I see it.
The ache in his eyes as they flick to faint scar across my cheek.
And something else—fury. Raw, helpless fury.
“Who did that to you?” he asks, voice ragged and unsteady.
I tense. My mind stutters—calculating risk, classification, consequence.
WhatcanI tell him? WhatshouldI tell him?
Then I freeze.
Why the hell am I even considering telling him anything?
But the instinct is still there.
This man... he somehow still has a thread wrapped around my heart. And even now, after everything—I keep forgetting which parts of my life are supposed to be off-limits to him.
I swallow and give him a half-truth. “My husband.”
Advik goes completely still.
Well technically, Aadya Gupta isn’t married. And Marzia is dead. But truth isn’t always about paperwork.
“Your...” His jaw flexes. “Husband? Viraj?”
I burst into a quiet laugh. “Vir is not my husband. He’s my handler. Well, partner now. My husband was... a target. I was undercover.”
And fuck me—why do I keep blurting shit out around this man?
Something in his posture loosens. “Oh.”
I pivot quickly. “Speaking of spouses,” I say with mock nonchalance, “I hear someone’s getting married in two months.”
He frowns, puzzled—then realization hits. He rubs the back of his neck, awkward. “Uh... yeah. Aarohi and Lucian. They’re flying in for the wedding. How...?”
I shrug. “Nothing slips past me.”
I wait for a smile. Even a smirk. But instead—I catch it.
A flicker.
A quick, sharp panic flashing across his face like lightning.
What was that?
He blinks it away too fast and offers a half-smile. “Yeah? Oh, and Ishika’s pregnant.”
That catches me off guard. I didn’t know that. “That’s nice to hear.”
I lean forward, elbows on the desk between us. But my mind is spinning. That flash of panic—what was that about? Aarohi?
“Advik, I...” I hesitate, staring at my hands, choosing my words. “I’m sorry she’s marrying someone else. That must’ve been upsetting—”
The screech of his chair cuts me off.
He stands abruptly, dragging a hand over his face, turned away. His shoulders shake with something I don’t expect.
