The next morning felt strange.
Not bad. Not good either.
Just... strange.
The ballroom still lingered in my head like perfume trapped in fabric. The warmth of Aditya's hand on my waist, the look in Zeyansh's eyes across the room, the way Tanisha had stood beside him like she belonged there; all of it replayed in fragments that refused to leave me alone.
I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, fastening tiny silver studs into my ears while trying not to think too much. Thinking had become dangerous lately. It always led me somewhere I didn't want to go.
"You're zoning out again."
I startled slightly at the sound of Zeyansh's voice behind me.
He stood leaning against the doorframe in black trousers and a white shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His hair was still damp from his shower.
For a second, my heart betrayed me and remembered how attractive my husband was.
Then my brain reminded me of everything else.
"I'm just tired," I said quietly, reaching for my handbag.
His eyes stayed on me a little too long. Lately, he had started looking at me more. Not in passing. Not indifferently. Actually looking. As though he was trying to understand something he should've understood years ago.
"Are you still upset about last night?" he asked carefully.
I almost laughed.
Upset?
Was that what we were calling it now?
But I didn't have the energy for another argument.
"I have work, Zeyansh."
Something dimmed in his expression. Guilt perhaps. Or frustration.
He opened his mouth like he wanted to say more, but I walked past him before he could.
The drive to work was quiet, but my mind wasn't.
And somehow, despite everything, it kept circling back to Aditya.
Not romantically. Not intentionally either.
Just memories.
The kind you bury so deep that when they suddenly return, they don't feel real at first.
The way he used to sit beside the classroom window during tuition.
The way he always stole my blue pens because he knew they were my favorite.
The way he remembered the tiniest details nobody else noticed.
And the way he left.
Without a word.
That wound still existed somewhere inside me. Maybe it always would.
By the time I reached the office, I was already exhausted.
"Good, you're here!" my manager exclaimed the second I stepped into the conference room. "We just landed a huge project."
I blinked, forcing myself to focus.
"What project?"
"The Rathod Medical Group expansion."
I frowned slightly. The name sounded oddly familiar.
"It's a hospital redevelopment project," he continued excitedly. "Interior restructuring, patient experience redesign, executive lounges, private wings, the whole thing. Huge budget. Huge exposure."
YOU ARE READING
His Burden, His Blessing
Romance"You don't turn me on enough for us to roleplay." My husband of 2 years said to me. It took me some time to process what he said. "What?! What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Is this some kind of a joke?" I asked him incredulously. "Do I look lik...
