You're not worthy of being loved
The road was almost deserted.
At this hour, close to one in the morning, the city had fallen into a strange, hollow silence. Only a few scattered vehicles moved occasionally, their headlights cutting through the darkness for a brief moment before disappearing again.
Streetlights stretched along the empty road like a pale golden chain, their light spilling quietly over the asphalt.
Through those lights, a white cab sped down the road at full speed.
Inside the car, the driver’s hands trembled on the steering wheel. Beads of sweat rolled down from his forehead to his temples, his breathing uneven.
Because right behind him…
Maya sat in the backseat.
Her hand was steady, a gun pressed firmly against the side of his head.
Her eyes kept flicking toward the rear window again and again, sharp and restless, scanning the darkness behind them.
“Faster,” she said coldly.
The driver swallowed hard and pressed the accelerator further, the engine growling louder in the silent night.
Miles away, Atharva was driving just as fast.
His black car sliced through the empty streets like a storm, the speedometer climbing dangerously high as his grip tightened around the steering wheel.
His jaw was locked, eyes burning with a dangerous focus.
He dialed a number.
The call connected.
“I need the directions of every car that left my house within the last ten minutes,” Atharva said, his voice low but sharp enough to cut through steel. “Right now.”
From the other side, a nervous voice responded immediately.
“Just five minutes, sir. We’ll inform you.”
Atharva ended the call without another word.
His gaze hardened as he pressed harder on the accelerator, the car surging forward with a violent roar.
Minutes later, the phone rang again.
Atharva answered instantly.
“Say.”
“Sir,” the voice reported quickly, “a white cab took the left road… moving at full speed. And two vehicles from your house went toward the right.”
Atharva’s eyes darkened.
“Okay,” he said calmly, but the calm carried a dangerous edge. “Set up blockades everywhere. Those three cars shouldn’t move another inch.”
A brief pause.
“And especially the white one,” he added coldly. “Stop it immediately.”
“Yes, sir.”
The call ended.
Atharva immediately dialed another number.
“Rana,” he said, his voice clipped, “find out about the two cars that went toward the right direction. The moment you get any information, call me.”
“Yes, sir.”
The line disconnected.
For a moment, only the sound of the roaring engine filled the car.
Atharva tightened his grip around the steering wheel until his knuckles turned pale.
A dangerous smile slowly spread across his face.
“I will make your life hell, biwi,” he muttered under his breath. “What you did tonight… was a very big mistake.”
His car sped even faster into the night.
Inside the white cab, tension was suffocating.
The driver suddenly spoke, his voice shaky.
“M–Madam…”
Maya, who had been staring through the rear window the entire time, turned toward him.
“What?”
The driver pointed nervously toward the road ahead.
“Madam… police. They’re putting up barricades.”
Maya looked ahead.
Flashing lights. Police vehicles. Barricades slowly being dragged across the road.
For a brief second, she went silent, her mind calculating.
Then her voice came out cold and firm.
“Don’t even try to stop.”
The driver’s heart nearly dropped.
“Madam, please!” he pleaded desperately. “This car isn’t even mine… If I do something like this with the police, I could lose my job… everything—”
“You won’t lose anything,” Maya cut him off, her voice turning dangerously quiet.
The gun pressed harder against his head.
“Just drive.”
A pause.
“Or I shoot.”
The driver squeezed his eyes shut for a second and whispered a desperate prayer under his breath.
Then he slammed his foot on the accelerator.
The cab shot forward.
One barricade.
Then another.
Wood and metal crashed and scattered as the car smashed straight through them.
The police officers jumped aside, shouting as the vehicle tore past them like a bullet.
Within seconds, the cab vanished down the road.
One of the officers grabbed his radio immediately.
“Control room! Control room!” he shouted urgently. “A white cab just broke through the barricade and escaped!”
Another call came through.
Atharva answered instantly.
“Sir!” a police officer’s voice crackled through the phone. “That same white cab is heading straight from the National Highway toward the railway station. We tried to stop it, but it didn’t slow down. Police units are chasing it.”
Atharva’s grip tightened around the phone.
“Stop that car,” he ordered coldly. “However you have to.But make sure she must be fine..”
A pause.
“I’m coming.”
The call ended.
Inside the cab, Maya turned to look behind.
The sharp wail of police sirens pierced the quiet night. Red and blue lights flashed wildly as multiple police vehicles raced after them, closing the distance.
The driver’s heart pounded violently in his chest.
“Madam!” he cried nervously. “I told you! Now the police are after us too! I don’t even know why I took this road—”
“Just drive,” Maya said flatly.
Her voice carried no panic, no fear.
Only urgency.
The driver swallowed and focused on the road, his hands shaking as he continued driving.
Maya, meanwhile, leaned toward the window, her eyes narrowing as she watched the police cars gaining on them.
Then suddenly—
She slid the window down.
The cold night wind rushed violently inside the cab.
Before the driver could even react, Maya leaned halfway out of the window, lifting the gun in her hand.
Her finger pulled the trigger.
Gunshots cracked through the night.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
The bullets were aimed at the police cars chasing them, targeting their tires.
Inside one of the police vehicles, panic spread instantly.
“Sir!” a constable shouted. “She’s firing! Should we take out our guns too?”
The senior officer beside him immediately stopped him.
“Are you insane?” he snapped.
The constable blinked in confusion.
“That’s Atharva Raisinghani’s wife,” the officer muttered grimly. “If even a single scratch appears on her… he’ll rip our organs out and feed them to vultures.”
The constable swallowed hard.
“Then what do we do?”
“Just dodge,” the officer said. “She doesn’t even know how to shoot properly.”
In the front seat, the officer grabbed the microphone and spoke into the loudspeaker.
“Madam! Please stop the car!” his voice echoed across the road. “Let’s talk calmly! Please don’t fire—”
Before he could finish—
Another gunshot rang out.
This time the bullet struck.
The tire of the police car burst with a loud explosion.
The vehicle lost control instantly, swerving violently before crashing straight into the roadside barrier.
Inside the cab, the driver stared at Maya in complete disbelief.
“Madam… who are you?” he asked shakily. “You’re fighting with the police…”
Maya didn’t even look at him.
“That’s none of your concern,” she replied coldly.
Just then—
The distant rumble of a train echoed through the night air.
Maya’s head snapped toward the sound.
“Drive faster,” she ordered urgently. “The train might leave any moment. We have to reach there.”
The driver pushed the accelerator again.
The cab sped forward.
But they had barely gone a little further—
When suddenly—
A black car screeched to a stop right in the middle of the road ahead of them.
The driver slammed the brakes.
The cab jerked violently to a halt.
Both Maya and the driver looked ahead.
Maya cursed under her breath.
“Shit.”
Her eyes widened slightly.
“Reverse! Reverse!”
The driver quickly tried to turn the wheel.
But before he could—
Another car pulled up beside them, blocking the side road completely.
“Put it in back gear!” Maya snapped.
The driver did exactly that.
But the moment he looked behind—
Another vehicle had already stopped there.
Within seconds, Maya’s cab was surrounded from all four sides.
There was no escape.
One by one, men stepped out of the surrounding cars, pulling out their guns.
Except the man inside the black car standing directly in front of them.
He remained seated inside.
Then suddenly—
The headlights of the car turned blindingly bright, flooding the cab with harsh white light.
Maya and the driver instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes.
The car door opened slowly.
Atharva stepped out.
A gun rested firmly in his hand.
Because of the powerful light behind him, his face remained hidden in shadow. Only his tall, broad silhouette was visible.
But the aura around him was terrifying.
Cold.
Dominant.
Deadly.
For a moment, the entire road seemed to fall silent.
Then the bodyguards moved.
They yanked open the cab doors and dragged both the driver and Maya out of the car.
The driver immediately fell to his knees.
His hands folded desperately as he looked at the men surrounding him.
“Please let me go… please,” he stammered, his voice shaking. “It’s not my fault… Madam pointed a gun at me… what else could I do?”
At that very moment—
A violent flash of lightning split across the sky.
For a brief second, the entire road lit up.
And in that light… Atharva’s face became visible.
The driver’s eyes landed on him.
And the moment he saw him—
His legs gave out.
He collapsed straight onto the ground.
Atharva stood there like a nightmare carved into flesh.
Blood was slowly seeping near his chest. Sweat was falling across his body. His jaw was clenched so tightly that the muscles along his face twitched.
But it was his eyes that made the air freeze.
They were red.
Burning.
The gun in his hand remained steady.
Every man standing there instinctively lowered their gaze.
No one dared to meet his eyes.
No one… except Maya.
Even after witnessing such a terrifying sight, she didn’t flinch.
She stood there straight, her chin slightly lifted, her breathing steady.
The driver’s lips trembled.
“A… Atharva sir…”
His voice barely came out.
Then his eyes slowly shifted toward Maya.
Until now, the darkness inside the cab had hidden her face. But under the harsh headlights of the cars surrounding them, her face was clearly visible.
For the first time, the driver actually saw her.
And he recognized her immediately.
After all… the entire city knew who she was.
Maya Raisinghani.
Maya glanced at Atharva once.
He was standing with his head slightly tilted, watching her with a dark, unreadable expression.
She looked away and turned toward the driver.
Without saying a word, she simply gestured with her eyes.
Run.
The driver didn’t waste a second.
He scrambled to his feet, nearly slipping on the road before running away in pure panic, disappearing into the darkness.
None of the men stopped him.
Everyone remained exactly where they were.
The sky above had turned violent now.
Lightning flashed again, followed by thunder so loud it seemed to shake the ground itself. Heavy rain began pouring down, soaking the road within seconds.
But in the middle of the storm…
Something far more dangerous burned.
The fury between Maya and Atharva.
They stared at each other, anger blazing in their eyes.
And in the very next second—
Both of them raised their guns.
Pointing straight at each other.
The bodyguards instantly stepped back, creating distance. No one dared to come between them.
Maya and Atharva stood face to face in the pouring rain, their fingers resting dangerously on the triggers.
At that moment, the rage inside both of them was explosive.
“Let me go, Atharva!” Maya shouted over the thunder. “Or I’ll shoot!”
Atharva stared at her silently for a moment.
Then slowly—
He lowered his gun.
“Come,” he said calmly.
His voice was dark, almost inviting.
“Shoot me.”
Maya blinked in surprise.
Atharva took another step closer toward her.
“Shoot me,” he repeated, his tone sharper now.
Maya’s grip tightened around the gun.
“D–Don’t test me, Atharva,” she warned, her voice rising. “I’ll really shoot you.”
Atharva took another step toward her.
“Then why did you stop?” he said coldly. “Go ahead… shoot. Even I’m telling you to.”
Maya stared at him in disbelief.
Her fingers tightened around the gun, the metal cold and heavy in her trembling grip. But Atharva kept coming closer… step by step… as if the weapon pointed at him meant nothing.
“Atharva… don’t come closer,” Maya warned, her voice strained.
Rain continued pouring down between them.
Atharva didn’t stop.
“You made a very big mistake, Maya,” he said, his voice deep and furious. “You shouldn’t have tried to run away.”
“Then let me go!” Maya snapped, desperation suddenly breaking through her anger. “Why are you chasing me like this? I don’t want to stay with you… just leave me alone!”
Her voice cracked as she continued.
“Trust me… I’ll never come in front of you again. Please… just let me go.”
Atharva finally stopped right in front of her.
So close that the barrel of the gun was now pressed against his forehead.
He grabbed her wrist and deliberately pushed the gun harder against his head.
“Then kill me,” he said quietly.
His eyes burned into hers.
“Because as long as I’m alive… I will never let you go.”
For a moment, the world around them seemed to disappear.
Only the sound of heavy rain and violent thunder remained.
Maya stared straight into his eyes.
Atharva stared back.
There was fire in both of them — wild, furious, unstoppable.
Lightning flashed again, illuminating their drenched faces.
“KILL ME!” Atharva suddenly roared.
The force of his voice made Maya flinch.
Her hands trembled violently.
And in that exact moment—
Atharva snatched the gun from her hand and threw it far across the road.
Before she could react, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest.
“Why did you do this, biwi?” he demanded harshly. “I told you not to. I warned you. Still… how could you make such a big mistake?”
Maya pushed against him, anger flashing across her face.
“Why can’t you understand?” she said sharply. “I don’t want to stay with you. I don’t love you. I don’t have any feelings for you.”
Atharva pulled her even closer.
“So what should I do?” he demanded. “Tell me.”
His voice cracked with a mixture of rage and desperation.
“What should I do so that you fall in love with me? Tell me!”
Maya’s eyes widened.
“Tell me, Maya,” he pressed, his gaze intense. “What should I do? How should I impress you? How should I make you mine?”
“Atharva…” she said softly, struggling to find words. “We can’t control someone’s feelings by force.”
His jaw tightened.
“If I don’t want to love you,” she continued, her voice steady despite the storm around them, “then no matter how hard you try… I won’t be able to love you.”
For a second, everything went completely silent.
Then suddenly—
Atharva grabbed his gun again.
And started firing.
Not at her.
But at the ground beside them.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
The deafening gunshots echoed across the empty road as bullets struck the wet asphalt one after another.
Maya’s entire body trembled from the violent sound.
Yet her eyes never left his.
Atharva kept firing until the gun finally clicked empty.
Only then did silence return.
Rain continued pouring around them.
After a long moment, Atharva spoke again, his voice low and heavy.
“I’m very angry with you, Maya,” he said slowly. “Very… very angry.”
“Why are you making this so complicated?” Maya replied, exhaustion creeping into her voice. “Just let me go. You stay happy… and let me live my life too.”
Her eyes softened slightly.
“I won’t tell anyone anything. I’ll leave this city… this country… everything. You’ll never see my face again.”
Atharva’s expression darkened dangerously.
In sudden rage, he threw the empty gun aside.
Then he grabbed her by the hair, pulling her close again.
“Why can’t you understand, Maya?” he said through clenched teeth. “I will die without you.”
Maya froze.
Shock flashed across her face.
Atharva’s voice lowered, almost breaking.
“A fish struggles without water… that’s how I am without you,” he said hoarsely. “Even when you go away for a second, it feels like someone has stolen the air from my lungs.”
Rainwater streamed down his face as he looked at her intensely.
“Why can’t you understand?” he whispered. “Even the thought of you leaving me suffocates me.”
His grip tightened slightly.
“So how do you expect me to let you go… huh?”
“Atharva…” Maya began softly.
But he immediately placed a finger against her lips.
“Shh.”
His voice dropped to a quiet warning.
“Not a single word.”
His eyes locked with hers again.
“Just listen to me.”
Atharva drew in a deep, uneven breath.
“I don’t even know what I’m feeling right now… or what I’m saying in front of you,” he admitted hoarsely. “But please… don’t leave me. Please.”
And before anyone could even process what he was about to do—
Atharva dropped to his knees in front of her.
The moment froze.
Maya’s eyes widened.
Around them, every man standing there stared in absolute shock. None of them had ever seen Atharva like this before. The man who ruled the city with fear… the man whose name alone made people lower their eyes…
Was now kneeling.
Begging.
Atharva looked up at her, rainwater and tears running down his face.
“I’m begging you,” he said, his voice breaking. “Please… please don’t leave me. Please, Maya…”
Then suddenly he shouted at the top of his lungs—
“PLEASE!”
His voice tore through the storm.
Thunder roared across the sky at the same time, lightning splitting the darkness again. Rain poured harder, mixing with the tears already streaming down his face.
Maya stood frozen.
She could only stare at him.
Atharva remained on his knees, his trembling hands reaching for her feet.
“If you want to hurt me, then do it,” he said desperately. “If you want to kill me… then kill me. If you want to destroy my house, my business, my entire life… do it.”
His voice cracked again.
“But don’t leave me… just don’t leave me.”
Maya’s eyes slowly filled with tears.
After a moment, she bent down in front of him.
“Why are you hurting yourself like this?” she asked softly. “Have you even seen what state you’re in?”
Atharva squeezed his eyes shut in frustration and tilted his head back toward the sky.
Rain struck his face mercilessly.
“This will pass, Atharva,” Maya continued quietly. “You’re just used to me. That’s why you’re feeling like this. So let’s end this here.”
For a second, everything went still.
Then suddenly—
Atharva grabbed her hair tightly.
The sudden force made Maya gasp.
“You’re not even worthy of being loved,” he said coldly.
His voice had changed.
Completely.
“I tried explaining it to you with love,” he continued, his eyes darkening dangerously. “But you won’t understand that way.”
He leaned closer to her face, his voice turning chilling.
“So fine.”
“Even if I have to kill you… even if I have to keep your dead body with me…”
His grip tightened.
“You will stay with me.”
Maya’s heart skipped a beat.
“A–Atharva… what are you saying?”
“I’m saying exactly what you heard,” he replied calmly.
Then he leaned even closer, his voice dropping into a dark whisper.
“And listen to me very carefully.”
“Until now, every time I hurt you… I was the one who fixed things afterward.”
His eyes locked onto hers.
“But from this moment… from right now…”
“I will show no mercy.”
A slow, dangerous smile appeared on his lips.
“You haven’t seen my madness yet, Maya.”
Thunder cracked again in the sky.
“Now I’ll show you,” he said quietly. “What I really am… and how low I can fall for you.”
Maya looked at him with bitter certainty.
“I expected this from you,” she said coldly. “You could never change.”
Something dark flashed in Atharva’s eyes.
“Now I won’t even try,” he growled.
Grabbing her by the hair again, he yanked her up to her feet.
“If I don’t turn your life into hell… then my name isn’t Atharva Raisinghani.”
The next second—
He dragged her toward his car and shoved her roughly into the passenger seat.
Maya barely had time to react before the door slammed shut.
Atharva walked around the car and sat in the driver’s seat, his expression stone cold.
Within seconds, the car roared to life and sped away into the storm.
Behind them, all the bodyguards quickly returned to their vehicles and followed.
---
Back at the mansion, the atmosphere was tense.
Everyone had gathered in the hall, restless and anxious.
Some paced back and forth. Others kept looking outside repeatedly, hoping to see headlights approaching.
But there was still no news of Atharva or Maya.
The silence inside the house felt suffocating.
Then suddenly—
Maya’s voice echoed from outside.
Everyone froze.
They exchanged glances with each other before quietly stepping aside, forming a path in the hall.
A moment later, the front doors burst open.
Atharva walked in.
He was dragging Maya inside by her hair.
Every pair of eyes in the hall turned toward them.
Atharva’s rage was written clearly across his face. Both of them were completely drenched from the storm outside. Rainwater dripped from their clothes onto the marble floor.
Atharva’s wound had soaked through his bandage, blood spreading across the fabric. Maya’s hand was also smeared with blood, though no one could tell whose it was.
For a brief second, Maya glanced at everyone standing in the hall.
Their faces were pale. Shocked. Frightened.
But Atharva didn’t look at anyone.
Without stopping, he dragged her forward, pulling her deeper into the house.
No one dared to ask anything.
No one dared to interfere.
They could only watch.
Atharva’s fury was far too dangerous tonight.
“Leave me!” Maya shouted, struggling against his grip. “Atharva, please control yourself!”
Atharva suddenly shoved her inside the elevator.
“Shut the fuck up!”
The doors remained open for a moment.
Atharva slammed his fist violently against the metal wall of the lift.
The loud bang echoed across the hall.
“If you make another sound,” he growled, his voice dark and threatening, “I’ll rip your tongue out.”
His voice was so loud, so terrifying, that several people in the hall instinctively shut their eyes.
Atharva leaned down toward Maya, his face dangerously close to hers.
“Now, Don’t say a word,” he warned quietly.
“Just… don’t.”
The elevator doors slid shut.
And the lift began moving upward.
For a few seconds, the hall remained completely silent.
Then Anvi spoke first.
“Shit… we should go and help Maya,” she said anxiously. “He’s too upset right now.”
Rajvendra immediately shook his head.
“Don’t even think about it,” he said firmly. “Right now he might actually kill someone.”
His voice lowered.
“Only one person can calm Atharva… and that’s Maya.”
Suman nodded slowly.
“He’s right,” she said softly. “All we can do right now is wait.”
But Arun suddenly exploded.
“And what about my daughter?” he shouted angrily. “She’s terrified! She’s suffering!”
Kabir stepped forward, trying to calm him.
“Arun… everyone here is right. Don’t worry so much. Atharva won’t hurt Maya.”
He sighed.
“Yes, he’s extremely angry… but I still believe he won’t hurt her.”
Arun looked at him in disbelief.
“You’re saying that only because she’s not your daughter!” he yelled.
His voice trembled with helpless anger.
“She’s mine!”
His chest heaved as years of fear and frustration poured out.
“And anyway… all of this is happening because of you people!” he continued bitterly. “I told you not to go ahead with this alliance. I warned you their family is full of mafias. I said if something went wrong we would regret it for the rest of our lives!”
His voice cracked.
“But you didn’t listen.”
He pointed toward Kabir.
“Now your daughter is living happily in her life… and my child is the one getting crushed in all of this.”
His eyes filled with pain.
“Her life is ruined… everything is destroyed.”
His voice dropped into a broken whisper.
“And I… I can’t even do anything to save her.”
Arun’s voice broke completely.
The strength seemed to leave his body.
Right there in the middle of the hall, he slowly sank to the floor and began to cry. The sound of his quiet sobs filled the tense silence of the room.
Seema immediately sat beside him, placing a trembling hand on his shoulder, trying to support him.
“Bhaisahab, please… try to understand—” Rajvendra began gently.
But Arun suddenly folded his hands in front of him.
“Please…” he said helplessly. “I’m begging you… If you want, I’ll even touch your feet… just give my daughter back to me.”
His voice trembled painfully.
“My child cannot live with that man…”
Rajvendra went silent for a moment.
Then he slowly stepped forward and knelt in front of Arun.
“None of us can do anything right now,” he said quietly.
His gaze lifted toward the upper floor for a brief second before returning to Arun.
“You can see Atharva’s anger, can’t you?” he continued. “But didn’t you see his condition as well?”
Arun looked up at him, confused.
“He was bleeding… barely standing,” Rajvendra said. “And still he went out looking for Maya.”
His voice lowered.
“What do you think is making him do all this?”
Arun frowned slightly.
“What do you mean?”
Rajvendra answered simply.
“He loves your daughter.”
A heavy silence fell over the hall.
“More than anyone else,” Rajvendra continued slowly. “For her… he could even kill us.”
His eyes hardened slightly.
“But he will never let her go.”
Arun stared at him in disbelief.
“You call this love?” he asked bitterly. “The way he dragged her in by her hair… that’s love?”
Rajvendra sighed deeply.
“Yes… his anger is terrifying,” he admitted.
“But didn’t you notice? Blood was still coming out of his chest. Even then he didn’t stop searching for Maya.”
He paused before speaking again.
“After everything Maya has done tonight… the only reason she’s still standing alive in front of us…”
His voice grew serious.
“…is because Atharva has fallen in love with her.”
Everyone standing there listened in stunned silence.
No one spoke.
Rajvendra’s words lingered heavily in the air.
“Otherwise,” he added quietly, “in mistakes like this… Atharva doesn’t argue.”
A cold pause.
“His gun speaks. Not his words.”
The hall fell completely silent again.
Then Suman finally spoke, trying to ease the tension.
“You all should go and rest now,” she said gently. “It’s already four in the morning. Let’s just wait… everything will settle down.”
But Arun slowly stood up.
His face looked drained.
“No,” he said firmly. “We can’t stay here.”
Pain flashed in his eyes.
“I can’t watch my daughter suffer like this.”
Without waiting for anyone’s response, he turned and walked toward the door.
Seema followed him quietly.
One by one, the others also folded their hands respectfully and walked after them.
Soon the hall began to empty.
Anvi remained standing there for a moment.
She glanced at everyone leaving… then turned toward Dhruv and Veer, who were standing silently near the staircase.
She stepped closer to them.
“Please,” she said softly, her voice filled with worry. “Keep me informed about everything.”
Her eyes flickered toward the upper floor.
“And if possible… help her. ”
Dhruv and Veer exchanged a brief glance.
Then both of them nodded.
Anvi looked upstairs one last time.
Her expression was heavy with concern.
Then she quietly turned and walked out of the mansion.
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