𝑬𝒏𝒕𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒚

63.

"𝓘 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓷𝓸 𝓮𝓷𝓭 𝓸𝓯 𝓶𝔂 𝓭𝓮𝓼𝓲𝓻𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓷𝓸𝓻 𝓹𝓱𝔂𝓼𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓸𝓻. 𝓜𝔂 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽 𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓷𝓼 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓭𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓵𝔂"
-𝓝𝓢

If the universe had chosen this moment to toy with him, it couldn't have picked a crueller time—not when everything finally seemed perfect. Just the night before, Arsalan and Sofia had shared their most enchanting evening yet, dining at one of Colaba's finest rooftop restaurants. He had reserved the entire floor, transforming it into a dreamscape with candlelight and roses—her favourite. Sofia had been left utterly speechless; she had expected nothing more than a simple dinner, not a night wrapped in music with a live violin serenading them under the stars.

She had been busier than ever, with her first international event looming, and soon she would be flying to Paris for more than ten days. Arsalan, knowing how much he would miss her, wanted to gather as many memories with her as he could before she left. Their wedding anniversary was just around the corner, and he was already planning to bare his heart to her more openly than ever before.

But as he stares at the auburn hair and striking blue eyes that widen slightly as they take him in. Arsalan just knew then her presence was going to bring havoc to his peaceful life.

"Who is she?" Zaid's voice breaks Arsalan's frozen state, and he immediately straightens his posture. The disdain in Zaid's voice was what broke his state of shock.

Instantly, Arsalan's jaw tightens, and his gaze narrows in slits thrown towards the woman who was standing in his office. The audacity of hers to even show her face after what she did to him.

He could see her squirm at his blazing gaze; he doesn't hide his detest oozing from his eyes for her, yet she maintains that fake arse smile of hers. "Zaid, we will meet again in twenty to discuss further on the work. I will dial you once I am free," he indirectly made it clear to her that he won't be available for more than twenty minutes, that much is the only time she gets for whatever she is here for.

Zaid nods and leaves them without saying a word, though he wanted to do the opposite.

Arsalan turns towards the woman he barely recognises now. She looked exactly the same, yet something about her oddly felt missing. She no longer looked like the one he remembered, and though she stood in front of him, her past, one he was ready to move his entire world for, now he didn't feel an ounce of the feeling he used to feel for her. She was the one who made him understand what love felt like, and she was the one who sprouted that immense pain that overpowered the love he felt for her, leaving behind nothing but its ashes.

Who knew he would feel that sort of feeling blooming again inside him, shackled by the chains of fear? Who knew it would be his wife who managed to make her way in, warming up his cold, as ice heart with her mere presence, that he would instantly melt for her.

Mustabshira introduced him to love, but Sofia? Sofia made him want to go feral in love, wage a war for it, claim it, own it and protect it. For Mustabshira, his love was soft and kind, but for Sofia, it was wild and roaring. She is the only one who ignited it, and the flames that dance within him burn with her name. Only she has that power, and no one else can claim it and seeing his past in front of him is proof enough because he feels nothing at all for Mustabshira, not even recognition.

He doubts whether what he felt for Mustabshira was even love at all.

Arsalan walks towards his desk and leans against it, facing her with his arm crossed on his chest, tilting his head as if he had just acknowledged her presence.