"Miracles do happen," Rishabh muttered, but he was smiling.
Family dinners became less tense. Conversations flowed more naturally. Nisha even ate Advika's pastries now, complimenting her skills.
"This is incredible," she said one evening, savoring a pistachio éclair. "How did you learn to do this?"
"Practice. Lots and lots of practice. And love for the craft."
"Could you... would you teach me sometime? I'm terrible at cooking, but baking seems more... precise. Scientific."
Advika blinked in surprise. "You want to learn to bake?"
"Only if you have time. I know you're busy with the bakery and the business and—"
"I'd love to teach you," Advika interrupted. "Weekends? We could make it a regular thing."
Nisha's face lit up. "Really?"
"Really."
Across the table, Sidharth and Rishabh exchanged glances.
"Who are they and what have they done with our sister and sister-in-law?" Rishabh murmured.
"I'm choosing not to question it," Sidharth replied. But his smile was warm as he watched his wife and sister bond.
Later that night, in their bedroom, Advika snuggled against Sidharth's chest.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
"For what?"
"For this. For family. For home." She looked up at him. "I spent my whole life feeling like I didn't belong anywhere. And now I belong here. With you. With them. It's more than I ever thought I'd have."
"You deserve it all," he said fiercely. "Every bit of happiness, every moment of peace. You deserve the world."
"I don't need the world." She kissed his chest, right over his heart. "I just need this. Us. Our family."
"You have us. All of us. For the rest of your life, you have us."
And for the first time in her twenty-three years, Advika truly believed it.
She wasn't the illegitimate daughter anymore. Wasn't the unwanted one, the shameful secret, the treaty bride.
She was Advika Singhania. Wife. Partner. Sister. Baker. Businesswoman.
Loved. Wanted. Home.
Finally, beautifully, completely home.
Chapter Seventeen
Three Weeks After the Kidnapping
The war room in the Singhania estate was tense. Sidharth sat at the head of the long table, his expression carved from granite. Rishabh was to his right, reviewing surveillance photos. Arjun and three other key members of Sidharth's inner circle filled the remaining seats.
And then there was Advika, standing at the door.
"I want in," she said.
