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She was frustrated by how softly he was treating her suddenly, as if she had turned into a delicate flower.
She couldn't decipher his intentions; his past record wasn't exactly glittering enough for her to blindly believe his words the way she once used to.
He had lost that right a long time ago. Trust, once broken, can be shattered again and again if there are no repercussions.
She locked her swirling emotions away the moment he opened the door for them to enter first. What next? Was he going to pull out chairs for them? He was truly trying to woo her dadi into loving him even more than she already did.
She shot him a passing glare when he pulled out her chair, a charming smile plastered on his lips. Idiot. She hated him so much. At this moment, at least.
She watched as her dadi's face practically glowed at the prospect of her granddaughter marrying such a well-mannered, cultured, handsome, and wealthy man.
If only she knew even half the truth, she would have been hitting him with her slippers.
If only Jayasvi could actually tell the truth to anyone.
Was she being too rude? She had no idea.
To her, her actions were completely justified.
He had given her absolutely no reason to trust him.
She couldn't believe she had ever developed such a massive crush on him.
He only seemed charming in public; in reality, he was nothing but a chimpanzee with a handsome face, a hot, muscular body, and an even more arousing voice.
She forced herself to look away when he took the seat beside her, leaving her dadi sitting opposite them. Why the hell wasn't he maintaining his distance? Did he sell all his shame just to buy that Maybach?
"You know, beta, this place has been our Jayuu's favorite ever since she was a little child," her dadi spoke softly, a gentle smile adorning her lips as she relived old memories.
"We have celebrated so many of her birthdays here—her school results, her parents' anniversary.
.. every little accomplishment our family had was celebrated right here. "
"I am sure this place must mean a lot to you all," Raghav spoke with a gentleness Jayasvi had never heard from him before. She wanted to check her ears to make sure this voice actually belonged to the broody, arrogant Raghav Hooda. Or was she living in a dream?
"Yeah. This was the very place she saw your father for the first time," her dadi continued, much to Jayasvi's distaste.
Why was she feeding him so much information?
"She had been very stubborn about visiting that day, so I brought her with me.
She was about twelve or thirteen when your father passed by our table with a few other party members.
She was so surprised by the commotion, peeking back and forth to see where the people went.
She was just so full of questions about everything. "
Why was her grandmother doing this? It made her look like some girl obsessed with his father and his power.
"That's not it. I had heard his speeches before," Jayasvi interjected quickly, clearing the air before anyone could read too much into it, even though her face had turned a bright shade of pink. "He is a great orator, and I have always been attracted to people who have a way with words."
Raghav looked at her, raising an eyebrow as he noticed how flushed her cheeks were.
A sneaky smirk tugged at his lips, watching how affected she became by just a few words.
Jayasvi's eyes narrowed. Seeing that smirk, she slid her foot under the table and dug her heel right into his perfectly polished shoes.
He froze for a fraction of a second, his eyes darting beneath the table. She was acting like a sneaky little thing today. When his gaze met hers again, he saw the anger brewing in them, daring him to say another word. Instead of backing down, he raised an eyebrow and winked at her.
Jayasvi's eyes widened, and she looked away immediately. Shameless Hooda.
"Seems like she has always fancied my father," Raghav spoke up, completely unready to drop the topic. It was too much fun to see her embarrassed.
"Yeah, she became very interested in political arrangements once she hit the higher classes, and it got even deeper when she went to college," her dadi chimed in, eager to share more about her granddaughter so he would be prepared for the unexpected after marriage.
Jayasvi was a little packet of chaos. Her mood swings were over the top, and you could never predict her next move.
She was like a snake, ready to strike at the most unexpected moment.
Her family knew it better than anybody. Her mood swings were intense; she could cry about absolutely anything.
Half the time, she would be crying her lungs out without even knowing why.
She was vulnerable, despite presenting a mature, composed front to the rest of the world.
Her dadi didn't want Raghav to stay in the dark about her antics.
"Just a second, please," Jayasvi spoke up, excusing herself. She shot Raghav a silent, burning look that commanded him to follow her as she stepped outside.
The cool outside air brushed her loose strands back as she crossed her arms. Raghav made a mock-apologetic face to her dadi, acting as though he were terrified of her, before trailing Jayasvi out.
"What was that supposed to mean?" she demanded the moment they hit a dark corner, her eyes narrowed into slits.
"My dear, if you wanted to romance me, you could have just told me earlier," he voiced innocently.
"It's rather inappropriate to just get up and leave.
I don't know about you, but I don't want your dadi to know what kind of things we have already done.
Our families would consider it downright debauchery. "
Jayasvi continued staring at him without blinking, letting him know she was dead serious and absolutely not in the mood for his games.
"Raghav Hooda, don't you dare test my patience.
I don't know what game you are playing this time, but leave my family out of it.
I am marrying you for them and them alone.
Otherwise, I would have never involved myself in this mess—not after finding out what kind of man you really are.
Especially not after knowing you had fun breaking my heart.
" Her words thundered out, her voice trembling with a rage she could no longer control.
The very next moment, Raghav slammed his palms against the wall on either side of her face, caging her in. Jayasvi flinched, her eyes widening. His face had darkened into pure fury.
"Don't ruin the mood, Jayasvi. I don't even know what you want from me," he growled, his face inches from hers. "When I act cold, you claim I broke your heart. When I act sweet, you treat it like a trap. I don't know what will actually make you happy."
This time, she didn't back down. She met his gaze, the same thunder burning in her wide eyes.
"Ask that damn question to yourself, Raghav!
What did you do? You broke my heart. I was in love with you.
Do you even realize the weight of that? Realizing the very night you shattered me that I loved you so much?
I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry—my chest was on fire.
I have never felt such intense pain, Raghav," she whispered, her voice cracking as her eyes turned glassy.
"I didn't even feel this much pain when my friends betrayed me and made fun of my character.
But that night, I wished so badly that my heart could be ripped out of my chest because it hurt so damn much. "
Every word she spoke dragged out a piece of her soul.
She couldn't put into words how deeply disturbing that night had been for her.
Cupping her hand over her mouth, screaming into her own palms because she didn't want anyone to hear her break.
Feeling her body turn weak, her legs giving out, her breathing turning heavy.
She had foolishly thought her life was changing for the better.
That she was finally getting everything she had ever manifested: a dream life where she would be cherished by her man, where her presence mattered, where her tears were considered sacred, and where she could finally be safe enough to be vulnerable.
But how could she have believed things would ever go right for her?
Jayasvi Rana was born to be a flower plucked from the garden, only to be walked upon by random strangers until she withered away completely.
"And do you know the worst part, Raghav?
Even though you were the one who did everything, I blamed myself.
I blamed myself for not being enough to earn your love, for not being important enough to catch your attention, for failing to win your heart.
To me, you were still the man I had crushed on for the longest time.
You were still untouched, untainted, and perfect, despite everything you did to me.
I was so emotionally dependent on you that I was ready to fall at your feet if it meant you would look at me just once.
That is how pathetic loving you made me.
I was ready to crush my own self-respect under my heels for the love I held for you. "
A single tear finally slipped down her cheek. No matter how much she lied to herself that she was over that night, she wasn't. She never would be. That was the night a part of her soul was ripped away—the part that had foolishly hoped for a better tomorrow.
Raghav listened to every single word as she finally broke down in front of him.
He watched the tears roll down her face, her cheeks flushed, but this time it wasn't from embarrassment.
It showcased her pain, her struggles, her fear, and the hope he had so casually crushed under his boots.
Her entire body trembled with the force of the emotions she had tried so hard to suppress.
What had he done? The girl he was supposed to protect and cherish was crying because of him. The girl who was supposed to tremble from the pleasure he gave her was trembling from the pain he inflicted. The girl who should have been shedding tears of happiness was weeping in agony.
He had destroyed her just to keep his ego intact.
"It hurts, Raghav. It hurts so much," she sobbed, the dam finally breaking completely.
"I had finally started believing that I deserved to be loved, too.
That I might finally have a stroke of good luck, but it all went down the drain.
My dreams shattered right in front of me like a piece of worthless garbage. "
"You know, that night, I felt so pathetic staring at your pictures in the dark until my vision turned blurry.
I felt like a lunatic. I reached for my phone so many times to call you, to beg you to tell me what would actually make you love me.
I was so desperate, Raghav. I was so desperate to fix us.
" She reached out, fisting his shirt just to find the support to stay on her feet.
The walls she had built around herself to stay strong and emotionless were completely crumbling.
She couldn't understand why he still held this much control over her.
Why could he unravel her this easily after everything he had done?
Why was her heart beating so loudly? Why couldn't she just ignore his existence like characters do in stories?
Why was she so needy and dumb? She cursed herself for every emotion she felt—emotions that made her human, but also made her entirely vulnerable.
Raghav was shaken to his very core. He reached out, cupping her face with both hands, forcing her to look at him as a quiet hiccup escaped her lips. He stepped closer, wanting to say so many things. Above all, he wanted to apologize, even though he knew he didn't deserve her forgiveness.
Just then, her phone pinged, drawing his attention down. The screen lit up. The next fraction of a second, his facial features hardened as he read the message:
Please, Jayasvi. Let's meet at least once. I need to explain myself to you. I need to clear things up. This marriage can't take place, please.
It was Aahan.
The warmth that had briefly surfaced in Raghav's eyes vanished instantly. Why hadn't she blocked him already? Was she actually interested in talking to that bastard?
His sharp, dark gaze snapped back to her teary eyes.
Before she could react, he slammed his lips against hers, pinning her hard against the wall.
The kiss was an immediate claim, demanding absolute submission.
His large hand fisted in her hair, tilting her head back as his mouth dominated hers—a hot, hungry tongue sweeping past her lips, leaving absolutely no room for protest. The kiss was brutal in its intensity; his teeth nipped at her lower lip the moment she tried to breathe, and his fingers tightened like a vice whenever she attempted to pull away.
"Mine," he growled against her mouth, claiming her so fiercely that she wouldn't dare think of any other man but him.