Bonus Chapter-1
The island was beautiful.
Cruelly beautiful.
The ocean stretched endlessly in every direction.
Blue.
Peaceful.
Calm.
As if the world itself had no idea that my heart was breaking apart inside my chest.
A week had passed.
A week since everything came crashing down.
A week since I learned that the people I loved most had been lying to me.
A week since my entire world shattered.
I stood beside Dhruv on the private island.
The wind gently moving my hair.
My fingers locked tightly around his hand.
And then I saw them.
Veer.
My uncle.
My aunt.
Advik.
All sitting on chairs.
Their hands restrained behind them.
Dhruv's guards surrounding them.
The atmosphere immediately became heavy.
Painful.
Unbearable.
My breathing faltered.
Because despite everything...
Despite the betrayal...
Despite the lies...
Despite the suffering...
I still loved them.
God help me.
I still loved them.
Dhruv's hand tightened around mine.
As if sensing my thoughts.
As if feeling every crack inside my heart.
His voice was quiet.
"Riya."
I didn't answer.
Couldn't.
My eyes remained fixed on Veer.
My brother.
My bhaiya.
The man who taught me how to ride a bicycle.
The man who stayed awake when I had nightmares.
The man who used to carry me on his shoulders.
The man who tucked me into bed.
The man who lied to me for years.
My vision blurred.
Dhruv looked toward the guards.
Then toward the people sitting in front of us.
His expression became cold.
The ruthless billionaire everyone feared.
The man who could destroy empires.
The man who could make powerful people disappear with a phone call.
"What do you want me to do with them?"
My heart stopped.
Silence.
The ocean waves echoed nearby.
Nothing else.
Dhruv looked at me.
Only me.
Always me.
"I'll do whatever you want."
His voice remained calm.
"If you want them handed to the authorities..."
A pause.
"They'll be handed over."
Another pause.
"If you want them gone from your life forever..."
His gaze hardened.
"I'll make sure you never see them again."
I immediately shook my head.
Tears already forming.
"Dhruv..."
His thumb brushed against my knuckles.
Trying to comfort me.
Trying to give me strength.
And somehow that made me cry harder.
Because he still cared more about my pain than his own anger.
I looked at my uncle.
Then my aunt.
Finally,
Veer.
The sight of him nearly destroyed me.
Because for some stupid reason...
Some pathetic reason...
Part of me still wanted my brother back.
Even though I knew he was gone.
Gone long ago.
My voice broke.
"I don't want revenge."
The words echoed.
Everyone froze.
Even Dhruv.
I wiped my tears.
Failing miserably.
"I don't want any of it."
Silence.
The guards exchanged looks.
Advik looked shocked.
My aunt lowered her head.
My uncle stared.
Veer remained expressionless.
And somehow that hurt most.
I slowly walked forward.
Toward them.
Toward the people who had destroyed me.
Toward the people who should have been protecting me.
Every step felt heavier.
More painful.
More impossible.
Until finally,
I stopped in front of Veer.
Then sat down.
On the floor.
Directly in front of him.
The billionaire heiress.
The princess.
The businesswoman.
The woman who controlled corporations worth billions.
Sitting on the ground.
Crying.
Like a child.
Like the little sister who just wanted her brother back.
My tears hit my hands.
One after another.
"Why?"
The word barely came out.
Veer's jaw tightened.
I looked up at him.
Desperate.
Broken.
Lost.
"Why didn't you just ask?"
My voice cracked.
"If you wanted the company..."
More tears.
"I would've given it."
Silence.
"I would've signed everything."
Another tear.
"Every paper."
My breathing became uneven.
"Every share."
My chest hurt.
"Every asset."
My voice shattered.
"Everything."
The ocean wind carried my words away.
But I kept speaking.
Because years of pain were finally pouring out.
I looked directly into his eyes.
"You weren't just my brother."
My lips trembled.
"You were my father."
A tear slipped down my cheek.
"You were my mother."
Another.
"My best friend."
Another.
"My family."
My voice broke completely.
"My entire world."
Silence.
Painful silence.
I laughed weakly through tears.
"If one day you had walked into my office and said, 'Riya, I want everything.'"
I smiled sadly.
"I would've signed it without reading."
My gaze never left his.
"Because it was you."
Another tear fell.
"Because I trusted you."
My heart felt like it was being ripped apart.
"Because I loved you."
The words hung in the air.
Raw.
Honest.
Devastating.
And for the first time,
Veer looked away.
Just slightly.
Just for a second.
But I saw it.
I saw it.
Guilt.
Real guilt.
My throat tightened.
"You never needed to kidnap me."
A whisper.
"You never needed to hurt me."
Another whisper.
"You never needed to become my enemy."
I shook my head.
Still unable to understand.
"All you had to do was ask."
The silence that followed felt endless.
Then suddenly,
A warm hand landed on my shoulder.
Dhruv.
I looked up.
His eyes were on me.
His expression held so much tenderness it nearly broke me.
As if he wished he could take all my pain away.
As if he'd gladly carry it himself if it meant I wouldn't have to.
He slowly crouched beside me.
One knee touching the ground.
The billionaire who bowed before no one.
Kneeling beside his wife.
Because she was crying.
Because she was hurting.
Because her heart was breaking.
His hand moved to my cheek.
Wiping away my tears.
One by one.
Patiently.
Carefully.
Like I was something precious.
"Enough."
His voice was soft.
I shook my head.
"No."
"Riya."
"No."
I laughed through tears.
"They were my family."
His eyes softened even more.
"I know."
The simple understanding in those two words shattered me.
Because he really did know.
He knew what it felt like to lose people.
To be betrayed.
To hurt.
I buried my face against his shoulder.
And finally cried.
Properly cried.
All the grief.
All the heartbreak.
All the love that had nowhere left to go.
Dhruv simply held me.
Saying nothing.
Doing nothing.
Just being there.
And somehow,
That helped more than any words could.
After a long time, I finally looked up.
Toward Veer.
Toward my uncle.
Toward my aunt.
The people I once would've died for.
My voice came out quiet.
Tired.
Broken.
"I forgive you."
Everyone froze.
"I won't forget."
A tear rolled down my cheek.
"But I forgive you."
The wind carried the words away.
And somehow,
For the first time in years,
I felt lighter.
Not because they deserved forgiveness.
Not because they earned it.
But because I deserved peace.
I turned away from them.
Toward Dhruv.
Toward my future.
Toward the person who had never asked me for a company.
Never asked me for power.
Never asked me for wealth.
The only thing he ever wanted...
Was me.
Dhruv offered his hand.
I took it immediately.
Without hesitation.
Without fear.
Without doubt.
His fingers intertwined with mine.
And together,
We walked away from the ghosts of my past.
Leaving behind betrayal.
Leaving behind lies.
Leaving behind people who chose greed over love.
Because some families are given by blood.
And some are chosen by the heart.
As we reached the edge of the island, I looked up at him.
"Thank you."
Dhruv smiled.
"For what?"
I squeezed his hand.
"For choosing me."
His expression softened.
The way it only ever softened for me.
Then he leaned down and kissed my forehead.
And quietly said,
"Riya, they spent years fighting over your empire."
His fingers tightened around mine.
"I would've been happy with nothing."
A small smile.
"As long as at the end of the day..."
He looked directly into my eyes.
"...I still got to come home to you."
And suddenly,
For the first time in a very long time,
I smiled too.
....
The penthouse felt strangely peaceful.
For the first time in months.
No kidnappings.
No conspiracies.
No hidden enemies.
No fake smiles hiding knives.
Just...
Peace.
Actual peace.
The kind I had forgotten existed.
The kind that felt unfamiliar after living through chaos.
I sat on the huge cream-colored couch with my laptop balanced on my knees.
Three different company files were open.
My phone was trapped between my shoulder and ear.
"And tell the Zurich team I want the merger proposal on my desk by tomorrow."
Pause.
"No."
Another pause.
"I don't care if it's Sunday."
I heard a man nervously clear his throat from the other side.
I smiled sweetly.
"That's why you're getting paid millions."
Silence.
Then,
"Yes, Ms. Rajput."
I ended the call.
Immediately another call came.
I answered.
Across the room,
Dhruv sat at the dining table.
Brown shirt.
Sleeves rolled up.
Laptop open.
Reading documents.
Looking ridiculously handsome for absolutely no reason.
I narrowed my eyes.
"Why are you staring?"
He didn't even look up.
"I'm not."
"Liar."
A small smile appeared.
"I am."
I rolled my eyes.
The phone call resumed.
Meanwhile,
Dhruv continued working.
Or pretending to work.
Because every two minutes I caught him looking at me.
The idiot.
A week ago he was nearly dying.
Now he was back to being annoying.
As I finished another call,
The penthouse doorbell rang.
I frowned.
Nobody was supposed to be here.
Dhruv finally looked up.
"Expecting someone?"
"No."
He raised an eyebrow.
I got up.
Walking toward the entrance.
The bell rang again.
I opened the door.
And froze.
"Meera Bhabhi?"
Standing outside was Meera.
Beautiful as always.
Elegant.
Graceful.
But something looked different.
Her eyes were swollen.
Red.
Like she hadn't slept.
Like she had been crying.
A lot.
The second she saw me,
Fresh tears appeared.
My heart immediately dropped.
"Bhabhi?"
Without warning,
She hugged me.
Tightly.
So tightly I almost stumbled.
I froze.
Completely confused.
Then slowly wrapped my arms around her.
"Hey."
My voice softened.
"Bhabhi, I know, I am so sorry, are you okay?"
She didn't answer.
Just hugged me harder.
Behind me,
I heard a chair scrape against the floor.
Dhruv.
Immediately alert.
Immediately worried.
He walked over.
And the moment he saw Meera's face,
His expression changed.
Not surprise.
Understanding.
Like he already knew.
Like he'd expected this.
My stomach twisted.
I pulled back.
Looking between them.
"What's going on?"
Meera wiped her eyes.
Trying to speak.
Failing.
Then trying again.
"Can I come in?"
"Of course."
I moved aside immediately.
She entered.
Slowly.
Like carrying a weight too heavy for one person.
Dhruv quietly shut the door.
Nobody spoke.
The silence became uncomfortable.
Heavy.
Painful.
Finally,
Meera sat down.
Looking around the penthouse.
Then at me.
Then at Dhruv.
Then back at me.
And suddenly,
She started crying again.
My panic instantly doubled.
"Bhabhi."
I sat beside her.
Taking her hands.
"What happened?"
Her fingers trembled.
"Riya..."
The way she said my name made my chest tighten.
Because there was so much sadness in it.
So much grief.
So much guilt.
"I don't know what to do."
My heart sank.
"What happened?"
More tears.
Then finally,
The words came.
"I visited him."
Silence.
Immediately I knew.
Veer.
My brother.
My chest hurt instantly.
The wound was still fresh.
Still bleeding.
Still impossible to touch.
Meera looked down.
"He looks terrible."
Her voice cracked.
"I hate him."
A tear slipped down.
"I hate what he did."
Another.
"I hate everything."
She laughed weakly.
"And yet..."
Her voice broke completely.
"I still love him."
The room went silent.
Painfully silent.
Because nobody understood that feeling more than I did.
Loving someone who destroyed you.
Loving someone who betrayed you.
Loving someone you wished you could stop loving.
I understood.
Too well.
Meera looked at me desperately.
"What does that make me?"
I squeezed her hands immediately.
"Human."
She blinked.
I smiled sadly.
"That makes you human."
More tears rolled down her cheeks.
"He lied to me."
"I know."
"He used me."
"I know."
"He destroyed our family."
"I know."
She looked away.
Broken.
Lost.
"But every time I see him..."
A whisper.
"I remember the man I fell in love with."
My throat tightened.
Because I understood that too.
Far too well.
The room became quiet again.
Then unexpectedly,
Dhruv spoke.
His voice calm.
Steady.
The voice he used when someone needed truth.
Not comfort.
Truth.
"The person you loved existed."
Meera looked up.
So did I.
Dhruv continued.
"The problem is..."
A pause.
"He wasn't the whole person."
Silence.
"You loved the good parts."
His eyes softened.
"But the bad parts were always there too."
Nobody spoke.
Because he was right.
Painfully right.
Meera wiped her eyes.
Looking exhausted.
"What do I do now?"
The question hung in the air.
Heavy.
Heartbreaking.
I stared at her.
Then slowly moved closer.
Wrapping my arms around her.
This time she immediately hugged back.
Like she needed someone.
Anyone.
To hold her together.
"We survive."
My voice was quiet.
She looked at me.
Confused.
I smiled sadly.
"We survive."
A tear slipped down my own cheek.
"One day at a time."
Silence.
Then,
For the first time since arriving,
Meera smiled.
A tiny smile.
A broken smile.
But still a smile.
And somehow,
That felt like a beginning.
Not an ending.
A beginning.
Because healing wasn't dramatic.
It wasn't fast.
It wasn't beautiful.
It was messy.
Painful.
Slow.
But it was possible.
And for the first time in a very long time,
The three of us sat together in silence.
Not talking.
Not fixing anything.
Just existing.
Just breathing.
Just trying to heal from wounds nobody else could see.
And somehow,
That was enough.
For today.
Just today.
That was enough.