Chapter 50 - The Letter He'll Never Send
The night stretched endlessly as Ira lay awake, her mind a whirlwind of emotions. No matter how much she tried to push his words aside, they kept replaying, over and over again. The warmth in her chest refused to fade. "I don’t want you to leave… I don’t know how to live without you."
She turned to her side, clutching the blanket tighter, her heart betraying her with its erratic beats. Aarav Malhotra had finally admitted his feelings—at least in his own way. But what did it mean for them? For their contract? Would he fight for her… or let her go when the time came?
While Ira wrestled with her thoughts, miles away, Aarav was just as restless. Sleep evaded him, the bed feeling too cold, too empty without her beside him. His hand reached out to her side of the bed, but all he found was the emptiness that had been gnawing at his heart since she left.
With a frustrated sigh, he sat up, running a hand through his messy hair. His chest felt tight, his emotions suffocating him. He had never felt this way before, never longed for someone the way he longed for her. And it scared him.
Before he could stop himself, he grabbed a pen and a sheet of paper, letting his heart spill onto the page.
Ira,
I don’t know why I’m writing this. Maybe because I can’t say these words out loud. Maybe because I know you’ll never see this.
It’s been one night, and I already feel like I’m losing my mind. The bed feels too big without you. The room feels colder. And I... I feel empty. I keep reaching out for you in my sleep, but you’re not there.
You’ve taken over every part of me, and I didn’t even realize when it happened. I’ve never needed anyone, never let anyone get this close. But you? You barged into my life with your stubbornness, your kindness, your warmth, and now I don’t know how to be without you.
You’re under my skin, Ira. In my every thought, in every damn breath I take. And it terrifies me.
Because what if you leave?
What if this is temporary for you, but permanent for me?
What if one day, you walk away and take my heart with you?
I don’t know how to love, Ira. But I do know this—I don’t want to lose you.
Come back soon.
Aarav
Aarav stared at the letter, his chest heaving as he exhaled sharply. He folded it carefully and tucked it inside his wardrobe, hidden away like a secret he would never dare to voice.
The next morning, Ira sat at the breakfast table, staring at her plate as her mother watched her with an amused expression.
“You’re lost in your thoughts again,” her mother teased. “Missing your husband already?”
Ira’s eyes widened as she quickly shook her head. “No! I mean… no, I was just thinking about something else.”
Her mother laughed, patting her hand. “You can lie to yourself, beta, but a mother knows. Love changes people.”
Ira swallowed, trying to ignore the way her heart fluttered at the word love.
Meanwhile, back at Malhotra Industries, Aarav was growing increasingly agitated. He had been staring at his phone all morning, waiting. But there was nothing. No message. No call.
She hadn’t texted him once.
His jaw clenched as he grabbed his phone and dialed her number.
Ira picked up on the second ring, already knowing who it was.
Aarav’s voice was low, intense. “You didn’t text me.”
She bit her lip. “I—”
“You’ve been thinking about me,” he accused, his voice dangerously soft. “Haven’t you?”
Her breath hitched. “Aarav—”
“Tell me,” he demanded. “Tell me what’s going on in that stubborn little head of yours, Ira.”
She closed her eyes, gripping the phone tighter. The truth was, she had been thinking about him. Too much.
But was she ready to admit it?
Ira smirked, leaning back against the bedpost, twirling the bedsheet between her fingers. “Aarav Malhotra, are you being needy right now?”
Aarav’s grip on his phone tightened. “I don’t do needy,” he snapped, his voice sharp, but she could hear the underlying frustration.
She bit her lip to hold back a giggle. Teasing him was just too much fun. “Really? Because it sounds like you’re missing me.”
Aarav exhaled through his nose, his patience hanging by a thread. “Ira…”
“What?” she asked, feigning innocence. “I’ve been very busy, you know. Spending time with my family, eating maa ke haath ka khana, laughing with Ansh—”
He cut her off instantly. “You have time for all that but not for your husband?”
She grinned. “Oh? I thought I was just your contract wife, Mr. Malhotra. Why does it bother you so much?”
Aarav clenched his jaw, running a hand through his hair. This woman was going to drive him insane. “Ira, I swear—”
“You swear what?” she challenged, tilting her head, her voice light and teasing. “What will you do, hmm? Come here and drag me back?”
The silence that followed sent a shiver down her spine.
Aarav’s voice dropped, low and dangerous. “Don’t tempt me.”
Her heart skipped a beat. She could feel his intensity through the phone, the way his possessiveness coiled around every word.
Still, she wasn’t ready to give in just yet. “Tsk tsk, Mr. Malhotra,” she tutted. “That doesn’t sound very professional. What would your employees think if they knew their boss was pining over his wife?”
Aarav let out a humorless chuckle. “I couldn’t care less about my employees right now.”
Ira’s stomach did a somersault. She had expected his usual sarcasm, his usual deflections—but this? His honesty? It caught her off guard.
She swallowed. “Aarav…”
“What?” His voice was softer now, almost vulnerable. “Say it, Ira.”
She hesitated. Because if she admitted how much she missed him too, she would be stepping into dangerous territory. She would be acknowledging the truth that scared her the most.
That she was falling for him.
And she wasn’t sure she was ready for that.
So instead, she smirked and said, “I think I should go now. Ansh is calling me.”
Aarav’s frustration returned instantly. “Ira—”
“Bye, hubby!” she chirped before cutting the call, laughing at the string of curses she knew he was muttering under his breath.
But the moment she put her phone down, her smile faded.
Because despite all the teasing, despite all the games…
She did miss him.
And that was the scariest part of all.
Ira stretched her arms as she walked into her room after dinner, feeling exhausted yet strangely restless. Something felt different tonight, but she couldn’t quite place what it was.
Just as she reached for her bedside lamp, she froze.
A shadow loomed near her window.
A man.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she grabbed the nearest vase, gripping it tightly in her hand. The intruder’s back was facing her, standing so still that for a moment, she questioned whether she was imagining things.
Taking slow, cautious steps, she raised the vase, ready to swing—
But a strong hand caught her wrist mid-air.
Before she could scream, a familiar voice spoke, sending shivers down her spine.
“Really, Ira? Is this how you welcome your husband?”
Her eyes widened. Aarav.
The vase slipped from her fingers, falling to the floor with a soft thud as she stood frozen, her brain struggling to process.
He’s here.
She didn’t know who moved first—her or him.
All she knew was that the moment their eyes met, they crashed into each other like magnets.
Aarav’s arms wrapped around her, holding her impossibly close, as if letting go would mean losing her forever. Ira buried her face in his chest, gripping his shirt tightly, her breathing uneven.
This. This is what she had been missing.
His warmth. His scent. His heartbeat.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. They just held on.
Until, at the exact same time, they whispered—
“I missed you.”
They pulled back just enough to look into each other’s eyes.
And then, suddenly, they weren’t thinking anymore.
Aarav’s lips crashed onto hers, and Ira melted into him. It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t hesitant. It was raw, desperate—two souls making up for every second they had spent apart.
Her hands tangled into his hair, pulling him closer, while his grip on her waist tightened as if trying to mold her to him.
The world outside ceased to exist.
Right now, it was just them.
Lost. Breathless. Addicted.
And for the first time in her life, Ira realized—
She never wanted to be without him again.