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“Then why agree to the marriage?” Maya asked evenly.
Adira had no answer. Maya addressed her sternly.
“Adira, whatever your intentions may be, please don't make things difficult for my mother. If you're agreeing to this marriage just to cause trouble for me or her in the future, I urge you to reconsider. There's no need for you to sacrifice anything at this point, and no one is asking you to. If you're only accepting this relationship superficially now, it could lead to complications for everyone involved down the line. I won't allow that to happen.”
She got up to leave.
Rising to leave, Maya concluded, “Until I'm sure you won't bother her, I can't let this marriage happen.”
“Oh please,” Adira yelled after her furiously. “That’s not why you are doing this. You are doubtful if this marriage happens, I will get close to Ranveer and that might risk your position in his life.”
Maya smirked smugly.
“Grow up, Adira. You are still living in a hallucinated world. Ranveer is mine in this and next infinite births. No one can change that, least of all you. Accept it and move on. Thanks for coming here upon my request. Bye.”
With that parting shot, Maya left a seething Adira behind. She knew confronting Adira's pretense was the right move, however painful.
Paradise – Same night
“I wasn't entirely convinced by her behavior. It seemed like she was hiding something, brewing up some devious, childish plan. I could feel it,” Maya said, swallowing the last sip of water from her glass before setting it down on the dinner table.
She shared the details of her meeting with Adira with Garima and Ranveer.
“Patel is keeping an eye on her,” Ranveer added. “If she's up to something, we'll be the first ones to know.”
Maya smiled at Ranveer's proactive approach. That was one of the things she loved about him—his ability to stay one step ahead of everyone else. No one could outsmart him or predict his next move.
“Adira is blinded by hatred for me. She'll never accept me,” Garima mentioned.
“Mom,” Maya reassured, gripping her mother's arm. “She'll come around eventually. But for now, I'm not comfortable with you going back to that house. I don't trust your safety there.”
Garima looked down, feeling helpless, but then met Maya's gaze again.
“I'm not in a hurry, Maya. I've waited all these years and even given up hope of legally being with Vivek. Waiting a little longer won't change much. I'll talk to Vivek and ask him to take things slow,” Garima said.
Impressed by her mother's resolve, Maya nodded in agreement. Later that evening, after dinner, when they all retired to their respective rooms, Ranveer retrieved a file from the closet and handed it to Maya as she emerged from the bathroom, freshly refreshed.
“What's this?” Maya asked, taking the file from him.
“Open it and read,” he instructed.
Maya knew it had to be something significant and special for him to present it to her at this hour. As she read through the legal papers inside, a smile spread across her face.
“You're no longer Maya Bajaj; you're Maya Malhotra now,” Ranveer whispered in her ear.
A genuine smile lit up her face as she put the papers aside and wrapped her arms around Ranveer's neck. This was something she had wanted—to shed the Bajaj name that legally never belonged to her. Vivek had failed to give her his name and family identity as his child, yet she had allowed herself to be called a Bajaj all these years to shield herself from people's taunts and her mother's guilt. But not anymore. Her husband wasted no time in changing her name legally and permanently binding her to him.
“I love you,” she breathed out.
His grip around her waist tightened as their noses brushed against each other.
“I love you more,” he replied.
“Then I love you more more,” she argued playfully, followed by a chuckle.
In a swift motion, he scooped her up into his arms. She smiled nervously, anticipating his next move.
“Angel,” he murmured, pulling her closer. “You can't outdo me at this.”
