•| FORTY EIGHT |•
Krish cupped your face gently, his hands trembling despite how hard he was trying to stay strong.
His thumbs brushed away your tears carefully as his eyes scanned every inch of you—your wrists bruised from the rope, your trembling lips, the faint blood at the corner of your mouth… and then he saw it.
The angry red mark on your left cheek. His jaw tightened instantly. A dangerous silence settled in his eyes, his blood practically boiling at the thought of someone laying a hand on you. For a second, his nostrils flared, and he had to force himself to breathe.
He leaned forward and pressed soft kisses against your cheek, right over the mark, as if trying to erase the pain—but the moment his lips touched the sore skin, you flinched and broke down even more, sobbing uncontrollably as you clutched his shirt tightly in your fists.
“I-I’m s-sorry…” you cried, your voice muffled against his chest. “I doubted you… your love… I’m such a bad w-wife…
” Your words shattered him completely. He immediately pulled back slightly, pressing his forehead against yours.
“Shush,” he whispered firmly, his voice thick with emotion.
“You’re not. Don’t you dare say that.” His thumb wiped your tears again.
“Just forget about it… it was a nightmare. The worst one. And it’s over now.
” His voice softened, breaking at the edges.
“I love you.” Hearing those words again made you cry even harder, your body shaking as you hid your face against him.
He wrapped both arms tightly around you, one hand protectively at the back of your head, shielding you from everything—even though the danger was already gone.
Across the room, Aarav spoke quietly with the officers before gesturing to Krish that it was better to leave before the media or anyone else arrived. Krish nodded slightly without looking away from you.
Riya rushed over, kneeling beside you, gently rubbing your back while whispering, “It’s okay…
you’re safe now,” while Pratik stood nearby, still breathing heavily from the fight, his knuckles bruised but his eyes soft with concern.
Krish slowly helped you stand, keeping one arm firmly around your waist as if afraid you might fall.
You were still trembling, your fingers refusing to leave his shirt.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured again, pressing a protective kiss to your forehead. And this time, there was no anger in his eyes—only relief, guilt, and a silent promise that no one would ever hurt you again.
“But how did you and Riya get to know about us?” Krish asked, still trying to process everything, his arm firmly wrapped around your shoulders.
Pratik rubbed the back of his neck, wincing slightly from his bruised knuckles. “I’ll tell Riya to follow my GPS location with Aarav bhai. When I saw Sara’s men acting suspicious, I shared it immediately… just in case.”
For a second, Krish just stared at him—then suddenly pulled him into a tight hug.
“You’re the best, Pratik. Thank you.”
Pratik laughed awkwardly, hugging him back. “Ahh, anything for you and Samira.”
Aarav stepped closer, giving Krish a meaningful look. “Drive safe. And yeah… try to make her forget everything, hmm?”
Krish nodded. “Yeah.”
After a few more words with everyone, he gently guided you toward the car. He opened the passenger door carefully, helping you sit before walking around to the driver’s seat. The moment he settled inside, the world outside felt distant—like all the chaos had stayed behind in that broken villa.
He didn’t start the car immediately.
Instead, he turned toward you.
His eyes softened. Without saying anything, he reached for your hand and intertwined his fingers with yours, holding it tightly.
“You okay?” he asked quietly.
Your lips trembled slightly as you looked at him. “Krish ji… you’ll never leave me, right—”
Your words were cut off when he leaned forward and pressed his lips against yours.
It wasn’t rushed. It wasn’t desperate.
It was slow. Deep. Reassuring.
His hand cupped your face gently as he kissed you, pouring every unsaid promise into that moment. The warmth of him, the familiar scent, the way his thumb brushed your cheek—it made you melt against him. You responded softly, kissing him back, your fingers tightening around his shirt.
When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against yours. His voice was steady. Certain.
“I’ll never leave you.”
His thumb traced your jaw tenderly.
“I love you.”
Tears gathered in your eyes again—but this time they were peaceful.
“I love you too.”
He pressed another soft kiss to your forehead before starting the car.
He kept one arm around you even as he drove, his thumb absentmindedly stroking your shoulder, whispering soft reassurances like a quiet lullaby meant only for you. The storm had passed, but he still held you as if you might slip away.
You smiled faintly at his efforts.
“Krish ji…”
“Yeah? And I’m not that old. Call me baby… or honey… or maybe—” he leaned closer, voice dropping playfully, “—daddy.”
Your cheeks turned pink instantly. “Krish ji is good.”
He chuckled. “Hmm. Yeah. But daddy is better, you know.”
You shook your head shyly, hiding your smile.
“Let’s go home,” he murmured more seriously now. “Our home. Kiaan and Mom are waiting for you.”
“Krish ji…”
“Hmm?”
You took a slow breath, fingers nervously playing with his tie. “Kiaan must be bored without me, right?”
“Yeah. He was asking about you,” he replied softly.
You shifted closer, resting lightly against him. His heartbeat stuttered for a second.
“Samira… are you okay?”
You nodded against his chest. “Yeah. I was just thinking… if we get a friend for Kiaan. Umm… I mean, a sibling.”
The words tumbled out in a whisper, and immediately you hid your face against him.
He paused.
“Oh,” he said thoughtfully. “Yeah, we’ll get another toy for him.”
You pulled back instantly, glaring with a pout. “Not a toy. A real baby—”
His lips curved into a knowing smile. He gently tilted your chin up.
“I got you, baby,” he said tenderly. “But not now. You have to focus on your studies first. Your dreams matter too. We’ll build everything step by step… together.”
His thumb brushed away the faint trace of dried tears under your eyes.
“First, let’s go home.”
You stared at him for a long moment.
How could you ever doubt a man who chose your future before his own desires… who protected your peace before claiming his rights… who loved you with patience instead of possession?
You leaned forward and kissed his cheek softly.
“I’m lucky,” you whispered.
He smiled, squeezing your hand as the car moved steadily toward home.
---
The car rolled to a stop in front of the mansion gates, and before Krish could even turn off the engine, you noticed two familiar figures standing near the entrance.
Mrs. Mehra… and little Kiaan.
The moment you stepped out of the car, Kiaan’s eyes lit up.
“Mummy!!” he shouted, his tiny legs running as fast as they could toward you. “Kiaan missed you so much!”
Before you could bend properly, he had already wrapped his arms tightly around your legs. The force of his hug almost made you stumble.
Your vision blurred instantly.
You swallowed your tears and slowly bent down, cupping his tiny face in your hands. “I missed you too, baby…” Your voice trembled as you pulled him into your arms, kissing his cheeks, his forehead, his nose—over and over again.
He giggled. “Mumma, you’re squeezing me!”
You laughed softly through your tears, holding him like you never wanted to let go.
“Samira…”
Mrs. Mehra’s gentle voice made you look up.
You carefully loosened your hold on Kiaan before standing up and walking toward her. The moment you reached her, she pulled you into a tight embrace—one filled with relief, fear, and motherly warmth.
“I was so scared when Aarav told me about you,” she whispered, stroking your hair. “You’re okay, right?”
You nodded against her shoulder. “Yes, Mom. I’m totally fine.”
She held your face and examined you carefully, her eyes lingering on the faint redness on your cheek. Her expression hardened for a second—but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she kissed your forehead gently.
“Are we going to talk here?” Krish interrupted softly, though his tone carried warmth. “Come on, let’s go inside.”
He picked Kiaan up into his arms effortlessly. Kiaan immediately wrapped his little arms around Krish’s neck.
“Papa, Mumma came back!” Kiaan announced proudly.
Krish smiled, glancing at you. “Of course she did. Where else would she go?”
Your heart fluttered at his words.
Together, all four of you walked inside the mansion. The heavy doors closed behind you, shutting out the darkness of the outside world.
Inside, it felt warm.
Safe.
Home.