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**Chapter 25: Ripples of a Relocation**
**1. Arjun's Mother – Mrs. Malhotra**
In the quiet of her puja room, incense smoke curled upward as Mrs. Malhotra knelt in front of the deities, her lips murmuring prayers. But even her mantras couldn't drown the ache in her heart.
Arjun had left for London.
Without asking.
Without telling her until the day of his flight.
And for what? A girl who barely called, who spent more time at her parental home than with her husband?
"He's not the same anymore," she had muttered to a friend over tea the previous day. "Earlier, he'd listen to me. Now, he just… goes."
She missed the son who used to ask for her opinion before buying a shirt. Now he was managing international branches and chasing a wife who, in her opinion, didn't deserve his devotion.
"She'll ruin him," she whispered, pressing her fingers to her forehead. "She already has."
But despite her bitterness, somewhere deep within, a part of her feared more than hated Aanya. Because she saw something she didn't understand—her son's unwavering love. And that scared her most of all.
---
**2. Shruti – Arjun's Sister**
Shruti sipped coffee as she lounged on her Mumbai apartment's balcony, reading the email Arjun had sent her.
**Subject: London Expansion Plan**
Typical Arjun—short, professional, devoid of any emotion. But she read between the lines. She always did.
She could feel the unspoken reasons.
Her brother wasn't one for melodrama, but his decisions were always rooted in feeling. And this move—this whole international leap—reeked of heartache.
She wasn't angry. If anything, she admired him.
"He's finally doing something bold," she said aloud to no one in particular. "Not just for business… but for love."
She had never hated Aanya, unlike their mother. In fact, she often wished her bhabhi would give Arjun a real chance. He wasn't perfect—possessive, emotionally closed-off at times—but his love was fierce. That kind of love was rare.
Shruti hoped that in London, away from the family politics and expectations, they might find something real. Maybe even heal.
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**3. Raj – Arjun's Co-Founder**
Raj adjusted his glasses as he leaned back in his ergonomic chair, eyes glued to the Zoom screen where Arjun appeared, slightly sleep-deprived but determined.
"So, we're going global?" Raj grinned.
Arjun nodded. "It's time."
Raj didn't ask why London. He already knew.
"You sure about this?" he asked instead.
Arjun paused. "I have to be."
Raj wasn't just Arjun's partner—he was one of the few who knew everything. The fights. The silences. The late-night breakdowns. Arjun had never said it aloud, but Raj could tell: Aanya wasn't just Arjun's wife.
She was his entire emotional compass.
Raj admired his friend's devotion. Even envied it. But he also worried. "You're putting everything on the line for her."
"I already did," Arjun replied. "This is just geography."
Raj nodded slowly. "Then let's make sure it works. For business *and* for you."
---
**4. Employees at the Hyderabad Office**
The chatter started the moment the announcement hit Slack.
**"CEO Relocating to London. Expansion Underway."**
"He's following his wife," one whispered over lunch.
"I thought she left him?"
"He's obsessed with her, isn't he?"
Some admired him. "That's commitment, yaar."
Others mocked quietly. "Or stupidity."
But no one could deny it—Arjun's move had shaken things up.
"He used to be on top of everything," said Priya, a mid-level manager. "Now he only joins major calls and delegates the rest."
"He's not distracted," corrected Ramesh, one of the developers. "He's changing. Growing, maybe."
Whatever it was, Arjun Malhotra had become a mystery in his own company.
---
**5. Nikhil – Aanya's Brother**
Back in India, Nikhil was silent as Neeta handed him the phone. "He's really in London," she said, her voice tinged with disbelief.
Nikhil read the message again.
*"Met Arjun outside campus. He's here. Moved for startup expansion."*
He ran a hand through his hair.
"That guy… he's relentless."
"You think it's sweet?" Neeta asked.
"I think it's dangerous," Nikhil replied. "She went there for space. And he followed her across the planet."
"But he didn't force himself back into her life. He's just… there."
Nikhil frowned. "That's what makes it scarier."
He had always been protective of Aanya. He didn't like Arjun—never had. Something about his intensity felt wrong. But he also couldn't deny that Arjun was committed, in his own twisted way.
He just didn't know if commitment without respect could ever work.
"She needs to keep her boundaries intact," he muttered.
Neeta looked thoughtful. "Or maybe… she'll finally see that he's trying to change."
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**6. Neeta – Aanya's Sister-in-Law**
Neeta had never voiced it aloud, but she had always believed there was a strange kind of poetry in Aanya and Arjun's story.
It was turbulent, yes. Toxic at times. But beneath the mess was something raw. Honest.
"They were never boring," she often said to Nikhil.
Now, reading Aanya's messages, she felt a quiet thrill.
"He came to London," she murmured. "He's trying."
She knew Aanya was confused. Torn. But Neeta also knew her sister-in-law. And she saw the subtle shift.
There were fewer mentions of divorce. Less anger in her tone. More hesitation.
It wasn't resolution.
But it wasn't rejection either.
---
**7. Aanya**
Aanya stood by the window of her dorm, staring at the rain splashing against the pane. Her phone buzzed with messages from friends, classmates, even a voice note from Kiara planning their weekend brunch.
But her mind was elsewhere.
Arjun was out there—somewhere in this city, walking its streets, running his startup, existing within her world without barging in.
It wasn't what she had expected.
And that unsettled her more than anything.
Was he changing?
Or was this just another chapter in the same story?
And what would she do if he really *was* becoming someone new?
Would she still want to leave?
Would she still need to?
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**[End of Chapter 25]**