Rivan sleeping on Devyanis breasts #4
Untouched by the war happening around her.
For a moment...
his entire expression changed.
The anger disappeared.
The coldness disappeared.
Only longing remained.
Pure.
Raw.
Painful.
Then it vanished.
Just as quickly as it came.
RIVAN looked back at Zaid.
His eyes dark again.
"I know what I did."
The words shocked Zaid.
Because they sounded honest.
Painfully honest.
"But don't mistake my silence for surrender."
The temperature seemed to drop.
Every word carried weight.
"I lost her once."
His jaw tightened.
"I'm not losing her again."
Zaid stared at him.
Then slowly nodded.
Finally understanding something.
This wasn't jealousy.
Not entirely.
This wasn't possessiveness.
Not entirely.
This was a man standing on the edge of losing the only thing that ever truly mattered to him.
And he was terrified.
The realization changed nothing.
But it explained everything.
Zaid took a deep breath.
Then spoke quietly.
"Then earn her back."
RIVAN froze.
The words clearly weren't what he expected.
"Earn her trust."
Zaid continued.
"Earn her forgiveness."
Another pause.
"Earn her love."
The silence stretched.
Long.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Then Zaid looked directly into his eyes.
"Because if she chooses you again..."
His voice remained steady.
"I'll step aside."
RIVAN's gaze sharpened.
RIVAN POV
I stared at Zaid for a few seconds.
Then I laughed.
Not because anything was funny.
Because I genuinely couldn't believe what I had just heard.
The bastard was standing in front of me, looking straight into my eyes, and talking about stepping aside as if he actually mattered in this equation.
As if he had any place in it.
As if he even understood what Devyani meant to me.
The laugh died quickly.
My jaw clenched.
The coldness inside me returned.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
I took a step forward.
Then another.
Never breaking eye contact.
"Who the fuck are you to step aside in my way?"
My voice came out low.
Controlled.
But every word carried enough anger to start a war.
"Trust me, Zaid, I won't take a second to destroy you."
The smirk on his face didn't move.
That irritated me even more.
"Don't test my patience just because you're her friend."
I moved closer.
Close enough for him to understand exactly what I meant.
"I'm stopping myself right now."
My eyes narrowed.
"And clearly..."
I tilted my head slightly.
"You don't know me yet."
The smile remained.
Wrong move.
Very wrong move.
Because there was one thing I hated more than enemies.
Confident enemies.
"The people who think they can stand in my way..."
I stepped even closer.
"...usually end up buried."
For the first time the air around us became truly dangerous.
The wind slower.
Everything sharper.
Then my gaze shifted toward the car.
Toward her.
Even through the glass I could see her sleeping peacefully.
Completely unaware.
And suddenly all I could remember was seeing his hand over hers.
Hearing her laugh.
Watching him look at her.
Watching her trust him.
Something ugly twisted inside my chest.
Jealousy.
Raw.
Violent.
Unforgiving.
Before I could stop myself, my hand shot forward.
I grabbed his collar.
Hard.
The expensive fabric twisted inside my fist.
I yanked him toward me.
Fast enough to make most men stumble.
Zaid didn't.
That annoyed me too.
I leaned closer.
Close enough that he could hear every word.
"Don't."
My voice dropped lower.
Colder.
"Dare."
Another pull.
"Touch."
My grip tightened.
"Her."
Every word came out like a threat.
Because it was one.
"I'm fucking serious."
My eyes locked onto his.
"The next time I see your hands on her..."
The thought alone made my blood boil.
"I'll rip that hand off."
My jaw tightened.
"And feed it back to you."
For a moment neither of us moved.
Neither of us blinked.
The tension felt alive.
Like a loaded gun waiting for someone to pull the trigger.
Then the idiot smiled.
Actually smiled.
"Aww."
His voice was full of amusement.
And somehow that pissed me off more than fear would've.
"Mr. RIVAN Thakur is jealous as fuck."
I stared at him.
Expressionless.
Because if I spoke right then, I might actually kill him.
The bastard continued anyway.
Interesting.
Very brave.
Or very stupid.
Possibly both.
Then his expression changed.
Not completely.
But enough.
The amusement faded.
Something serious appeared underneath it.
"Let me tell you something."
His eyes held mine.
"She's not an object."
My grip tightened instantly.
"She's not something you can claim whenever you feel like it."
The words hit harder than I expected.
Because deep down...
a part of me knew he wasn't entirely wrong.
That only irritated me more.
"If she ever comes back to you..."
His voice remained calm.
"You'll earn it."
Another pause.
"And if she doesn't want you around—"
His gaze hardened.
"—and I find out she's uncomfortable because of you..."
The smile vanished completely.
For the first time that night, he looked dangerous too.
"You don't know me either."
Silence.
Heavy silence.
The kind that comes before punches.
Or bullets.
Or funerals.
For a few seconds we simply stared at each other.
Two men.
One war.
One woman.
And far too much history.
Then suddenly...
A cold laugh.
The kind that never reached my eyes.
I released his collar.
Shoved him backward.
Hard.
He took two steps back before regaining balance.
I adjusted my cuff calmly.
As if none of this mattered.
As if he didn't matter.
"Good."
My voice was quiet.
Deadly.
"Stay in that delusion."
I looked toward the car again.
Toward Devyani.
Still sleeping.
Still beautiful.
Still the only person capable of turning me into someone I no longer recognized.
Then I looked back at him.
And for the first time that night, I smiled.
A smile completely devoid of warmth.
"You think this is about winning?"
I shook my head slowly.
Almost pitying him.
"You still don't understand."
My eyes drifted toward her once more.
And something inside my chest tightened painfully.
Because despite everything...
Despite the divorce.
Despite the two years.
Despite every mistake I'd made.
One truth had never changed.
Not even for a second.
"That woman..."
My voice became softer.
But somehow more dangerous.
"...is the only thing I've ever loved."
The smile disappeared.
The darkness returned.
"And God help anyone who tries to stand between me and the life I intend to rebuild."
The wind blew between us.
The fairy lights flickered overhead.
And for the first time all night...
Neither of us spoke.
Because some wars weren't fought with fists.
Some wars were fought with patience.
And I had already decided something.
I wasn't here to fight Zaid.
I was here for Devyani.
And unlike before
this time...
I wasn't leaving.
I didn't wait for his response.
Didn't care for it either.
My gaze shifted past him.
Straight toward the car.
Toward her.
Still asleep.
Still completely unaware of the chaos surrounding her.
The yellow fairy lights reflected softly against the glass, illuminating her peaceful face. Her head rested against the seat, her hair falling across her cheek.
For a moment, everything else disappeared.
The anger.
The jealousy.
The irritation.
The urge to punch the man standing in front of me.
Everything.
Only she remained.
The same woman I had failed to forget every single day.
I walked past Zaid without asking permission.
Because I didn't need permission.
Not from him.
Not from anyone.
I opened the passenger door carefully.
Slowly.
The cold night air slipped inside.
Devyani stirred slightly in her sleep.
Her brows furrowed for a second.
Then relaxed again.
A small smile tugged at the corner of my lips.
Still sleeping like a child.
Some things never changed.
Very gently I bent down and slid one arm beneath her knees and another around her waist.
The moment she settled against my chest, something inside me tightened.
God.
I had missed this.
Missed her.
Missed being close enough to hear her breathing.
Missed holding her without a thousand miles standing between us.
Even asleep she instinctively moved closer to my warmth.
Her fingers lightly curled against my shirt.
A simple unconscious action.
Yet it hit harder than any bullet ever could.
For a brief second I closed my eyes.
Steadying myself.
Then lifted her completely into my arms.
Like she weighed nothing.
Like she belonged there.
Behind me I could feel Zaid's stare burning holes into my back.
I ignored it.
The world could burn for all I cared.
At this moment...
I only cared about her.
I carried her toward my car.
Each step calm.
Controlled.
Possessive.
Not because I wanted to prove something.
But because after two years...
holding her felt right.
Dangerously right.
I opened the rear door and carefully settled her inside.
Making sure her head rested comfortably against the seat.
Adjusting the seatbelt.
Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
The smallest things.
The things nobody noticed.
The things I remembered.
Always.
I was about to close the door when footsteps approached.
Fast.
Heavy.
I looked up.
Zaid.
Of course.
The bastard looked ready to argue.
Again.
I almost sighed.
Then suddenly his phone rang.
The screen lit up.
One glance.
And his expression changed instantly.
Not good news.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
I smirked.
Slowly.
Cruelly.
Then leaned casually against the car.
"What's wrong?"
I asked.
His jaw tightened.
The phone continued vibrating.
Relentlessly.
I already knew.
Which made this even more enjoyable.
The call finally connected.
Someone on the other side was practically screaming.
I watched realization slowly creep across his face.
Watched his confidence crack.
Watched frustration replace calm.
Then I smiled wider.
Enjoying every second.
"Looks like someone's having a rough night."