His Forbidden Flame

Chapter 3

“Shiv bhai?” she asked softly, noticing the shakiness in his voice.

She looked outside the window, admiring the clouds and the clear, beautiful sky.

She love nature. Nothing is more beautiful than that. Back when their parents were alive, they usually went on picnics on sunny days — those were the happiest times.

She looked back at Shivansh and met his warm gaze.

“I miss Mama and Papa.”

It’s hard. It’s very hard to lose the people you love the most — the ones who gave you life, the ones who meant everything.

They were very close to their parents when they were alive. Shivansh and Aarya always shared everything with them. They were childish then — whenever they had a problem, their mom would talk to them and give advice, while their beloved father always supported their mother and them

She miss them so much. Her heart always clenches whenever she recall that fateful day they left them alone… alone to fight in this world.

“Bhai, don’t worry. I’m back now, and this time I'm goingto make everything right,” she said, holding Shivansh hand and caressing it softly.

He smiled gently, nodding his head.

“I’m going to my room to rest now,” she said, standing up from the bedside.

“Won’t you wait for Riya?” Shivansh asked, trying to stand up from the bed.

“Don’t worry, I’ll catch up with her later. But right now, I need rest,” she assured him.

“See you,”she waved at him and left the room.

Her room is directly opposite to Shivansh room

When she entered her room, so many memories flooded inside her mind.

Flashback

The sound of laughter echoed through the meadow. The sun was bright that day — the kind of warmth that touched your soul, not just your skin.

“Mama, look! Bhai’s kite is flying higher than mine!” little Aarya shouted, tugging at hee string with all the strength her tiny hands could muster.

“Because Shiv’s been practising all week,” Siddharth laughed, sitting on the picnic mat with his camera. “Come here, Aarya. Smile!”

She ran into his arms, her messy hair covering her face, and Anamika’s laughter filled the air as she brushed it back.

“You two are my sunshine,” she said, kissing their foreheads.

Little Aarya could still hear Shivansh's voice teasing, “Sunshine who cries when she loses!”

“Do not!” she had yelled, hitting him with the end of her kite string while Anamika tried to keep a straight face.

That day was perfect — the sky, the laughter, the smell of food, the sound of home.

And now, years later, she standing in her room with those painful and beautiful memories. She wished she could step back into that afternoon, just for a moment.

She took a deep breath and walked into the bathroom to freshen up.

Coming back from the walk-in closet, she heard her phone ringing. she went to the bedside table where she'd left it and checked the caller ID.

“F*ck. Anushka.” she cursed.

She hesitated before picking up. “Hey, babe,” she said softly.

“B*tch, don’t ‘hey babe’ me!” Anushka shouted so loudly she had to move the phone away from her ear.

“I’m sorry,”she apologized quickly.

“Oh, so Miss Malhotra knows what she did wrong,” she said sarcastically.

“I know…”

“Why the f*ck would I come back from a business trip in Paris only to hear from your assistant that you went back to India — and Kabir already knows?!” she ranted.

“I didn’t want to disturb you; you were so busy, Anu,” she said, feeling guilty.

“Keep that sorry till I see you. I’m coming back to India next week. Pray I don’t kill you when I do. Bye.”

She hung up before she could reply.

she sighed. Anushka and Kabir have been her best friends since forever. They’re also from Delhi. They’ve known each other since they were kids. After she moved to London, they were the only ones she stayed in touch with during the first two years — before they eventually joined her there.

They’re also her business partners — her pillars through hardship, sorrow, and happiness. She love them so much.

She know it’s her fault for not telling Anushka that she was coming back to India. She’ll apologize later… before she kills her.

Then came a knock on her door.

“Di, are you inside?” she heard Aditya’s voice from outside.

“Come in, Adi,” she said.

He walked in with a boyish smile, fiddling with his shirt.

“Di, what are you doing?” he asked nervously, still squeezing the hem — he always did that when he was shy. She knew exactly what he wanted.

“Come here,” she said, opening her arms for him.

“Diii!” He ran straight into her embrace.

Before she knew it, two more pairs of arms wrapped around her. She looked up to see Vihaan and Ranveer grinning at her.

“Where did you guys come from?” she laughed, hugging them tightly.

“Di, we wanted a hug too!” they said in unison.

“Fine, fine,” she said, pretending to give up.

“We missed you so much, Di,” Aditya said, his voice muffled against her shoulder.

“I missed you guys too,” she smiled, looking at her three baby cousins.

“You’ve all grown so much — especially you, Adi. When did you get so tall? You’re even taller than me now!” she teased.

“Di, I’m 18 now — a big man, you know?” he said proudly, puffing his chest out.

“Big man who still sleeps with stuffed toys,” Ranveer teased.

“Di, see? He’s making fun of me again!” Aditya complained, pointing at Ranveer.

“Don’t, Ranveer,” she said, pretending to scold him.

“Whatever, Mr. Big Man,” Ranveer rolled his eyes dramatically.

Vihaan chuckled. “You two will never change.”

“Never,”she said, laughing. “You guys still fight like kids.”

“Only because he starts it!” Aditya pointed again, and Ranveer dodged his hand.

“Alright, alright. Peace treaty, both of you,” Vihaan said, stepping between them with a grin. “Let’s go downstairs. Di needs to rest.”

“Fine,” Ranveer muttered, still smirking.

“Vihaan, tell Ma not to prepare any food for me. I’ll eat tomorrow,” she said, walking toward her bed.

The boys turned to her with wide eyes.

“But Aarya di…” Ranveer started.

“I’m having jet lag. I’m too tired to eat. If I sleep now, I’m not waking up till tomorrow,” she said.

They nodded understandingly, said goodnight, and left her room, still whispering and teasing each other on their way downstairs.

Downstairs

Bhavya Ma was busy organizing ingredients, planning to make her daughter’s favourite dishes for dinner. She hummed softly to herself until Aditya came running into the kitchen.

“Adi! Stop running in the house — you’re no longer a kid!” she scolded lightly.

“Forget that, Ma! Didi said she’s not eating tonight. She’s too tired and will eat tomorrow,” Aditya said quickly.

“Huh? She won’t eat today?” Bhavya exclaimed.

“Yes, Ma. Don’t worry — she said she’s just jet-lagged. She’s going to sleep and will wake up tomorrow.”

Bhavya sighed, shaking her head with a small smile.

“Should I tell Riya di?” Aditya asked.

“No, let her rest. I’ll cook something light for her tomorrow morning,” Bhavya said softly.

Aditya grinned, relieved, and ran off again — probably to tell the others.

Bhavya chuckled, wiping her hands. “Back home for one day, and the whole house feels alive again,” Bhavya whispered — but deep down, she prayed it would stay that way.