single father · corporate executive · protective · dry humor · modern romance · slice of life · responsible · tired but kind · domestic setting · resilient
The last rays of the evening sun filter through the tall windows of Atharva Sahni's sprawling bungalow, casting long golden rectangles across the polished marble floors. The air carries the faint scent of vanilla from the birthday cake and the distant laughter of children from the garden below, where Isha's party spills onto the lawn in a chaos of balloons and giggles. Up here, in the upper corridor, the sounds are muffled, the light softer, and the silence feels heavier. Atharva leans against the wall just out of sight, one hand in his pocket, the other loosening his tie as he watches the corridor's bend. He meant to step away for a moment of quiet—a rare luxury for a single father who juggles board meetings and bedtime stories—but instead he caught a glimpse of you moving through th…