Author's POV

The soft tinkling of her payal echoed through the silence, each step she took down the grand staircase sounding louder in the stillness of the mansion. It was past 2 a.m. The cold night air drifted through the half open windows, her bare feet touched the marble floor, cool against her skin.

Her footsteps carried her into the kitchen, the silence of the mansion stretching all around her. Not a soul was in sight, only the faint hum of the refrigerator breaking the stillness.

She pulled open the door, the cold light spilling over her face as she searched inside with restless fingers.

After a small struggle, she finally spotted what she was craving. A plate full of sweets sat neatly on the middle shelf, untouched. She took it out, her eyes lighting up.

Picking one up, she slipped it between her lips, the sugary taste melting on her tongue. Her eyes fluttered shut almost instantly.

A soft sigh escaped her lips, and the corners of her mouth curved into the faintest smile.

She put one after another inside her mouth like she hadn’t eaten in years, like this was the last piece of food left in the world.

Vrishabha parked his car and walked into the mansion. He wanted nothing more than to go straight to the room and pull her into his arms. But the faint glow of light from the kitchen caught his eye that made him stop.

He stepped towards it only to halt at the doorway.

There she was.

Avani sat at the counter, completely lost in the sweetness she had found, stuffing another piece into her mouth. Her cheeks puffed out, her lips moving slowly as if she wanted to savor every bit of it. She was so caught up, so unaware, that she didn’t notice him.

Vrishabha leaned against the doorframe, his gray eyes locked on her. A sight like this rarely shows.

Then her gaze lifted.

Her eyes landed on him. For a moment, she froze, like a thief caught red handed. Her cheeks were still full, lips pressed together, and she looked at him wide eyed… exactly like a child caught stealing sweets.

Avani quickly gulped the sweet down, her throat working as her wide eyes stayed on him.

Vrishabha’s lips curved, into a smirk, he was enjoying every flicker of her reaction. His steps were slow, deliberate, the sound of his shoes against the marble echoing in the quiet kitchen.

She tried to climb off the counter to escape before he reached her, he closed the distance. His hand slid to her waist, stopping her in place. Her breath hitched as the sudden warmth of his touch froze her. Her body stiffened, yet she couldn’t bring herself to push him away.

His gray eyes met hers, intense and unreadable, holding her captive without a single word.

His hand moved from her waist only to reach for one of the sweets. Without a word, he held it out to her, his gray eyes fixed on hers, a silent command in his gaze.

Avani hesitated for a second, her lips parting, but the slight nod of his head left her no choice. Quietly, she took the sweet from his hand.

She brought it to her mouth, taking a small bite while her eyes stayed on him, nervous yet unable to look away.

Trying to break the tension, she shyly lifted the remaining half of the sweet towards him, offering it. His eyes flickered to it, then back to her. With the faintest shake of his head, he refused, his lips pressing into the hint of a smirk.

As soon as she slipped the sweet past her lips, his hand tightened at her waist, pulling her closer. Before she could even breathe, his mouth crashed against hers, stealing the taste of sugar straight from her tongue.

It wasn’t gentle. It was hungry, demanding like he’d been starving all this time, and she was the only thing that could satisfy him. Her eyes widened in shock, her body frozen for a moment before the heat of him melted into her.

He stole the sweet straight from her mouth, the sweet dissolved between them, but the kiss only deepened, his lips moving hard and rough, leaving no space for air, no space for thought. All Avani could do was clutch at the edge of the counter, trying to steady herself as her heartbeat thundered against her chest.

His hand slid to the back of her head, fingers tangling in her hair, pulling her harder into him until she had no escape, no choice but to surrender.

A gasp tore from her throat, but he swallowed it, deepening the kiss, his tongue tasting of hunger. Without breaking the fiery hold, he lifted her effortlessly, her legs wrapping around his waist on instinct, her body giving in even as her mind screamed resistance.

He carried her to the hall, each step firm and unyielding, as if nothing in the world could stop him from taking her. By the time they reached the bedroom, his hands were already roaming her body, greedy, every curve, every inch, as if he had been starving for her all his life.

He lowered her slowly onto the bed, his body finally giving her space, his heat leaving her just enough to let her lungs drag in the air she was desperate for. Avani clutched at her bedsheet, her breaths shaky, uneven, like she was learning how to breathe all over again.

Her gaze, still hazy from the storm he had pulled her into, shifted unknowingly down to his hand. The skin was burned, raw, bruised into a shade of blue and black.

Her fingers moved before her mind could stop them, brushing lightly against his burned skin. The roughness of the wound made her chest tighten, her eyes softening with something she didn’t want to name.

“Where… where did you burn this?” she whispered, her voice trembling.

Vrishabha didn’t look at his hand. His storm-gray eyes stayed fixed on her face, watching every flicker of emotion that crossed it. His lips parted, the words leaving him in a low whisper.

“ I accidentally spilled oil.”

Avani’s brows knitted, disbelief shadowing her features. Accidentally? She knows he was in the kitchen making sweets.

She remembered ignoring it at dinner, pushing the plate away because her pride refused to touch what came from his hands. But later, in the quiet of midnight, she couldn’t stop herself. The image of it, the smell, the temptation it haunted her until she gave in. And now, knowing he had burned himself for her… something in her heart twisted painfully.

Without another word, Avani got up and pulled the first-aid kit from the shelf. Her hands were steady, but her heart wasn’t. She opened the tube of ointment and squeezed out a little before gently applying it to the burn.

Vrishabh’s gaze never left her. The sting of her touch wasn’t from the wound it was from the unfamiliar feeling curling in his chest. She was caring for him. For him.

If this was what it felt like to have her care, then, he wouldn’t mind burning himself every single day.

Vrishabh suddenly winced, to see her reaction.

Avani’s eyes widened, panic flashing across her face. “Did I hurt you?” she whispered, pulling her hand back quickly.

The corner of his mouth tugged upward. He had seen the worry, the softness she tried so hard to hide.

“No.” He shook his head with a faint smile.

Avani, flustered, quickly reached for the bandage. She quietly wrapped it carefully. She tied the knot.

Vrishabh was still kneeling before her, his injured hand resting lightly on her lap, the bandage stark against his skin. Avani’s heart pounded as she looked down at him. The silence stretched, pressing on her chest until she could no longer hold it in.

“We need to talk…” her voice trembled, but she forced herself to continue.

Avani’s fingers twisted in the fabric of her dress, her voice almost breaking as she whispered, “About the baby…” Her eyes searched his face, uncertain, trembling. “I…I don’t know what to do. Do you… do you even want this baby?”

For a second, Vrishabh just stared at her, as if the question itself pierced deeper than any blade. His jaw clenched, but his answer came without hesitation, firm.

“Yes. I want this baby.”

The certainty in his tone rattled her, but before she could say anything, his hand came up, cupping her cheek with a gentleness that contradicted everything twisted about him.

“But more than that,” his voice dropped lower, rough with something she couldn’t name, “I want us. This…” his eyes flicked between her trembling lips and the tears welling in her eyes, “......this can’t go on like it has….”

Avani’s chest rose and fell unevenly, her eyes glistening, but this time there was no hesitation in her words.

“Not you hiding everything. I want to know everything. Do you…” her voice faltered, then steadied, “…Do you know me before that deal?” she knows the answer but want to know from him.

The question hung heavy in the silence, cutting deeper than she realized.

Vrishabh froze. His eyes, dark and unreadable, stayed locked on her face. A muscle ticked in his jaw as if he were fighting the urge to turn away.

Vrishabh’s voice deepened, every word slicing through the quiet.

“Yes… I know you. From your 7th class.”

Avani blinked, stunned, her lips parting as though she hadn’t heard him right.

“You used to talk too much,” he continued, almost like he was reliving it. A faint shadow of a smile tugged at his lips. “We… we were friends.”

Her breath hitched. The room seemed to spin around her as she whispered, “Then why don’t I remember you?”

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