39.
“Bhai, hamari awaz ko dabane ki koshish mat karna aap” Yuv says, walking behind Zayran with the others, his tone bold yet slightly shaky.
(Brother, don’t try to suppress our voice)
“Ham aap se bilkul nahi darte hain ab” Om says, glaring at Zayran, trying to look fearless even though his throat feels dry.
(We are not scared of you at all now)
It is 2 a.m. The night is silent as they return from the party but their voices fill the air. Throughout the entire ride, they keep throwing such words at him again and again.
Only Zayran knows how much patience he is holding inside… otherwise, none of them would be alive till now.
“Ladki baazi karni hai aapko bahar?” Shaurya asks, raising his brows, trying to act casual but his voice betrays a hint of nervousness.
(You want to flirt with girls outside?)
Zayran suddenly stops at the mansion stairs and slowly turns his head toward him. His eyes darken, cold and dangerous. The moment they see that look, all five of them freeze, their bodies going stiff as they gulp nervously, fear crawling up their spine.
“What are you doing with them?” he asks, his voice low and controlled as he looks at Grover with a done expression, his patience clearly running out.
Grover avoids his gaze, looking here and there, anywhere but at Zayran.
Zayran turns away without another word and walks fast toward his room, his steps heavy, his jaw clenched, as if he just wants to be alone… to breathe.
“Apne aap ko bahot bade gunde samajhte hain, par bhabhi ke saamne sitti pitti gul ho jaati hai” Ishi says with a smirk, crossing his arms and the others nod in agreement.
(He thinks he is a gangster but in front of sister-in-law, he become completely silent)
“Ham madam ko abhi ki abhi sab bata denge. Ham kyun apni image kharab kare unke saamne?” Grover says quickly, trying to sound confident and the others nod their heads eagerly.
(We will tell everything to madam right now. Why should we spoil our image in front of her?)
“Meri image to kharab hi hai” Yuv says dramatically, wiping his fake tears, making a sad face.
(My image is already ruined)
Zayran stops right in front of his room door. All five of them stand just behind him, so close that if he suddenly turns, they might literally crash into him and end up kissing him. They exchange nervous glances, holding their breath.
Without turning, Zayran slowly slides his hand to his side… and grabs his gun. Shakalaka boommmmm.
Everyone is gone. He slides the gun back into its place and enters inside the room but his breath hitches hard, uneven and heavy, as if something inside him is losing.
Sita’s eyes open the moment she hears a slight noise from outside the room. She immediately gets up from the couch, her movements quick. She looks at the time, then nervously fixes her hair and adjusts her saree, her fingers trembling slightly.
She takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Fear and nervousness are both visible on her face but her beauty hides everything so perfectly.
She actually looks breathtaking. Her eyes, lined softly with kohl, shine under the dim light. Her light red lips and natural blush make her look delicate… almost unreal.
The room door opens and Sita’s breathing stops for a moment. Her heart skips as she looks at him with a soft smile but her smile slowly fades seeing his reaction. He is not moving. He just stands at the door, completely still, staring directly at her face… at her eyes.
Under his intense gaze, she looks down nervously, her fingers clutching the edge of her saree, thinking maybe she is not looking pretty.
But the way her husband is looking at her… it feels like he has never seen light before and now he is standing right in front of the moon. His eyes scream so many emotions at once and his heart silently betrays him. If being devoted to a wife had a face, it would be Zayran Kaalver.
He walks inside, closing the door slowly behind him. His eyes don’t move toward the decorations not even for a second. He doesn’t notice how beautifully the room is arranged. He only looks at his feather… as if one blink and his entire empire will fall apart.
“Hamari biwi…” the words slip from his mouth slowly… so slowly that she doesn’t even hear them.
(My wife…)
She looks up at him. Her petite figure looks so fragile in front of his giant presence. He stops right in front of her, like a man who has finally found something worth surrendering to.
He is an atheist… a man who never believes in God… yet here he stands before her, ready to worship, to surrender, to devote himself completely, as if she is the only religion he will ever accept.
If love had a religion, she would be the only deity he would ever kneel to.
“A… aapko pasand aaya?” she asks softly, her voice trembling, scared to hear his answer. Her eyes avoid his intense gaze as she looks around the room, her fingers nervously twisting the edge of her saree.
(D… did you like it?)
“Had se zyada” he says, his voice low, still looking only at her.
(More than anything)
Her heart skips at his words. She slowly licks her dry lips and the moment he notices, he immediately looks away, taking a deep breath as if trying to control himself.
And just then, the decorated room finally comes into his view. His heart skips a beat, the balloons, the candles, the birthday tag… things he never finds interesting before. But right now, he looks at them as if they are worth more than everything he has ever built, owned or destroyed.
“Kis ke liye ye sab?” he asks slowly, his voice softer now, wanting to hear those words… the ones he wants to hear only from her mouth.
(All this is for whom?)
He looks back into her eyes and she smiles… a smile so soft yet so powerful that even the sinister, along with his entire empire, can kneel in front of her.
“Aap ke liye” she says softly and extends her shivering hand toward his.
(For you)
She is scared that he might get angry but still, she gathers the courage to give him the care he deserves. Her fingers slowly reach his hand and she gently holds his pinky finger, making him clench his teeth tightly as a strange feeling runs through him.
“I know your birthday has ended but still we can celebrate, right?” she says, her voice soft yet hopeful, now a little happy because he doesn’t stop her or show any anger.
She sits down on the couch and gently pulls him right beside her, close to herself. And he… he looks at her like he might cry… or maybe make the entire world cry just to protect her smile.
“I don’t know how to decorate and do all these things and I hope you like it” she says happily, taking the cake out of the box and placing it on the table. She carefully lights a candle on it, her eyes shining with nervous excitement. And he… he is getting impatient… badly. Why?
Because her open hair keeps falling over her face, hiding her smile and her beautiful features and he is not able to see her clearly.
“I love it” he says, his voice soft but firm. She immediately turns her face toward him, her eyes widening.
“Really?” she asks excitedly, her lips curving into a bright smile and he nods his head slightly, a faint smile appearing on his face.
“I thought you’ll get angry because you don’t celebrate your birthday” she says slowly, her voice unsure and he just looks into her eyes.
She can feel it… he is looking different today. His eyes are different. He looks hot like every day but today… he looks more. More intense. More soft. More dangerous.
She nervously grabs a golden crown which she buys only for him and turns toward him hesitantly, thinking if he would even wear it or not.
But when he doesn’t react or say anything, she slowly starts pulling her hand back. Her fingers tremble slightly… but her hand suddenly stops in the middle.
For the first time in his entire existence… he lowers his head in front of someone. Not just someone… but in front of his feather.
He stays still, silently waiting for her to make him wear it. Her breath gets stuck in her throat as she slowly places the crown on his head. He closes his eyes.
This is not how she is supposed to behave with him not according to the world he belongs to… but still, here she is.
“You are looking like a real king” she says excitedly, clapping her hands softly, her eyes shining as she adores her man.
She places the cake in front of him and gently hands him the knife.
“Cut the cake” she says, smiling brightly and starts clapping again.
He looks at her… then at the cake. The soft candlelight reflects in his eyes, making them shine with something deeper than just emotions.
“Happy birthday to you… happy birthday to you… happy birthday dear hubby… happy birthday to you” she sings softly from her heart, her voice filled with innocence and warmth not knowing how fast his heart is thudding because of her words.
She can feel his intense gaze on her, burning into her skin but she doesn’t look at him. She doesn’t have that much courage… not after what she just sings.
“Make a wish” she says gently.
He slowly lifts his hand and holds her hand in his, his fingers wrapping around hers firmly yet softly and then he leans forward and blows the candle.
Her eyes get slightly teary at his action, her heart melting at this small moment. He cuts the cake slowly, his hands slightly trembling and takes out a piece. This moment feels so strange… yet so calm and exciting for both of them.
He extends the piece toward her, his eyes fixed on her face. She takes a small bite and her eyes immediately shine because of the taste. A soft smile appears on her lips.
Then she takes the same piece his hand and feeds him, her fingers brushing slightly against his lips. He eats it slowly, still looking at her as if nothing else exists.
“Hamne aap ke liye khana bhi banaya hai” she says softly, a little shy and his eyes widen slightly at her words.
(I have also cooked food for you)
She quickly grabs his gifts and places them in front of him, then sits back in her place happily, her hands resting in her lap.
He takes the gifts and starts opening them one by one. There are so many small things. A cute little box of colorful rubber bands, an off-white sweater, a watch, a brooch.
He looks at each and everything carefully, touching them as if he has never seen anything this beautiful in his life.
And she… she feels nervous. Her fingers twist together as she watches him because those things are not expensive and there are not many items either. She runs out of money while buying all the decoration items and the cake… and now she just hopes… he likes them.
“Hame kuch aur bhi chahiye aapse tohfe mein” he says suddenly and she immediately stops moving, her hands freezing in place as she looks at him, waiting for him to speak further.
(I want something more from you as a gift)
Fear slowly fills her eyes because she doesn’t have money… but still, she is ready to give him anything if it is possible.
He carefully closes the boxes and places them beside him with so much care, as if they are precious. Then he turns completely toward her.
He is scared from inside, his heart beating fast but he still tries to stay normal, trying to speak without stuttering.
“Aap dengi na hame, ham jo maangege?” he asks softly, his voice low, almost vulnerable and she slowly nods her head.
(You will give me whatever I ask for, right?)
He leans closer toward her, their faces now just inches away, their breaths mixing in the small space.
“Kya aap hame ye haq dengi ki ham jab chahe aapko apni bahon mein le lein?” he ask, looking deep into her eyes, his gaze intense and raw and her breath hitches hard.
(Will you give me the right to hold you in my arms whenever I want?)
Her lips part slightly because of the intensity of his words. A shiver runs down her spine. She never knows that a man who can have the entire world in his hands… if he wants… will ask her for something as simple as a hug like this… as if her one “no” can stop his breathing forever.
“Aapko maangne ki zarurat nahi hai… ye aapka haq hai” she says softly, looking straight into his eyes, her voice filled with sincerity.
(You don’t need to ask… it is your right)
He takes a deep breath… like he has already won the entire world.
And the next moment, he pulls her into his arms, hugging her tightly. She doesn’t think twice and wraps her hands around his neck, holding him softly.
Both of them are unaware of where this is leading… but still, they don’t care about anything.
He closes his eyes, burying his face slowly into her neck, breathing in her scent deeply and her toes curl hard because of the way he is holding her.
Their hearts beat in rhythm, fast yet calm. He opens his eyes and a smile appears on his face… a smile that can send a shiver down anyone’s spine.
“K… khana thanda ho gaya hai” she says softly, her voice breaking the moment, as he is not ready to leave her.
(T… the food has gone cold)
He slowly breaks the hug, unwilling and uninterested, his arms loosening from around her. She quickly moves away, her cheeks turning red and starts preparing the plate, her hands slightly shaky. And he… he just sits there, admiring her with a soft smile on his face.
“Aapko khana banana aata hai?” he asks and she looks at him with a proud smile.
(You know how to cook?)
“Aapko pata hai, Adi aur Anu to plate chaat jaate hain jab ham khana banate hain” she says proudly, chuckling softly as she places a plate of paneer pulao in front of him and one for herself.
(You know, Adi and Anu literally lick the plate clean when I cook)
“Kha kar bataye kaisa hai” she says, looking at him with hopeful eyes.
(Eat and tell me how it is)
He takes the plate and picks a bite. He chews slowly, tasting it carefully and then nods his head while looking at her, showing her a thumbs up.
Her face lights up instantly. She smiles widely, grabs her own plate and takes a bite, then pats her own shoulder happily like a child proud of her work.
They both eat together. She talks more today than she usually does, her voice filled with excitement and comfort and he listens to her with a constant smile on his face… for more than half an hour.
She is sleeping beside me today… so close to me. My feather… she is really divine. She controls me without even knowing it.
I hate my birthdays. I hate them because those incidents… those traumas hit me like fresh wounds every single time. It feels like everything is happening all over again. I feel like destroying everything around me because of those feelings because of those flashbacks.
But when it comes to her… I don’t fucking care about my past or my trauma. Nothing matters in front of her… and nothing ever will. For me, only she matters.
I can’t believe I control myself for my feather… for seven freaking years.
I slowly lift my hand and gently move a strand of her hair away from her face, careful not to wake her. She hasn’t changed at all in these seven years… and neither has my obsession for her.
I plan everything… each and every detail… for years, just to get her close to me. And I do it. My plan of marrying her… and even knowing the intention behind her coming here as a maid… it was all part of my plan… a plan I create the moment I see her for the first time.
“Pani…” the word slips from my mouth weakly as my body runs out of energy.
(Water)
A sharp pain burns in my stomach because of three bullets at the same spot. My entire face is covered with blood and deep marks. The night keeps getting darker and I don’t think I am going to survive now.
My eyes slowly close and my breathing starts fading because of the injuries… because of the bullets buried inside my body.
My enemies chase me and after fighting them and taking bullets into my body, I end up here… in the middle of the forest… lying on the ground, on the edge of death.
“Are you okay?” a scared voice reaches my ears.
My eyes open slowly, heavy and blurry and a face appears in front of me. My hair over my forehead and eyes are not letting me see her clearly.
“Pani…” I whisper again, my voice even weaker this time and my eyes close again.
The very next second, I feel water touching my lips. I instinctively drink it, my dry throat aching for it. I am thirsty for three days… and I drink whatever water is left in her bottle without stopping.
“You are bleeding… let’s go to the hospital” she says in a scared and nervous tone. Her hands tremble as she lifts my head gently and places it on her lap.
Now I see her face clearly. She looks worried for me… and it’s not fake. I can see it in her eyes. Pure fear. Pure concern.
She quickly starts wiping my face with her sleeves, trying to clean the blood, trying to stop the bleeding somehow. Her hands shake but she doesn’t stop.
And then… a single tear falls from her eye… landing on my face. It burns my skin. Someone… is crying for me.
“Main aapko kuch nahi hone dungi… main apne baba ko bula kar laati hoon… aap kahin mat jana… aap theek ho jaoge… main aati hoon… aap kahin mat jana” she says in a panicked, trembling voice, placing my head back on the grass carefully before getting up.
(I won’t let anything happen to you… I will call my father… don’t go anywhere… you will be fine… I will come back… don’t go anywhere)
She runs toward the left side of the forest, her footsteps hurried, her breath uneven, her tears falling as she disappears into the darkness.
My eyes are weak, heavy… but I don’t close them. I keep looking in the direction where she runs away… crying… crying for me.
“Boss!” Grover’s voice reaches my ears. I see my guards running toward me, their figures getting closer, their faces filled with urgency. But my mind… my thoughts… they are stuck on her. I want her to come back.
Before I can realize anything, my eyes close… and I lose my consciousness completely.
“Aapne kaha tha kahin mat jana… to hum hamesha ke liye aapke paas aa gaye” I whisper slowly, my fingers gently playing with a single strand of her hair.
(You told me not to go anywhere… so I came to you forever)
I want to marry her like normal couples do… but her father would never allow that. So… I make a simple plan.
I made her baba the in-charge of the case against me. He started investigating me, working day and night just to catch me. And I… I made it both easy and difficult for him.
I played with his mind, making him desperate, pushing him again and again, hurting his ego to the point where he was ready to send his own daughter here.
I made it easy for her to enter the mansion. It was all me. I played with everyone… not just her. From acting like I didn’t know her at all… to even getting arrested for her… everything was part of my plan.
Not a single soul on this earth knew what my real intentions were toward her.
I played well… didn’t I?
Everything was my plan. And look… I succeeded. Because whatever I do… it always turns right for me… one way or another.
I know… maybe for others, all this feels wrong… something a human should not do. But for me… as long as she is safe… as long as she is comfortable with me… nothing is wrong.
I didn’t force her… because even in my madness, she is not someone I want to break… she is someone I choose to worship.
She is precious… and no hero in this world has the power to protect her and worship her the way this sinister man of hers is going to do.
I played this game… but everything was for her. Because she told me not to leave… so I didn’t. And now… I keep her with me… forever.
“Are you falling for me?” I whisper softly, leaning closer to her. My head rests near hers and my eyes stay fixed on her face, tracing every soft feature of her in the dim light.
She gives me permission to hug her… she decorates all this for me… she stays beside me like this. Now she will stay with me forever… because I am addicted to her care… to her presence.
Will she ever find out about my plans? No… she will never. And even if she does… I will have my own ways to keep her with me. Of course, not by forcing her… because I will never, ever force my feather into anything.
I will just… simply manipulate her. She doesn’t know how dirty my hands get while keeping her safe from everything… from all these years.
She doesn’t even have the slightest idea how she makes me move according to her… how she controls me without even knowing it. But am I complaining?
Of course not. She is the only one who has the power to make me do things no one can ever imagine.
“Kanha… today is my husband’s birthday…” she mumbles softly in her sleep, her voice innocent and warm and a small smile appears on my face.
See… I do nothing wrong. My wife is happy with me… and I am happy with her… after making countless people sleep forever… and destroying many lives… just for her.
I don’t do anything wrong. I just protect her all these years by keeping everyone away from her… because that’s how a villain like me protects his woman, right?
Why would I wait for something to harm her?
If I ever wait for something to hurt her and then react…
then I should kill myself. Because I am meant to protect my feather in a way that even if someone just thinks about hurting her…
I should bury them alive under the ground. And I do it… many times.
So tell me… how am I wrong?
I will be wrong the day she cries because of me. I will be wrong… the worst… when she feels uncomfortable with me. I will be the worst when she feels fear because of me… or around me. I will be the worst when she starts thinking that she deserves someone better than me.
I haven’t done anything for my feather till now but I will do everything for her in the future. A future where both of us live happily together.
I hate her. I still hate her… because I wait for her for seven years… and she forgets me. Isn’t that bad? She should be the one who is wrong here… not me.
“I’ll punish you for this soon” I whisper softly, my voice low and dangerous, as I lean closer and gently sniff her hair… the only thing that can calm me in any situation.
“The most beautiful punishment you will ever receive… by your… and only your… darinda” I speak slowly, my voice soft and then I close my eyes with a faint smile, sleeping too close to her.
But only for today… because from tomorrow, I will sleep in her arms. Because that is where I rightfully belong.
The sinister man and his feather sleep peacefully.
One is in love with him… and the other… completely obsessed with her.
He is obsessed with her for seven long years and he says he does nothing wrong…
that he only does things to save her. But what about the extent he goes to all these years just to keep her safe?
He manipulates everyone… and he plays his game perfectly. But his actions for her are truly pure… and he doesn’t even realize that.
He wants her to fall for him… and she is falling for him… deeply. And now, he will keep her with him, safe and protected… just like a delicate rose saved between sharp thorns.
And the way she treats him… with care, softness and innocence… after receiving all this, he will never leave her. Even if she treats him badly one day… he still won’t leave her. That is how deeply he is obsessed with her.
His every action in the past… and every word he speaks… has a reason. A reason that comes from his obsession… an obsession he has carried for her for seven years.