Page 118 of Right Where I Belong

He tugged on Aditya’s leg, who stood close beside her. “Thank you for bringing her back to me.”

Aditya put a hand on Ahaan’s shoulder and gently squeezed it. “I will always keep my promises to you, buddy.”

“Mom,” Ahaan said, his eyes bright, “Uncle Aditya’s house is so big and it has a pool. Can we stay here with him andAunty Mamta? I like her. Her cook made me the best chocolate milkshake. He put Oreos on it.”

Sabrina swallowed hard, startled by his fearless enthusiasm. In his innocence, however, he’d made things awkward for her. Before she could reply, Aditya’s mother stepped forward.

“As soon as your mom agrees to marry my son,” Mamta said lightly, “we can all live together here.”

“Yay!” Ahaan whooped, already running down a corner. “I’m going to watch TV, Mom! They’ve got a pretty big one here!” He disappeared in the direction he’d come from.

Sabrina was frozen, caught between relief and awkwardness. Heat crept onto her cheeks. Around her, the room buzzed to life as Rithwik and VJ entered. All her friends gathered around them, asking them questions.

Her gaze drifted to Mamta. The older woman was watching her closely, an unreadable look in her eyes.

“Do you love my son?” Mamta asked.

“More than anything,” Sabrina replied without hesitation.

A gentle smile softened Mamta’s sharp features. “Then I must apologize. The night of my party, Aditya said you left him because you thought he was too rich, and it made me wonder if I’d been wrong about you. Then he said that he loved you. I saw the despair in his eyes when he looked at you, and it forced me to see the truth. I only ever wanted to protect him and to see him happy. I recognize now that his happiness is with you, and I will never stand in the way of that. I promise to love you and Ahaan as my own. Can you forgive me?”

Sabrina felt her chest swell from the relief she felt. She wrapped Mamta in a warm embrace.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Your words mean the world to me.”

Mamta looked at Aditya. “Come with me. I need to talk to you.”

Surprise flickered on his face. “Now?”

“Yes, now,” his mother replied. “It’s important.”

Without another word, Aditya followed his mother to the lawns outside.

Aisha and Diya came to her as soon as Aditya and his mother left, relief and excitement written across their faces. Sabrina stepped into their open arms, holding them tight as the day’s tension finally eased.

“Are you okay?” Aisha asked.

“I am.”

Diya grinned. “You’re getting married. I’m so excited! Oh, I just hope my baby comes on time.”

Diya was due any day now.

Sabrina smiled. “We haven’t worked out the details yet, but… I said yes to him.”

“Why do you look concerned?” Aisha asked.

Sabrina’s gaze drifted toward her mother-in-law. Noticing that, Aisha took her hand and guided her toward her mother. The older woman rose from the armchair, tears in her eyes as she pulled Sabrina into a fierce embrace.

“I thought I was going to lose you too,” her mother-in-law whispered. “I’m so glad you’re safe.”

Sabrina held her tighter.

“Aisha told me everything about your past,” she continued. “She also told me how Aditya protected Ahaan, and how his mother rushed to look after my grandson. I know Aditya proposed to you, and I’m so happy for you, Sabrina. You deserve a good life. Ahappylife.”

Sabrina let her tears fall freely now.

Her mother-in-law reached for Aisha’s hand. “Aisha’s asked me to move in with her. I’ve agreed to start staying with her on the weekends. But I need to learn to live on my own, to get mylife back on track. I’ve been dependent on you for far too long. I know you’re worried about me, but I will be fine.”