Chapter 16 Monster
The question lingered heavily between them.
"That one day, you'll look at me the way everyone else does."
For a moment, Aarohi Mehra simply watched Ekansh Rathore quietly.
And what unsettled her most wasn't the fear in his voice.
It was how genuine it sounded.
Not manipulative.
Not dramatic.
Real.
This man feared bullets less than abandonment.
Feared betrayal more than death.
Because violence he understood.
Being loved and then left?
That had destroyed him long ago.
Aarohi answered honestly.
"I already know you're dangerous."
His expression didn't change.
"But?" he asked quietly.
"But I don't think you were born this way."
Silence.
The city lights flickered faintly through the windows behind them.
Ekansh looked away first this time.
Like the answer affected him more than he wanted.
"You give people too much benefit of doubt," he murmured.
"No," Aarohi said softly. "I just don't believe children are born monsters."
That word.
Monster.
Something dark crossed his face instantly.
"There it is."
Aarohi frowned slightly.
"What?"
"That look again."
"What look?"
"Like you still think there's something worth saving in me."
The bitterness in his voice hurt unexpectedly.
Aarohi leaned back slightly against the couch.
"You think there isn't?"
"I know there isn't."
The certainty was terrifying.
Not arrogance.
Self-hatred.
Deep-rooted and absolute.
Before Aarohi could respond, his phone vibrated sharply on the table.
Ekansh ignored it.
Then it rang again.
And again.
Vivaan.
Aarohi noticed the irritation immediately.
"You should answer."
"I don't want to."
"You're still running a criminal empire whether emotionally damaged or not."
The corner of his mouth twitched faintly again.
"There's the doctor."
He finally picked up the phone.
"What?"
Vivaan's voice exploded loudly enough for Aarohi to hear faintly.
"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!"
Ekansh winced slightly.
"In the hospital."
"No, really? I thought you were vacationing in Switzerland."
Aarohi hid her smile instantly.
Vivaan continued aggressively,
"The Malhotra men attacked two warehouses and everyone's waiting for instructions."
The softness vanished from Ekansh's face immediately.
Dangerous calm settled over him again.
Aarohi watched the transformation carefully.
It was startling every time.
One second emotionally shattered.
Next second underworld king.
"Handle the south route," Ekansh said coldly. "Move the shipments before dawn."
"Already done."
"Good."
"And another thing."
Ekansh sounded annoyed already.
"What?"
A pause.
Then—
"Are you with doctor bhabhi?"
The room froze.
Aarohi blinked.
Ekansh's expression turned murderous instantly.
"Vivaan."
"I'm just asking respectfully—"
"Do you enjoy surviving near death?"
Vivaan sounded delighted instead of afraid.
"You didn't deny it."
The call disconnected violently.
Silence filled the room afterward.
Then slowly—
Aarohi looked toward him.
"...Bhabhi?"
Ekansh looked completely unbothered.
"He's stupid."
"That did not answer my question."
"He gets emotionally attached to chaos."
"That sounds familiar."
A faint smirk appeared briefly.
Gone too fast.
But real.
Then Aarohi's expression softened slightly again.
"You switched fast."
His brows furrowed faintly.
"Switched?"
"You went from grieving son to mafia leader in seconds."
The amusement disappeared from his face completely.
"That's survival."
No hesitation.
No shame.
Just truth again.
Aarohi studied him carefully.
"How often do you let yourself feel things?"
"I don't."
"That's unhealthy."
"It's efficient."
No wonder he was psychologically imploding internally.
Emotions buried this deeply always surfaced violently eventually.
Aarohi tilted her head slightly.
"And when you can't suppress them?"
His eyes shifted toward her slowly.
"That's usually when things get destroyed."
The honesty in that answer sent a chill through her.
Because she believed him completely.
Then suddenly his gaze darkened slightly.
"You should go home."
The abrupt statement caught her off guard.
"What?"
"You're tired."
Aarohi blinked.
"You've been asking me to stay for two days."
"And now I'm telling you to rest."
The contradiction confused her.
Then she noticed it.
The distance in his posture.
The walls rebuilding.
Aarohi understood instantly.
He was pulling away emotionally because he'd revealed too much tonight.
Classic trauma response.
Vulnerability panic.
"You regret opening up," she said softly.
"No."
Lie.
Tiny one.
But still a lie.
Aarohi stood slowly.
"You think if you create distance first, it'll hurt less later."
His jaw tightened.
Too accurate.
"You analyze everything," he muttered.
"You hide everything."
Silence stretched.
Then quietly—
"You saw me cry."
The sentence sounded almost accusing.
Not angry.
Ashamed.
Aarohi's chest tightened painfully again.
"You say that like it's something unforgivable."
"In my world, it is."
She stepped closer carefully.
"And maybe your world is wrong."
His eyes lifted toward hers instantly.
There it was again.
That dangerous stillness whenever she challenged beliefs he'd carried for years.
Aarohi's voice softened unconsciously.
"You survived terrible things, Ekansh."
"No," he corrected quietly. "Other people survived me."
The self-hatred underneath the sentence hit brutally hard.
And before she could think professionally—
Before logic could stop her—
Aarohi reached up gently and touched his face.
Everything stopped.
Completely.
Ekansh went utterly still beneath her hand.
No one probably touched him softly anymore.
Not without fear.
Not without wanting something.
But Aarohi's touch held neither.
Just warmth.
Just quiet understanding.
His breathing changed instantly.
And when he looked at her now—
He looked terrifyingly close to breaking again.