Chapter Fifty One.
Two Days Later...
"...you should definitely check them out. The vacancies are still open, and I managed to drop a few glowing words about you for two of them. You’ve got this, babe." Ritika’s voice said over the phone, her constant support acting as the only lighthouse in Ira’s foggy world.
Ira felt a genuine spark of hope. Out of these three leads, surely one would be the fresh start she desperately needed.
"Thank you so much, Ritika... truly." Ira said, a small smile tugging at her lips.
"Anytime, my love. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my desk before my grumpy boss decides my head looks better on a spike."
Ira let out a soft laugh. "Love you, Ritika."
"Love you more!" The line went dead, and Ira set her phone on the dining table.
She flipped open her laptop, as she prepared to dive into applications.
Just then, her mother walked in, placing a small plate of snacks beside her with a quiet, encouraging smile.
"Eat something while you work, beta." she murmured, stroking Ira’s hair before heading back toward the kitchen.
"Thank you, Maa." Ira whispered, reaching for a piece of fruit.
The quiet was interrupted by a knock at the front door. Ira stayed seated, assuming her mother would attend it, but when a second, more insistent knock echoed, she let out a small sigh.
She pushed back her chair and stood up. At the same moment, her mother peeked out from the kitchen, seeing Ira already halfway to the door.
Ira pulled the door open, expecting a neighbor..
The air left her lungs instantly, her heart beating against her ribs.. Standing there, framed by the afternoon sun, was the one man she never wanted to see again, his amber eyes were locked onto hers.
"D... Devraj..." she whispered.
He offered her a devastatingly handsome smile.
"Ira."
Panic rushed through her. Without a word, she slammed the door shut, the heavy wood echoed in the quiet house.
She pressed her back against the door, her chest heaving as she stared ahead, her eyes wide with shock.
"Ira? Who was that?" her mother asked, her brow furrowing as she stepped out from the kitchen.
"Why did you slam the door like that?"
Ira gulped. "Oh... um... just the neighbor, Maa. She... she was just being loud. It’s fine."
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The sound was firmly patient.
"What on earth does she want?" her mother asked, her obliviousness twisting the knife in Ira’s gut.
Devraj... are you insane? Why the hell are you here?! Ira’s mind screamed.
She could feel his presence through the wood...dominant, and unyielding.
"I should just talk to her myself.." her mother said, starting to walk toward her.
Panic flared in Ira’s eyes.
"No! No, Maa..I’ve got it. I... I just need to handle this, okay?" She spoke with speed, her hand already fumbling for the latch.
She slipped outside and pulled the door shut behind her with a click, letting out a sigh of relief that she’d kept the two worlds from colliding.
She stayed with her back facing him, before turning to face him. She didn't hide the anger in her eyes.. she glared at him.
"What are you doing here, Devraj?"
Devraj just smiled, "To see you, of course. For some reason, my calls don’t seem to be going through. I thought I’d check the connection in person."
Ira glanced cautiously at the door, then back at his towering frame.
The neighbors were already starting to peer through their curtains at the luxury car parked in their humble street.
"Please. Just leave, Devraj."
"Why?" He leaned in slightly, his brow knitting into a mock-frown that didn't reach his eyes.
"I missed you, Ira. I have no intention of leaving yet."
This man is impossible.. Ira thought, her frustration mounting.
"Please, Devraj, go. I don’t want my–"
"Ira? Is everything okay out there?" her mother’s voice called from behind the door.
Ira’s blood ran cold. She gulped, her voice trembling as she shouted back..
"Y... Yes, Maa! Just... give me a few minutes!"
Acting on pure, desperate instinct, she reached out and seized Devraj’s wrist. She didn't wait for his permission, she pulled him away from the door, dragging him toward his car parked just ahead.
She could feel the weight of the neighborhood's stares.
Devraj, however, wasn't looking at the neighbors. His entire world had narrowed down to the small, delicate hand wrapped around his wrist.
His gaze dropped, tracking the movement, and then his breath hitched.
No ring.
The silver band was gone. The mark of the other man had been erased.
A surge of dark, triumphant happiness flooded his chest.
She took it off, he thought, his heart thudding with a possessive beat.
As they reached the sleek side of his car, Ira abruptly let go of him, as if his skin had turned to fire.
Devraj felt the loss of her touch. His hand felt suddenly, agonizingly cold, and his fingers curled into a tight fist.
"You need to leave. Right now, Devraj." Ira hissed in a desperate whisper.
Devraj’s expression remained unreadable, he glanced at the modest Verma house and then back at her.
He took a step into her space. Ira instinctively recoiled, her sandals hitting the dusty pavement.
"Don’t try anything here." she warned, her eyes darting toward the surrounding balconies where she knew the neighborhood aunties were already adjusting their curtains to get a better look.
"The neighbors are watching. They’ll talk."
Devraj tilted his head, a dark smirk spreading across his face.
"You think I care, Ira? Let them watch. In fact, I want them to see. Let the gossip spread like a wildfire through these gullies. It’s the fastest way for everyone to understand that you are mine, isn't it?"
Ira’s blood ran cold. "I don’t want that. I don’t want my name in their mouths."
"But I want it.." he countered, his voice slightly possessive. "I want every single person in this city to see us together. As long as it’s the two of us in the frame, I couldn't care less about the rest of the world."
"You’re crazy... I don't want any news, any scandal, tied to a man like you."
Devraj’s face hardened instantly, the warmth vanishing from his amber eyes. His fist clenched at his side.
"Why?"
"Because!" Ira snapped, her frustration boiling over. "Don't you think it will affect my reputation? A woman like me and a man like you... with no reason to be this close..."
"I don’t see any problem for you anymore, Ira.." Devraj said, "You’re no longer with Kunal. You’re free."
Ira’s breath hitched. Hearing him say Kunal’s name out loud felt like a fresh wound.
A dull, throbbing heartache flared in her chest, but she shoved it down.
"I’m done talking." she said, her voice trembling. "Leave whenever you feel like it. Stay here until the sun goes down for all I care."
She turned to walk back to the safety of her home, but before she could take a single step, Devraj’s hand shot out.
He seized her wrist in a grip, yet strangely careful. Ira gasped, spinning back to face him, only to find his eyes had darkened.
"I want to be with you, Ira." he said. The intensity in his voice sent a violent shiver racing down her spine.
Ira stared at him, her chin lifting in defiance despite the fear.
"And I don’t want to be with you. Ever."
"Why?" he gritted out, his grip on her wrist tightening just enough to pin her in place.
"Kunal is gone, Ira. He left you. I can have you now, can’t I?
It was always him standing in my way, because you had a man, you wouldn't even look at me. Isn’t that right?
" His voice dropped into a tone so desperate it was coming from a man of his stature.
"He’s out of the picture now. We... You can be with me. "
Ira didn't flinch. With a forceful tug, she pulled her hand away, her skin tingling from his heat.
She looked into his dark eyes and let out a long, weary sigh. Then, she offered him a smile, one so pained and pitying it cut deeper than any insult.
"I don't know what gave you the idea that Kunal was the only thing stopping me.." she said softly. "But... I don't like you, Devraj. Please. Try to understand that. I really don't like you at all."
Devraj recoiled as if she had slapped him. "Is it my age? Do I... do I look old to you? I stay fit, Ira. I work out every single day–"
"No! What? Ugh." Ira rubbed her temples, her frustration boiling over. "Look, Devraj. You’re good-looking, okay? You’re a handsome man. But you are simply not the kind of man I... like. You’re.
..um..scary. You’re persistent, you’re clingy, you’re possessive, and frankly?
You’re obsessed. I don’t like that. You get angry at the slightest thing and you’re territorial, actually, you’re a lot territorial. "
She took a breath, her green eyes searching his. "I want a man who is reasonable. Someone who knows what boundaries are. Someone protective, sure, but gentle. Kind. Everything you aren't."
Devraj stood frozen, his mind was miles away.
"I never believed in love.." he said suddenly, his voice hollow.
"Every woman I’ve ever met was either trying to find a way into my bed or trying to use me to gwt to fame.
. When I dated Alia, I felt... nothing.
I was thirty, my mother was worried about the legacy, and I thought that was just how it was supposed to be. "
Ira blinked, her anger flickering into a confused, reluctant curiosity.
"I never felt a single spark from her touch.." he continued, taking a step closer, his eyes locked on hers. "I thought I could adapt, that I could learn to feel something, but I never did. Then the accident happened. And then... you came."
He leaned down, his voice dropping to a intimate whisper that made the hair on her arms stand up. "After you arrived, I felt everything, Ira. Your scent... it messed with my head the moment you stepped into my room."
Ira’s mouth dropped open, her heart skipping a beat. The honesty was more terrifying than his rage.
"Then... there was your touch.." Devraj whispered, his voice vibrating with hunger.
"I started wanting more, Ira. It reached a point where I lost the ability to control my own emotions. I got jealous when you give Vivaan even a second of your attention. I’m at the brink of madness when you talk to Kunal.
I go crazy seeing you smile at Advik... or any of those other pathetic men you have no business looking at. "
He began to close the distance again. Ira stepped back.
"You made me feel this, Ira. You hold the responsibility for what I’ve become." he said, and a twisted dark smile showed across his lips.
"I’m consumed by you. To the point of absolute insanity. And you know what? I don’t mind at all. I want to have you. I want to hold you. I want to build a family with you."
Ira’s eyes widened..
A family? The scale of his obsession made her world spin.
Again, she blame herself... I should never have agreed to be his caregiver. How do I make him understand now?
"Ira..."
His voice was softer now, dangerously tender. She was so lost in the terror of her own thoughts that she didn't realize he was already standing directly in front of her.
She blinked, preparing to bolt, but his hand shot out. His fingers splayed across her waist, and with a firm tug, he pulled her flush against his chest.
"I want you as mine, Ira. My woman. My own.." he murmured, his breath hot against her skin. "I am ready to do anything..anything...to make that happen."
The contact sent a jolt of pure adrenaline through her.
Using every ounce of strength she possessed, Ira shoved against his iron-clad chest.
She scrambled backward, putting a wide, desperate gap between them, her chest heaving as she fought for air.
"I can’t be yours, Devraj." she breathed out "Please, just listen to me... I don't have feelings for you. I don't love you, and it’s never going to happen..."
The softness in Devraj’s face vanished instantly and the air around him seemed to darken.
"Are you trying to drive me to the point of absolute madness, Ira?" he rasped, "Stop torturing me. Stop pushing me away when you know I’m already drowning in you."
Ira didn’t flinch. She stood her ground, "I’m not the one doing this to you, Devraj. You are the one torturing yourself. I’ve already told you, I don't like you. I will never love you. Not like that."
She took a shaky breath, her voice dropping to a cold, final whisper.
"I only worked for you as an employee... Do us both a favor and never come here again,. If you keep this up, I won't just avoid you... I will hate you. Is that what you want?"
Devraj felt the word hate strike him.
"Goodbye, Devraj." she said firmly. She didn't wait for a response. She turned and hurried toward her front door.
Devraj stood frozen by his car, his world spinning. He felt a dark urge surge through him..a desperate instinct to lung forward, snatch her up, and drive away until the rest of the world vanished.
His hands were trembling, He watched her reach the front door and slip inside, the heavy wooden door clicking shut, Not once did she look back.
Does she really hate me that much? The grief in his chest curdled instantly into a cold, focused rage.
If love wouldn't bring her to him, then necessity would.
Fine, he thought, his eyes darkening to a darker shade of amber. If I have to make you crawl to me, Ira, I will do exactly that.
He went into his car, ignited his car, and drove away.
Ira leaned against the closed door, letting out a sigh, and tried to steady her breathing.
But the moment she looked up, her blood ran cold. Her mother was standing in the middle livingroom, arms folded tightly across her chest.
"Maa... oh, um... I—"
"We need to talk, Ira." her mother interrupted, her voice clipped and no-nonsense.
Ira’s shoulders slumped in defeat. She closed her eyes for a brief second.
"This is exactly what I was afraid of." she mumbled..