Chapter 27
The first thing I heard when I woke up,
Was Dhruv's voice.
Low.
Cold.
Dangerously calm.
"...I don't care how much money it takes. Find everyone involved."
My eyes opened slowly.
The familiar ceiling of the Malhotra mansion blurred above me.
My head hurt.
Badly.
For a few seconds,
I couldn't remember anything.
Then suddenly,
Kiara.
Blood.
The memory flashes.
And everything came crashing back violently.
I inhaled sharply trying to sit up.
Immediately
A strong hand stopped me gently.
"Easy."
Dhruv.
I looked toward him instantly.
And for one dangerous second,
Something inside my chest softened painfully.
Because he looked exhausted.
Actually exhausted.
Dark circles under his eyes.
Shirt sleeves rolled carelessly.
Hair messy like he'd been running his hands through it repeatedly.
And worst of all,
The relief on his face after seeing me awake.
Real relief.
Not hidden quickly enough.
His fingers still rested lightly against my arm like he'd been checking if I was really there.
I blinked softly.
"...what happened?"
Dhruv didn't answer immediately.
Instead,
His hand moved to the glass beside the bed.
"Drink water first."
Typical.
Avoid emotional questions using hydration.
I slowly took the glass from him.
My fingers brushed his accidentally.
And instantly,
His gaze flickered downward.
Just for a second.
Still enough to ruin my heartbeat again.
The bedroom door opened quietly afterward.
The doctor entered adjusting his glasses.
An older man.
Calm.
Professional.
"Ah. You're awake."
I nodded slightly.
My head still hurt.
The doctor checked my pulse quickly before smiling reassuringly.
"Nothing serious."
Dhruv immediately looked toward him sharply.
"Then why did she faint?"
The protectiveness in his voice startled even the doctor slightly.
The older man answered calmly.
"Stress shock."
Then toward me gently:
"You went through a traumatic attack yesterday."
I swallowed softly.
The gunshots replayed briefly in my head again.
The doctor continued:
"The sudden anxiety combined with emotional stress likely triggered the fainting spell."
Dhruv's jaw remained tight.
"And the memory flashes?"
The doctor looked thoughtful.
"Trauma can sometimes trigger fragmented memories."
Then reassuringly:
"But right now there's no sign of danger."
I nodded slowly trying to calm my breathing.
The doctor finally smiled kindly.
"You need rest."
Then looking directly at Dhruv:
"And less stress around her."
Dhruv looked deeply unimpressed by the implication he caused stress.
Which honestly?
Fair.
The doctor left afterward.
And silence settled softly across the room again.
I slowly looked around.
Then blinked.
"Where's Kiara?"
Dhruv leaned back slightly against the chair beside my bed.
Expression unreadable again.
"Downstairs."
Something about his tone felt off.
Careful.
Measured.
I hesitated slightly.
"...did she remember anything else?"
Silence.
Then finally,
"No."
Relief and disappointment hit together strangely.
Because some part of me wanted answers.
But another part feared them completely.
Dhruv watched me quietly for a moment before speaking again.
"Kiara thinks she was mistaken."
I blinked.
"What?"
His eyes stayed on me steadily.
"She said she probably confused you with someone else."
The tension in my chest loosened slightly.
Downstairs,
Kiara herself sat quietly in the living room replaying memories over and over in her mind.
And honestly?
She truly believed she was mistaken.
Because the image in her head felt impossible.
Right?
...right?
Meanwhile upstairs,
I looked down at the blanket softly.
"Oh."
Dhruv noticed immediately.
"What?"
I shook my head slightly.
"Nothing."
Lie.
Because somehow,
A tiny part of me felt disappointed.
Like I was close to finding something important.
Then suddenly.
Dhruv's phone rang.
His expression darkened instantly seeing the caller ID.
He answered immediately.
"Speak."
Silence.
I watched his face carefully while the call continued.
And slowly,
Very slowly,
Something terrifying entered his eyes.
Not shock.
Rage.
Pure rage.
My heartbeat slowed nervously.
Because Dhruv looked murderous again.
The same expression from the shooting night.
Then coldly into the phone,
"Are you certain?"
Pause.
His jaw tightened sharply afterward.
"Keep tracking them."
Then he disconnected.
The room fell silent instantly.
I stared at him nervously.
"...what happened?"
Dhruv didn't answer immediately.
And somehow,
That scared me more.
He stood up slowly walking toward the giant bedroom windows.
Hands inside pockets now.
Back tense.
Then finally,
"They found the men."
My breath caught instantly.
"The shooters?"
He nodded once.
Silence.
I swallowed nervously.
"Who sent them?"
And then,
Dhruv turned toward me.
God.
The look in his eyes.
Fury.
Protectiveness.
And something darker.
Then quietly,
"One of my rivals."
I froze.
What?
Dhruv continued coldly:
"A businessman I've been destroying financially for months."
His voice became sharper now.
"He wanted revenge."
My brows furrowed slightly.
"But why target me?"
Silence.
And somehow,
The answer became obvious before he even said it.
Because Dhruv looked at me in a way that made my heartbeat stop completely.
Then quietly,
"Because you're important to me."
AIR LEFT MY LUNGS.
The room went silent.
Completely silent.
Because Dhruv Malhotra,
The man terrified of love,
Had just admitted something dangerously close to it.
Maybe not intentionally.
Maybe not fully consciously.
But still.
I stared at him speechless.
Meanwhile I think Dhruv realized what he said one second too late.
Because his expression hardened immediately afterward.
Walls returning.
Emotional retreat mode activated.
He looked away first.
Then flatly,
"They knew hurting you would affect me."
My heart still pounded violently.
Because that wasn't the important part.
The important part was,
You are important to me.
My throat suddenly felt dry.
I looked down quickly before he noticed the effect his words had on me.
But unfortunately,
Dhruv noticed everything.
Always.
The silence between us shifted softly now.
Warmer.
More dangerous.
Then quietly,
Almost reluctantly,
Dhruv spoke again.
"They touched what's mine."
The breath left my lungs again.
His dark eyes locked onto mine completely.
And for the first time,
There was no coldness left in them.
Only terrifying possessiveness.
Terrifying protectiveness.
And something heartbreakingly close to fear.
Then slowly,
Very slowly
Dhruv walked back toward the bed.
Until finally,
He stood right beside me again.
Close enough that my heartbeat became impossible to control.
And softly,
Like a promise.
Like a warning.
Like something far too emotional for a man like him,
"I'm not letting anyone hurt you again."
And that one sentence healed and destroyed me at once.
....
After sometime everyone gathered for dinner.
Dinner at the Malhotra mansion had always been uncomfortable.
But tonight?
Tonight felt dangerous.
The long dining table glowed under the golden chandelier lights while servants moved around quietly placing expensive dishes one after another.
Everything looked elegant.
Perfect.
Cold.
I sat beside Dhruv silently trying to ignore the weird tension in the room.
Across from us,
Kiara looked effortlessly beautiful in a black silk dress while talking casually with Dhruv's mother.
Meanwhile Dhruv's aunt looked unusually happy tonight.
Which honestly should've been my first warning sign.
Dhruv sat beside me in a black shirt with the sleeves rolled slightly upward.
One hand resting near his glass.
Calm.
Unreadable.
And unfortunately,
Still close enough that I remained painfully aware of him.
Especially after earlier.
"You're important to me."
God.
I wanted to throw my heart out the window.
The servants finally finished serving dinner.
And for a few minutes,
Everything remained oddly peaceful.
Until Kiara suddenly laughed softly remembering something.
"Oh my God."
She looked toward me smiling.
"You know what everyone used to say when we were kids?"
I blinked softly.
"What?"
Dhruv didn't even look up from his plate.
Which honestly meant he already knew exactly where this conversation was going.
Kiara grinned.
"That Dhruv and I would definitely get married one day."
My hand paused slightly near my water glass.
Dhruv remained expressionless.
His mother laughed fondly.
"It's true."
Oh.
Oh no.
Kiara looked nostalgic now.
"We used to fight with everyone together."
Then laughing again:
"And once we even had a fake wedding."
My heartbeat stumbled slightly.
Excuse me?
Dhruv finally looked mildly annoyed now.
"Kiara."
But unfortunately,
Nobody stopped.
His mother looked delighted already.
"You both were so cute."
Kiara immediately nodded dramatically.
"We were like six!"
Then toward me smiling:
"The staff literally made flower garlands and everything."
I forced a small smile politely.
Cute.
Very cute.
Meanwhile internally?
Something uncomfortable twisted quietly inside my chest.
Because suddenly,
I could picture it too easily.
Little Dhruv.
Little Kiara.
Growing up together.
Understanding each other.
Belonging naturally in the same world.
Unlike me.
The orphan girl accidentally sitting in the Malhotra mansion.
Kiara continued smiling softly.
"Everyone used to ship us so badly."
Ship.
Rich people even used shipping terminology apparently.
Dhruv's mother laughed harder now.
"Your fathers were convinced you'd marry."
Then fondly toward Dhruv:
"You never let any other child hold Kiara's hand."
I looked down immediately pretending interest in my food.
Because for some reason,
That hurt.
A lot more than it should.
Dhruv finally spoke coldly.
"We were children."
Kiara smiled teasingly.
"You were obsessed with protecting me."
Dhruv looked deeply unimpressed.
But unfortunately,
He didn't deny it either.
My appetite disappeared slightly.
And somehow,
Dhruv noticed immediately.
Of course he did.
His eyes flickered toward my untouched plate briefly.
Tiny detail.
Still noticed.
Meanwhile his aunt finally joined the conversation dramatically.
"Honestly speaking-"
Here we go.
"Kiara was always perfect for this family."
The table went quieter instantly.
I stared down at my plate silently already knowing where this was heading.
His aunt smiled warmly toward Kiara.
"Beautiful."
"Rich."
"Elegant."
"From a respected family."
Each word felt intentional.
Carefully aimed.
Then finally,
Her eyes shifted toward me.
And the warmth disappeared instantly.
"But life doesn't always go correctly."
Silence.
Dhruv slowly placed his fork down.
The soft clink echoed sharply across the table.
Danger sign.
Huge danger sign.
But his aunt ignored it completely.
She continued calmly:
"Still, no worries."
My chest tightened.
Because I already knew.
I already knew what she'd say next.
"It's only four more months."
The room became painfully still.
The contract.
Again.
Always the contract.
My throat suddenly felt dry.
His aunt smiled toward Kiara lovingly.
"After the divorce, Dhruv can finally marry properly."
Kiara looked uncomfortable instantly.
"Aunty-"
But the older woman continued anyway.
"And honestly? No girl would suit him better than you."
Something inside my chest cracked quietly.
Because no matter how much Dhruv affected me,
No matter how soft he'd become lately,
The truth still remained.
This marriage wasn't real.
It had an expiration date.
Four months.
Only four more months before all of this ended.
The mansion.
The dinners.
The flowers.
The almost feelings between us.
Everything.
I suddenly couldn't breathe properly.
Beside me,
Dhruv had gone completely still.
Dangerously still.
His mother immediately frowned.
"Enough."
But his aunt laughed lightly.
"What? I'm just being realistic."
Then directly toward me:
"You understand too, right Riya?"
The humiliation burned quietly.
Because everyone sat there hearing this.
The servants.
Kiara.
Dhruv.
Everyone.
I forced a tiny smile despite the ache in my chest.
"Of course."
The lie came out softer than intended.
And unfortunately,
Dhruv heard it.
Every bit of it.
His eyes slowly shifted toward me.
And instantly,
Something dark entered his expression.
Because he noticed.
The hurt.
The way my fingers tightened slightly under the table.
The way I stopped eating completely.
The way I suddenly looked smaller somehow.
And Dhruv Malhotra hated it.
Absolutely hated it.
His aunt continued casually drinking water.
"Kiara already understands this family anyway."
Then laughing softly:
"She practically grew up as Dhruv's future wife."
That did it.
Dhruv suddenly stood up.
The chair scraped sharply against the floor.
Everyone froze instantly.
Because the look on his face?
Terrifying.
His aunt blinked.
"Dhruv?"
He looked at her coldly.
And God.
Even the servants stopped breathing.
Then quietly,
Too quietly,
"Stop talking about my wife like she's temporary."
AIR LEFT MY LUNGS.
The entire table froze.
His aunt stared at him shocked.
Kiara looked stunned too.
Because this?
This wasn't normal Dhruv behavior.
Not even close.
Dhruv never defended people emotionally.
Never.
Yet tonight,
His eyes burned with something dangerously protective.
His aunt laughed awkwardly.
"I was only saying-"
"I know exactly what you were saying."
Ice cold.
Sharp enough to cut.
The woman fell silent instantly.
Meanwhile my heart crashed violently against my ribs.
Because he said wife again.
Not contract wife.
Not responsibility.
Wife.
Dhruv looked terrifying tonight.
Not loud.
Not emotional.
Far worse.
Controlled fury.
Then slowly,
He looked toward Kiara too.
And his next sentence destroyed the entire room completely.
"Nobody is replacing Riya."