Beneath His Silence.

Chapter Sixty Four

"What did you say?" Ira whispered, her voice barely audible over the blood rushing in her ears.

"Can I kiss you, Meri Jaan? Please." he begged. Ira's face flushed a deep, burning crimson. Her heart was beating so loudly against her ribs that she was terrified Devraj could actually hear it. Unable to meet the scorching intensity in his eyes, she gulped and looked away.

"I... I..." She fumbled for words, her mind a chaotic blur.

Suddenly, the ringing of her phone cut through the tension. Relief flooded her as she instinctively placed her palm against Devraj's bare chest to create space.

The moment her skin touched his, Devraj shivered, his entire body jerking as a stifled moan nearly escaped his lips. He fought for control, his muscles cording under her hand, but he allowed her to push him back softly.

Ira scrambled to her feet, her hands trembling as she grabbed her phone. Seeing her father's name on the screen, she answered immediately.

"Papa..." she said, her voice still breathless.

"Ira? Where are you?" Her father's voice came through.

"Um..." She flicked a glance at Devraj. He was still sitting on the edge of the couch, watching her with a look of dazed, hungry obsession, as if he were still lost in the world they had just inhabited.

"I'm out, Papa. Is there a problem?"

She heard him let out a tired sigh on the other end.

"You need to come home. Now. Okay?"

Ira's brow pulled together in a frown. The tone of his voice sent a cold prickle of dread down her spine.

"Okay, Papa. I'm coming."

The line went dead. Something felt wrong..

"Is everything okay?" Devraj asked, snapping back to reality as he stood up. "Do you need help with anything?"

"Um... can you drop me home? Please?" she asked, her worry for her father overriding her embarrassment.

Devraj's face fell, a frown crossing his features as the realization hit that their private night was over.

He swallowed hard, the frustration evident in his jaw, but he gave a stiff nod. Ira offered him a small, grateful smile.

"Thank you..."

"Let me grab my clothes.." he muttered, turning to walk toward the hallway.

~?~

Devraj pulled up to her house. They both stepped out, the cold night air biting at their skin. Devraj walked around the car toward Ira, a soft smile on his face, his eyes still shimmering with the remnants of their shared moment.

Ira looked up at her home, then back at him, her expression unreadable.

"Thank you for dropping me home." she said quietly.

Devraj nodded, his gaze sweeping over the house. "Of course. Let's go in..." He started toward the door, but Ira's frown stopped him in his tracks.

"No, Devraj. You should go now."

The smile on Devraj's face vanished instantly, "Why? I just want to meet your-"

"Maybe another time.." she interrupted, her voice gentle but firm. "You did try to demolish my father's workshop, remember? Showing up tonight, while the wound is still fresh... it wouldn't be good, would it?"

Devraj winced as if she had struck him. He gulped, his hands tightening into fists at his sides as the weight of his past actions crashed down on him.

"I... I'm sorry." he whispered.

Ira offered him a small smile. "You should say that to my father, not me."

Devraj nodded quickly, desperate to fix the rift. "Then I will..I'll go in right now and-"

"Another day, Devraj. Not today.." she cut him off again. His face fell, his shoulders sagging slightly under the weight of her rejection, but he finally gave a nod.

"O... okay." he murmured.

Ira tilted her head, her gaze softening as she took in his dejected posture.

"Goodnight, Devraj."

She turned and began to walk away. Devraj instinctively stretched his hand out, his fingers trembling as he reached for her, wanting nothing more than to pull her back into his arms and never let go. But he stopped himself, clenching his hand into a tight ball as he watched her walked away.

"Good night, Meri Jaan.." he whispered..

The craving in his chest was a hunger that Ira's chance had only made more ravenous. He stood frozen, watching her reach the door. She paused, her hand on the handle, and turned back to see him still standing there in the dark.

She smiled and gave him a small wave before the door opened and she walked inside.

Devraj stood alone in the silence of the street for a long moment. He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, his breath hitching as he fought for composure. Finally, he got back into his car and drove off.

~??~

She stepped inside with a smile still playing on her lips, but it was snatched away the moment her eyes adjusted to the light.

The smile on Ira's face vanished instantly, replaced by a shock.

"Kunal?" she whispered.

Her heart gave a traitorous thud at the sight of him, the man who had once been her entire world. For a second, the old memories flickered, but they were quickly incinerated. All the pain she had buried and the grief she had locked away came rushing back.

Kunal stood up from the couch the moment he saw her. He had been deep in conversation with her mother and father, Raghav, she noted, was nowhere to be seen.

Ira took a steadying breath, forcing her features into a mask of calmness.. Her gaze was stern as she watched him approach.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, she didn't wait for his answer, turning instead to her parents. "Why is he in our house?"

Her mother looked at her father, her expression pained, before turning back to Ira.

"Ira... Kunal has something he needs to say to you. We think... both of you need to talk."

Ira's brows pulled together in a defensive line. "Talk? About what? About how we aren't compatible? I've already lived through that, thank you. Please, just leave, Kunal. I don't have the energy to dwell on the past. You're the one who broke this off."

"Ira... please, just listen to me-" Kunal took a step toward her, his hand reaching out.

Ira instinctively took a step back. "Kunal." she said almost in a warning voice.

Her parents shared a look...a silent communication that Ira couldn't quite decode.

"Ira.." her father said, "The two of you need this conversation. We're going to excuse ourselves and let you talk."

The moment her parents walked off. Ira didn't speak, her gaze fixed on the man who had once been her future. Now that they were alone, she looked at him closely, and the sight was unsettling.

Kunal looked like a man falling apart at the seams. Deep, bruised shadows hung under his eyes, his hair was a disheveled mess, and a faint, persistent tremor shook his hands. Ira instinctively took a step back, her anger momentarily flickering into an involuntary spark of worry.

"What happened to you?" she asked. Despite everything, she couldn't entirely mask the concern in her voice..he looked nothing like the polished man she used to know.

Kunal's eyes searching hers with a desperate intensity.

"I miss you, Ira.." he rasped.

Ira's brow furrowed, her sympathy instantly replaced by cold disbelief.

"Do I really have to remind you that we are over? You broke us up, Kunal. You ended this!"

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry.." he stammered, taking a tentative step toward her. "But it wasn't my fault. I didn't want this."

"Not your fault?" Ira's voice rose, thick with the weight of weeks of suppressed pain.

"Then who called me from your number? Whose voice was it on the other end saying those things to me?

Did you forget telling me we weren't compatible?

Or do I need to repeat every single word back to you, Kunal?

Because trust me, I remember them all. Word for word. "

"Ira, please... let me explain-"

"Explain what? I gave you the chance to explain the day you decided to ruin us!" She stepped toward him now, her eyes fierce and burning with a long-overdue fire. "You told me we didn't fit. Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sounded? Do you have any idea how much that hurt?"

She looked directly into his eyes, her expression hardening into resolve. "We are finished, Kunal. I will never be with a man who discards me, only to come crawling back expecting me to fall right back into his arms."

Kunal was breathing heavily now, a look of genuine heartbreak flickering in his eyes. He looked completely shattered, But then, his expression shifted.

He took a sudden sniff of the air, his eyes narrowing as he leaned closer to her.

Ira frowned, a sense of deep unease washing over her as she recoiled.

"What are you doing?"

"That isn't your scent, Ira.." he mumbled, his voice dropping, "That's not yours..."

"What?" Ira breathed, the word barely escaping her throat.

"Did you... did you go to meet someone?" He looked at her with a mix of desperation and accusation that made Ira's skin crawl.

"Excuse me?" Her eyes narrowing.

"I-" Kunal gulped, his eyes darting over her as if searching for a physical mark. "You have a man's perfume on you, Ira. It's heavy... expensive."

Ira's eyes widened, and a jolt of panic shot through her. She took a step back, then another, the distance between them growing as her mind raced back to the villa, to Devraj's touch, and the way he had held her. Kunal saw her retreat, and his own breathing became shallow.

"I-I'm sorry.." he stammered, his hands shaking even harder.

"I don't mean to freak you out. It's just..

. you don't smell like yourself. Your scent is there, but it's buried under a man's perfume.

" He cut himself off, his voice cracking.

He looked like a man losing his grip on reality.

"I'm just... it's my insecurities talking.

My head is messing with me. The idea that you might have another man. .. that can't be true, right?"

He let out a short, nervous chuckle that sounded more like a sob. Ira felt a wave of nausea. She couldn't look him in the eye, instead, she turned her face away, her pulse thundering.

"Leave, Kunal. You are not making any sense. Please. Just go."

"I will.." he pleaded, stepping closer. "But I need to clear this. Please, Ira! It's killing me every single day!"

Just as he moved into her space, Ira's phone began to vibrate in her hand. The screen lit up, displaying the name..

Kunal's gaze dropped to the phone. He saw the name, and then he saw something that broke him completely, the small smile that instinctively touched Ira's lips before she could catch herself.

"Are you... why are you talking to him, Ira?" Kunal whispered, his voice trembling with a new kind of pain.

Ira sighed..

"Please leave. I have nothing left to say to you." She turned her back on him, ready to walk away.

"Why? So you can have time to talk to the same man who destroyed us?!"

Ira froze. Her footsteps halted, her heart dropping into the pit of her stomach. She slowly turned around, her expression a mix of confusion and rising dread.

"What did you say?"

"Devraj.." Kunal seethed, his face contorting with a bitter, jealous rage. He looked broken, but the anger was giving him a terrifying second wind. "He is the one behind our breakup, Ira! He is the reason everything fell apart!"

Ira's heart gave a violent thud against her ribs. The perfect relationship she had mourned, the sudden, inexplicable break up from the man she thought she loved... had it all been orchestrated? Had the man who just begged for her kiss been the one to burn her world down first?

She looked at Kunal's shattered, angry face.

"Tell me exactly what he did." Her voice turned cold.

Kunal swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he finally unburdened himself of the secret that had been rotting inside him.

"There was a massive deal..the biggest my firm had ever seen. It was frozen overnight, and Devraj was the only reason why.." Kunal said, his eyes searching hers for a flicker of the old Ira. "When I went to his office to fix it, to find out what he wanted... He threatened me."

"What exactly did he say?" Ira asked. Her voice was terrifyingly calm, but her eyes were burning with a cold focused fury.

"He said he would unfreeze the deal, but only on one condition, I had to break things off with you. Permanently." Kunal's voice cracked. "It wasn't just the business, Ira. He promised to dismantle me. He said he would destroy my family and leave us with nothing if I didn't let you go."

Ira's eyes narrowed into slits. She knew Devraj..she knew his obsession...but she also knew how he operated.

"What else? I know Devraj is a madman, but he always leaves a golden bridge for people to walk across. What did he offer you to make the pill easier to swallow?"

Kunal blinked, a flash of shame crossing his face as he realized she saw right through him. He gulped.

"He... he promised that bigger deals would come. Guaranteed contracts. Wealth we couldn't even imagine-"

"And you took it.." Ira said, cutting him off. "You took the deal, you called me, and you manufactured that pathetic story about compatibility just to secure your future."

Kunal's head dropped in shame, but he reached out, his fingers trembling as he caught her hand.

"I'm so sorry, Ira. I should have told you.

.. but my hands were tied! I wanted to, but his eyes were everywhere.

I don't care anymore. I've been miserable.

Every night I wanted to come here and tell you that I still love you, that I miss you more than I can bear.

My family misses you. Please... give me another chance. "

Ira looked deep into his eyes, searching for the man she used to love. She closed her eyes for a long moment, when she opened them again, her gaze had softened.

A bittersweet smile touched her lips. She reached up, placing her free hand gently against his cheek. Kunal let out a sigh of relief, his eyes fluttering closed as he melted into her palm, convinced he had finally found his way back to her.

"Gosh, I've missed this. I've missed us." Kunal whispered, leaning into her touch.

Ira let her hand linger for a heartbeat longer before pulling it back with agonizing slowness. The small, bittersweet smile remained on her lips, but her eyes had turned cold.

"I'm so sorry, Kunal..." she whispered.

Kunal's eyes snapped open. He watched as the warmth drained from her face, replaced by a hollow sadness. He felt his heart shatter all over again as she took one step back, then another.

"I don't hate you.." she said, her voice steady. "But it's far too late for this."

Kunal swallowed hard, his voice trembling. "W... what do you mean? We can fix this, Ira. Now that the truth is out-"

"There were a tens of ways you could have told me, Kunal.

" she interrupted, an edge of disappointment cutting through her tone.

"If Devraj threatened you, you could have leave a clue.

I know your friends, you could have told them to reach out to me, I would have done something!

I would have fought! You could have told someone.

. you knew our relationship was the one thing I cherish the most. You could have fought.

You could have tried anything at all rather than just letting us die to save a business deal.

" She let out a weary sigh. "You chose the money.

You chose the safety he offered. You chose yourself. "

"I... I was trapped! I didn't know what to do!" Kunal begged, his eyes welling with tears. "But I promise, nothing will ever come between us again. Just give me one more chance."

"I'm serious, Kunal. It's over."

Kunal's breathing became erratic. He looked at her, his gaze darting to the phone still clutched in her hand.

"Do... do you love someone else?" he whispered, the words sounding like a death sentence.

Ira closed her eyes, massaging her temples.. "Please, Kunal. You need to leave. Now."

"No, please! Tell me!" His voice rose, cracking with insecurity. "Tell me it's not him. It's not Devraj... it's not that monster, right? You can't just move on after few weeks!"

Ira looked at him, truly seeing the state he was in. He was a shell of the man she had loved...paranoid, broken, and weak.

"You aren't well, Kunal. Go home."

But his insecurity had already spiraled into a fever pitch.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! Please, Ira! I've been living in hell for weeks! Please don't do this to me!"

In a flash of desperation, he lunged forward and grabbed her hand, his grip tightening with a strength born of pure panic.

"Kunal, stop! That hurts!" Ira cried out, wincing as his fingers dug into her skin.

Kunal snapped out of his daze, recoiling as if he'd been burned. He let go instantly, his breath coming in gasps.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." he mumbled, stumbling back two steps and buried his hands in his hair, tugging at the strands.

Ira looked at the broken man before her. "Kun-"

"Did he force you?!" Kunal interrupted, "I know you, Ira. You would never give yourself to a man like him. He must have coerced you, or-"

"Kunal, stop.." Ira said, her fingers pressing firmly into her temples to stave off a throbbing headache.

"You no longer have any claim over my life or my choices.

Whatever is happening, I will handle it myself.

Please, just leave. And for heaven's sake, look at yourself. You're falling apart. You look awful."

Without waiting for his response, she turned and began the climb up the stairs.

Kunal stood frozen at the base of the stairs, his breathing coming in shallow as hot tears finally spilled over, trailing down his haggard face. He looked like a man who had lost his soul and was only just realizing the cost.

Just then, Ira's parents stepped back into the room, their faces etched with concern. Seeing them, Kunal lunged forward, desperation fueling his every move.

"Please... please.." he begged, his voice cracking. "Help me convince her. You know she belongs with me. Please talk to her!"

Ira's mother looked at her husband, a pained sigh escaping her lips.

"I'm so sorry, Kunal. We cannot convince Ira of anything. She is a grown woman, she knows her own mind. But..." she paused, seeing the agony in his eyes. "I will try to talk to her. You know how stubborn she can be. All you can do now is pray she listens."

A flicker of pathetic hope ignited in his chest. "Thank you, Aunty. Thank you, Uncle."

"Kunal, you need to leave now.." Ira's father added, his voice firm and weary. "Ira is right. You look like a ghost of yourself. Go home and take care of your health."

Kunal gave a stiff nod. He walked toward the door, but his gaze remained glued to the top of the stairs where Ira had disappeared, his heart still reaching for her.

"Please, Ira... just listen.." he whispered. He opened the heavy wooden door and stepped out into the night.

Inside, Ira's parents stood in the center of the living room, the silence of the house suddenly feeling very ominous.

"This isn't going to end well.." her father murmured, his eyes fixed on the door.

Her mother nodded slowly, her face clouded with dread.

"Not well at all."

???