The question cut through the calm like a shard of ice. Arsene, caught mid-step, halted abruptly. His expression shifted, and a beat of silence fell between them before he blinked slowly and let out a short, dry click of his tongue. “Oh, come on,” Arsene exhaled, brushing off the question with a half-laugh. “She’s your wife now. She loves you. Anyone with eyes can see that. What else do you want me to say?”
The words came easily. Too easily. For anyone else, it might’ve sounded like a perfectly rational answer. But to Arnav, who had always trusted his instincts more than spoken assurances, there was something missing in that reply. Something unconvincing. The calm felt too rehearsed, the smile too faint, the pause before answering a little too long.
He tilted his head slightly, studying h
