Chapter 22 - Storm Inside Him
Aadhira forgot how to breathe.
The warmth of his thumb lingered against her skin, catching every tear before it could fall completely.
Too gentle.
Too careful.
As if even her pain belonged to him.
The storm raged outside the balcony, but inside-
silence wrapped around them like something alive.
Dangerous.
Intimate.
Arjun's forehead rested lightly against hers now, his breathing uneven for the first time since she had known him.
That terrified her more than his anger ever could.
Because Arjun Oberoi angry was predictable.
But vulnerable?
That version of him could destroy her completely.
"Aadhira..." he whispered softly, almost painfully. "Look at me."
She tried not to.
Failed instantly.
His dark eyes held exhaustion, possessiveness, fear-
and love so intense it physically hurt to look at.
Her voice trembled. "You don't get to say things like this after ignoring me for months."
"I know."
"You don't get to walk in here and suddenly act like-"
"Like you're my entire world?" he interrupted quietly.
Her breath caught.
He closed his eyes briefly, jaw tightening.
"Because that's exactly the problem."
The confession landed heavily between them.
Aadhira stared at him silently.
Arjun let out a slow breath before stepping away just enough to look at her properly.
Rainwater still dripped from his hair.
His shirt clung to his chest.
Yet somehow he looked more exhausted emotionally than physically.
"You think I stayed away because I stopped loving you?" he asked roughly.
She didn't answer.
That was answer enough.
Something dark flickered across his face.
Then suddenly-
he laughed bitterly under his breath.
A broken sound.
"I was trying to survive loving you."
The words shattered something inside her.
Arjun turned away for a second, dragging a hand down his face before speaking again.
"Do you have any idea what it does to me knowing this family name painted a target on your back the second you became my wife?"
Aadhira frowned slightly.
"What are you talking about?"
His silence lasted too long.
And suddenly she remembered things she had ignored before.
The threatening calls that mysteriously stopped overnight.
The security increase after their wedding.
The way Arjun always checked exits in public places.
The hidden tension during business parties.
Her heartbeat slowed.
Arjun noticed immediately.
"Exactly," he muttered darkly. "I kept you away from it intentionally."
"Arjun..."
"There are people who would hurt you just to get to me."
The cold certainty in his voice made fear crawl softly up her spine.
He stepped closer again.
"But the thought of you hating me?" he whispered. "That scares me more."
Aadhira felt tears sting her eyes again instantly.
God.
Why did he always sound the most honest when he was hurting?
Her voice softened despite herself.
"You made me feel unwanted."
Pain crossed his face immediately.
"Never."
"You stopped talking to me."
"I was drowning."
"You stopped touching me."
His jaw clenched hard.
"Because every time I touched you, I forgot how to think."
The raw honesty in his voice stole the air from her lungs.
Arjun moved suddenly.
Not aggressively.
Desperately.
His hands slid around her waist fully this time, pulling her closer until barely any distance remained between them.
Warmth crashed into her instantly despite his rain-soaked clothes.
"Aadhira," he murmured deeply, "do you know how many nights I stood outside our bedroom trying to convince myself not to walk in there ?"
Her pulse became dangerously uneven.
He lowered his head slightly.
"Because the second I hold you..." his voice roughened, "...nothing else matters anymore."
Her fingers curled instinctively against his chest.
Solid.
Warm.
Real.
The familiar scent of rain and expensive cologne surrounded her completely.
Home.
And that realization almost broke her again.
Aadhira looked down weakly. "Then why did it feel like you were slipping away from me?"
For a moment, Arjun said nothing.
Then quietly-
"Because I thought distance would keep you safe."
Her eyes lifted sharply to his.
"And instead," he whispered bitterly, "I made my wife cry herself to sleep in a house full of everything except me."
The tears fell before she could stop them.
Arjun cursed softly under his breath immediately.
His thumb brushed beneath her eyes again, catching every tear with frustrated tenderness.
"I hate seeing you cry."
"You cause most of it."
A faint breath of amusement escaped him despite the heaviness between them.
"Yeah," he murmured tiredly. "I'm realizing that."
For the first time that night-
Aadhira almost smiled.
Almost.
Arjun noticed anyway.
Of course he did.
His gaze dropped briefly to her lips before returning to her eyes.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Thicker.
Warmer.
More dangerous.
Aadhira's breath hitched softly.
And Arjun noticed that too.
His voice lowered.
"Tell me not to kiss you."
Her heart nearly stopped.
The rain thundered outside violently now, wind pushing against the balcony curtains as if the entire world disappeared beyond this moment.
Aadhira should've stepped away.
Should've reminded herself how hurt she had been.
Should've protected the fragile walls around her heart.
Instead-
she whispered the worst possible thing.
"...I don't think I can."
Something inside Arjun snapped completely after that.
His hand slid into her hair gently but possessively, tilting her face upward before his lips finally crashed against hers.
Not soft.
Not careful.
Months of restrained emotion poured into the kiss instantly.
Relief.
Anger.
Longing.
Love.
Aadhira gasped softly against his mouth as his other arm tightened around her waist, pulling her impossibly closer.
Like he needed proof she was still here.
Still his.
The kiss deepened slowly, emotionally devastating in a way neither of them could survive untouched.
And for the first time in months-
the loneliness between them finally broke.
Arjun kissed her like a man starved for months.
Like every second without her had turned violent inside him.
Aadhira's back hit the cold balcony wall softly as his hand tightened possessively around her waist, pulling her flush against him. The rain-cooled air mixed dangerously with the heat between them, making her head spin.
His lips moved against hers slower now.
Deeper.
More devastating.
Not rushed desire.
Something far worse.
Claiming.
A soft breath escaped her when his thumb slid beneath her jaw, tilting her face exactly how he wanted.
And God-
that tiny controlling gesture still ruined her completely.
Arjun pulled back only enough for their foreheads to touch, both breathing unevenly.
His dark eyes searched her face carefully.
Almost obsessively.
As if checking whether she was still breaking apart in front of him.
"You have no idea what you do to me," he murmured hoarsely.
Aadhira swallowed hard.
His fingers flexed slightly against her waist when she stayed silent.
"Say something."
The command came low.
Protective.
Possessive enough to send warmth through her chest.
Her voice came out weak. "I'm still angry at you."
"I know."
"But I still-"
"Love me?" he finished quietly.
The confidence in his tone should have annoyed her.
Instead it made her pulse shake.
Because he sounded certain.
Like even in the middle of losing her-
Arjun Oberoi never doubted her heart belonged to him.
His gaze darkened slightly at her silence.
Then suddenly his hand moved from her waist to her throat.
Gentle.
Not enough to hurt.
Just enough to hold.
To remind.
Mine.
Aadhira's breath caught instantly.
Arjun noticed.
Of course he did.
A dangerous calm settled over his face.
"Listen carefully to me," he said softly. "There is no world where another woman takes your place."
The reassurance hit harder than she expected.
His thumb brushed slowly along her neck.
"Naina works for me."
His voice sharpened slightly at the name.
"That's all she will ever do."
Aadhira looked away weakly. "People talk."
"I'll bury anyone who disrespects my wife."
The terrifying sincerity in his tone made her heartbeat stumble.
Arjun leaned closer, lips barely brushing near her ear now.
"And if another man ever looked at you the way people think I look at Naina..." his voice dropped dangerously lower, "...Mumbai would lose one citizen."
A shocked breath escaped her lips before she could stop it.
He smirked faintly against her skin.
"There she is."
"That's not funny."
"I wasn't joking."
The dark honesty in his voice sent chills through her instantly.
His hand slid back into her hair, gripping softly at the roots before guiding her head back enough to force eye contact again.
"You belong beside me, Aadhira."
The intensity in his eyes became almost unbearable.
"Not away from me."
Emotion clogged painfully in her chest.
Because beneath all the arrogance...
He sounded afraid.
Actually afraid.
Her fingers curled into his soaked shirt slowly.
"What aren't you telling me?" she whispered.
That changed everything.
The softness disappeared from his face immediately.
Not toward her.
Toward the thought itself.
Something cold entered his eyes.
Something dangerous.
Aadhira felt it instantly.
Arjun stayed silent too long.
Then finally-
"Vikram Sethi is back in Mumbai."
The name meant nothing at first.
Then suddenly she remembered.
The politician-businessman constantly seen on financial news channels.
Powerful.
Untouchable.
Dangerous.
Even her father used to lower his voice while mentioning him.
Her stomach tightened.
Arjun watched her carefully.
"Two years ago," he said quietly, "I destroyed a deal worth eight hundred crores because it involved trafficking routes hidden through shipping contracts."
Aadhira froze.
His jaw hardened.
"Vikram lost a lot of money because of me."
Rain thundered around them violently now.
"But he couldn't touch me directly," Arjun continued coldly. "So he started watching my family instead."
Fear slowly crawled beneath her skin.
Arjun saw it immediately.
His expression darkened.
"That's why security increased after our wedding."
Pieces connected horrifyingly fast now.
The bodyguards.
The tracking.
The restrictions.
The paranoia.
Aadhira whispered softly, "You thought he would come after me?"
Arjun's eyes locked onto hers with terrifying intensity.
"I know men like him."
The certainty in his voice chilled her.
"He likes power games. Fear. Control."
His hand tightened against her waist instinctively.
"And the second you became my weakness..." his voice roughened dangerously, "...you became valuable."
Silence crashed between them.
Aadhira suddenly understood everything.
Why he worked obsessively.
Why he checked every room.
Why he barely slept.
Why he always looked tense whenever she left alone.
Not because he didn't trust her.
Because he didn't trust the world around her.
Her eyes burned again.
"Arjun..."
"I would burn this entire city down before letting anyone touch you."
The quiet promise in his voice felt more terrifying than shouting.
And worse-
she believed him.
Completely.
He lowered his forehead against hers again, exhaustion finally slipping through his control.
"For months I kept trying to choose between protecting you and loving you properly."
His fingers stroked slowly against her waist.
"I failed at both."
Aadhira's chest ached painfully.
"No," she whispered softly. "You just tried to carry everything alone."
Something vulnerable flickered across his face again.
Rare.
Precious.
Then suddenly his phone vibrated sharply in his pocket.
Arjun instantly went still.
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
Cold.
Deadly.
He pulled the phone out slowly, eyes hardening the second he saw the screen.
Aadhira noticed the change instantly.
"Who is it?"
He stared at the phone for one long second before answering quietly-
"Speak."
The voice on the other side spoke rapidly.
Arjun's entire expression darkened.
Dangerously calm.
Aadhira felt fear rise immediately.
Then he spoke one sentence that made her blood run cold.
"How the hell did he get access to my house security footage?"