Continue.....

Aanya stepped inside Jay's room, her feet hesitating with every move. She stood there, caught between her thoughts-Should I really talk to him? What if Ishaan finds out? Should I just leave? If Ishaan knows, it'll give him another excuse...

Her anxious thoughts broke when Jay suddenly waved his hand in front of her face.
"Hello? Earth to Aanya di! Where are you lost?" he said playfully, a small grin tugging at his lips.

Startled, Aanya blinked and looked at him. "H-huh?"

"Did you want something from me?" Jay asked curiously.

She fumbled with her words, "N-no... I mean, nothing. I was just bored, so I thought I'd check if you needed something."

Jay shook his head lightly. "No, I don't need anything. And even if I did, I can manage myself. Honestly, you don't seem like a maid to me at all. I don't even know why bhai calls you one. The first time I saw you, I thought you were his friend... or maybe even his girlfriend."

Aanya froze, her breath catching at his words. Girlfriend. The word pierced her like glass. She turned away quickly, choking softly as she whispered, "What are you saying, Jay? Nothing like that. I'm just... a maid."

The word maid left her lips almost broken, like it carried all her pain. Because in truth, it was the most heartbreaking thing for her-how the man she trusted, the man she came into this house with, had stripped her of every identity and reduced her to this. On the very first day of marriage, instead of being a wife, she was branded a servant. Her eyes stung, tears threatening to surface, but she hid them behind a faint, forced smile.

Desperate to change the subject, she asked, "Forget it... you tell me. What were you doing?"

Jay's face brightened immediately, his earlier curiosity replaced with childlike excitement. "Oh! I was gaming. Look-" he pointed eagerly at his setup. "Do you want to play with me?"

Aanya's eyes widened. "Me? No, Jay... I don't know how to-"

"Come on! I'll teach you. It's easy," Jay insisted, pulling her gently toward the table before she could resist. Aanya followed, half hesitant, half amused.

For a moment, she just stared at him-this boy who wasn't really a stranger anymore. There was a strange comfort in his presence, like she had known him far longer than these few days. He reminded her of Ansh, her younger brother. She remembered how, after returning from London, Ansh had dragged her into his room in the exact same way, introducing her to every little thing that fascinated him.

A faint smile tugged at her lips as she sat beside Jay.

He explained the controls quickly and handed her the mouse. Soon, the game began. At first, it seemed like Jay was just showing her how to play. But slowly, the energy shifted-it wasn't a lesson anymore, it was a competition.

Both of them leaned closer to their screens, caught up in the rush. Jay's usual confidence started slipping, and Aanya, surprisingly, held her ground like she had been playing for years. Her fingers moved over the keyboard naturally, every click sharp and precise.

When the game ended, Jay leaned back in disbelief. "Shit! Oh my god! I've never lost this game-ever! No one's ever beaten me! And you... you said you didn't know how to play!" He looked at her as if she had just performed some impossible magic.

Aanya laughed softly, but her smile wasn't because of winning. No-the joy shining in her eyes came from something deeper. Touching the keyboard and mouse, she felt like she was holding a piece of her old life again. They weren't just gaming tools; they were her long-lost companions, a forgotten part of herself that had suddenly come alive again. For those few minutes, she had been free-free from the suffocating label of "maid," free from Ishaan's shadow.

Her fingers lingered on the keys with fragile tenderness, as if afraid this piece of her would slip away again.

Meanwhile, Jay was still mumbling in disbelief. "How? How is this even possible?"

His voice snapped Aanya out of her thoughts. She looked at him, still smiling faintly.

Without warning, Jay grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the bed, making her sit on the edge while he sat beside her. His eyes sparkled with curiosity as he asked, "Tell me..."

Aanya blinked. "Tell you what?"

"Tell me the truth, Aanya di... are you a gamer?" he blurted out.

She burst into a soft laugh at his serious tone. "What? No, Jay. I'm not a gamer."

"Then how did you play so easily? How did you beat me?" Jay pressed, leaning forward like he couldn't let go of the mystery. "Do you even know how tough this game is? People take months to learn the basics. But you... the way you handled the keyboard, the mouse-it was like second nature to you. Like you've been doing it for years!"

Aanya froze at his words, her throat tightening. She swallowed hard and forced a shaky reply, "N-no... it's nothing like that. I don't know... it just happened."

Jay pouted dramatically, muttering under his breath, "Impossible..."

Quickly, Aanya cut him off, steering the topic away. "Forget that. Tell me, do you always play alone? Or does someone else play with you too?"

The question wiped the excitement off Jay's face. His shoulders dropped. Aanya noticed instantly.

"What happened, Jay?" she asked gently.

He gave her a small, sad smile. "I always used to play with Nisha di. She... she always lost, but still, she played with me. Every time. Just to make me happy." His voice cracked slightly, the sadness in it unmissable.

Aanya's heart ached at his words. She reached out softly, her tone warm and comforting. "Then don't worry, Jay. From now on, I'll play with you. Your Aanya di will always be here."

Jay's face lit up for a moment, but then he quickly shook his head with exaggerated stubbornness. "No, no, no! I'm not playing with you again. You'll just beat me every time!"

Aanya laughed at his childish protest, her heart feeling strangely lighter. For the first time in a long while, she felt alive.

"Fine," she teased softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "then if we played next time I'll let you win."

Jay narrowed his eyes, shaking his head furiously. "No way. I don't want you to let me win. If I lose, I lose. But..." -his lips curved into a playful pout- "I just don't want you to defeat me again so easily. At least give me some hope!"

Aanya chuckled, her laughter light but carrying a warmth she hadn't felt in weeks. "You're impossible, Jay."

For a moment, silence lingered between them-soft, comfortable silence. Jay leaned back on the edge of the bed, his gaze still fixed on her with a childlike curiosity. Then, almost in a whisper, he asked, "Aanya di... why do you always look so... sad sometimes?"

The question pierced her chest. Her smile faltered, though she tried to keep it alive on her lips. "Sad? Do I?" she murmured, avoiding his eyes.

"Yes," Jay said firmly, his young eyes holding more wisdom than his age should allow. "When you laugh, it feels real. But when you smile..." He hesitated, searching for words. "...it feels like your heart isn't smiling with you."

Aanya froze. No one had ever said that to her before. Her throat tightened, but she quickly forced herself to shrug.

"You're imagining things, Jay. Maybe I just get tired from... work." She whispered that last word, the bitterness hidden inside it almost slipping out.

Jay didn't argue, but the way he kept staring at her told her he didn't believe her excuse. Instead, he gently nudged her shoulder. "Whatever it is... I hope one day your smile becomes real. Like just now-when you beat me. That smile looked real."

Her eyes stung, and she looked away before the tears betrayed her. To cover it, she reached for the mouse on the table and said with a half-grin, "Careful, Jay. If you keep talking like this, I'll challenge you again. And this time, I won't even give you a chance to survive the first round."

Jay burst into laughter, the heaviness breaking instantly. "Bring it on, Aanya di! Next time, I'll be the one who makes you cry!"

She laughed with him, but deep inside, his words lingered. I hope one day your smile becomes real.

And for the first time in a long time, she wondered if that was even possible anymore.

Aanya looked at Jay, hesitation flickering in her eyes. Her voice trembled when she finally spoke.
"Jay... can I ask you something?"

Jay glanced at her, curious, his boyish face softening. "Yes, Aanya di. Anything."

She hesitated again, her fingers tightening around the fabric of her dress, then whispered, "Jay... what happened to Nisha di?"

The moment her name escaped Aanya's lips, Jay froze. His expression shifted, the light in his eyes dimming as he looked at her in silence, almost as though the air itself had been sucked out of the room.

"Huh?" he managed, his voice hollow.

"I mean..." Aanya tried to explain, her words clumsy with caution. "I've heard a lot about her from the maids and from Nita aunty. She sounded like someone so impressive... so full of life. If she was that smart and cheerful, what happened to her? What could drive her to... to take such a step?"

Jay's hesitation was loud, almost visible. His silence stung, and Aanya quickly backtracked, guilt flashing across her face. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me. I was just curious... I'm sorry."

Jay exhaled slowly, a heaviness in his chest. "No... it's fine." His voice was quiet, but steady. "To be honest, I was just thinking about her myself. You're right-Nisha di was everything you said. Smart. Cheerful. Strong. She wasn't someone who gave up. She was the kind of person who fought until the very end. Which is why... even today, it's hard for me to believe she took her own life."

Aanya's throat tightened. "Then... what happened to her?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jay lowered his eyes, the weight of memory pressing down on him. "I don't know everything. At that time, I was in London. But what I do know is... it was because of her boyfriend. Something happened. Something broke her. And she..." His words trailed off into silence.

Aanya's brows furrowed, her heart aching at his unfinished sentence. "Because of her boyfriend? What could he have possibly done for her to-"

Jay didn't answer immediately. Instead, his mind dragged him back to that day.