Chapter Twenty Five
Author's pov;
The sky was swollen with darkness, heavy clouds brooding as if they mirrored her life. Lightning flickered across the horizon, jagged scars tearing through the heavens.
Ria wrapped her dupatta tighter around her body, her fingers trembling as the wind pierced her skin like icy blades.
Her family had begged her to stay - begged with all their love, insisting she should wait until the storm passed.
But how could she? How could she allow herself the comfort of their warmth when she knew, eventually, she would have to walk back into the hell that awaited her?
"No one's stopping," she whispered, her voice swallowed by the wind as rickshaws whizzed past her, all headed home, desperate to escape the wrath of the sky. "Please, God... just one... just one stop for me."
But none did.
Her eyes burned with tears that the storm quickly disguised. Why did I send the driver away? Why did I think I could manage alone?
The whisper of self-blame grew louder until finally, with no choice left, she tightened her dupatta and whispered through chattering teeth:
"I'll walk. I have to."
Her feet slapped against the wet pavement as she picked up pace. The sky groaned, and then it happened-
The rain poured.
It wasn't gentle rain. It was punishing, cold, relentless. It plastered her hair against her face and seeped into her bones, her kurti clinging to her body in ways that made her shiver harder.
But Ria didn't hate the rain. Never. The rain, to her, was freedom - something wild and untamed that matched the emotions she never dared to speak aloud. Tonight though... tonight the rain felt like it mourned with her.
"The sky looks sad tonight," she whispered, tilting her face upward.
And then she ran.
Her anklets jingled faintly against the storm, her dupatta streaming behind her like a wounded flag.
Her lips parted as she gasped for air, her chest heaving, yet there was something ethereal about her - her beauty sharpened by the storm.
The way her lashes dripped with raindrops, the way her wet clothes clung like a second skin, every curve illuminated in lightning's glow.
She looked breathtaking - but broken, fragile, a goddess in chains.
By the time the grand outline of Rathore Mansion emerged, her legs burned, her throat screamed for air. She staggered to the gates, fingers fumbling for the bell.
The guards rushed, their faces paling at the sight of her - their Master's wife, drenched to the bone, trembling violently, lips nearly blue.
"Ma'am... are you alright?" one whispered, fear evident.
"I'm fine," she lied with a fragile smile, brushing past them before they could see the truth in her eyes.
The mansion was silent, suffocatingly so. Each shadow seemed to watch her, whispering reminders that this was no home. She climbed the stairs, every step heavy, her soaked clothes weighing her down.
And then she froze.
Her bedroom door. The lights inside were glowing warmly. But she remembered... she never left them on.
"I must have forgotten," she whispered, though her voice shook with a fear she didn't want to name.
Her hand pushed the door, it creaked shut behind her, and she began unthreading the ties of her kurti, her back exposed, cold air biting her skin. Relief washed through her at the thought of warm clothes-
The bathroom door opened.
Click. Shut.
Her heart stopped.
Ria's eyes widened in horror as she instinctively pressed her bare back against the wall, her breath catching in her throat. And then she screamed.
Aansh.
He stepped out with nothing but a towel slung low on his hips, droplets of water sliding down his chiseled torso, each muscle carved and gleaming like polished marble. His hair dripped in strands, water tracing lines along his neck and jaw.
He was unreal. A Greek God walking out of fire. And yet... the devil wore his face.
Ria swallowed hard, shame and desire battling inside her. How can someone who destroys me look this perfect? How cruel can fate be to bind me to him?
Aansh's brows furrowed, his dark eyes narrowing as they finally landed on her. He took her in - the drenched kurti clinging to her every curve, her trembling figure pressed against the wall, her wide eyes glued shut.
His gaze lingered longer than it should have.
"Why the fuck did you scream?" His voice sliced through the air, sharp, impatient.
"You... you..." Ria stammered, eyes shut tight.
He stepped closer, slow, predatory, each stride echoing his dominance. "Open. Your. Eyes. When. Talking. To. Me."
She shook her head violently, tears squeezing out.
It amused him. Briefly. Then it vanished, replaced with something darker.
"Open your eyes before I do it for you," he said, his tone a promise of cruelty.
Her lips trembled. Slowly, painfully, she forced her lashes apart until her gaze met his.
"Now," he said, towering over her, voice a low snarl. "Tell me why the fuck did you scream."
Her throat bobbed, fear clawing at her voice. "What are you... doing here?"
His lips curved into a cruel smirk. "This is my mansion. My room. What the fuck do you mean by 'what am I doing here'?"
Ria's voice faltered. "I know this is all yours... but I..." she paused, desperation lacing her tone. "Can you... can you close your eyes? Just for a minute... please."
His eyes narrowed in disbelief. "What?"
"Just for a minute. Cover your eyes," she whispered again, innocence painted across her trembling face.
His smirk deepened, predatory. "Are you ordering me now, Ria?" His voice dripped huskiness, lethal charm coating his venom.
But then his eyes darkened as he studied her again. "Why the fuck are you drenched?"
She stayed silent.
"I asked you something." His voice thundered now, sharp enough to slice bone. "Respond when I'm talking to you!"
He closed the gap between them in one stride. She gasped, her body betraying her, breath hitching sharply. His gaze flickered with satisfaction - he noticed how she reacted when he was near.
"You are... too close," she whispered, turning her face away.
He smirked. Leaned closer. His lips brushed her damp skin as he whispered against her collarbone, "Am I?"
Her body lit up with fire, betrayal and shame colliding inside her.
She flinched, pressing harder into the wall. In her panic, her kurti slipped from her shoulder, fabric threatening to expose her. She scrambled to pull it back, shame flooding her cheeks.
And that's when Aansh understood.
His face hardened. His words came like blades, crueler than any wound.
"Do you really think seeing your body will turn me on?" His voice dripped disdain as he backed away. "Don't flatter yourself, Ria. I barely register you as a woman... let alone as my wife."
The words cut deeper than knives. Her knees buckled, tears spilling freely. She had endured his hatred, his insults, his coldness - but this? This dismissal of her very womanhood? It shattered her.
Her palm moved before she realized - smack!
Her hand connected with his cheek.
The sound echoed. Silence followed.
And then... the storm.
His jaw flexed, his eyes turned molten with rage. He grabbed her wrist in a bruising grip, his fury radiating like fire. Without a word, he dragged her across the room, her cries falling on deaf ears.
"Aansh! Let me go! Please! You're hurting me!" she pleaded, stumbling behind him.
He didn't stop.
The balcony doors swung open, rain lashing against them. He threw her onto the cold floor, her body hitting hard. She scrambled, clutching her kurti against her chest, sobbing.
Aansh crouched to her level, his face inches from hers, his words venom dripping.
"You think you can raise your hand on me?" His voice was low, lethal. "You'll pay the price of even thinking about it. Do you know how easy it is for me to break you, Ria? To crush that fragile spirit you cling to? I promise you... I'll break you. Completely."
Each word fell like thunder, and she sobbed silently, shoulders shaking, unable to breathe past the cruelty.
He stood, towering above her broken frame. Without another glance, he stepped back inside, locking the balcony doors with a click.
"Open this door, Aansh!" she screamed, fists pounding weakly against the glass. "It's freezing out here! Please! Please!"
But he only smirked, drawing the curtains shut.
Darkness swallowed her. Rain battered her skin. Her pleas turned softer, weaker.
"Please... please..."
She slid down, collapsing onto her knees. Her body trembled violently, her tears lost in the storm. Hatred for herself consumed her - hatred for being weak, for begging, for still caring despite everything.
And then, slowly... consciousness slipped away.
The rain didn't stop. Neither did her pain.
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