was something else in his words, something that made Annika feel exposed, as though he could see right through her.

"I'm not ready for this," she whispered, not sure what exactly she was referring to, the marriage, the growing closeness, the confusion about her own feelings. "I don't know how to do this with you."

Siddharth's eyes narrowed, and his gaze flickered with something dangerous. Something dark. But he didn't move. Didn't say anything for a long moment.

"I don't need you to be ready," he finally said, his voice quieter but still filled with that same cold, impenetrable edge. "I'm not asking for your love. I never was. I'm asking you to stop running. I'm asking you to be here."

Annika felt her chest tighten. There was a brief flicker of anger rising inside her, but she bit it back.

The contract was their reality, yes, but the emotions tangled in it, everything that had started to stir between them it wasn't supposed to exist. She wasn't prepared for any of it.

"I can't just flip a switch and make it easier, Siddharth," she said, her voice shaking slightly now. "You don't understand."

Siddharth's eyes grew colder, like he was becoming more distant with every word she spoke. "I need you to understand. I need you to stop avoiding this. You keep pulling away, but you can't do that forever."

Annika's breath caught in her throat. It was like a challenge, like he was daring her to break. The weight of his gaze, the impenetrable wall of coldness around him, felt suffocating.