Isha POV
The moment I entered my father's room, my heart stopped.
"Dad..."
He was sitting comfortably in an armchair near the window, reading something on his tablet.
I stared at him.
He looked...
Fine.
Not weak.
Not dying.
Not even close to the image I had created in my mind during the flight back.
My father looked up.
For a second, he simply stared at me.
Then his face broke into the warmest smile.
"My little girl."
I rushed toward him.
"Dad!"
He stood and opened his arms.
I hugged him tightly, burying my face against his chest.
"I was so scared."
He chuckled softly.
"I know."
"I thought something terrible had happened to you."
"I am sorry."
I pulled away and looked at him suspiciously.
"What exactly is wrong with you?"
He hesitated.
"Nothing serious."
"Nothing serious?"
"Isha..."
"Dad."
He sighed.
"I was diagnosed with hypertension."
I stared at him.
"Hypertension?"
He nodded.
"The doctor said I need to control my diet, take my medication and monitor my blood pressure."
I stared at him for several seconds.
"That's why you called me?"
He gave me an innocent smile.
"I may have made it sound a little more serious."
"A little?"
I folded my arms.
"You made me think I was coming home because you were seriously ill!"
"I never said I was dying."
"You didn't have to!"
He laughed.
I tried to remain angry.
I really did.
But seeing him sitting there, healthy enough to tease me, made all the fear of the past few days finally leave my body.
I hugged him again.
"You scared me."
"I know."
He kissed my forehead.
"I missed you."
My eyes filled with tears.
"I missed you too."
For a few moments, we simply stood there.
Father and daughter.
Four years of distance disappearing in one embrace.
Eventually, he sat down and patted the chair beside him.
"Come. Sit with me."
I sat beside him.
He looked at me carefully.
"You've changed."
I smiled.
"Is that good or bad?"
"Good."
He touched my cheek.
"You look more confident."
"I am."
"I can see that."
His smile widened.
"So tell me."
"What?"
"New York."
I laughed softly.
"What do you want to know?"
"Everything."
So I told him.
I told him about my first few months in New York.
How lonely I had felt when I first arrived.
How difficult university had been.
How I had worked hard to complete my law degree.
How nervous I had been during my first interview.
How proud I had felt when I received my first proper job offer.
I told him about my apartment.
My colleagues.
My friends.
The cases I had worked on.
The independence I had gained.
"I even bought my own car."
My father looked delighted.
"You did?"
"Yes."
He shook his head proudly.
"My daughter has become a successful lawyer."
I smiled.
"I had to."
"Why?"
I looked down at my hands.
"Because I wanted to prove to myself that I could build a life without depending on anyone."
He understood what I meant.
He didn't mention Kabir.
Neither did I.
Instead, he asked quietly,
"Are you happy?"
I paused.
That question was harder than all the others.
"Yes."
I gave him a small smile.
"I am."
He studied my face.
"Really?"
I nodded.
"I have a good life."
And that was true.
It just wasn't the whole truth.
There were nights in New York when I had felt lonely.
There were moments when memories of Crescent Moon returned unexpectedly.
And there was one person whose name I still couldn't hear without feeling something inside my chest.
But I didn't tell my father that.
He didn't need to know.
Later That Evening
My father insisted that we have dinner with the Alpha family.
I knew exactly what that meant.
Kabir.
I had spent the entire afternoon trying not to think about him.
Apparently, the universe had other plans.
When we entered the dining hall, everyone was already there.
Alpha Mahesh stood to greet me.
"Come, Isha."
Luna Divya embraced me warmly.
"It feels wonderful to have you home."
"Thank you."
Veer smiled at me.
"It's been a long time."
"It has."
Then I saw him.
Kabir.
He was sitting at the head of the table.
He looked up when I entered.
His eyes remained on me for a few seconds before he looked away.
I took my seat.
Unfortunately, it was directly across from him.
Of course.
Dinner began quietly.
My father did most of the talking.
He proudly told everyone about my life in New York.
"She has become a very successful lawyer."
Divya smiled.
"I've heard."
Veer looked impressed.
"Lawyer? That's amazing."
"Thank you."
Then Kabir spoke.
"What kind of law do you practice?"
I looked at him.
It was the first question he had asked me all evening.
"Corporate law."
He nodded.
"Do you enjoy it?"
"Yes."
"Do you plan to stay in New York?"
I paused.
"I haven't decided."
His eyes remained on me.
"Why not?"
"I don't know."
I took a sip of water.
"I didn't expect to return here."
Something flickered across his face.
"Because of your father?"
"Yes."
"Only because of him?"
The question caught me off guard.
I looked directly at him.
"Why else would I come back?"
Kabir didn't answer.
My father looked between us.
The atmosphere suddenly became uncomfortable.
Veer cleared his throat.
"So, Isha, did you make many friends in New York?"
I smiled.
"Yes. A few very good ones."
Kabir continued eating quietly.
Then, after a moment, he asked,
"Did you ever date anyone?"
My fork stopped.
The table became silent.
I slowly looked up.
"Why do you want to know?"
He remained calm.
"I was curious."
"After four years?"
His expression didn't change.
"Yes."
I leaned back slightly.
"No."
His eyes lifted.
"No?"
"I didn't date anyone."
Something almost imperceptible changed in his expression.
Relief.
I caught it.
And immediately wondered why he cared.
He asked another question.
"Did you ever consider staying permanently?"
"Yes."
"And now?"
I looked around the dining hall.
At the familiar walls.
The place where my life had once fallen apart.
"I don't know."
Kabir watched me carefully.
"You've changed."
I smiled faintly.
"Four years can do that to a person."
His eyes held mine.
"I know."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
There was something in the way he looked at me that I couldn't understand.
It wasn't the coldness I remembered.
It wasn't indifference.
It was almost as though he was trying to memorize the woman sitting across from him.
My father interrupted the silence.
"You should stay for a few weeks."
I looked at him.
"Dad..."
"You've only just returned."
"I have work."
"You can work remotely for a little while."
I laughed.
"You've planned this, haven't you?"
He smiled.
"Maybe."
Everyone laughed.
Except Kabir.
He remained quiet.
His eyes were still on me.
And for reasons I couldn't explain, I suddenly became aware of how close he was.
The strange warmth returned.
That unfamiliar energy moved through me again.
I shifted in my chair.
Kabir noticed.
His expression immediately became serious.
For one brief second, his eyes dropped toward my chest.
Then he quickly looked away.
I frowned.
There was something about him.
Something he wasn't telling me.
And somehow, I knew my return to Crescent Moon was going to uncover much more than the truth about my father's health.
Because the man sitting across from me had secrets.
And I was beginning to suspect that some of those secrets had something to do with me.