Chapter 8
As I stepped into the bakery, the scene before me froze me in my tracks—Rocky was gripping a fork and shouting at Kiara, her left arm twisted painfully behind her back, and blood was dripping from her right forearm.
This man is dead today.
I lunged at him, my fist connecting with his face. He stumbled backward, and I landed another punch, this time to his jaw, sending him crashing into the counter. Blood poured from his nose as he groaned, dazed.
The door swung open, and the sheriff burst in with his team. They wasted no time cuffing Rocky and dragging him out, his feeble protests drowned by the sound of their stern orders.
Kiara was standing still as a statue, her eyes wide and glistening with tears. Blood dripped steadily from her arm, staining the floor beneath her. She looked so small, so fragile, yet so heartbreakingly strong in her silence.
I took a step toward her, then another, until I was close enough to see the trembling of her hands. Gently, I reached out, wiping away a tear that rolled down her cheek with my thumb.
Her eyes met mine. Haunted. Vulnerable.
“Kiara…” I was unsure if my words could even reach her at this moment.
She blinked, her lips parting as if to speak, but no words came out. Instead, she buried herself in my arms, trembling violently and gasping for air.
I tightened my hold around her. “Are you okay?”
She didn’t respond—her sobs were muffled against my chest. I cupped the back of her head, my hand pressing gently, my heart twisting painfully at the sight of her so shattered.
“Did he hurt you anywhere else?” I asked softly, taking the clean cotton Lina handed me and pressing it carefully against the bleeding gash on her arm.
Still, no answer, just her fingers clutching my shirt as if letting go wasn’t an option. I pulled back slightly, trying to meet her gaze, but she only clung tighter.
That bastard… I’ll kill him.
“Kiara,” I murmured gently, brushing back a stray strand of hair from her tear-streaked face. “Breathe…”
Guiding her carefully to the car, I opened the door and helped her settle into the backseat. Once she was seated, I slid in beside her, pulling the door shut behind me. I wrapped her tighter in my arms.
I took her trembling hands in mine, rubbing them lightly to bring some warmth back into her cold fingers. My thumbs swept away the tears that traced paths down her cheeks. “You’re safe now…”
She didn’t respond, but she leaned further into me, her head resting against my chest. I pressed my cheek to her hair, holding her closer.
____________
It was late—11:30 p.m. and the house was quiet, with no staff in sight. I helped her settle on a stool near the kitchen counter, ensuring she was comfortable before turning my attention to the preparations.
For a while, she gazed out of the window. I kept stealing glances at her, my hands moving on autopilot as I chopped and stirred. There were moments when our gazes met, and she managed a faint smile, though her wet eyes told a different story.
The bleeding on her arm had stopped, and I’d made sure she took the pain medicine. She tried to act normal, but it didn’t take much to notice her mind was elsewhere.
“Can I ask you something?” I said quietly.
She nodded without a word, her hands fidgeting lightly in her lap.
“How the hell does Rocky know so much about your history?”
Her fingers drifted unconsciously to her arm, where the bandage now covered the angry mark left by the fork. “I have no idea…” she said, taking a shallow breath.
I abandoned the chopping board and circled the counter, stopping just a step away from her.
My hands found their way into my pockets, a poor attempt to restrain the overwhelming urge to wipe away the tears that hadn’t fallen, to still her trembling hands, or to tuck back the stray strands of hair falling into her face.
“If I knew… it would help me deal with the situation better.”
She hesitated, her lips parting slightly as if to say something, then closing again.
She kept looking at her hands, her fingers fidgeting with the edges of the counter. Between shallow breaths, she swallowed, “There was…” her voice fragile. “There was… an accident.” Her fingers absently brushed over the bandaged wound on her arm.
“When?”
She closed her eyes briefly. “Six months back… My ex-fiancé, Vihaan, and I were kidnapped from the cruise party two days before our wedding.” Her voice broke, trailing off like the words were caught in her throat.
“You were… what?” I took a step back like I’d been punched.
Her eyes met mine for a fleeting second before darting away toward the window. “Roy doesn’t know any of this… not even that I was kidnapped. I never told him.”
My fists clenched. “You never told Roy? Kiara—are you serious?” I was very, very close to losing control over my mind.
Her words broke off into shaky fragments, “They wanted me to call Roy and give them access to his project.” Her gaze darted between her hands and the window.
“And…?”
She struggled to continue. “They… attacked me because… because I didn’t call.”
“Attacked you… How, Kiara?” I couldn’t help it—my brain was exploding.
“One of them… he was… holding a knife,” she stammered. “He… cut my skin on the arm…” Her fingers instinctively reached for the bandaged wound. “And then… He threatened to ki…kill me,” she swallowed hard, her voice breaking, “…if I didn’t comply.”
“FUCK…” I muttered under my breath, gripping her trembling hands tightly.
“I didn’t call,” she continued, her voice soft, fragile.
“They waited for an hour, and… Vihaan negotiated with them. He offered a few million for his life, and they let him go, but for me… money wasn’t what they wanted.
” She took a shaky breath. “One of them… he put a knife to my throat, and then… he got a call.”
“A call?”
“Yes,” she nodded, her gaze distant. “He was arguing with whoever was on the other side of the line, and then… he let me go. They dropped me back at the cruise after three hours.”
“Wait—” I interrupted, “Your fiancé left you there? Alone?”
“He… was not very fond of me.”
“Fond of you?” I almost growled. “And you were marrying him?”
“It was a marriage of convenience,” she replied softly, almost as if she were ashamed of the words.
“Convenience for who?” I shot back.
“My family…” she whispered.
“Your family,” I repeated, “the same family that doesn’t know any of this?”
She shook her head. “I canceled the wedding the next day. Vihaan was angry and threatened to destroy relations between the Singhanias and my Dad.”
I clenched my jaw so tightly it hurt. “And Roy doesn’t know any of this?”
She shook her head, her eyes dropping to her lap. “No… And I don’t want him to…”
My frustration was boiling over. “Why didn’t you tell Roy? Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?”
“I…”
“Those people might hurt you anywhere. Roy should know…”
“I’ve already troubled everyone in my life,” she whispered, tears pooling in her eyes. “I didn’t want Roy to suffer, too. It was his project… his company… he could’ve lost billions and—”
“He could’ve lost you—damn it!”
“But he didn’t.” She rubbed her eyes, visibly drained.
I took a shaky breath, biting the inside of my cheek.
Then I snapped. “Are you out of your mind, Kiara?”
“It's over now… I’m fine.”
“Are you?” I almost slammed the counter. “Someone kidnapped you. You were attacked. Your so-called fiancé didn’t give a damn about your life. Your family disowned you because you dared to cancel a sham of a wedding. And now, another bastard hurt you tonight. And you’re telling me you’re okay?”
“Kiara…” I softened my tone, taking a step closer.
“Can we… Can we not talk about it tonight, please?” She looked down, her fingers curled tightly into the blanket, holding on like it was the only thing keeping her anchored.
____________
After dinner, I helped her onto the bed, arranging the pillows carefully and pulling the blanket over her. For the next half hour, I stayed close by, softly caressing her forehead. The doctor had said the meds would help her sleep.
I had checked on Lina earlier—she was safe and had made it home in time. Still shaken, but safe. She texted to say Nick was asleep, unaware of what had happened.
Sinking into the chair beside the bed, I rested my head against the back, my feet barely brushing the edge of the bed.
My head throbbed…
My blood boiled…
She’s hurt because of me…
I’m not sure what’s happening to me—every ounce of blood in my veins feels like it’s boiling, threatening to spill over. Rocky invited his death today. My mind raced out of control, spiraling into dark places. What if I hadn’t been there? What if he wasn’t just threatening her? What if…
The sharp ring of my phone yanked me back to reality. I opened my eyes, blinking away the haze of exhaustion, and picked up the call.
“Beta… how are you?”
“Dad…?” I sat up straighter. “Why are you awake so late? Is everything alright?”
“Everything is good,” he replied. “I heard about Rocky… How is the girl? Is she hurt badly? And…how are you?”
“Everything is better now,” I said quietly, my gaze drifting back toward sleeping Kiara.
“When are you coming back?”
“Soon, Dad.”
There was a long pause before he spoke again. “Manav, I heard you’ve decided to sell the house…” His voice trembled slightly. “Your mom… the house meant a lot to her.”
“There’s no reason to keep a house full of memories neither of us can face without her.”
Another silence stretched between us before he spoke again. “I understand. But…”
The lump in my throat grew harder to swallow. “I’ll call you back, Dad.”
“Take care, beta,” he said softly before hanging up.
The line went silent after I ended the call.
I lowered the phone, staring at the screen for a moment before placing it on the table.
My head sank back into the chair. A house full of memories.
Memories I had buried deep, never wanting to unearth them.
My mother’s laughter in the garden. Her warmth, her smell.
The last time she baked cupcakes, humming softly as if nothing in the world could go wrong.
____________
“How the fuck did you even dare to look in my sister’s direction?” Roy was gripping Rocky’s neck tightly, “Do you have any last words before I end you?”
Rocky chuckled darkly. “She bruises easy, doesn’t she?”
That was it. Roy snapped. His fists flew, pounding relentlessly into Rocky’s face. Blood began to pour from his nose, yet the smirk never left his lips.
I knew this was bound to happen the moment I called Roy last night. Kiara didn’t say anything outright, but I could feel it—the way she was missing him, the quiet sadness in her eyes that she tried so hard to hide.
After last night’s incident, she needed him more than ever. She wouldn’t admit it, but the cracks in her carefully crafted armor were starting to show. And as much as I wanted to step in and be the one she leaned on, I knew it wasn’t my place.
I grabbed Roy’s arm mid-swing. “Let me handle him.”
Roy’s fists were clenched, and his body was shaking with anger. After a moment, he stormed out of the room. Rocky was still grinning through his bloodied teeth, unfazed. “So… how’s she holding up?”
I stepped closer. “If I were you, I’d stop talking about her.”
He leaned back with a mocking chuckle. “I hope she’s not in some trauma again… poor girl.”
“Rocky…” I growled, my fists clenched, every muscle in my body fighting to stay calm.
“Relax, dude. She’s been through worse. Trust me, she’ll bounce back. Our girl is tougher than you think,” he muttered while spitting out the blood.
“Stop. Talking. About. Her. NOW!” I barked, the last thread of my patience snapping.
“She means a lot to you, doesn’t she?”
I swung, landing a punch square on his jaw. “You should be more concerned about your life,” I replied coldly.
“Manav Oberoi—the gentleman—threatening me?”
“You know nothing about me, Rocky… but Roy? You touched his sister?” My anger was losing control.
Rocky laughed again. “Okay! Enough of the chat. Now, please leave me alone. I need a nap.”
I rushed outside, my hands shaking as I dialed Justin's number. “Send Alex to handle Rocky Mehra. Freeze his accounts. Leak the hotel footage. Let’s see how smug he looks when the board drops him, and the cops drag him back to India. End his world. I want him to cry tears of blood.”
“Consider it done, Sir.”