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**Chapter 34 – Unspoken Fears, Unshakable Ties**
The air in London had begun to chill, hinting at the onset of winter. Aanya walked briskly through the university courtyard, her coat wrapped tight around her body, her fingers icy despite the gloves. Her eyes were tired from studying, but her mind hadn't slowed since that night with Arjun.
She hadn't spoken to him since.
There were no messages, no sudden appearances at her flat, no coffee "accidentally" waiting on her desk. Nothing. The silence was unnerving. For someone like Arjun—someone who had crossed oceans, set up a new office in a foreign country, and literally chased her halfway across the world—it was eerie.
It wasn't like she missed him.
Except… she kind of did.
Not his possessiveness. Not the way he had manipulated her with his presence, not the way he twisted intimacy into a weapon. But something else. Something stupid, like the way his hand would find hers unconsciously when they crossed the street. The way he watched her like she was made of glass and fire all at once.
"Focus," she muttered to herself, pushing through the front doors of the business school.
But she couldn't focus. Not on her presentation. Not on the numbers. Not on the strategic alliance between her project firms. Her brain kept flicking back to him.
And just like that, he returned.
Not in person.
But in her inbox.
**Subject:** Let's talk. Just once.
**From:** Arjun
**Message:**
I won't show up again without your permission. I mean that. But please—just one hour. Let me explain. No pressure. No expectations.
- Arjun
She stared at the screen, her breath caught somewhere between her lungs and her throat.
Her fingers hovered over the keys for a full five minutes before she finally typed:
**Reply:** Tomorrow. 7 p.m. Only one hour.
She didn't sign it.
---
**At SynTech London Office – The Day Before**
Raj glanced up from his laptop as Arjun stepped into the sleek, glass-walled conference room. "You haven't been yourself since that night."
Arjun didn't answer. He adjusted the cuffs of his navy blue shirt and stared at the skyline. London had welcomed him, yes. SynTech was booming here. Investors were intrigued, interns eager, partners flexible. But it all felt like… decoration.
She hadn't called him since.
"She'll come around," Raj offered gently.
Arjun didn't respond immediately. "She thinks I came here to trap her. That I can't let her go."
"Can you?"
The question settled in the room like a fog. Arjun didn't look away from the skyline. "I don't know. I thought I could. I thought, if she was happy, I'd step back. But watching her… knowing she walks the same streets, breathes the same air, and still doesn't feel mine… it's like a thousand knives."
"You know that's not love, right?"
"I know," Arjun said, jaw clenched. "But I love her. God help me, I love her enough to let her hate me."
---
**The Meeting – 7 p.m.**
They met at a quiet bookstore cafe nestled in a side street. Aanya chose the place deliberately—public, neutral, impossible for anything dramatic to unfold.
He was already there, seated in the farthest corner, sipping tea and wearing a coat that framed his shoulders too well.
"You look... like London suits you," he said quietly.
She sat down without a smile. "Don't charm me, Arjun. You said one hour."
He nodded. "Then let me not waste it."
There was no speech. No grand declaration.
Just stories.
He told her how his mother cried the night he announced he was leaving. How Shruti supported him, told him to follow his heart even if it was inconvenient. How Nikhil had called him—cold and direct—asking what his intentions were with "his little sister."
"How do you think I feel, Arjun? You show up here, pretending this is some coincidence—"
"I never pretended. I told you I was expanding the startup. SynTech was ready. I just moved the launch forward."
"To follow me."
"To be close," he said. "Not to control."
Her lips parted to argue, but he cut in softly, "I'm seeing a counselor."
She blinked.
"I know I was possessive. I know I was wrong. I couldn't stand the thought of losing you, but I also know that if I keep pushing... I will."
The vulnerability in his voice disarmed her.
"And the night at my apartment?" she asked coldly. "Was that part of your plan too?"
"No. That was me being selfish. I won't make excuses for it."
They sat in silence for a moment.
Then he slid something across the table.
A small, velvet pouch.
"I got this a while back. A divorce ring. Meant to symbolize freedom after a marriage ends. If you still want out... I won't fight it anymore. You deserve to breathe without my shadows."
Her fingers shook as she touched the pouch. Inside, instead of a ring, was a folded photo. A picture of the two of them—taken on the day of their accidental honeymoon in Coorg. Back when she smiled without hesitation. When he looked at her like she was his entire axis.
"I don't know what I feel," she whispered.
"I can wait," he said, standing. "Just not forever."
---
**Later That Night**
Back in her apartment, Aanya sat alone by the window, the photo resting beside her, his voice echoing in her head.
*"Just not forever."*
He wasn't playing games anymore.
He was broken.
But trying.
She had asked for space, and now that he had finally started to give it… it scared her more than the closeness ever had.
Because it meant she had a choice.
And for the first time in months… she wasn't sure what to choose.
---
**End of Chapter 34**