23
I stood in front of the mirror, wearing a simple beige kurta dress, hair loosely braided to the side. My face looked blank. Lifeless. Even Sharaa, curled lazily in my arms, looked up at me with confused little eyes.
"We're going shopping," I told him softly, and he let out a quiet huff, burying his head against my chest.
I took one last breath, willing my heart to not feel.
But it didn't work.
My feet carried me down the stairs slowly.
As I reached the hall, I saw my entire family already waiting-Papa sitting with the newspaper, Bhairava bhaiya quietly sipping tea with Arya bhabhi beside him, and the twins-Gyan and Dyan-playfully arguing over color palettes.
Utsav was excitedly scrolling through his phone showing something to Arya bhabhi.
Everyone looked up when I walked in.
But all I could hear was one thought screaming in my head.
Why didn't he stop me?
Why didn't Dattatriya say anything?
I had looked at him... with tired, hopeful eyes. Hoping... praying... for one word. A sign. Anything. But he just stood there, silent, a statue in human form.
And somehow that silence had crushed me more than rejection ever could.
What is he doing to me?
Am I really... in love with Dattatriya Agnivanshi?
No, Katha. I scolded myself internally. Don't go there. You're marrying Gowtham. You promised Maa.
But my chest hurt.
Not because of the promise.
But because I knew-
I wanted him.
I wanted the man who stood like a storm and still looked at me like I was sacred.
"Bacha?" Bhairava bhaiya's voice brought me back. "Are you ready?"
I nodded slowly. "Yeah... I'm ready."
But we all knew.
I was anything but ready.
The shopping mall was buzzing with colors, noise, and excited chatter-except me.
I felt like I was walking through it all in slow motion.
Gyan bhaiya and Dyan bhaiya were constantly around me, arguing over which color would suit me best, cracking jokes, and trying their best to pull me into the moment.
"Take red, Katha," Gyan bhaiya said, holding up a lehenga. "Matches your temper."
"Nah," Dyan bhaiya added with a smirk. "Take white. At least one of you will be calm during the wedding."
I gave them a half-smile.
Meanwhile, Bhairava bhaiya was carefully guiding Arya bhabhi through the store, his hand protective around her waist. Utsav was walking close beside me, holding onto my hand with one hand and Sharaa's leash in the other.
Sharaa trotted proudly, wearing his little custom outfit and catching attention everywhere.
Papa was at the counter, paying the bills, surrounded by bags-his classic way of showing love. I knew he was happy, but I also knew he was watching me from the corner of his eyes. Everyone could see it-I wasn't really in it.
My heart wasn't in it.
My mind... was elsewhere.
And just as we stepped out, I saw a huge screen flashing on the mall wall.
"The Great American Businesswoman Adya Agnivanshi Returns to India After Years. What's the Agnivanshi Family Planning Next?"
I stopped in my tracks.
My eyes narrowed.
Adya Agnivanshi?
Wait... Dattatriya has a sister?
Before I could even think more, I noticed Gyan bhaiya beside me stiffen suddenly. It was subtle-just a sharp inhale, his jaw tightening for a millisecond before he masked it with a forced smile.
"What happened, bhaiya?" I asked instantly, sensing something off.
He blinked and gave me a half shrug. "Nothing, bacha. Just old memories." He looked at the screen once again and then away, as if brushing it off. "Come on, let's not waste time here."
I frowned but didn't push. I knew my brothers. If he was hiding something, it meant it was big.
But that name-Adya Agnivanshi-was now dancing in my head.
There was something about it... something familiar in the air.
And somehow, I just knew-
Everything was about to change.
It was the middle of the night, and I still hadn't slept a second. My mind was spiraling-thoughts of him clawing at every part of my peace. His eyes, his silence, that dance, that moment when he looked at me like I was his entire universe... and then let me walk away like I was nothing.
I couldn't take it anymore.
I clenched my jaw, yanked on a hoodie, grabbed my car keys, and stormed out of the house. I didn't care what time it was. I didn't care what anyone would say. I just drove, fast, furious, with nothing but one name echoing in my head.
Dattatriya.
I reached his mansion and slammed my hand on the horn, not stopping until the guards-startled and unsure-opened the gate. They looked at me with wide eyes, probably wondering who dares disturb the devil himself at this hour.
But I didn't even blink. I marched up to the front door and banged on it with everything I had.
And after a few long minutes...
The door creaked open.
There he stood. Dattatriya Agnivanshi. The coldest man in existence, and yet the one who had unknowingly become the center of my world.
His eyes were tired, dark circles betraying his sleepless nights. His kurta was wrinkled. His jaw unshaven. But his expression?
Dead.
"Katha," he said my name with no warmth, no affection-just cold indifference.
And something inside me snapped.
"Why, Datta?" I asked, my voice strained. "Why are you messing with my thoughts like this? Why are you always in my head? Why can't I stop thinking about you?!"
His eyes didn't even twitch.
I stepped closer, my voice rising. "Why didn't you stop me? Why didn't you say anything?! You just stood there. Silent. Cold. Watching me break into pieces and pretending you didn't care!"
He looked at me.
Blank. Still.
I felt tears burn at the back of my eyes, but I held them back. "Speak, please," I whispered now, voice softer. "Say something. Anything. Please."
And still-
Nothing.
"Go home, Katha," he said quietly and turned away.
"No," I snapped. "Not after what you said to me at the wedding. Not after the way you looked at me. Not after the way you made me feel. Not after all the times you were there when I didn't even ask. No. I'm not leaving without answers."
And suddenly, he turned around.
Before I could react, he grabbed my wrist, pulled me inside, and pinned me against the wall. My breath caught in my throat as he stood inches away from me. His breath was heavy. His hands were trembling.
"Just go, Katha," he said in a low, broken voice. His forehead rested against mine as he closed his eyes. "I've already lost so much in my life. I can't afford to lose you."
I froze.
"I lost my Ma," he whispered. "She used to call me 'Datta' so lovingly... and when you said it, I couldn't take it. It brought back everything. Everything I buried."
He exhaled shakily.
"I'm scared," he whispered.
The great Dattatriya Agnivanshi. Scared.
"I'm scared that if I let you in, if I give you everything I have... the universe will take you away from me too. Just like it took her. I'm like a black hole, Katha. I destroy whatever I love."
He leaned in closer, his voice barely a breath now.
"So please... go. Before I ruin you too."
And I just stood there, my heart breaking into a million silent pieces.
I stood frozen, my back still pressed against the cold wall of his mansion, his breath warm against my skin, his forehead resting gently on mine as he whispered the words that shattered my soul.
"I can't afford to lose you too."
Something inside me cracked open.
"You... you love me?" I asked, my voice barely holding itself together.
He looked at me with eyes that were red-not just from exhaustion but from the storm inside him that he had buried for far too long.
"More than you can ever imagine," he whispered.
His voice was low, reverent, like a man confessing before a god.
"You're my peace. My light. My reason to stay sane. You're like a ray of hope that returned after I lost Ma. You're my goddess, Katha. My prayer. The one I worship."
And in that moment, I couldn't breathe.
He leaned in a little more, as if just being near me was the only thing holding him together.
"Then why?" I whispered, my voice breaking. "Why are you giving up on me?"
His expression turned pained. More broken than I had ever seen it.
"Because it's for the best," he whispered, eyes dropping.
"I'm too broken to keep you, Katha. I'm like shattered glass-I'll only cut you. I'm a man who can only imagine having you... but never truly have you."
His voice cracked as he added, "You're a goddess. And I'm just a sinner who isn't worthy of even touching your shadow."
My throat tightened. My eyes burned. But I didn't let the tears fall. Not yet.
"So you're giving up on me," I said, my voice now trembling with both rage and heartbreak. "Just because you think you don't deserve me?"
He nodded, slow and solemn.
This stupid, stupid man.
I had enough.
Without another thought, I held his face between my hands and pulled him toward me-my lips crashed into his with all the pain, the confusion, the longing I had buried for weeks.
I kissed him hard. Fierce. Desperate. Not just to show him how I felt-but to wake him up from the nightmare he was forcing himself into.
He froze.
For a second, he didn't react-too shocked.
But then-
He broke the kiss and stepped back as if he had been burned.
I stood there, breathing heavily, realizing what I had done. My eyes widened and I instinctively stepped back too.
"Shit," I whispered under my breath, hating myself for letting emotions take over.
"Datta-" I started, guilt twisting in my chest.
"Go home, Katha," he said, his voice now hoarse... broken.
"Datta, please listen-" I tried again.
"I said go," he yelled suddenly.
I flinched. For the first time, he raised his voice at me-not with anger, but with unbearable pain.
And I left.
Not because I wanted to.
But because I had no choice.
Because sometimes... love isn't about staying.
It's about walking away until the person you love is brave enough to stop you.
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