CH: 20

The words failed his wife after his revelation. A look of surprise on his pretty face gave way to wonder as he looked at Aryan from beneath his long lashes.

At the corner of his lips, a smile was found on Aryan's face. "Last night, you got yourself pretty drunk—And told me a few things."

Chandra's assumption of Aryan being in love with Kiran and being unfaithful to him prompted his wife to give a cold shoulder to him and maybe thinking of leaving him as well. If it wouldn't have been for Chandra getting himself drunk, Aryan wouldn't have any way of knowing the reason for his wife's cold behavior toward him. Since the omega woke up, he had forgotten about the talk between them of the previous night; confessing his feelings to him or revealing anything related to Ishan, who had sabotaged his character in his wife's eyes and blackmailed Chandra for leaving Aryan. The more Chandra would disclose the things Ishan told him and the things he had demanded from him, Aryan's inside would burn with rage.

Aryan had called Manaas, his executive secretary, and told him to gather all the information on this Ishan who had been at the party the previous night. Through the hotel's footage and the hotel staff, they learned Ishan was Ishan Gupta, whose father recently had a business with Aryan for providing the funds for his project. After discovering his whereabouts in a club, Aryan had left during the Haldi Ceremony. But that son of a bitch had succeeded in running away from his grip as soon as his eyes had spotted Aryan approaching him. That bastard's whereabouts were unknown to Aryan. So, Manaas had contacted one of their cyber security employees who had controlled all the surveillance cameras and, with Ishan's car plate number, he had tracked down his location. He was heading to his father's house, who lived in the other city. Aryan with his few men, he had gone to his house. The unexpected presence of Aryan perplexed Ishan's father, yet the old man welcomed him wholeheartedly, however, the moment Aryan had caught sight of Ishan in the living room, without letting him escape this time, Aryan had seized him and a blow of his punch struck his face and sent Ishan on the floor with a jolt. His father had been downright shocked.

After that, Aryan had talked like a civilized person with Ishan's father as he hadn't thrown a punch at his son a moment ago. Though Aryan's skin itched to throw a few punches on his face for saying things like Chandra isn't happy with him nor he loved otherwise he wouldn't have cried, but before Ishan could have continued, a smack on his head from his father shut him up. Mr. Gupta reprimanded his son's actions after learning the nasty act of his son going after someone's wife and threatening them and Mr. Gupta apologized to Aryan and urged Aryan to avoid letting his foolish son's actions impact their business. Aryan, aware of Mr. Gupta's honest and reliable business reputation, so for his son's actions, Aryan didn't hold him responsible. But before leaving, Aryan had made sure Ishan wouldn't even think of coming anywhere near Chandra, ever.

"Come with me." Aryan didn't wait for Chandra's response and took him by the wrist.

They both were silent until they reached their floor in the living room.

Chandra looked at his husband. He took out a phone from his pocket and his thumb moved across its screen. But it wasn't Aryan's phone. From the sticker of beer, Chandra recognized it with the same sticker he had seen on Ishan's phone.

This was Ishan's phone. Chandra speculated that Aryan had been away during the Haldi ceremony because he had gone to meet Ishan.

Aryan had taken Ishan's phone from him after making him unlock the password. "I want you to watch this video again," Aryan said as he turned the phone display in front of his eyes, showing the video to Chandra.

The nauseating feeling came back to his stomach again as he watched the same video playing; Aryan standing in the room facing Kiran. She smiled at him before she threw her arms around his neck as her lips met the man's. The man passionately kissed her back, encircling his arms around her slim waist. And the man pulled her to the bed, revealing his face.

"Why are you doing this?" Chandra's voice was strained, averting his head to the other side, away from the screen. It felt like his heart would crumble to pieces if he continued to watch this video.

"You haven't watched it clearly, have you?" Aryan said, "Otherwise, you won't have been this miserable and thinking I was unfaithful to you."

The heavy gaze of Chandra lifted and met his husband. "Watch," Aryan demanded in a quiet voice.

Then he tilted his gaze back at the video. His eyes caught the sight of Aryan in the video as he half-naked walked toward the camera. After looking at this video so closely and clearly.

Chandra's breath stalled. He had seen Aryan naked. His husband had a prizefighter physique outlined by a rich, dusky complexion while the man in the video had a lean physique outlined by brown-like roasted almonds.

"I-it's not you." With relief, the beat of his tone was shaky as his gaze met Aryan's.

Aryan nodded, tossing the phone on the couch. "It's edited with my face while some man is doing the act to make you believe I was unfaithful to you." Aryan paused. "Last night, when you were intoxicated, I've already told you this, but you don't remember. So, now I will tell you again that despite our relationship not being like any normal married couple, never once have I been unfaithful to you, Chandra."

A rush of adrenaline wrenched Chandra's wobbly legs on the floor as those words of his husband evaporated the burden of something he had been fearing all this time. Even though the video made him doubt Aryan, Chandra felt intrinsically that what his eyes were seeing wasn't true. The truth in Aryan's words was reflected in his eyes. And for Chandra, Aryan's words are more significant than any other evidence.

Aryan was surprised at Chandra lumping down on the floor w sitting position. And his head lowered on the floor, causing his hair to hide his face. Aryan crouched down in front of him, and his hand reached to hold his chin. His heart plummeted at the sight of his eyes. Tears gathered, shining in his eyes, dimming his beautiful features.

Aryan knew he was relieved, but he didn't like those tears in his eyes.

Brushing the hair away from his face with his other hand, Aryan stated, his voice pleading, "Please, don't cry. I hate tears—Especially when I see them in your eyes."

But those tears were streaming down on his flushing cheeks.

Holding the face in his hands, Aryan wipes those tears on his cheeks with his thumbs.

"Chaand, don't cry. Otherwise, I would think you do not believe my—"

"I-I believe you," Chandra cut him off, his voice growing husky. "I believed."

"Then stop crying. If Shiv came and saw you in this state, I would be the culprit for making his mamma cry," Aryan teased with the intention of making his wife smile.

Chandra sniffed, laughing under his breath at his words. "He won't blame you. He knows his papa won't make his mamma cry," the omega argued.

Aryan chuckled at that remark of his wife. He looked at Chandra. He didn't shed more tears after his begging.

The forefinger of Aryan tugged the strand of his hair behind the ear when Chandra uttered, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"Aryan arched his brow, glancing back at the omega.

"For believing that you were unfaithful to me."

"Well, there is nothing to be sorry about. Anyone would have doubted it after seeing something like this . . . particularly in our case," Aryan said, shaking his head.

Even though it just left a terrible feeling knowing that it's easy to break their relationship because there is no trust and love. So, Aryan couldn't blame Chandra for believing in Ishan's words. But nothing like this would happen ever, Aryan would make sure.

"And you don't need to fear anything. That Ishan never will come anywhere near you unless he has a death wish." A muscle in Aryan's jaw twitched, stifling his rage toward Ishan.

Chandra extracted Aryan's hands from his face in his Henna hands, causing the dry henna to flake from his palms. The last time Aryan had seen Henna on those hands was at their wedding. It looked beautiful on his hands . . . with Aryan's name on his hand.

Chandra lowered his head, hiding his face again away from Aryan.

"I'm sorry," his wife mumbled.

"Why sorry, again?" There was amusement in Aryan's voice.

"For behaving badly toward you this morning."

Chandra's coldness genuinely wounded his heart, but his wife's silence wounded him even more. The silence of not letting him know the reason for his coldness toward him. Aryan only knew the reason because the omega was intoxicated the previous night.

At the stretched silence between, Aryan felt the squeeze of Chandra nervously on his hands, and those brown eyes looked at him.

Chandra pleaded, "Please, forgive me."

Once again, Aryan's hand moved and tugged the strand of Chandra's hair behind the ear from his face. "On one condition, I will forgive you."

His gaze flicked at those brown eyes begging him. "I will do it," Chandra urgently leaped at his offer.

Cupping his face in his hand, Aryan held the sight of Chandra's face intently. "If anything bothers you ever in life, big and small, I just want you to tell me. Never hide it from me. Tell me, can you do that for me?"

"I can do that."

"Then you are forgiven," Aryan said.

A smile slipped on Chandra's face.

"But you know," Aryan trailed off. A hint of a smirk illuminated the face of his husband. "I'm kind of happy to know that you have been affected this much by this video because it tells me I matter to you."

His racing heart beat like a drum, adrenaline pumping, its rhythm shaking his chest as he watched the man smiling at him.

"I have something to tell you," Chandra hesitated, licking his dry lips.

"I'm hearing," Aryan said softy and patiently

Chandra took Aryan's hand from his face and held it in his hands. His eyes dropped to their hands when for a moment he gathered his thoughts.

They had gotten married because he was pregnant with Shivam. But for once, Chandra hadn't bothered to look at something so precious—his family. He had been bound to the shackles of miserableness, and living his life in the same loop, a pit of despair because he didn't have Veer in his life. Until a miracle happened, and he had got his previous life memories back, liberating him free from the shackles of his misery. Then he embraced the most precious thing in the world, his son, Shivam. Oh, that child was indeed the sweetest, the brightest, and the most wonderful thing in his life . . . And Chandra would love him so much that no one would be enough for him.

The other thing was that Chandra found a purpose in his life to live his dream of making shoes. And with the help of Aryan, he could achieve that soon. After living with him, with his family, something happened. He didn't realize how and when it had happened, but it happened to him .. falling in love with his husband. The true him would have loved Aryan sooner if he hadn't been in that loop, because Aryan's kindness had carved out a path toward his heart—his soul, similar to a river's flow, strongly molds emotional landscape, carving paths through hearts.

When Chandra had seen and heard things from Ishan—Even thinking that Aryan loved someone else, Chandra felt like something was breaking inside him. But knowing that, Ishan fabricated everything to get Chandra. However, Aryan, without his asking, without his knowing even, solved everything for him like magic because he mattered to Aryan.

He wanted to make everything clear to the man today. Tell him the truth of his heart.

A searing sensation surged through him in anticipation of telling his feelings. Taking a sharp breath, Chandra began speaking, "I know, our start wasn't good—who am kidding? It was worse . . . I was the worst." He let out a chuckle. "My foolish action left us bound to each other against our wills. But somehow, you were willing to accept me as your wife because of my pregnancy, yet I couldn't accept you because I had been living in an illusion, but that illusion was nothing but my suffering that was created by me despite having everything . . . my family. . . Shiva, you. But I was a fool living in a loop of misery instead of embracing my happy world away from this misery—But from the beginning, you remained kind to me. Not for me, I know, but for Shiva. But no matter what had been the reason, the fact cannot be ignored that you've been kind to me despite me acting all like a spoiled brat. You've been supportive without even showing it to me. You've been taking care of our son when I should have done the same."

Chandra paused and looked up at his husband, who appeared surprised at his confession, and Chandra went on. "But now, I don't want to continue living in that loop of that misery. I want to live with Shiva, I want to live with you—with my family—three of us, Shiva, you and I, to live together like any other happy family. I want to be Shiva's mother like I should have been—I want us to be husband and wife—like real husband and wife—I know, I made some mistakes, but I don't think it was something you couldn't forgive me for. Please, give me a chance to make you believe that I mean every word of mine—"

Chandra was stunned when his mouth shut up with the lips of Aryan. The man kissed him. It was gentle and tender. Nothing passionate.

The man looked at him with a smile as he drew back. He stroked the corner of his lips underneath his thumb. Chandra blinked at the man. His core was shaking as a wave of those feelings and words rushed through his veins.

Those dark eyes filled with something he couldn't perceive looked at him. "Well, in the beginning, I married you because of the pregnancy. And I would never regret that decision ever, nor would I ever change that decision for anything. Because you gave me the most precious thing in the world. Our son. Shiv. I know you have acted foolish, those mistakes of yours I already forgave you. So, Chaand, you don't need to feel any burden thinking you have caused me pain because I never had complained toward you except one that you never cherished our child who longed only for your love all these years." A soft smile graced Aryan's handsome face. He held the chin of Chandra, sending butterflies to his stomach. "But now, I don't even have that complaint toward you now. Did you think I never noticed all those things you have been doing? You kind of made it hard for me to not look away from you when you came to live with us, and I have never seen that little guy so happy. You were spending time with him, laughing and talking, and taking care of him. Don't you realize you were already being a mother to him he was longing for?"

A glum expression appeared on Aryan's face. "I told you I hate tears."

From his hazy vision, he watched Aryan as, without his permission, his tears gathered in his eyes and then those tears fell on his cheeks.

Aryan wiped his tears with his hands again gently.

"Aryan," Chandra gasped.

Upon hearing him, Aryan's gaze flickered over his eyes. The man didn't say anything and his eyes held his own gaze intently.

"I love you," Chandra admitted the truth of his heart finally.

"I know." The man's lips drew in a sexy smile.

“Huh?”

Reading confusion on his face, Aryan explained, "When you were drunk, you confessed to me that you love me."

A heat rushed over Chandra's face. However, not being shy more, he looked at the man. “Still, I want you to know when I am sober. Aryan, I love you. And I love you so much.”

Aryan seemed intrigued and happy. With a smile, he leaned his head forward, bringing their faces closer together, making Chandra shudder. From his lips, Aryan's dark gaze moved up to meet his eyes. "And I also want you to know that I feel the same way about you, Chaand. And I absolutely never want to let you go. Nor do I want any other man to have the way I want you," Aryan whispered sensually against his lips.

Chandra couldn't breathe, couldn't move. Even if he died at that moment, it would be a satisfying death.

"So, let's keep living together," Aryan said, looking at him.

Smiling, Chandra responded to him with his mouth capturing those lips of his husband.

Aryan smiled against his mouth before he pulled Chandra into another kiss while embracing him in his arms.

Old Chandra would have thought that his miserable journey had no destination, but this Chandra had found his destination.

A happy one.

Aryan.

—-

A/n. Sorry for this late update. I have no excuse to offer. I'm just tired, but I hope you have enjoyed the chapter.

And this story is now one chapter away from the ending.

Love Misty.