Beneath His Silence.

Chapter Thirty Five.

The car drove through the massive Rathore gates, the tires crunching over the gravel as it sped toward the mansion.

As the vehicle halted to a stop, Devraj remained standing in the rain.

At first, he didn't care who was arriving, his mind was far away, lost in the rhythm of the storm.

But then, a guard stepped out, unfurling a wide black umbrella to shield the back door.

And then, he saw her.

"Ira..." he whispered, the name instantly swallowed by a jagged crack of thunder.

Ira didn't see him huddled in the darkness close to thw fountain.

Her eyes were fixed on the mansion's foyer, which was thrown wide open and glowing with a frantic, amber light.

She took the umbrella from the guard, her steps hurried and anxious as she splashed through the puddles toward the entrance.

Devraj simply watched her, a ghost of a smile touching his lips.

He was beyond soaked..water cascaded down his bare chest, and his hair was plastered across his forehead, but seeing her move toward his house made the freezing rain feel like a triumph.

Ira burst into the mansion and came to a halt. The atmosphere was thick with panic.

Mrs. Rathore was pacing, Vivaan looked sick with worry, and even the stoic guards seemed on edge.

Did he really die? Ira thought, a cold knot of dread tightening in her chest as she scanned their faces.

"Ira?" Mr. Rathore was the first to speak. The others snapped their heads toward her, and Mrs. Rathore walked forward, grabbing Ira’s damp sleeves.

"Oh, thank God! You’re finally here... please, you have to help my son!" she cried, her voice thin with desperation.

Ira blinked, her head spinning. "What are you–" She stopped abruptly as Mr. Rathore approached her with his usual, chilling composure.

"M... Mr. Rathore. You said on the phone that–"

"We needed your help, Ira," he interrupted.

Ira’s brow furrowed into a deep frown. "You told me Sir was dying! You said it was an emergency!"

"It is, Ira. Devraj is out there in the storm. He refuses to come in, and he won't let anyone near him," he explained, showing no remorse for the lie. "We knew you were the only one who could reach him."

Only one who could reach him? Aren't they serious? And I thought he was dying!

"I don't understand," Ira stammered, her heart still racing from the fear the phone call had caused. "In the rain? I didn't see–"

A collective gasp from the maids cut her off.

"Devraj!" his mother cried.

Ira whirled around toward the entrance. There he was.

Devraj was crossing the threshold, moving with a slow, agonizing heaviness.

His sweatpants clinging to his skin, his chest heaving as he struggled for breath.

He looked fragile, drenched, and dangerously pale.

Ira’s eyes widened. The anger at being manipulated vanished, replaced by a surge of caregiver’s instinct.

She rushed toward him, her hands reaching out to steady him.

Behind them, the guards finally heaved the massive doors shut, locking out the storm.

"Sir... why were you out there??" Ira started..

"You care..." Devraj rasped, his voice barely a thread.

He wobbled, his tall frame swaying precariously. "You came. You actually... came for me."

He was shivering violently, his skin like ice, yet he stood with a haunting, stubborn strength, his amber eyes locked onto hers with terrifying intensity.

"Take him to his room immediately!" Mrs. Rathore commanded the guards.

Devraj took one more agonizing step. Suddenly, his crutch clattered to the floor, and his strength gave out.

He collapsed forward, his entire dead weight slamming into Ira.

"Ah!" she gasped, her knees buckling as she struggled to catch his heavy, freezing body.

He was still conscious, but the cold had turned his movements sluggish and weak.

He clung to her, his wet skin soaking into her own clothes.

"Bhai, let me help you.." Vivaan offered, stepping forward to take his brother's weight.

"Stay... away.." Devraj growled. Even in his weakened state, the command was absolute.

He only tightened his grip on Ira, burying his face into the crook of her neck.

Ira looked up at Mr. Rathore, who was watching the scene with an unreadable expression.

"Ira," he said, his voice flat. "You take Devraj to his room."

By myself? Ira thought, her muscles straining. He’s twice my size.

"Can at least one guard help? He’s too heavy for me to carry alone," she managed to say.

Mr. Rathore gave a nod to a nearby guard, who rushed over to take Devraj’s other side.

Together, they began the slow trek up the stairs. Even as the guard lifted him, Devraj’s fingers remained locked onto Ira, refusing to let go.

The family watched them go.

Mrs. Rathore made a move to follow, but her husband’s voice stopped her.

"Call the doctor," he instructed. "And have the kitchen prepare something warm. He needs to be stabilized."

She glanced at her husband, then back at the stairs where Ira and the guard are struggling with her son. With a reluctant nod, she hurried toward the kitchen with two maids behind.

Vivaan stood by, his face etched with deep concern. His father turned to him.

"He won't die, Vivaan. Don't look so tragic."

Vivaan met his father’s gaze, his eyes narrowing. "I’m not just worried about him, Papa. I’m concerned about Ira, too. Aren’t we being incredibly selfish?"

"Selfish? In what way?"

"We dragged her out into a dangerous storm in the middle of the night," Vivaan said, his voice rising.

"What about her family? It was a massive risk to her safety."

"She is safe under our roof, isn't she?" his father countered smoothly. "Or would you have preferred Devraj stay out there until his heart stopped? You saw him..he only came inside because she arrived."

Vivaan shook his head slowly..

"Papa, I don't know why Ira is the only one who can move him, but this feels wrong. If you had a daughter, would you allow her to be treated as a tool like this?"

Mr. Rathore stared at his younger son for a long moment, a ghost of a smirk appearing on his face.

"You’re getting sharper every day, Vivaan. Keep it up." He dismissed the topic with a wave of his hand and walked away.

Vivaan let out a long, heavy sigh, looking up at the empty staircase.

?????

Ira open the door to Devraj’s bedroom, and with the guard's help, she managed to ease him onto the bed.

The mattress dipped under his dead weight as he let out a low, ragged groan.

"Thank you, that will be all.." Ira whispered. The guard gave a curt nod and retreated, the click of the door closing behind him.

Ira didn't waste a second. She hurried into the bathroom, returning with a thick, dry towel.

She stood beside the bed, carefully adjusting his legs..still encased in the heavy, soaked sweatpants, before pressing the towel against his bare chest.

The moment her hand brushed his skin, a jolt went through her. He was so cold.

His fever is going to skyrocket, she thought, What was he thinking? Why would he gamble with his life like this?

His nose was a stark, feverish red, and his lips had a faint, terrifying bluish tint.

He looked ravaged, but as she worked to dry his skin, she realized his eyes were wide open, tracking her every move with a dark, unblinking intensity.

She finished drying his torso, but her eyes fell on his sweatpants, which were already drenching the silk sheets beneath him.

"Hold on, Sir," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "Let me call the guard back. You need to get out of this wet cloth before the chill settles in your lungs."

She started to pull away, but before she could stand, Devraj’s hand shot out, His fingers clamped around her wrist, his grip surprisingly powerful despite his condition.

"Sir... you need to–"

"Achoo!" A violent sneeze racked his frame, but he didn't let go. If anything, he tightened his hold.

"Your trousers are soaked, Sir. You'll get pneumonia. Let me just call a maid or a guard to–"

"No," he rasped.

Before she could protest, Devraj gave a sudden tug. Caught off guard and weakened by her own exhaustion, Ira lost her balance.

She let out a small gasp as she tumbled forward, falling directly onto his cold, damp chest.

The scent of rain and his own masculine musk filling her senses.

As her palms were pressed flat against his cold chest to push herself up, a low, shuddering breath escaped Devraj’s lips.

It wasn't just a shiver from the cold; it was a tremor of dark, twisted pleasure at finally having her skin against his.

"I’m so sorry, Sir! I slipped–" Ira stammered. She tried to push herself up, to regain her dignity, but Devraj’s arms snaked around her waist, anchoring her to him.

Ira gulped, her heart thudding so loudly she was sure he could feel it. "S... Sir... I–"

"Touch me again, Ira..." he whispered. His breath, laced with the coming fever, fanned across her lips.

The raw vulnerability in his voice was terrifying.

With a burst of panicked adrenaline, she wrenched herself upward, breaking his weakened hold and scrambling backward until she keep a good distance.

"Sir! That... that was completely inappropriate!"

Devraj let out a ragged groan and struggled to a sitting position.

His hair falling over his forehead in damp, dark streaks. When he looked up at her, the amber in his eyes had been swallowed by an obsidian darkness.

"Inappropriate?" he rasped, a bitter, jagged laugh catching in his throat.

"But it wasn’t inappropriate when you touched Vivaan, was it? Did you enjoy it? Did you enjoy the way your hands felt on him? And who is next? Advik? Are you going to care for him too and...and touch?"

"What? What are you even saying, Sir!" Ira’s fear finally snapped into a anger. "Stop accusing me of things I haven't done! This is the third time, and I am telling you again..I wasn't touching Vivaan! I was checking his temperature! I am your caregiver!! I was just trying to help!"

The room fell into a sudden, suffocating silence, broken only by the rain lashing against the windows.

Devraj’s shoulders slumped, the fire in his eyes flickering out and leaving behind a look of pure, raw wreckage.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered, his voice cracking. He looked down at his shaking hands, "I'm so sorry. I... I was just... jealous."

Ira’s breath hitched. Her anger stalled in her throat as she stared at him.

"What? Why would you even be jealous, Sir?" Ira asked, her voice breathless with shock. "There is no reason–"

She didn't finish.

He forced himself off the bed, his body acting on a desperate impulse..Without his crutches, his injured leg buckled for a second, but he snarled through the pain, forcing his muscles to obey.

He stood on his own two feet, swaying like a man standing on the edge of a cliff.

Ira’s eyes widened in horror. "Sir, stop! You’re going to fall!"

He took a weak, trembling step toward her, his wet sweatpants heavy and dragging.

"Them..." he whispered, his voice thick with a feverish haze. "I'm scared of you leaving me, Ira. But tonight... you made it so clear....."

Ira took a frantic step back. "What do you mean? Sir, you aren't making sense!" Her heart was hammering against her ribs, a drumbeat of pure adrenaline and fear.

Devraj kept coming, his steps wobbling, his eyes never leaving hers.

He looked like a man possessed, a man who had finally let go of the last thread of his sanity.

He knew he was losing himself, but the thought of her looking at anyone else...Kunal, Vivaan, Advik...was a torture he couldn't endure anymore.

Ira backed up until the cold, hard surface of the wall stopped her. She was trapped. Devraj loomed over her.

His amber eyes were no longer just dark..they were burning with an obsession so raw it felt like a physical heat.

"Ira..." he breathed.

He raised a trembling, ice-cold hand. Slowly, almost reverently, he brushed a damp lock of hair away from her face.

Ira shivered violently, her breath hitching as his skin touched hers. She looked up at him, her eyes wide with terror.

"Don't be scared... okay, Ira?" he whispered, his face inches from hers. "I would never hurt you. I love you too much to ever do that."

The words hit Ira, a silent explosion in her mind. She stared at him, her lips parted in total disbelief. And then, she saw it...a small, genuine smile touched his lips.

It was the first time she had ever seen him truly smile, and it was beautiful and terrifying all at once.

"W... what did you just say?" she stammered, her world tilting on its axis.

"I love you so much, Ira. I do... You have no idea how much you affect me. You’ve driven me to the very edge of madness.." he whispered, his voice thick with a feverish, terrifying honesty.

Ira stood frozen, her mind a chaotic blur of shock and disbelief.

Suddenly, a memory of her friend Ritika’s voice sliced through the fog...

"What if he likes you?"

"No!" Ira screamed. A rejection of the nightmare unfolding in front of her.

She gathered every ounce of her strength and shoved him.

Devraj, already betrayed by his weak legs and the bone-deep chill of the rain, stumbled backward.

He lost his footing and crashed to his knees on the floor. He looked up, his damp hair clinging to his forehead, to see Ira glaring down at him with an expression of pure revulsion.

"You disgust me, Sir!" she spat, her voice trembling with indignation.

"I have someone I love. You know that! How could you even say those words to me?"

The vulnerability in Devraj’s eyes vanished, replaced instantly by a scorching, incandescent fury.

He forced himself back up, his body shaking with the effort of standing as he loomed over her once more.

A violent crack of thunder shook the room, and a flash of lightning illuminated his face, casting deep shadows that made him look like a monster from a myth.

"You cannot be with him," he stated, his voice dropping to a low, possessive growl.

"Are you out of your mind!" Ira flared, her anger momentarily eclipsing her terror.

Her eyes darted to the bedroom door..her only escape.

She didn't wait. She lunged forward, shoving past him with desperate force and dashing toward the door.

Devraj watched her run, and for a heartbeat, his entire body went rigid.

The sight of her back...of her leaving him..triggered a primal, agonizing fear that gripped his heart.

"No! Ira!" he roared. He struggled to find his balance, limping after her with a frantic, pained gait.

Ira reached for the handle, her fingers fumbling with the knob, but before she could get it open, Devraj’s hand slammed against the door next to her head. He spun her around, pinning her between the door and his towering frame.

Ira was hyperventilating, her chest heaving as she stared up into his eyes. They were wild, bloodshot, and overflowing with a dark, suffocating need.

"I love you, Ira! I do!!" he swore, his voice cracking as he trembled with the force of his emotion.

He pulled her closer, his grip bruisingly tight. "You can’t leave me! I won't let you. You can't!"

"Not while he’s still out there!" his voice cracking. "You’ll go back to him! I know you will... and I..I can’t let that happen!"

Suddenly, his body betrayed him. A violent fit of sneezing racked his frame, his chest heaving as the fever began to take hold.

"You can’t... Achoo!... you can’t leave me... Achoo!" Even as he grew more aggressive, his physical strength was waning.

As he doubled over from another sneeze, his iron grip on Ira loosened just enough.

She didn't hesitate. She shoved him back with everything she had, wrenched the door open, and bolted into the Corridor.

Devraj staggered, his vision swimming, but the sight of her fleeing ignited a desperate fire in him. He lunged after her.

"IRA!" he screamed, his voice echoing through the vast, dark corridor.

Ira made the mistake of looking back. In that split second, Devraj was upon her.

His legs finally gave out, buckling under the weight of his obsession, but as he fell, his hand shot out like a trap. His fingers clamped around her ankle, dragging her down with him.

Ira hit the floor with a painful thud, a low groan escaping her lips.

She twisted around, her eyes wide with terror, only to see Devraj sprawled on the carpet, a chilling, manic smile on his face as he tightened his hold on her leg.

"I love you, Ira... please..." he rasped, his voice a haunting plea.

"Let me go!" Ira cried, her voice thick with panic. She began to kick and struggle, her heel connecting with his shoulder, then his face, but he didn't even flinch. It was as if he couldn't feel pain...only her.

"Mine," he growled, the word vibrating with a dark, primal possessiveness.

Tears finally spilled over Ira’s cheeks, blurring her vision.

Please, God, help me...Kunal she prayed silently, her heart thundering against the floorboards.

She continued to scramble away, crawling desperately.

In a moment of frantic luck, her foot connected sharply with his chest, the force causing him to recoil for a single heartbeat.

His grip snapped.

Ira didn't wait. She scrambled back on her hands and feet before finding her balance and sprinting down the hall.

Devraj shook his head, trying to clear the dizzying haze of fever from his eyes.

He watched her retreating figure, his fist slamming into the floor with such violence that the sound seemed to trigger a simultaneous roar of thunder outside.

Ira came to a halt at the corner, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She looked back one last time.

A flash of lightning illuminated the corridor, casting Devraj in a strobing, ghostly light.

He looked monstrous..half-naked, drenched, and consumed by a terrifying fury.

"IRA!!!!!" he screamed. It wasn't just a shout.. it was a howl of pure agony and shattered pride.

He hauled himself up from the floor, his breath coming in jagged, wheezing bursts.

He began to limp after her, dragging his injured leg behind him with a terrifying, single-minded determination.

"Get back here! Ira, please! IRA!!"

Ira didn't stay to hear the rest. She turned and ran, her sobs lost in the sound of the storm.

Meanwhile, downstairs, the headlights of a car cut through the heavy rain as it sped through the Rathore’s gate..

Kunal had arrived.

???