[Maaran57]

Chapter 45 – Arrangements and Rising Anxiety

Later that afternoon Maaran’s phone rang. It was Rajesh.
“I spoke with my wife,” Rajesh said. “She has agreed to the first session.”
Maaran kept his voice even. “Good. As we discussed, it is better if she comes alone the first time. It will let her settle without added pressure.”
There was a short pause on the other end.
“She actually insisted on something different,” Rajesh said. “She wants both of us to come for the first meeting. She said she will feel more secure if I am there at the beginning, even if I leave afterward. After that she is fine to continue alone.”
Maaran was silent for a moment. The request changed nothing on the surface. A husband and wife coming together for the first meeting was common enough. Still, something in the arrangement left a low, undefined tension in him that he could not place.
“If that is what she wants,” he said finally, “then both of you can come for the first meeting. After that she attends alone.”
“Thank you. I will confirm the evening slot and message you.”
The call ended.

That evening, after dinner and once the children were in their rooms, Rajesh sat with Aadhini on the sofa.
“I spoke with the artist again,” he said. “He suggested you go alone the first time, but I told him you preferred both of us to be there at the beginning. He agreed. Tomorrow evening I will pick you up from the office and we will go together. After the first meeting you can continue alone.”
Aadhini’s heart beat faster. She kept her face calm, but inside the anxiety tightened. Both of them in the same room. The man she had been sleeping with. The man who already knew every curve of her body.
She had insisted on Rajesh’s presence for the first meeting precisely because the unknown artist made her uneasy. Now the decision sat in her chest like a live wire.
“Alright,” she said. “If that is how it will be.”
Rajesh looked relieved. “He seemed professional. It should not take long.”
Aadhini only nodded. The thought of walking into that studio with her husband beside her while Maaran stood on the other side of the room made her stomach turn and her pulse rise at the same time.

Later that night, after the lights were off, Rajesh shifted closer in bed. His hand slid over her waist, then moved upward, cupping her breast through the night saree. He pressed against her from behind, already hard.
“Aadhini…” he whispered, kissing the back of her neck.
She stiffened. The touch felt wrong. After the way she had taken Maaran in the car, the familiar, passive rhythm with her husband felt flat and unwanted. Her body still carried the memory of control, of ordering, of using. She did not want to be the one who received tonight.
“No, Rajesh.” Her voice was firm. She moved his hand away. “I am in mixed feelings right now. Leave me until this drawing thing is finished.”
Rajesh froze. The directness of the refusal clearly surprised him. Hurt flickered across his face, but he kept his voice calm.
“Okay,” he said quietly. “I understand. Take your time.”
He withdrew and rolled onto his back. The silence that followed was heavy.
Aadhini lay on her side, eyes open in the dark. The residual satisfaction of having dominated Maaran still lived in her body. She wanted more of that power, not the ordinary closeness waiting beside her.
Rajesh stared at the ceiling, confused and quietly stung, choosing patience.
Neither of them slept easily that night.
Tomorrow she would walk into the studio with her husband at her side.
And the man waiting for them would be Maaran.