"So, youll come then, because stopping this marriage benefits the both of us" Harsh whispered into the phone, he couldnt let Zoya of all people become part of his family. Aditya needed to learn his place, and fast.

XXX

Aditya stood up from the table when he heard someone knocking on the door.
"Alright, im coming" he groaned, pulling open the door, his jaw dropped as he saw a woman eyeing him up and down with a sly smirk on her face.

"You must be Adi" she smiled, twirling her hair, she held out a hand for him to take "Im Mahi, Zoya's sister in law"

"Zoyaaaaaaa" he shouted making Mahi jump "Some woman called" he paused, turning to her again "What did you say your name was again" he asked, his eyes glimmering with humour

"Mahi" she snarled, shoving past him when her heel got stuck in the rolled up carpet, throwing her forward

Aditya grabbed her arm, pulling her back to save her from falling, his hands now rested on her hips, her back firmly against his chest

Zoya ran down the stairs, stopping mid-way as she focused on Aditya's hands on Mahi.
"Mahi, what are you doing here" she asked, trying to not seem perturbed about Mahi being pushed up against Aditya

"Oh Zoya, im here to speak to you, how could you move on so quickly, atleast think about Yash's business, his business that will fall because his widow moved on so quickly" she sniffed

Aditya covered his mouth with his hand, hiding his laugh
"Yeah Zoya, think about Yash's business thats as dead as he is, yeah really you shouldnt have moved on after he cheated on you" he gasped loudly "Now what would the people think"

Zoya's eyes narrowed at Aditya, "Look Mahi I get you are upsett, but I have chosen to move on, and you should to, Yash betrayed me, its no longer anyones business what I chose to do"

Mahi closed her eyes tightly "I have nowhere to live Zoya, nowhere to stay because we have no money after Yash's death, atleast think of that, think of what I am going through"

Zoya frowned "Mahi, I didnt know, look you can"

"Ha yes, stay here with us, you know what you can even sleep beside me where Zoya sleeps, anything else we can do for you, want money to, food" he raised his brows curiously

Zoya walked over to Aditya, resting her hand on his arm "Aditya please, she has no home, im sure she won't be to much trouble"

His face softened and he nodded, he didnt trust Mahi but Aditya didnt want to upsett Zoya anymore than she already was

Mahi clapped her hands "Thanks Adi" she leant up to kiss his cheek, but as he went to move his face, her lips landed on his

"Hey" Zoya muttered, pulling Aditya away "Be careful"
She lifted her scarf, wiping his lips with an annoyed expression on her face, then stopped as she realised what she was doing
He wasnt hers, and she shouldn't be so possesive, Aditya's eyes gazed into hers, his face a mask of confusion

"Uh anyway ill show you where you can stay" muttered Aditya, as he turned to lead Mahi away, he raised his fingers to his lips and smiled slightly

XXX

Mahi looked up as Harsh entered her room. "If you break the trust between Aditya and Zoya, they will start to rip apart, make it seem like Aditya has an interest in you, keep reminding Zoya that Yash loved her"

Mahi nodded "And what do I get in return"

Harsh patted his chin "Money, as much as you want but only when I start to see changes"

Anjana stood outside the bedroom, her hand on her chest as she continued to listen to Harsh and Mahi's conversation.
Aditya needed to be informed and quickly, she turned to go and find him when she felt a hand on her wrist, she swallowed quickly and looked up at Harsh

XXX

Aditya leant against the doorway smiling as he watched Zoya iron his shirt
"You're really getting into this role as a wife" he noted

His voice made her jump, her hand hit the iron and she hissed
She shook her hand as Aditya ran over, blowing on her fingers
"Careless" he muttered, dragging her over to the bathroom he turned the cold tap on and put her fingers underneath it

Zoya stared up at him in awe, his concerned expression made her smile. She wasnt sure what she was feeling when she looked up at him, but something had changed for sure.

"Why are you looking at me like that, something on my face" he mused

She shook her head, blushing she pulled her hand away and walked away from him

Aditya tapped his chin "Why are you acting so different Zoya"

XXX

Zoya stood next to Anjana in the kitchen, helping her make dinner. Anjana placed her hand on Zoya's shoulder as she let out a sob and turned to hug Anjana. Having a mother so close to her after losing her own mother was beautiful and painful all at once

Aditya halted at the door as he watched his mother soothe Zoya as she cried in her arms
"Its okay Zoya, shh, its okay"

Zoya looked up at her "You remind me of my ammi, im sorry I got carried away"

Anjana cupped her cheeks "Think of me as your mother from now, if I am Adi's mom, I am yours"

Zoya turned to smile at Aditya when Mahi placed her hand on his shoulder
"Adi, I cant put my suitcase on top of the cupboard, can you help me"
He nodded and followed her out

Zoya went to follow, then stopped herself
She felt Anjana's hand on her back "Go"
Zoya smiled and walked to Mahi's room

Mahi waited as she saw Zoya's shadow at the door, then pulled Aditya's shirt making him fall back, she tugged him onto the bed as Zoya opened the door
"Adi please, not here, what if someone catches us"

Aditya's brows furrowed, he pulled himself up when he heard a sniff from behind him.
He turned to see Zoya with her hand over her mouth to muffle her cries, her eyes teary, she turned on her heel quickly and ran out of the room

I just wanted to write a quick thank you to all those that take the time to comment on this story! It really does mean a lot and shows how invested you are! I know I left it on a cliffhanger, but I just have so many ideas for this story that I want to ensure I fit them in and I like to see all of your guesses for what will come next! Again, I love you all, thank you so much