Rain had always reminded him of her.Every drop that touched the glass of his office felt like an echo of that night—the night she walked away without looking back.
Reyan Kade stood by the window of the tallest building in the city, his reflection lost somewhere between the clouds and the lights below.Five years had passed, yet some memories refused to fade.
He told himself she was gone.He built his company, his name, his power—everything—to forget her.But forgetting her was like trying to forget how to breathe.
A knock on the door pulled him back."Sir, the guests have arrived," his assistant said.Reyan nodded. "I'll be there in a minute."
Tonight was the charity gala his company hosted every year. Cameras, business leaders, media—it was supposed to be just another night of polite smiles and empty conversations.
He straightened his tie, slipped on the mask of confidence that the world expected, and walked out.
The ballroom glowed in gold and crystal.Music floated softly through the air; laughter mixed with the clinking of glasses.
Everywhere he looked, there were people who wanted something from him—partnerships, money, influence.No one ever wanted him.
Until his gaze froze.
Across the room, beneath a chandelier's silver light, stood a woman in a black gown that shimmered like midnight.Her hair was loose, her smile faint, and her eyes—those eyes—they stopped his heart for a second.
It couldn't be.It was.
Aarvi.
The name he hadn't said in years, the name that still haunted his sleep,now stood right in front of him—alive, breathtaking, and somehow… different.
He felt the air shift. His hand tightened around the glass in his grip.
She moved gracefully through the crowd, people greeting her, praising her.She didn't look his way—at least, not at first.When she finally did, her lips curved into a calm smile, the kind that could hide a thousand secrets.
Reyan couldn't move.He wanted to ask her where she'd been, why she'd left,but the words burned before reaching his tongue.
Instead, she was the one who broke the silence."Mr. Kade," she said softly, her voice smooth but cold,"it's been a long time."
He almost laughed. "Five years and you still remember my name?"
Her gaze didn't flinch. "Some things are hard to forget."
The crowd around them seemed to fade.He saw only her—the woman who once said she loved him,the woman who disappeared the night he needed her most.
"You look… different," he managed."You don't," she replied, taking a sip from her glass. "Still pretending nothing hurts."
His jaw tightened. "Why are you here, Aarvi?"
She tilted her head, her earrings catching the light."Maybe I came to see if ghosts still exist."
Before he could answer, someone called her name from behind—a man in a gray suit, confident, smiling,his hand resting a little too comfortably on her back.
Reyan's stomach turned.Aarvi looked at the man, then back at Reyan.
"I should go," she said. "We'll see each other again soon."
He wanted to stop her, to demand the truth,but his pride built its wall again.
Later that night, the party was almost over.Reyan stood alone on the balcony, city lights spreading endlessly below.The rain had stopped, but his thoughts hadn't.
She was back.And she wasn't the same woman he lost.
Something about her felt sharper—calculated.As if she hadn't returned for love… but for something else.
His phone buzzed.Unknown number.A single message:
"Don't trust what you see tonight. She has her reasons."
He frowned. Before he could reply, a knock came at the balcony door.
It was his assistant, pale and nervous."Sir… there's been an incident."
Reyan's heart skipped. "What incident?"
The assistant swallowed hard. "Miss Aarvi… someone tried to attack her in the parking lot. She's asking for you."
For a second, Reyan forgot everything—his anger, his pride, his control.All he could feel was the sound of her name echoing in his chest.
He ran.
The hotel corridor blurred around him.Security guards moved out of the way as he reached the parking area.
Aarvi stood there, her gown torn slightly at the side, a bruise forming on her arm.She looked shaken but fierce, her eyes catching his like magnets.
"I'm fine," she said quickly, before he could speak. "It was just a warning."
"Warning? From who?" Reyan demanded.
She glanced away, the corner of her lips curving into something between a smirk and pain."You'll find out soon enough."
He stepped closer, voice low."What have you gotten yourself into, Aarvi?"
She looked up at him, her expression unreadable."Maybe the better question," she whispered, "is what you did five years ago that made them come for me tonight."
Before he could reply, police sirens echoed outside the gates.She turned, her dress brushing past him as she walked away.
And for the first time in five years, Reyan felt that same old fear—that she was about to vanish again.
But not this time.
He looked at her silhouette fading into the flashing lights and whispered,"I'm not letting you disappear again."
(Next Chapter Preview Hint: Who sent that mysterious message — and why was Aarvi attacked the night she came back?)