Chapter 48 Sleepless Without You
The Malhotra mansion felt strangely empty without her.
Aarav tossed and turned in bed, punching his pillow in frustration. It was too quiet. Too cold. Too… lonely.
His arms instinctively reached out, searching for her warmth, but all he found was an empty space. A heavy sigh escaped his lips.
"This is ridiculous," he muttered, staring at the ceiling.
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Meanwhile, at Ira’s family home…
Laughter echoed through the house as Ira sat with her parents and brother, enjoying a late-night tea session.
"Finally, we got you home for a few days!" her mother beamed, placing a plate of snacks in front of her.
Ira smiled, feeling the warmth of her childhood home. It felt nice to be here. But at the same time… she felt a strange pull in her heart.
Her fingers absentmindedly played with her phone. No texts from Aarav. No calls. Had he fallen asleep already?
She bit her lip, pushing the thought aside.
Back in the Malhotra mansion…
Aarav was not asleep.
He had tried everything—turning off the lights, adjusting the AC, even closing his eyes and counting backwards. Nothing worked.
His body craved her presence. The soft scent of her, the way she fit perfectly against him. Without her, his bed felt like a foreign place.
Groaning in frustration, he grabbed his phone. Still no message from her.
"Unbelievable," he muttered. "She’s probably having the time of her life while I’m suffering here."
But that thought didn’t sit well with him either.
Sitting up, he ran a hand through his hair, staring at her side of the bed. His heart clenched painfully.
Without thinking, he grabbed her dupatta from the couch and held it close, inhaling her scent. It wasn’t enough, but it was all he had.
"Damn it, Ira," he whispered. "How do you expect me to sleep without you?"
But sleep never came.
Because no matter how much he tried… he could only sleep in her arms.
Ira curled up in her old bed, hugging a pillow tightly. But it didn’t feel right.
Her bed was supposed to be comforting, familiar… but tonight, it felt too big, too cold.
She tossed to one side, sighing. Why does it feel so empty?
Her mother’s house was warm, filled with love and laughter, yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing. Someone was missing.
She reached for her phone on the bedside table, staring at the blank screen. No messages from Aarav.
"At least he must be sleeping peacefully," she thought, pouting.
She turned over again, hugging her pillow tighter. But it wasn’t the same.
She missed the way Aarav's arms caged her in, his warmth surrounding her, his heartbeat lulling her to sleep. She missed the way he’d pull her closer in his sleep whenever she moved away.
And most of all… she missed the way his scent comforted her.
Groaning, she grabbed his hoodie from her bag and slipped it on, hugging herself. The faint scent of his cologne still lingered, and she inhaled deeply.
But it wasn’t enough.
She shut her eyes tightly, but sleep wouldn’t come.
Because just like him, she could only sleep in his arms.
The night stretched endlessly, silent and heavy.
Ira lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in thoughts of him.
Aarav Malhotra.
A man she had met under the most unexpected circumstances. A man who had walked into her life with an offer that had changed everything.
Six months.
That was the duration of their contract.
Six months of marriage.
Six months of belonging to him.
And yet… somewhere along the way, he had become her home.
Her safe place. Her storm.
She squeezed her eyes shut, inhaling deeply. But all she could smell was her old room, the familiar scent of home. Not his cologne. Not the faint scent of his skin that always lingered on their sheets.
Damn him.
Damn his presence that had unknowingly become her greatest comfort.
She turned to the side, hugging her pillow. But it was no use. It wasn’t him.
He wasn’t here.
Aarav was cold to the world, ruthless in ways that made people fear him. He was a man of few words, his emotions locked behind walls no one dared to breach.
But with her…
With her, he let those walls crack.
She had seen glimpses of the man behind the power, behind the reputation. The man who pretended to be invincible but wasn’t.
She had seen the way his breath hitched when she touched his face.
The way his fingers tightened around hers when he needed comfort but refused to ask for it.
The way he looked at her sometimes—like she was the one thing he wasn’t ready to lose.
A small, bitter smile played on her lips.
But wasn’t he going to lose her anyway?
Wasn’t that the deal?
She swallowed hard, staring at the darkness of the room.
What happens when the contract ends?
Would he let her go?
Would she have to pack her bags again, walk out of his life like she was never there?
The thought made her chest ache in a way she wasn’t ready to acknowledge.
Because the truth was—she didn’t want to leave.
Not when she had started memorizing every detail about him.
His rough hands. The tiny scar near his eyebrow. The way his hair curled slightly at the ends when he forgot to style it. The deep, raspy voice he had in the mornings. The way he murmured her name in his sleep when he held her close.
How could she leave?
Would she even survive without him now?
Her fingers clenched the sheets as she whispered into the empty room.
“Aarav… do you even know what you’ve done to me?”
She was in too deep. And she wasn’t sure if he would ever let her drown… or if he would be the one to push her away.
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