ch 35 Where is she
its mid night
The mansion was dark and silent, except for the soft hum of the fridge light.
Aditya walked in, loosening his tie, his knuckles raw and bruised from another night of work. He opened the fridge to grab a bottle of water but then he froze.
There, on the cold kitchen floor, Ashiana was sitting curled up, knees to her chest, her hair messy, eyes swollen.
In her trembling hand a half-eaten green chilli. A small plate beside her held more. she was crying silently, tears mixing with the burning spice as she kept eating one after another.
Aditya frowned, stepping closer. "Ashiana...?" he said softly, unsure if she'd even heard him.
she didn't look up. her voice came out broken, muffled between sobs. "It hurts less... when something burns outside... than what burns inside..."
Aditya's expression shifted concern replacing shock. He crouched beside her, gently taking the chilli from her hand. "Hey... stop. You'll hurt yourself."
she shook her head stubbornly, voice cracking. "It already hurts... more than this could ever do."
He sighed, glancing at her tear-streaked face, "Ashiana... what happened?"
she just hugged her knees tighter, whispering, "Nothing, sir... I just... I trusted wrong again."
Aditya's jaw tightened as he watched her grab another chilli with shaking fingers.
He reached out, gently holding her wrist. "Ashiana, stop. You're burning your mouth, damn it."
she pulled her hand free, eyes glassy and voice trembling. "Please... don't stop me, Aditya sir. Let it burn... maybe it'll hurt less here." she pressed her hand over her chest. "Because this pain... it's not leaving."
He sighed heavily, crouching beside her, trying again softer this time. "Tell me what happened. Who did this to you?"
she shook her head stubbornly, tears spilling again as she shoved another chilli into her mouth, wincing but not stopping. "No one... it's my fault. I trusted... I felt... and that's the mistake, right?"
Aditya looked at her for a long moment, pain flickering in his eyes protective, helpless. Then he reached forward, grabbed the plate, and pushed it away from her.
she looked up at him in shock. "Give it back..." I whispered hoarsely.
He shook his head firmly. "No, Ashiana. Enough. If you want to cry, cry. If you want to scream, do it. But stop punishing yourself."
she lowered my gaze, trembling, my lips red from spice and tears. "I can't, sir... I don't know how to stop the hurt."
Aditya sighed, his voice softer now. "Then let someone help you this time. You don't always have to survive alone."
then suddenly she hugs him.
Aditya froze for a second her sudden hug, her trembling body pressed against him as she broke down completely.
her fists clutched his shirt tightly, her voice muffled against his chest. "Why, sir... why always me? The people I love... the ones I trust... they always leave." her breath hitched, tears soaking his shirt. "First my mother... then my father... and now..."
she couldn't even finish. The words choked in her throat, swallowed by sobs.
Aditya's jaw tightened. He slowly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer, his voice calm but heavy with emotion. "Ashiana... life's cruel sometimes. But it's not your fault. None of this is."
she shook her head fiercely. "No... it is... maybe I'm the problem... maybe everyone just—"
"Stop," he said firmly, cutting me off. "You are not the problem."
His hand gently stroked her hair, grounding her as she cried harder, her body shaking from the weight of everything she'd buried inside.
He continued softly, "You've just been surrounded by people who didn't see what you're worth. But that doesn't mean you're meant to be alone forever."
she clung to him tighter, whispering through broken sobs, "Then why does it hurt so much, sir... why does it always feel like I'm not enough?"
Aditya sighed, eyes glinting with something almost protective something he rarely let anyone see. "Because you care too deeply. And people like you... they get hurt the most. But someday, someone will protect that heart instead of breaking it."
she closed her eyes, breathing unevenly, his words echoing in her ears as she cried into the only safe shoulder she had left.
then she pulls back from him.
Aditya's hand instinctively reached out as she pulled away, but she was already backing up, tears streaming down her face.
"No, sir... there's no one," she said, her voice breaking mid-sentence. "I'm alone. I always have been. I—" her lips trembled, "I think I'm cursed."
Before he could say another word, she turned and ran out of the kitchen, through the dim hallway, her bare feet hitting the cold marble floor.
"Ashiana!" he called after me, his voice echoing in the silence. But she didn't stop.
she just kept running past the grand stairway, past the flickering chandelier lights until she reached the back garden.
The night air hit her face, sharp and cold, mixing with the warmth of her tears.
she stopped near the fountain, her breath heavy, her chest aching. her reflection in the water looked like a stranger broken, small, and lost.
she hugged herself tightly, whispering into the wind, "Why can't I ever be enough for anyone...?"
Inside, Aditya stood frozen, jaw clenched, regret flashing in his eyes as he looked toward the open door where she had disappeared.
----------
next morning
Aarav stepped into the dining hall, his usual calm yet commanding presence filling the space.
The soft clatter of cutlery and quiet morning chatter halted for a second as he entered, dressed in a crisp black shirt, sleeves rolled up, a faint trace of exhaustion still in his eyes from the flight.
as he gone for business summit in Kolkata for two days.
He nodded slightly at Aditya and Raghav before his gaze instinctively began scanning the room the chairs, the corners, the hallway beyond the arch searching for her.
But the seat she usually took, the one near Raj, was empty.
He frowned slightly, an involuntary crease forming between his brows.
"Where's Ashiana?" his tone was calm, but everyone at the table could sense the edge in it.
Meera, who was buttering Raj's toast, looked up in surprise. "I don't know, bhaiyaa. She didn't come down yet. Maybe she's still resting... she looked a bit tired last night."
"Tired?" Aarav repeated, his jaw tightening just a little. "Did she say anything to you?"
Meera shook her head slowly. "No... nothing."
Aarav exhaled softly, pushing his chair back. "I'll check," he said simply, his voice low, almost unreadable but the faint worry hidden behind that calm made Raghav exchange a knowing look with Aditya.
As Aarav turned and walked away toward the corridor leading to the guest rooms, Meera whispered under her breath, "He didn't even touch his coffee..."
Aarav pushed open the door to the guest room the one that, over the past weeks, had started to carry her scent, her warmth.
The morning light filtered through the half-drawn curtains, soft and pale. The room was quiet. Too quiet.
He stepped in slowly, his brows furrowing as his sharp eyes scanned the space. The bed was made perfectly, almost unnaturally so. The small cushion she always hugged in her sleep was gone.
Something twisted in his chest.
He walked to the dresser the perfume bottle she used, the bangles she had left there always all gone.
Aarav opened the cupboard with a swift motion. Empty. Not a single piece of clothing. Not a trace of her.
His heartbeat grew heavier, his hand curling into a fist against the cupboard's wooden edge.
For a long moment, he just stood there, staring at the vacant space where her things used to be. The silence around him roared louder than any noise could.
He whispered under his breath, voice low and tight —
"She really left..."
Then, after a pause, his jaw clenched, and his eyes darkened with something fierce — a mix of disbelief, hurt, and possession.
"No, Ashiana..." he muttered, his voice barely above a growl. "You don't get to walk away from me. Not like this."
Aarav stormed down the grand staircase, his steps echoing through the mansion. His face was unreadable calm on the surface, but his eyes... his eyes burned with something dangerous.
Everyone at the breakfast table looked up, startled.
"Where is Ashiana?" he asked, his voice low, steady, yet sharp enough to silence the room.
Meera blinked, confused. "Bhaiya... we thought she was resting. She didn't come down since morning."
Aarav's gaze flicked to Raghav, then Kabir, then finally to Aditya who was sitting quietly, his jaw tight, he panics and stood immediately saying
'' what''.
"Aditya?" Aarav's tone turned darker. "What do you know?"
Aditya brows frow, his jaw tightens. "Last night... I found her in the kitchen," he began, his voice heavy. "She was crying. Eating raw chillies like she was punishing herself."
Everyone froze Meera gasped softly, Kabir's brows furrowed. Aarav's jaw tightened further.
Aditya continued, "I tried to talk to her, but she wouldn't say a word. Then she suddenly broke down, hugged me, said... said everyone she loves leaves her. That she's cursed. And before I could stop her she ran away."
Silence. Thick and heavy.
Aarav stood there for a long moment, his chest rising and falling steadily, his hand curling into a tight fist. His eyes darkened, every bit of his restraint slipping into the abyss.
Meera whispered, "Bhaiya..."
But he didn't respond. He simply turned, his voice calm but cold enough to freeze the air —
"Get the car ready."
Raghav asked carefully, "Where are you going?"
Aarav looked ahead, eyes fierce and possessive.
"To bring her back."