Reborn for you

It was another dark and gloomy day in Delhi when Ahana made her way across the lobby of the building she had seldom visited.

Neither did she have a reason nor did she have much connection with the person working here worth meeting regularly.

The white salwar suit she wore hugged her lean yet shapely figure quite magnificently, and under normal circumstances, people would have glanced at her with awe and desire.

However, being aware of what circumstances had snatched all the colors from her life only made people glance at her in pity.

Regardless of how people looked at her, Ahana made her way through the long lobby of this government-owned building where only a single person held the office.

Reaching the place she was called, she saw a man wearing the formal clothing of an assistant standing outside to receive Ahana with a small smile on his lips.

"This way, ma'am." His small stature and soft looks went perfectly with his personality however given his job as the assistant of such a prominent man of the country...Ahana felt perplexed sometimes.

Regardless, she walked inside the office room which had the label on the door, 'IAS Vikram Sinha'.

The office wasn't huge or exaggeratedly decorated even though it belonged to the Divisional Commissioner. Just a simple desk and chairs arranged for the visitors and on the other side sat a man in his early thirties.

Dark raven hair with sharp eyes and a long nose, where rested the spectacle the man wore of thin frames. He had a lean stature just like a certain someone Ahana knew very closely.

The man got up before gesturing for Ahana to take the seat across from him as he told his assistant to wait outside and send some tea.

"How are you, Ahana? Have you been sleeping lately?" The man named Vikram asked in a concerned tone despite how rarely he has interacted with the girl despite being so closely related.

Hearing the words Ahana looked at him before nodding hesitantly, "Y-yeah...somehow. I took sleeping pills last night."

Vikram raised his brows as he gestured to the staff to put the tray of tea and biscuits on the table.

Ahana's head had been hurting since earlier, so she didn't hesitate to take the cup and have a sip of the aromatic beverage.

"It's surprising....that you are grieving over his death."

Ahana's sip halted mid-way before she parted the cup from her lips and looked at him with a blank look.

"What do you mean by that? Of course, I would be sad about my husband's demise." Her tone was cold and no lie was presented through her words.

Ahana has recently lost her husband in a plane crash so there shouldn't be any doubt about her being sorrowful yet this man, who was her brother-in-law...

"Ahana...Adi never hid anything from me, including the fact that your marriage was merely contractual."

Ahana momentarily felt her mind falling numb hearing that. While she knew her husband Adi formally known as Aditya Sinha was very close to his brother, she didn't expect him to tell Vikram even about the circumstances under which Adi and Ahana married.

Ahana's shoulder slumped at that. Now did she realize why Vikram was pointing out her unexpected behavior? She was merely a contracted wife no more, who had been with Aditya for not more than a year....yet...

'Why I am feeling like this...' Her heart felt heavy like some excessive weight had been placed over it. It felt uncomfortable, almost suffocating.

Ahana had never felt anything like this before. Although she also treated Aditya merely as a business partner with whom she was maintaining a pretended marriage no more...she felt like she had lost her long-time lover.

'Maybe it's just my anxiety hitting up...' Ahana didn't want to keep thinking about it so she kept the feeling aside, well she tried, as her gaze redirected toward the bespectacled man.

"Why did you call me here Vikram?" Ahana didn't expect that Vikram would have called her all the way to Delhi to tell her how her secret was exposed and how Ahana shouldn't pretend to be a grief-stricken wife.

And as she thought, Vikram suddenly pulled out a file from his desk drawer before offering it to Ahana.

With her throws raided in confusion, Ahana took the file before flipping it over and reading the content....only to find her eyes widening.

It didn't take her long before she read the whole document before she directed her gaze toward the sole person who could clear up this utterly dumbfounding situation.

"What is this, Vikram? If this is some kind of mistake then I will surely-"

"Naming his all properties and capital to a woman whose name he has explicitly written over eighteen times in that will...I think that's not a mistake, Ahana. Aditya indeed wanted to have all of his property and every riche he possessed to the woman he had married."

Vikram's voice was composed, as usual,  and considering his personality, Ahana knew, he wasn't lying here...yet, she didn't believe her eyes.

Why would Aditya...

"Why Aditya would do something like this...." Her head hung low as she found her mind now thrown into turmoil.

It was not something the world knew but behind closed doors, the Sinha couple were entirely distant, like just sharing a room as roommates, nothing more.

Aditya never pried on Ahana's personal life and it was the same for her. True she was feeling sad and slightly regretful that she never tried improving her relationship with her husband, but she never expected that Aditya would have been such thoughtful for Ahana.

He always had been cold, calculated, and very cautious toward her to the point Ahana thought he might someday abandon her on an isolated street...yet.

....she was completely messed up in her head without a single direction clearly visible to her.

"....why?" Was all she could ask but the man sitting opposite her just shook his head before replying in a suggestive tone, "I think there is someone better to ask that question from, Ahana."

Her eyes shot forward when she realized who Vikram was talking about.

Aditya's best friend—Raj. The person who may have the answers, Ahana desired to know.

****

Author's Note:- I am new to Pratilipi so please cut some slack. I would often use Hindi terms as bhaiya or Chacha, but don't worry, I would write their English translation just beside the text.

You can review the chapter and ask me if there are any concerns. I would try to answer them all.

Bye~