Ayesha leaned back against the headboard and looked at Kruthi quietly for a moment.
"He's not as fine as you think," she said softly.
Kruthi lowered her gaze. Ayesha gently wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks before pulling a pillow into her lap.
"Everyone has their ups and downs," she continued with a faint sigh. "Vivaan had them too. But mostly... he just had downs."
For a few seconds, silence settled between them.
"I don't even know where to begin," Ayesha murmured before a small nostalgic smile touched her lips. "Maybe from the first time I saw him."
Kruthi looked at her attentively.
"We were really young back then. Our families used to gather at the farmhouse during vacations. I remember everyone playing together—our siblings, cousins, friends..." She paused briefly. "And then there was him. Sitting alone in one corner."
Her eyes softened at the memory.
"At first I thought he liked being alone. But later... it didn't feel that way."
A small chuckle escaped her.
"You know what our first conversation was?"
Kruthi shook her head lightly.
"An argument," Ayesha said, smiling properly this time. "He broke my crayon accidentally, and I got furious."
Kruthi let out a faint laugh.
"But slowly we became friends. And honestly..." Ayesha looked down at the pillow in her lap. "I had a tiny childhood crush on him."
"You?" Kruthi raised an eyebrow teasingly.
Ayesha laughed softly. "Yes, me. But it ended very quickly when I found out about his purple girl."
Kruthi blinked in confusion.
"Purple girl?"
"Hm." Ayesha nodded. "I still don't know who she was. But every Saturday, he would go to the local park looking for her."
"Looking for her?"
"Like he genuinely believed he'd find her one day."
There was something oddly sad about that.
Kruthi's curiosity slowly replaced her tears.
"What happened then?"
Ayesha's smile faded.
The room suddenly felt quieter.
"Then everything changed."
Kruthi frowned slightly at the shift in her tone.
"Vivaan was five when his parents died in an accident."
Kruthi's eyes widened a little.
"And that was the same day, he got his first achievement. Five-year young lad won a trophy in chess. (Chuckles softly but dryly) He was excited- too excited to show the trophy to his parents. But when he came home, the trophy broke in pieces... after witnessing what has happened."
Ayesha inhaled slowly before continuing.
"Naina was barely three at the time. I think I was four... maybe three and a half. My family and I went to the funeral."
Her lips curled into a bitter smile.
"And trust me, almost nobody cared about the dead couple."
Kruthi stared at her.
"The elders did," Ayesha clarified. "But the rest of the family?" She gave a dry laugh. "They were too busy fighting over Mr. Malhotra's property."
"What?" Kruthi whispered in disbelief. "In front of the children?"
Ayesha nodded slowly.
"I still remember Vivaan crying while holding onto Badi Dadi. People kept trying to distract him—offering toys, chocolates, anything." Her voice lowered. "But after the funeral... he just stopped."
"Stopped?"
"No crying. No talking. No expression." She swallowed softly. "Just silence."
Kruthi felt her chest tighten.
"And beside him was little Naina," Ayesha continued quietly. "Too young to understand what had happened."
A faint sadness settled in her eyes.
"Vivaan made her sleep that night himself."
Kruthi blinked slowly.
"He was five," Ayesha whispered. "Five years old and already trying not to become a burden."
The words hit heavily.
"Badi Dadi was shattered after losing her grandson. She was old, grieving, exhausted..." Ayesha looked away for a moment. "Maybe that's why Vivaan never troubled anyone with Naina. He just... handled things silently."
Kruthi felt something ache painfully inside her chest.
"That's too much for a child," she said quietly.
Ayesha gave a small nod.
"Yes," she murmured. "It was."
Ayesha stayed quiet for a while after that.
The room felt heavy with emotions that neither of them knew how to handle properly.
"He changed after that," she said eventually. "Completely."
Kruthi listened silently.
"He stopped asking for things." Ayesha smiled faintly, but there was sadness in it. "Toys, chocolates, games... nothing interested him anymore. Other children cried for little things, but Vivaan never did."
Her fingers tightened slightly around the pillow.
"At first everyone praised him for being mature." She let out a dry laugh. "But honestly? It wasn't maturity. A child that young isn't supposed to become that quiet."
Kruthi lowered her eyes.
"He started staying alone most of the time. Even during family gatherings, he would sit somewhere silently while everyone else laughed around him. People assumed he was arrogant because he barely talked." Ayesha shook her head lightly. "But he was just... withdrawn."
A faint memory crossed her mind.
"And if someone tried getting too close, he'd immediately take a step back. Like he had already learned not to depend on anyone."
The sentence lingered heavily between them.
"But there was one exception," Ayesha said softly.
"Naina?"
A small smile appeared on Ayesha's lips.
"Naina."
The softness in her voice was immediate.
"He became ridiculously protective of her." She laughed quietly. "You couldn't even scold Naina in front of him without getting glared at."
Kruthi smiled a little.
"He used to check her school bag himself, make sure she ate properly, make her sleep..." Ayesha paused. "Sometimes it felt less like a brother and more like a child trying desperately to become a parent."
"He basically grew up with responsibility forced onto him," Kruthi murmured.
"Exactly."
Ayesha leaned her head back against the wall.
"And school wasn't any better for him."
Kruthi frowned slightly.
"He had no friends," Ayesha said simply. "Not one genuine friend."
"What about you all?"
"We were around him," she corrected softly. "But there's a difference between being surrounded by people and actually having someone."
That line settled deeply inside Kruthi.
"He never leaned on anyone emotionally. Never shared things properly. Even as teenagers, when boys his age were busy with stupid fights, crushes, parties..." She smiled faintly. "Vivaan always looked detached from everything."
"Was he always this introverted?"
"Hm." Ayesha nodded. "But life made it worse."
She looked away for a moment before continuing.
"After his parents died, Badi Dadi transferred the entire Malhotra property under her own name."
Kruthi looked up.
"She said she'd transfer everything to Vivaan once he turned twenty-one."
"And the property was huge, right?"
Ayesha laughed bitterly.
"Huge? Kruthi, the Malhotra property wasn't ordinary wealth. We're talking about generational power. Businesses, lands, investments..." She exhaled slowly. "A trillionaire-level empire."
Kruthi's expression shifted slightly.
"And Rushaan's father always believed that property belonged to him," Ayesha said quietly. "He thought he deserved it more."
A cold understanding slowly settled inside Kruthi.
"And Rushaan inherited that mindset," she whispered.
"Hm."
Ayesha's eyes darkened slightly.
"For Rushaan, that property isn't just money. It's power. Status. Control."
The room fell silent again.
Then unexpectedly, Ayesha smiled a little.
"You know, despite acting emotionally unavailable his entire life..." she said, "Vivaan actually had a crush once."
Kruthi blinked.
"He WHAT?"
Ayesha laughed softly at her reaction.
"Yes. In college."
Kruthi stared at her in disbelief.
"I only found out because I caught him staring at the same girl repeatedly."
"Vivaan?" Kruthi almost laughed. "Looking at a girl?"
"Exactly my reaction."
Ayesha adjusted the pillow in her lap.
"She was our junior. Very quiet. Reserved. Always sitting in the front seat during lectures, always focused on studies." She thought for a moment. "Honestly, she barely spoke to anyone."
Ayesha smiled faintly to herself, almost amused by the memory now.
"But honestly," she continued, "calling it a crush might even be too much."
Kruthi looked at her curiously.
"Why?"
"Because Vivaan never actually approached her." Ayesha laughed softly. "Forget approaching — I don't even think he properly looked at her."
Kruthi frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"He was careful. Too careful." Ayesha shook her head. "Whenever she passed by, he'd glance at her for barely a second and then look away immediately. As if he was scared someone would notice."
A strange warmth mixed with sadness settled in her tone.
"And Vivaan was never someone who got nervous around people. So it was obvious."
Kruthi stayed quiet.
"The closest interaction between them was when Vivaan's pen finished in mid exam and he didn't even ask anyone for help. Just silently kept the empty pen down. Teacher noticed, asked if anyone had spare pen, and from the other side, last seat a hand raised. Guess who?"
"His crush...?"
"Yes, and even at that time, she didn't look up, he didn't look back."
"H-how do you know?"
"Me? Arre, I had made few friends by my college life. So yes... I mean sometimes Vivaan was the gossip between us. Not much, just two- three girls more."
"I remember teasing him once," Ayesha continued. "'At least learn her name first.'"
"And?"
"He ignored me and walked away."
Kruthi almost smiled.
"But later I realized something." Ayesha's expression softened. "I don't think he avoided her because he wasn't interested."
"Then why?"
"Because he thought he had no right to be."
The answer came quietly.
Kruthi's eyes lifted slowly toward her.
"At that time, he was obsessed with becoming worthy of the empire waiting for him." Ayesha sighed. "Everyone kept reminding him that one day the entire Malhotra legacy would fall on his shoulders. Businesses, responsibilities, expectations…"
"He was just a college student," Kruthi murmured.
"Exactly. But nobody treated him like one."
Ayesha looked down at her hands.
"He carried the pressure of a forty-year-old man since childhood. And somewhere along the way, he convinced himself that emotions were distractions."
Her lips curved bitterly.
"So instead of talking to the girl, he buried himself in work, internships, business meetings, academics..." She laughed quietly. "Typical Vivaan behaviour."
Kruthi's chest felt strangely tight.
"What was the girl like exactly?" she asked, trying to sound casual.
Ayesha thought for a moment.
"She was... calm. Very calm. Almost invisible if you didn't pay attention properly." Her eyes narrowed slightly in recollection. "Always sitting in the front row during lectures. Simple clothes. Hair tied neatly. Never involved in gossip."
Kruthi's fingers slowly stiffened.
"And she barely had any friends," Ayesha added. "Actually, I don't think I ever saw her with anyone."
A strange silence settled inside Kruthi.
"She used to stay in the library most of the time," Ayesha continued unknowingly. "Or attend classes quietly and leave immediately afterward."
Kruthi felt her heartbeat quicken.
Because that sounded terrifyingly familiar.
"We were all studying in St. Veritas College back then," Ayesha said casually. "You know how chaotic that campus used to be."
Kruthi froze.
St. Veritas.
Her college.
For a brief second, her mind went blank.
Front seat.
No friends.
Library.
Quiet.
Always leaving alone.
Her throat suddenly felt dry.
No.
That would be ridiculous.
A coincidence.
Just a coincidence.
"You okay?" Ayesha asked, noticing her silence.
Kruthi immediately nodded.
"Hm? Yeah."
But her voice came out softer than intended.
Ayesha didn't notice.
"You know what's funny?" she said with a small smile. "Even after silently liking her for so long, Vivaan probably still doesn't know her name."
Kruthi looked away instantly.
"I remember seeing her alone almost always," Ayesha murmured. "At that time I used to think—how can someone stay this detached from everyone?"
Kruthi swallowed quietly.
"And do you know the saddest thing?" Ayesha asked softly.
Kruthi looked at her.
"Vivaan never intended to marry."
The words caught her off guard.
"What?"
Ayesha nodded slowly.
"He hated the idea of marriage."
"Why?"
"Because of his parents."
Her voice lowered.
"People think children don't remember these things, but they do." She stared blankly ahead. "His parents fought constantly. In front of relatives, staff, guests... everyone."
Kruthi stayed silent.
"I still remember one New Year function at the farmhouse." Ayesha's expression hardened slightly at the memory. "Everyone was celebrating outside while his parents were screaming at each other upstairs."
The atmosphere suddenly felt suffocating.
"Vivaan was sitting near the staircase the entire time." Her voice softened. "He couldn't even enjoy being a child because he was too busy listening to adults break each other apart."
Kruthi felt her chest ache.
"He once said something to me years later," Ayesha whispered.
"What?"
Ayesha looked at her quietly.
'People only romanticize love until they have to live with it.'"