CHAPTER 15 #2
When he’s done, his hands linger for just a fraction longer before he lets go. I turn around, still standing so close to him, when my phone buzzes. The screen lights up, and my gaze drops to the phone lying on the edge of the pool table. So does Raghav’s.
At first, I don’t even register what’s on the screen.
I’m still distracted by the feeling of his hands in my hair.
But then, I see his expression change. It happens in an instant.
That softness on his face disappears. His jaw tightens, and his eyes turn cold.
My stomach drops before I even look at the phone again, realising he must have read another crude message notification from Parag.
The kind I’ve repeatedly told him to stop sending.
The kind that reads ‘Every time you ignore me, sweetheart, I just keep imagining how loudly I’ll have you screaming my name when you’re finally mine. ’
My stomach sinks, knowing Raghav just read that too. And before I can react, he reaches forward and snatches my phone straight off the table.
“Raghav—”
I step forward immediately, glaring at him. “How dare you—”
But the words die halfway because he unlocks my phone. Just like that. My eyes widen as his fingers move across the screen, tracing my pattern lock without the slightest hesitation.
“What the hell!” I stare at him in shock. “How do you know my password?”
He doesn’t respond. Doesn’t even glance at me. His attention is fully on the screen as he opens Parag’s chat and begins scrolling rapidly through the chats. Message after message. Days’ worth of almost single sided conversations.
The more he reads, the darker his expression becomes.
My heartbeat starts pounding hard inside my chest. This feels like a complete invasion of privacy.
No one touches my phone. Not even Samarjeet has ever dared to snatch it from my hands or go through my messages, despite controlling almost every other part of my life.
My phone has always remained mine. Private and untouched.
And yet this man walks straight into my space, as though he has every right over me and everything I own. I finally snap out of my shock and yank the phone from his hand. “Have you completely lost your mind?”
His head jerks up, and he looks furious now.
“What kind of messages is he sending you?” he demands. “And why the f*ck are you still replying to him?”
I tighten my grip around the phone. My heartbeat is still uneven from the sheer audacity of what he just did.
“In case you failed to notice,” I shoot back, “I don’t respond to all his messages. At least not to such vulgar ones.”
Raghav’s jaw clenches so hard that I can actually see a muscle tick near his cheek. His entire face looks dark with anger now. He turns away abruptly and begins pacing, then stops, exhaling harshly before looking back at me.
There’s this intensity in his gaze, like he wants to drag me closer and shake some sense into me at the same time.
“Don’t encourage him,” he says sharply. “Shut him down completely. Block him. Right away. Do you hear me?”
For a second, I just stare at him in disbelief. Who the hell does he think he is?
My brows pull together instantly. “And who are you to tell me that?” I fire back. “You’re forgetting something, RK. Parag is my fiancé.”
Fiancé.
That word does something to him. Before I can react, he suddenly grabs my arm and pulls me towards him, hard enough that I stumble straight into his chest.
“But you don’t want to marry him, right?” he bites out through clenched teeth. “Then why the f*ck are you even entertaining this?”
The anger in his voice makes me flinch. I glance down at his hand wrapped around me before slowly looking back into his eyes.
“I have no interest in entertaining him either,” I say quietly this time. “But I can’t cut him off directly right now. I’m buying time, RK. I’m trying to find a way to end this alliance somehow.”
His gaze never leaves mine. “You might think you are buying time, but for men like him, it’s enough to make them believe you enjoy the attention, Siya. So stop giving him the reason to think this is acceptable. Because it’s clearly not.”
I let out a short breath, more annoyed at myself than at him. Because a part of me wants to listen. Part of me wants to do exactly what he’s saying.
And I hate that. The moment I try to look away, Raghav pulls me even closer, forcing my eyes to meet his. “You have no idea how men think. Especially mafia men.”
I swallow as he continues, “When a mafia man decides he wants something, Siya, especially a woman… he doesn’t stop. Not even if she says no or ignores him. Nothing stops him.”
Something about the way he says it makes my chest tighten. Because this doesn’t feel like he’s talking about Parag anymore. It feels like he is talking about… himself. I shut that thought down immediately. I’m not going there. He seems to realise it too, because his grip loosens slightly.
“Stop entertaining his texts from now on,” he warns again. “Or it will be the last thing he ever does with his hands.”
What? This is ridiculous.
I blink, thrown off by his statement. What does that even mean? For a second, I just stare at him. Parag is miles away. Why would Raghav even do something like that? But then I look at him closely, at his face, at his eyes, and the thought fades away. He’s not joking. Not even a little.
Before either of us can say anything else, we sense movement near the lounge entrance and Haider walking in.
I step back, putting some much-needed distance between us.
Then, without another word, I turn and walk out of the game lounge without looking back.
I’m done with men who think they can make me do what they think is right.
I barely take a few steps out when I spot Esha near one of the buggies. She looks like she’s about to head somewhere, but the moment she sees me, she stops.
“Ma’am,” she calls out softly, gesturing towards the buggy. “Do you want me to drop you back to your cottage?”
I don’t even think about it.
“Yeah,” I say a little too quickly. “Please.”
I just want to leave from here. I climb into the buggy and settle into the seat beside her as the driver starts moving. For a few seconds, neither of us speaks. The silence is oddly comforting. Then Esha turns slightly towards me. “I was actually planning to come and meet you later,” she says.
“Meet me?” I glance at her, surprised. “For what?”
Her face lights up, like she’s been waiting to tell me this.
“There’s a local event tomorrow evening at the old Shivtara Valley temple,” she says. “It’s a very special occasion around here.”
I shift slightly, curious despite myself. “What kind of event?”
“Well, it’s one of this valley’s oldest traditions,” she explains.
“There’s a local belief about a full moon night that comes only once every four years.
And this time, it happens to be tomorrow.
The people here believe that on this night, any choice made from the heart becomes permanent.
And once that choice is made… it lasts forever. ”
“Really?” I frown slightly, trying to understand. “What kind of choices?”
Esha smiles, like she knows exactly where this is going.
“It’s mostly centred around unmarried women,” she adds.
“On this night, the women here choose the man they want for this lifetime. In fact, the locals believe that when a woman chooses her partner on this night, the Goddess blesses the union herself. They say it binds the couple together… not just for this lifetime, but for seven lifetimes.”
I let out a small breath, part amused, part intrigued. “What? Just like that?”
“Not just like that,” she laughs softly.
“There’s a ritual performed at the temple first, where everyone gathers to pray.
And once the full moon rises, the folk dances begin.
It’s not necessary that every single woman in that event has to choose a man.
But if she has someone specific in mind, then this is her chance to publicly choose him, usually by placing a lily garland around his neck, or sometimes by tying a sacred thread around his wrist.”
That’s… interesting.
“And what if the man rejects her?” I ask, still curious.
Esha frowns, as if not liking this part, but she still explains. “Well, then the woman returns home disappointed. But that rarely happens anymore. These days, most couples have already chosen each other long before the festival. They just wait for this event to make their choices public.”
It sounds unreal, yet strangely beautiful.
“This is new,” I admit softly. “I’ve never heard of anything like it.”