Chapter 61 - The Breaking Point
Aarav Malhotra was a lot of things.
Ruthless. Stubborn. Arrogant.
But right now? He was just an annoying husband who refused to leave his wife alone.
It started with little things.
At breakfast, he insisted on pouring her tea. Then, when she ignored it, he decided to help clean the living room. Which would’ve been fine, except Aarav Malhotra didn’t do housework.
And yet, there he was—wiping the already clean coffee table, picking up invisible dust, adjusting the cushions for the fifth time.
Ira tried to ignore it.
She tried when he hovered around her while she arranged things in the kitchen. She tried when he randomly picked up a file in the living room, pretending to work but clearly watching her instead. She even tried when he followed her to the dining area, offering to help serve dinner—something he had never done before.
But the final straw came when she was walking past him, and her dupatta nearly slipped off her shoulder.
Before she could fix it, his fingers caught the fabric.
Ira stiffened. "Let go."
Aarav raised an eyebrow, his grip firm but not forceful. "You were about to step on it and fall."
Her eyes narrowed. "I won’t fall. Let go, Aarav."
He didn’t.
Instead, he casually walked behind her, still holding onto her dupatta.
Ira inhaled sharply. "Aarav, I said—"
"Shh." His lips twitched. "I’m helping."
Her fingers curled into fists. "By holding my dupatta?!"
He nodded, completely unfazed.
"You don’t listen, do you?" Her voice dropped, dangerously calm.
Aarav grinned. "Never."
That was it.
She turned around so fast that he barely had time to react. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, AARAV?"
His grin vanished.
"Why are you doing this?" Her voice cracked, frustration and pain colliding as she yanked the dupatta from his grip. "Why now? Why after everything?"
Aarav opened his mouth, but she didn’t let him speak.
"You’re acting like some lovesick fool, trying to win me over with these pathetic little gestures! But where was this when I needed you, Aarav?!"
He flinched.
"I told you I loved you that night, Aarav." Her voice wavered, but the pain was sharp, cutting through the air like a blade. "I gave you everything I had, and you—" She laughed bitterly. "You said it was my mistake. Not yours. Mine."
Aarav clenched his jaw, looking away.
"And now?" Ira scoffed, shaking her head. "Now you suddenly care? Now you want to be the perfect husband? Now you want to be close to me?"
Aarav took a step closer. "Ira—"
"No! Don’t!" She took a step back, her voice trembling. "I know how this ends, Aarav! You’ll come close to me, make me believe in something again, and then one day, you'll just... break me all over again."
Silence.
Aarav stood frozen, his hands itching to reach for her, to tell her she was wrong. That he wasn’t going to hurt her again.
But he couldn’t.
Because the truth was, he already had.
Ira let out a shaky breath, wiping at her eyes. "If you’re feeling guilty about what happened on our date, stop."
She looked him dead in the eyes.
"Because nothing you do now is going to fix it."
And with that, she turned and walked away.
Leaving Aarav standing there, his heart aching with the weight of his mistakes.
Aarav didn’t think.
The moment she turned away, he followed.
His heart was hammering in his chest, panic creeping up his spine as he watched her walk away from him—again.
Not this time.
Before she could disappear into her room, his hand shot out, wrapping around her wrist.
"Ira—wait." His voice was rough, desperate.
She froze for a second, her body tensing at his touch. But when she turned, the look in her eyes was ice-cold.
"Let me go, Aarav."
"No." He swallowed hard. "Not until you listen."
She let out a sharp breath, yanking at her wrist, but he didn’t loosen his grip. "Aarav, I swear to God—"
"I’m sorry," he blurted out. "I know I messed up. I know I hurt you. I just... I don’t know how to fix it, Ira."
Her expression didn’t change. "You can’t fix it."
His chest tightened. "I can try."
"No, you can’t!" Her voice cracked, and she finally jerked her hand free. "You don’t get to just wake up one day and decide you want to fix things, Aarav!"
His jaw clenched. "I never stopped wanting to fix things!"
Ira let out a bitter laugh. "Are you serious?!"
She took a step closer, her eyes burning with something between anger and heartbreak.
"Where was this, Aarav?" Her voice was shaking. "Where was this when I was breaking apart? Where was this when I was crying myself to sleep, wondering why I wasn’t enough for you?"
Aarav’s hands curled into fists. "Ira—"
"No! You don’t get to talk!"
She shoved at his chest, and he took a step back—not because she was strong enough to move him, but because he felt the weight of her pain in that one touch.
"You pushed me away," she whispered, her voice raw. "Again and again, you made me feel like I was the one who made a mistake by loving you. And now? Now you want to play the perfect husband? Hold my dupatta like some lovesick idiot? Act like you care?"
His throat went dry. "I do care."
She laughed again, but this time, there was no humor in it.
"You don’t care, Aarav. You just don’t want to lose."
His breath hitched.
"That’s what this is about, isn’t it?" Her eyes shone with unshed tears. "You’re not scared of hurting me. You’re scared that one day, I’ll stop hurting over you."
Aarav felt like she had just ripped his soul out of his chest.
Because deep down, she was right.
She wiped her tears angrily. "You don’t love me, Aarav."
His head snapped up, panic flashing in his eyes. "Ira—"
"If you did, you wouldn’t have broken me like this."
She turned away, walking into her room.
This time, he didn’t stop her.
This time, he had no idea how to bring her back.
Aarav tightened his grip on her wrist, his voice breaking as he spoke.
"Why don’t you kill me at once, Ira?" His eyes burned with a storm of emotions. "Why are you killing me piece by piece? Is it necessary? How can someone do such a cruel thing to someone?"
Ira froze. For a second, something flickered in her eyes—pain, hesitation, regret. But then, just as quickly, it was gone.
She pulled her hand away, her voice cold. "You did it first, Aarav."
And with that, she walked away, leaving him standing there—shattered, defeated, drowning in the very pain he had once given her.
The moment she stepped inside the room and locked the door, her knees gave out. She collapsed on the cold floor, pressing a hand against her trembling lips, trying to silence the sobs threatening to escape.
"Why don’t you kill me at once, Ira?"
His words echoed in her mind, stabbing her deeper than she wanted to admit.
"Why are you killing me piece by piece?"
A broken gasp left her lips.
No, Aarav. I’m not the one doing that… You did it first. You left me shattered. You pushed me away. You made me feel like I was nothing.
So why… why does it hurt so much to hurt you back?
Tears spilled freely as she hugged herself, her heart breaking for both of them. Because no matter how much she tried to push him away, she couldn’t lie to herself. Hurting him was hurting her too.
His hands were still trembling as he rubbed his face harshly, trying to shake off the storm of emotions brewing inside him.
But nothing worked.
"Why don’t you kill me at once, Ira?"
"Why are you killing me piece by piece?"
His own words felt like a knife twisting in his chest. He had seen the flicker of pain in her eyes, the way she stiffened as if his words had reached the deepest parts of her soul. But still, she had walked away.
Away from him.
Aarav clenched his jaw.
A sharp knock on the door broke his trance. He inhaled deeply, trying to mask his wrecked state. “Come in.”
The door creaked open, and Vihaan entered, holding a few business files in his hand.
“Bhai, I need your signature on these docu—” Vihaan’s words trailed off as his gaze landed on Aarav. He stilled.
For a moment, the room was filled with nothing but silence.
Then, Vihaan placed the files on the table and folded his arms. “Are you crying?”
Aarav immediately looked away, scoffing. “No.”
“Really? Because you look like a heartbroken hero from a tragic Bollywood film.”
Aarav shot him a glare. “Shut up, Vihaan.”
Vihaan, however, wasn’t one to back down. He walked forward, leaning against the desk, eyes still locked onto his elder brother.
"It’s Ira bhabhi, isn’t it?"
Aarav inhaled sharply, his fingers curling into fists.
Vihaan’s smirk faded. “What happened?”
For the first time in years, Aarav’s walls cracked.
His lips parted, words tumbling out before he could stop them.
It all started when we went to dinner date there we got into argument and to her her forgive me.....
“I followed her around the whole day… in the office, in the living room… anywhere she went, I was just… there.” He let out a broken chuckle. “She got annoyed. She told me to stop, but I didn’t… because—” He exhaled sharply, “I don’t know, Vihaan. I just—”
“You just wanted to be around her,” Vihaan completed, his voice softer now.
Aarav nodded, swallowing hard. “She was walking… and her dupatta got stuck under her feet. She was about to trip, so I held it… but she got furious. Gave me a glare, warned me to stop.” He scoffed, shaking his head. “But I didn’t. Because I’m Aarav Malhotra… and I never listen.”
Vihaan’s lips twitched. “No arguments there.”
Aarav ignored him and continued, his voice strained. “I kept walking behind her, still holding onto it. She finally snapped at me, yelled at me. She… she said so many hurtful things.”
His throat tightened. “She accused me of playing with her emotions again. Said she knew I’d come close only to leave her broken all over again. That I’d either hurt her or make her feel guilty about that damn date.”
Vihaan stayed quiet, watching him carefully.
Aarav’s breathing was uneven now, his mask slipping further. “Ira looked at me like… like she regretted ever loving me.” He let out a humorless laugh. “And you know what the worst part is?” His voice dropped, thick with pain.
Vihaan remained silent.
Aarav clenched his jaw, looking away. “I deserved it.”
For a long moment, Vihaan said nothing.
Then, he sighed. “You did.”
Aarav’s head snapped up, his brows furrowing. “What?”
Vihaan shrugged. “Bhai, you hurt her. Not once, not twice… but multiple times. You crushed her heart when she told you she loved you. You pushed her away, made her feel unwanted. And now you’re suddenly following her around, expecting her to welcome you with open arms?”
Aarav gritted his teeth. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Then what were you expecting?”
Aarav opened his mouth but no words came out.
Vihaan’s expression softened as he stood up straight. “Listen, Bhai… I know you. You love Ira, whether you admit it or not. And trust me, she still loves you too. That’s why she’s reacting this way.”
Aarav’s breath hitched.
Vihaan sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder. “But love isn’t enough, Aarav. You broke her trust. And trust… isn’t something you can fix in a day.”
Aarav closed his eyes for a moment, pain seeping into his bones.
Vihaan squeezed his shoulder. “You need to give her time. If you really love her, let her come to you.”
Aarav swallowed hard, nodding.
Vihaan exhaled, stepping back. He turned toward the door but paused, glancing over his shoulder.
“And Bhai?”
Aarav looked up, his eyes exhausted.
Vihaan give him sympathy look. “Ishq ka dard mubarak ho.”
With that, he walked out, leaving Aarav standing there—broken, regretful, and painfully in love.