Chapter 10 The First Time He Broke
Chapter 10
The First Time He Broke
Aadhira could feel the heat of his body even through the cold rain-filled air.
Too close.
Too intense.
Arjun stood in front of her like a man holding himself together by force alone. His hand still gripped the bracelet tightly while his eyes searched her face with an emotion she had never seen so openly before.
Desperation.
And somehow... that scared her more than his anger ever had.
"What if someone does?" she asked quietly.
Arjun's expression changed instantly.
The question landed like a direct hit.
Aadhira's voice remained soft, but every word cut deeper than intended.
"What if someone loves me properly one day?" she whispered. "What if someone chooses me first?"
Silence.
Arjun stared at her as if the thought itself offended him.
No.
Not offended.
Terrified.
Because for the first time in years, he suddenly saw the situation clearly.
Aadhira was beautiful. Warm. Loyal. The kind of woman men searched for once in a lifetime.
And he-
He had left her emotionally starving beside him for years while assuming she would never leave.
A horrible mistake.
Arjun laughed quietly under his breath, but it sounded broken somehow. "You think I'd let that happen?"
"There." Aadhira looked at him sadly. "You still don't understand."
His jaw tightened.
"This isn't about ownership, Arjun."
"Then what is it about?"
Her eyes shimmered faintly.
"Love."
The word hit him harder than expected.
Because suddenly he realized something devastating.
Aadhira had never asked him for expensive gifts. Never demanded luxury vacations or attention from the media. She never cared about his money the way society claimed women did.
She only wanted him.
And somehow, despite having everything in the world-
That was the one thing he failed to give her.
Aadhira slowly stepped away from him.
This time he let her.
Barely.
"I used to wait for you," she admitted quietly. "Every night."
Arjun felt something painful tighten in his chest.
"I'd sit awake hearing cars outside hoping one of them was yours." Her lips curved into a weak smile. "Sometimes I'd even rehearse conversations in my head."
He couldn't look away from her.
"I kept thinking if I loved you patiently enough..." her voice trembled slightly, "one day you'd finally love me loudly too."
God.
Every sentence felt like punishment now.
Arjun looked down briefly, jaw clenenching hard.
Because she had.
She really had loved him that deeply.
And he took it for granted.
Aadhira wrapped her shawl tighter around herself before continuing softly, "Then after a while, I stopped waiting near the door."
The image destroyed him unexpectedly.
Her slowly giving up on him piece by piece while he remained too distracted to notice.
Rain continued falling around them quietly.
Finally, Arjun spoke again.
Low.
Rough.
"I never touched Naina."
Aadhira closed her eyes briefly.
"This was never only about cheating."
"I know."
The immediate answer surprised her.
Arjun stepped closer again, though slower this time. Less aggressive. More careful.
As if he finally understood how fragile the space between them had become.
"I know," he repeated quietly. "And maybe that's worse."
Aadhira looked at him silently.
For the first time in years, he actually sounded self-aware.
No excuses.
No arrogance.
No cold dismissals.
Just honesty.
And somehow that made her heart ache more.
Arjun lifted the bracelet slightly between them.
"You stopped wearing this after the charity gala."
Her breath caught.
He remembered that?
"That was the night I canceled dinner."
Aadhira stared at him in shock.
He remembered.
Not only the event.
The exact reason she stopped wearing his gift.
Arjun laughed bitterly at her expression. "You think I stopped noticing you." His eyes met hers again. "Truth is... I noticed everything. I just kept choosing work anyway."
The honesty felt brutal.
Because she could not even deny it anymore.
He had noticed.
And still hurt her.
Aadhira looked away, pain flashing across her face.
"That's worse, Arjun."
"I know."
Another immediate answer.
No defense.
No justification.
Just guilt.
The storm inside him had become unbearable now.
Years of emotional distance crashing into one terrifying realization-
He was losing the only woman who had ever loved him unconditionally.
And for the first time in his life...
Arjun Oberoi didn't know how to fix it.
The thought shattered something inside him quietly.
Before Aadhira could react, Arjun suddenly reached forward and pressed his forehead lightly against hers.
Aadhira froze completely.
The intimacy of the gesture stunned her more than any touch before.
He had never done this.
Not even during the happiest parts of their marriage.
His voice came out rough against the rain.
"I don't know how to do this."
Her heartbeat trembled painfully.
"Do what?"
His eyes closed briefly.
"Love someone without destroying them first."
The confession broke the last bit of control in his voice.
And for the first time since she had known him-
Arjun Oberoi sounded heartbreakingly human.