**Chapter 9: *Storms That Start with Silence***
Arjun noticed the change before she said anything.
The distracted eyes. The way her fingers hovered over her phone longer than usual. The faint smile that didn't belong to anything he had said.
He watched from the kitchen doorway as she replied to a message, then quickly locked the screen.
"Who is he?" he asked, voice low.
Aanya turned, startled. "What?"
"That guy you keep texting."
She rolled her eyes. "It's nothing. Just an old friend."
He stepped closer. "What kind of old friend?"
"The normal kind. One I studied with during CA."
"Name?"
She arched a brow. "Why? Planning to stalk his LinkedIn?"
Arjun's jaw tightened. "Just tell me."
She stared at him a beat too long before answering. "Raghav."
And with that, a storm began.
Not with thunder or lightning—but with silence.
***
**Flashback: Two Years Ago**
Raghav had been her study partner during CA Final. Charming, quick-witted, ambitious. They clicked easily. Shared notes, coffee breaks, long nights before exams.
He never confessed. She never asked.
But if her parents hadn't rushed the wedding… who knows?
He messaged out of the blue that week.
> *"Heard you got married. Weird. Still can't picture it."*
She had replied, cautiously at first.
Then, maybe too easily.
> *"Weird for me too. Everything still feels borrowed."*
They didn't flirt. Not exactly.
But it was the kind of talking you'd only do if you thought no one was watching.
***
Arjun was watching now.
And it burned.
He wasn't the jealous type—not outwardly. But with Aanya, he was constantly afraid. She slipped through fingers like smoke.
And Raghav? He didn't like the idea of another man knowing things about her he hadn't yet earned.
That night, he didn't say a word.
But when she went to brush her teeth, he unlocked her phone. He didn't guess her passcode—he already knew it.
He scrolled.
And read.
And read.
Until the silence roared in his ears.
***
Aanya knew he had checked her phone. The toothbrush in her mouth paused when she returned to see the lock screen slightly shifted, not where she left it.
She didn't confront him.
Because she didn't know if she was more angry at the invasion—or guilty for giving him a reason.
She climbed into bed without a word.
He didn't say goodnight.
And for the first time in weeks, they slept *back-to-back* again.
***
The next morning, Arjun left early.
No goodbye. No coffee on the table. No note.
When Aanya checked her phone, Raghav had sent a meme.
She didn't reply.
She opened a new chat instead.
To **Shruti**.
> *"Want to meet for lunch? Just us."*
***
Shruti was surprised. Pleasantly, but also suspicious.
The last time Aanya texted her voluntarily had been during the wedding prep.
They met at a small café downtown.
Aanya ordered a latte.
Shruti skipped the pleasantries. "Trouble in paradise?"
Aanya didn't react. "Not that it's your business, but… kind of."
Shruti smirked. "Let me guess—possessive much?"
"He went through my phone."
"Oof."
"I didn't cheat, okay?"
Shruti raised her hands. "Didn't say you did."
"But I was texting someone. Just... a friend."
"A guy friend?"
"Yes."
Shruti sipped her iced Americano. "You're lucky it's just the phone. If it were anyone else in our family, they'd have created a scene."
Aanya looked away. "He didn't shout. Didn't accuse. Just went quiet."
"That's worse," Shruti muttered. "With Arjun, silence means he's retreating. Preparing for war."
Aanya frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I mean… he holds on until he explodes. He bottles it up, but inside, he's burning. You don't want to be there when it spills over."
Aanya stared at her latte. "What if I don't know how to fix it?"
Shruti leaned in, surprisingly gentle. "Start by deleting the guy. He may be innocent, but right now? He's fire near a gas leak."
***
That night, Aanya waited for Arjun to return.
He didn't.
Not until 2 AM.
His eyes were bloodshot, shirt wrinkled, hair messy like he'd driven fast with the windows down.
She was waiting in the dark living room.
He didn't turn on the light.
"Where were you?" she asked.
He closed the door quietly. "Out."
"Arjun…"
He finally looked at her. "Did you delete him?"
Her throat dried. "Yes."
"Good."
Pause.
Then: "But that's not enough."
Aanya stood. "What do you want me to do? Erase my past? Pretend he never existed?"
"I want you to protect this marriage with the same fire you used to fight it."
She blinked. That… hit harder than she expected.
"I didn't ask for this marriage."
"I didn't either!" he snapped. "But I'm in it. Every day. Every breath. Meanwhile you...you keep one foot out the door!"
Her eyes filled. "Because I never got to choose! I was shoved into this like it was a contract I couldn't reject."
"I *chose* you," he said. "Even when you didn't choose me."
Silence.
Tension throbbed in the air.
Then he stepped closer. Slow. Controlled. Dangerous.
"I don't care if you don't love me yet. But don't give my place in your life to another man."
Aanya backed up slightly. "You're scaring me."
"Good," he said softly. "Maybe that's the only way you'll hear me."
He brushed past her and went to the bedroom.
She didn't follow.
But that night, neither of them slept.
***
**Somewhere else…**
**Raghav stared at his last message.**
*"I think I shouldn't text anymore. Take care."*
He stared at the screen, eyebrows raised.
Then deleted the chat.
But a smile lingered.
Because good girls don't text old flames.
Unless there's still a flame.
---
**[End of Chapter 9]**