Chapter 11
The mansion slept in silence.
Cold.
Massive.
Beautifully lifeless.
It was almost 2 AM.
And despite being physically exhausted, I still couldn't sleep.
Maybe because my mind wouldn't stop replaying the entire day.
The empty lunchbox.
Dhruv's anger.
Armaan.
The job.
The strange way Dhruv had looked at me tonight.
Like he was angry at the world for making my life difficult.
Which made absolutely no sense because half my problems existed because of him.
I sighed softly and sat up on my bed.
Hopeless.
Restless.
The room suddenly felt too suffocating.
Maybe fresh air would help.
Quietly, I stepped out into the hallway and walked toward the terrace stairs.
The mansion was dark except for a few dim wall lights.
My footsteps echoed softly through the empty corridors.
Everything felt peaceful.
Until,
I noticed someone.
A man dressed in black moving quietly down the hallway.
My brows furrowed slightly.
One of the security guards maybe?
But something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Because he wasn't walking normally.
He was sneaking.
Carefully.
Deliberately.
And then I saw it.
The gun in his hand.
My blood turned cold instantly.
The man moved directly toward,
Dhruv's room.
For one second, my body froze.
No.
No no no.
My heartbeat exploded violently inside my chest.
The man quietly opened Dhruv's bedroom door.
And disappeared inside.
Panic consumed me instantly.
I ran.
Actually ran.
Barefoot across the hallway.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears as I reached the door and pushed it open hard,
And everything happened at once.
Dhruv had just woken up from the sound.
Still half sitting up on the bed.
Dark hair messy.
Eyes sharp instantly despite sleep.
The armed man turned toward him.
Gun raised.
Dhruv's expression changed immediately.
Cold.
Lethal.
Dangerously calm.
But before either man could react,
I screamed:
"DHRUV!"
And threw myself toward him.
BANG.
The gunshot echoed violently through the room.
Pain exploded through my shoulder.
A horrifying burning pain.
My breath caught instantly.
For one terrifying second,
I couldn't even process what happened.
Then suddenly,
Warm blood spread down my arm.
Oh.
Oh God.
I got shot.
Dhruv caught me before I hit the floor.
And the second he saw the blood,
Something inside him snapped.
Completely.
His arm wrapped around me instantly while his other hand grabbed the attacker violently.
The bodyguard crashed against the wall brutally.
The gun fell.
I had never seen Dhruv like this before.
Never.
Not cold.
Not controlled.
Terrifying.
Actually terrifying.
The bodyguard tried speaking desperately,
"Sir listen,"
Dhruv punched him so hard blood splattered across the marble floor.
My entire body shook.
The room blurred painfully around me.
More guards suddenly stormed inside after hearing the gunshot.
Chaos exploded everywhere.
But Dhruv didn't even look at them.
His attention remained completely fixed on me.
On the blood.
Too much blood.
His face had gone pale.
Actually pale.
And suddenly,
For the first time since meeting him,
Dhruv Malhotra looked afraid.
"DHRUV..."
One guard grabbed the attacker while others shouted frantically.
But Dhruv ignored everyone.
He pulled me against him carefully.
His hands trembling slightly against my injured shoulder.
Trembling.
Dhruv's hands were trembling.
"Riya..."
His voice sounded wrong.
Too rough.
Too panicked.
I tried speaking but pain shot through me again.
A small cry escaped instead.
And the sound completely destroyed whatever control Dhruv had left.
"CALL THE FUCKING DOCTOR NOW!"
The roar echoed through the mansion.
Every servant froze instantly.
I had never heard him yell like that before.
Never.
He looked down at me again immediately.
One hand pressing desperately against my wound to stop bleeding.
Blood stained his expensive black shirt instantly.
But he didn't seem to notice.
His eyes stayed locked onto mine.
Sharp.
Wild.
Terrified.
"Stay awake."
His voice shook slightly.
My heart stopped.
Dhruv's voice shook.
I blinked weakly.
"I-I'm okay..."
"No!"
The word came out instantly.
Violently.
His forehead pressed briefly against mine as he held me tighter.
"No you're not."
The room spun painfully around me.
Everything blurred.
But somehow,
I could still see him clearly.
Dhruv Malhotra.
The coldest man I'd ever met.
Looking completely shattered while holding me.
Sirens echoed outside now.
More security rushed through the mansion.
People shouting everywhere.
But inside the room,
It felt like only him and I existed.
His breathing sounded uneven.
His jaw clenched so tightly it looked painful.
And then,
Very softly.
Almost like he didn't realize he said it aloud,
Dhruv whispered:
"The bullet was supposed to hit me."
My chest tightened painfully.
Not from the wound.
From him.
Because suddenly I understood something terrifying.
Dhruv wasn't upset because someone attacked him.
He was losing control because I got hurt instead.
I tried lifting my uninjured hand weakly toward him.
His fingers immediately grabbed it tightly.
Too tightly.
Like he was scared I would disappear.
"Why would you do that?" he whispered hoarsely.
His eyes looked furious.
But not at me.
At himself.
At the world.
At the blood.
I smiled weakly despite the pain.
"You would've died."
And God,
The look on his face after hearing that.
I would never forget it.
Never.
Because for one horrifying second,
Dhruv Malhotra looked like a man realizing something he never wanted to feel.
...
After a while...
The entire mansion had turned into chaos.
Guards running everywhere.
Phones ringing nonstop.
Security alarms echoing through the halls.
Servants whispering in fear.
And right in the center of it all,
Dhruv stood beside me like a man seconds away from destroying the world.
The doctor carefully cleaned the blood near my shoulder wound while I winced softly.
"It'll hurt a little, ma'am."
A little?
I wanted to sue him for that lie.
My shoulder burned like actual fire.
I sat on the edge of the bed wearing one of Dhruv's oversized black shirts because my own clothes had been ruined with blood.
The giant room smelled faintly of antiseptic now.
And despite the chaos outside,
The loudest thing in the room was still Dhruv's silence.
He hadn't said a word in almost ten minutes.
Not one.
Which honestly felt more terrifying than yelling.
Because his eyes never left me.
Not even once.
The doctor carefully wrapped fresh bandages around my shoulder.
"Fortunately the bullet only grazed through the upper shoulder area."
My breathing slowed slightly.
"It didn't go deeper?"
"No, ma'am. Another inch could've been dangerous."
Dhruv's jaw tightened so sharply I noticed it immediately.
The doctor continued nervously.
"There's blood loss, but she'll recover fully in a few weeks with proper rest."
A few weeks.
The entire room seemed to exhale slightly after hearing that.
Except Dhruv.
Because somehow,
He still looked furious.
Not relieved.
Furious.
His dark eyes remained fixed on the white bandages around my shoulder like he physically hated seeing them there.
The doctor finally stepped back.
"She's safe now."
Safe.
That word should've calmed the room.
But instead,
Dhruv suddenly spoke for the first time.
Coldly.
"Leave."
The doctor nearly fled.
Honestly same.
The second the room emptied slightly, the mansion noise outside became clearer.
His uncle's angry voice echoed downstairs.
"This is unacceptable! Double the security immediately!"
Another guard answered nervously.
"We already caught the traitor, sir."
"That man didn't act alone."
His uncle sounded furious now.
"Someone sent him."
Meanwhile Dhruv's mother sat quietly near the couch inside the room itself.
Still visibly shaken.
Tears filled her eyes repeatedly every time she looked at me.
"My God..." she whispered weakly. "If something happened to you..."
I smiled softly despite exhaustion.
"I'm okay, aunty."
The woman looked emotionally destroyed.
Probably because she'd already lost one family member before.
Dhruv's father.
And tonight must've reopened every old fear again.
Meanwhile,
Dhruv's aunt stood near the doorway looking significantly less affected than everyone else.
Not shocked.
Not emotional.
Just mildly inconvenienced.
Something about it felt strange.
Very strange.
Her eyes briefly moved over my injury before she sighed.
"At least the media didn't find out."
The room went silent.
I blinked slowly.
Dhruv's mother looked horrified.
But before anyone else could react,
Dhruv finally looked up.
And God.
The temperature in the room dropped instantly.
His dark eyes locked directly onto his aunt.
Expression completely blank.
Which somehow looked more dangerous than rage.
"What did you say?"
His aunt immediately stiffened slightly.
"I just meant..."
"I heard what you meant."
The calmness in his voice felt terrifying.
Purely terrifying.
For one second, nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Dhruv slowly stood up from the chair beside my bed.
Tall.
Cold.
Dangerously composed.
But I could practically feel the fury radiating off him.
His aunt tried recovering quickly.
"I was worried about family reputation, Dhruv."
Silence.
Then quietly—
"Riya almost died."
The room froze.
Because that was the first time he'd acknowledged it aloud.
And somehow hearing those words from him made everything feel more real.
More terrifying.
His aunt looked uncomfortable now.
"I understand that but,"
"No."
Dhruv cut her off instantly.
"You don't."
His voice stayed low.
Controlled.
But every word landed sharply.
"Because if you understood even slightly..."
His eyes darkened dangerously.
"...that sentence would've never left your mouth."
Nobody spoke after that.
Not even his aunt.
Because suddenly,
Everyone in the room realized something.
Dhruv was not calm tonight.
Not even close.
And the worst part?
His anger wasn't about himself.
It was about me.
The realization itself felt surreal.
Dhruv finally looked away from his aunt and back toward me.
And immediately,
His entire expression changed slightly again.
Not softer exactly.
But less lethal.
His gaze dropped briefly toward the bandages around my shoulder.
Then toward the dried blood stains still visible on my fingers.
His jaw tightened again.
"You should rest."
The sentence came quieter this time.
Almost tired.
I nodded softly.
Honestly exhaustion was finally crashing over me too.
The painkillers were making my head heavy.
Dhruv's mother immediately stood up.
"I'll stay with her tonight."
Before I could answer,
Dhruv spoke.
"I'll stay."
Silence.
Everyone froze.
Including me.
His mother blinked in surprise.
Even his uncle looked stunned from the hallway.
Because Dhruv Malhotra staying beside someone all night?
Voluntarily?
Impossible.
Dhruv seemed to realize what he'd said only after the silence stretched too long.
His expression hardened slightly again.
"Security reasons."
Ah yes.
Of course.
Security reasons.
Not because he looked one second away from panic every time I winced in pain.
Not because he hadn't taken his eyes off me since the shooting.
Definitely security reasons.
His aunt looked suspicious now.
But wisely stayed silent.
Meanwhile my heartbeat suddenly felt uneven again.
Because despite his cold tone,
Something about the way he'd said I'll stay affected me unexpectedly.
One by one everyone finally left the room.
The lights dimmed slightly.
The mansion slowly quieted again.
And then,
It was just us.
Me sitting against the headboard carefully.
Dhruv standing near the windows overlooking the city.
Back facing me.
One hand in his pocket.
The other clenched tightly beside him.
The silence stretched heavily.
Until finally,
I spoke softly.
"You should sleep too."
No response.
I frowned slightly.
"Dhruv?"
Very slowly..
He turned toward me.
And the look in his eyes almost stole my breath.
Not love.
Not softness.
Something worse.
A man still deeply shaken.
Like the image of me getting shot kept replaying in his head against his will.
Then quietly,
Dangerously quietly,
He asked:
"What were you thinking?"
I blinked.
"What?"
"You jumped in front of a bullet."
His voice remained calm.
Too calm.
And somehow that made it more emotional.
More raw.
I swallowed softly.
"You would've died."
The second those words left my mouth..
Dhruv laughed.
But it wasn't humor.
It sounded angry.
Broken almost.
He walked closer slowly.
Until he stood beside the bed again.
His dark eyes locked onto mine intensely.
"And if you died instead?"
Silence.
I didn't know what to answer.
Because honestly,
I hadn't thought that far.
Dhruv stared at me for a long moment.
Then suddenly ran a frustrated hand through his hair before looking away sharply.
Like he physically couldn't handle the conversation.
And for the first time since meeting him,
Dhruv Malhotra looked like a man terrified by his own emotions.