and more like fear.
The kind of fear Reyansh had spent years learning how to hide.
For a few seconds, no one spoke.
Even the birds outside seemed quieter now, as if the morning itself was listening.
Vaani looked from her mother... to Reyansh... and back again.
"Wait," she said slowly, trying to piece everything together. "But... Bhai, I literally saw her interview yesterday. She was talking about heart transplant research or something. The host said her full name."
She swallowed.
"Dr. Aarohi Shekhawat."
Reyansh's eyes didn't move from the window.
"Names repeat," he said calmly. "People don't."
But the problem was... his voice wasn't as firm as his words.
Vaani shook her head. "No, you don't understand. She looks-"
"Enough," their mother said quickly.
Too quickly.
Because she had noticed something.
Reyansh's hand.
Still resting on the counter.
Except now his fingers were pressing into the marble so tightly the knuckles had turned pale.
He wasn't calm.
He was holding something back.
Outside, the car engine started again.
The message was clear.
Time to leave.
Reyansh finally pushed himself away from the counter.
"Get ready for school," he told Vaani quietly.
She didn't move.
"Bhai... what if-"
"Vaani."
Just one word.
Not loud.
Not harsh.
But it carried a quiet authority he almost never used at home.
The kind that didn't ask to be listened to.
It expected it.
Vaani stopped mid-sentence.
The protest sitting on her tongue faded, and for the first time since she walked into the kitchen, she didn't argue back.
A small silence settled between them.
Their mother noticed it too - the shift in Reyansh, the way his tone had changed without rising.
She wiped her hands slowly on the edge of the towel, then glanced toward the hallway and gave Vaani a subtle look.
A hint.
Go bring it.
Vaani understood immediately.
She hesitated for a second, then turned and walked out of the kitchen, her footsteps soft against the floor.
A moment later, she returned with Reyansh's coat - the one he had left in his room.
She held it out to him quietly.
Reyansh looked at it for a brief second before taking it from her.
He slipped the coat on slowly, adjusting the sleeves with calm, controlled movements.
Everything about him looked normal.
But there was something sharper in the way he stood now.
Like something inside him had shifted.
Outside, the car engine started again.
This time, it didn't turn off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"My... gu- ...phone," Reyansh said, quickly correcting himself as he checked his pockets.
For a split second, the word had almost slipped out.
But Vaani was standing right there.
He patted the inside of his coat once, then the other pocket... then, for absolutely no reason, checked the same pocket again-just to look convincing.
Vaani frowned. "What?"
"Nothing," he replied casually. "I think I left my phone somewhere."
Their mother noticed it.
That tiny pause.
That almost-word.
Her eyes flicked to him for a brief moment, the kind of look that said I definitely heard that, but she didn't say anything.
Instead, she gave Vaani a small look toward the hallway.
A silent hint.
Vaani caught it.
"Oh... wait, I'll check your room," she said, already turning.
Then she paused mid-step and glanced back at him.
"...You do know phones don't usually hide themselves, right?"
Reyansh cleared his throat. "Mine might."
Just then, a phone began ringing from the dining table.
The sound cut through the quiet morning sharply.
Vaani stopped mid-step and turned toward it instead.
"Your phone's here!" she called, already walking toward the dining area.
The moment she moved away from the kitchen, Reyansh's mother looked at him.
Not confused.
Not surprised.
Angry.
A silent glare that said more than words could.
For a brief second, neither of them spoke.
Then she gave the faintest tilt of her head toward the hallway - toward his room.
A warning.
And an instruction.
Don't say it here.
And go get it.
Reyansh understood immediately.
His expression didn't change, but something in his eyes hardened slightly.
He gave the smallest nod and turned toward the hallway just as Vaani picked up the phone from the dining table.
"Bhai! Someone named Malik is calling you!" she shouted.
But Reyansh had already started walking toward his room.
Vaani glanced back at her mother, lowering her voice.
"Where's Bhai going?"
For a brief moment, their mother hesitated.
Just a second too long.
Then she forced a calm expression. "Maybe he left a file in his room."
Almost the exact second she finished speaking, a voice came from behind them.
"Who's in such a hurry this morning? Turn off the engine!"
Both of them turned.
"Good morning, Dad," Vaani said quickly.
"Morning, baccha," Dev Malhotra replied, his voice deep and slightly rough with sleep.
Even half-awake, his presence filled the room.
Dev Malhotra - The Wolf of the Underground World and The President of Malhotra Dynamics.
He walked into the kitchen slowly, adjusting the sleeve of his shirt, eyes scanning the room in that quiet, observant way that had made far more dangerous men nervous.
Just then, Reyansh stepped out of his room.
The timing was almost too sudden.
Dev stopped mid-step, slightly surprised to see him already dressed and ready to leave.
"Well," he said, one eyebrow lifting faintly, "didn't expect to see you disappear before sunrise today. When did you arrive?"
Reyansh didn't answer immediately.
He walked back toward the kitchen with measured steps.
His expression was controlled, unreadable - as if the last few minutes hadn't shifted anything at all.
"I came late," he said finally, his tone calm. "Didn't want to wake anyone."
Vaani, still holding the phone, raised it slightly. "Bhai, Malik is still calling."
For a brief moment, Dev's eyes flicked to the phone.
Then back to Reyansh.
Just a small look.
But in this family, small looks meant questions.
Reyansh took the phone from Vaani without checking the screen immediately.
Outside, the engine was still running.
Dev noticed that too.
His gaze moved toward the window, then back to his son.
"Leaving already?" he asked.
Reyansh slipped the phone into his pocket.
"Delhi."
One word.
Simple.
But something about the way he said it made the room feel a little colder again.
"No, you won't," his dad said in a quiet, controlled voice-the kind that meant the conversation was already over, whether Reyansh liked it or not.
-------------------
✨ Thank You Note
Thank you for staying till the end of this chapter.
Some mornings begin quietly... but carry the weight of things that were never truly left behind.
If you noticed the silence between the words, the tension in the room, the way one name was enough to shift everything - then you read this chapter exactly the way it was meant to be read.
Every pause, every glance, every unfinished sentence has a story hiding behind it.
And the fact that you're here, noticing those little things... means more than you know.
Thank you for walking through this story with me.
Truly grateful. 🤍
-------------------
💭 Question for Readers
Sometimes people don't panic when they hear a name from the past.
They prepare.
Just like Reyansh did.
So tell me...
Do you think Reyansh was already expecting this moment someday?
Or was this the one thing he hoped would never happen again?
I'm waiting. 👀🤍
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