chapter 50
Chapter 50 - On His Knees
It took effort to pull him away.
More effort than Kavya expected.
"Aarav."
Her voice was firm now.
"Aarav, let go."
For a moment he didn't move.
His arms remained around her as though his mind still hadn't caught up with reality.
As though some part of him still feared she would disappear the second he loosened his grip.
Only when she pressed a hand against his shoulder did he finally step back.
Slowly.
Reluctantly.
His eyes remained fixed on her face.
Almost desperate.
Kavya frowned.
"What happened to you?"
His shirt was soaked from rain.
His hair was dripping.
His hands were still trembling slightly.
The sight was unsettling.
Aarav opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Then did something Kavya never expected.
Something she had never imagined seeing in her entire life.
He dropped to his knees.
Right there.
In the middle of her doorway.
Kavya froze.
Completely.
Her eyes widened.
"Aarav!"
He shook his head.
As though he couldn't stand.
As though he didn't deserve to.
His gaze lowered briefly before lifting back to hers.
Red.
Unsteady.
Filled with something she couldn't recognize at first.
Then she realized.
Regret.
Pure regret.
"Kavya..."
His voice cracked.
The sound alone made her heart skip.
"I am sorry."
Silence.
The hallway seemed to disappear around them.
Only the two of them remained.
Aarav swallowed hard.
"I am so sorry."
His hands clenched against his knees.
"For everything."
Kavya stared.
Speechless.
"I ignored you."
His breathing grew uneven.
"I dismissed you."
Another pause.
"I made you feel alone."
Every word sounded as though it was being dragged from somewhere deep inside him.
Painfully.
"I made you cry."
His eyes lowered.
"I made you question your worth."
The confession hung heavily between them.
Aarav looked utterly broken.
Not the powerful businessman everyone admired.
Not the confident man who controlled boardrooms with a glance.
Just a man crushed beneath the weight of his own mistakes.
He softly touch the fabric of Kavya's skirt.
"Kavya..."
His voice softened.
"I remember all of it now."
His eyes burned.
"The flowers."
"The dinners."
"The messages."
"The way you waited for me."
A bitter laugh escaped him.
"And I never noticed."
The words struck harder than they should have.
Because they were true.
Aarav shook his head.
"I thought providing money was enough."
His voice trembled.
"I thought there would always be another day."
Another chance.
Another conversation.
Another anniversary.
Another tomorrow.
His eyes closed briefly.
"But I was wrong."
Kavya's fingers tightened around the edge of the door.
Still unable to speak.
Still unable to process the sight before her.
Aarav Malhotra.
On his knees.
Begging.
For her.
Then he looked up.
And whatever words Kavya had prepared vanished instantly.
Because there were tears in his eyes.
Not many.
Just enough.
Enough to reveal how close he was to breaking.
"I love you."
The confession hit the silence like thunder.
Kavya stopped breathing.
For several seconds neither moved.
Neither spoke.
Aarav's gaze never left hers.
"I love you."
Again.
Steadier this time.
"I love you so much it scares me."
His voice cracked.
"For years I was too blind to understand it."
A shaky breath escaped him.
"I thought you would always be there."
His jaw tightened.
"And I took you for granted."
The tears he had been holding back finally slipped free.
One.
Then another.
Aarav didn't even seem to notice.
"I almost lost my mind today."
His voice lowered.
"When I thought something happened to you..."
His hand pressed against his chest.
"As soon as I heard your name..."
He shook his head.
"I couldn't breathe."
Kavya's eyes widened slightly.
The fear she had seen in him last night suddenly made sense.
Completely.
Aarav looked at her as though she was the only thing keeping him standing.
"I don't want a life without you."
The words were raw.
Unpolished.
Painfully honest.
"I don't want empty houses."
"I don't want empty dinners."
"I don't want success if I have no one to come home to."
His voice trembled.
"I want you."
Silence.
Kavya stood frozen.
Her heart beating harder with every word.
Aarav lowered his head.
Not hiding.
Submitting.
For perhaps the first time in his life.
"Please forgive me."
A whisper.
"Please."
The sight was almost unbearable.
"I know I don't deserve it."
His voice roughened.
"I know I hurt you more than anyone else."
Another painful breath.
"But if there is even the smallest place left for me in your heart..."
He looked up again.
Hope and fear mixing together.
"I'll spend the rest of my life earning it."
Not demanding it.
Earning it.
"I'll listen."
"I'll stay."
"I'll be there."
His eyes never left hers.
"I'll never make you feel alone beside me again."
Every promise came without hesitation.
Without pride.
Without conditions.
"I'll never treat you the way I did before."
His voice became firmer.
A vow.
Not a request.
"I'll cherish every conversation."
"Every meal."
"Every ordinary day."
A tear rolled down his cheek.
"I swear to you, Kavya."
His throat tightened.
"If you give me one more chance..."
His voice broke completely.
"I will spend every day proving how much you mean to me."
Silence followed.
Long.
Heavy.
Aarav remained on his knees.
Waiting.
Terrified.
Hopeful.
Broken.
And Kavya-
could only stare at him.
Because after years of begging for a fraction of his attention-
she had never imagined a day when Aarav would be the one begging for hers.