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I sat alone in my secret room, the scent of paint and silence heavy in the air. The canvas in front of me held her image-my sunshine.
She was wearing that peach dress, the one she wore during Sheraa's birthday. Her eyes sparkled with mischief and warmth, a soft, rare smile curving her lips. I had painted every stroke with precision... yet my own face on the canvas remained blank. Emotionless. Like a ghost standing beside her.
My hands froze.
The words Gowtham Chadda had screamed downstairs were still echoing like poison in my head.
"She kidnapped me and manipulated him to marry her!"
I had stood still while the truth came crumbling out, while the storm she created swallowed the room. And now, hours later, I still couldn't shake it off.
Not the act itself... but her.
My Katha.
She didn't give up.
I ran my hand through my hair and let out a small, almost disbelieving laugh, tilting my head back.
She didn't wait for a miracle.
She became the storm.
My sunshine-my soft, infuriating, manipulative, unbreakable wife-had turned the tables with such perfection that the devil himself was left speechless.
She knew I wouldn't fight.
She knew I'd let her go if I thought I wasn't worthy.
And so... she twisted the story. Made herself the victim. And tied my hands with the very thing I feared most-her pain.
I smirked bitterly and looked back at the painting.
"You devil in angel's disguise," I whispered to her face on the canvas. "What will I do with you?"
I leaned back on the chair, eyes locked on her painted smile.
She doesn't know how much I wanted to stop that wedding. How my heart had shattered watching her pretend with Gowtham. How I died every second imagining her walking away in a bridal dress that didn't belong to me.
She doesn't know how proud I am that she fought when I couldn't.
But she doesn't need to know that.
Not yet.
Not now.
Let her squirm a little. Let her think I'm furious. Let her believe I'm wounded.
Because this time...
She's the one who'll wait for me.
And I, Dattatriya Agnivanshi, will enjoy every second of it.
I opened the door to our room, shoulders stiff, jaw locked tight with forced indifference. The moment I stepped in, my eyes landed on her-my sunshine.
She was sitting on the bed, holding Sheraa close to her chest. Her eyes... god, her eyes were swollen red, rimmed with dried tears and guilt. She looked up at me like a kicked puppy, broken and scared, clutching our son in her arms as though it would anchor her pain.
Aww, can I hug my baby? my heart whispered.
No. Stay strong, my mind snapped back. She manipulated you.
Yeah, and you're secretly proud of it, my subconscious smirked.
I clenched my jaw and turned my face away, pretending as if I hadn't seen her pain. Dil pe patthar rakh ke I walked past her, directly into the bathroom.
And she followed me.
Yes, followed me. Inside the damn bathroom. Holding Sheraa in one arm, and the corner of my shirt in the other, silently, like a lost child.
I washed my face slowly, watching her reflection in the mirror. She stood behind me, eyes lowered, just quietly holding onto me like I'd disappear if she let go. My body screamed to turn and hold her... but I didn't. I dried my face, walked out, and headed to the wardrobe.
She followed me again.
I took off my shirt and changed into my night kurta and pajamas, and still, she held onto the end of my kurta like it was her last thread of hope. Sheraa growled lowly, almost sensing the tension.
I moved to the door.
And just as I touched the handle-her small hand grabbed mine.
"Datta," she whispered, barely audible. Her voice was cracked, like something delicate had shattered deep inside her.
I still didn't turn around. My heart was already thudding painfully, but I kept my face blank.
"Please talk to me," she said, her voice trembling. "Please shout at me. Please break something, throw something. Hit the wall, scream at me, anything. Just don't be quiet."
I closed my eyes tightly.
"I know what I did was wrong. I know I crossed limits. I manipulated you. I used your love. I kidnapped a man to marry the one I want. And I'm not proud of it... okay, maybe a part of me is... because I got you."
She sniffled softly, still holding my hand.
"You always thought you were too broken for me. You always thought you'd hurt me. But you never did, Datta. Not even once. You were the only one who held me when I was falling, who never asked questions I wasn't ready to answer, who stood there like a wall behind me."
Sheraa gave a soft mewl, rubbing his head against her arm.
"I didn't do it out of madness. I did it because Your Mine , Datta, that the thought of marrying anyone else made me want to stop breathing.
So I lied. I twisted everything. Because I couldn't let you go again.
I couldn't-" her voice broke completely, and she started crying, unable to say another word.
I turned slowly.
She was crumbling in front of me, shaking, hugging Sheraa tightly, tears rolling down her face like a silent storm.
And I couldn't bear it anymore.
I moved forward and pulled her into my chest, hugging her tightly, one hand holding her head against my heart and the other wrapping around her waist.
She sobbed harder, and I let her cry.
Because even if I said nothing...
My heart had already forgiven her.
She sobbed quietly against my chest, clinging to me like I was her lifeline.
"I love you..." she whispered again, her voice muffled against my kurta, but the words hit harder than any bullet I'd ever faced.
"I love you so damn much, Dattatriya.
I've always loved you. Even when you walked away.
.. even when I was forced to stand at the mandap with someone else. .. I loved only you."
My heart stopped.
She confessed.
She actually said it.
My sunshine-my fierce, manipulative, dangerously brilliant wife-had just broken down all her walls to tell me the one thing I already knew... but needed to hear more than anything in this world.
I slowly pulled back and looked at her.
Her eyes, still shimmering with tears, locked with mine-vulnerable, raw, filled with love. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips quivering.
"You love me?" I whispered, just to hear it again.
She nodded, almost shyly now. "I do. I really, really do. And I don't regret anything I did. I'd do it again. I'd manipulate the entire world if it means I end up as yours."
My heart roared. I couldn't hold it anymore.
I cupped her cheeks gently, brushing away the tears with my thumbs, and before I could even think twice-
I kissed her.
Hard.
Like I had been dying to do it for years.
She gasped softly but kissed me back, her fingers gripping my kurta, pulling me closer like she was afraid I'd vanish.
Her lips trembled against mine, but she poured all her emotions-her guilt, her fear, her love-into that kiss.
And I did the same.
When I finally pulled away, her forehead rested on mine, both of us breathless, hearts racing in sync.
"You don't need to manipulate fate anymore, sunshine," I whispered. "You already own me."
I looked at her-eyes red from crying, cheeks still wet, hands trembling as they held onto my kurta like she'd fall apart if she let go. My sunshine, the same woman who could bring kingdoms to their knees, now looked at me like I was the only thing holding her together.
"I love you," she had said, her voice breaking.
And that was all I needed.
I didn't say a word. I just scooped her up into my arms.
She gasped slightly but instantly wrapped her legs around my waist, holding onto me tightly. Her arms encircled my neck, and her body melted into mine as if this was where she'd always belonged.
I walked us to the wall and pinned her gently against it. Our eyes locked. Hers were wide, nervous-but glowing. Mine, I knew, were dark with all the feelings I had bottled up for far too long.
I crashed my lips onto hers again.
Finally.
Damn, I'd waited for this for so long.
I kissed her like I'd been starving, and she was the only thing that could save me.
My hands held her tightly, one on her waist, the other supporting her back.
She kissed me back just as fiercely, her fingers curling into my hair.
I could feel her love, her guilt, her desperation, her fire-all of it-in that one kiss.
I pinched her waist gently and she gasped, just like I hoped she would. I didn't waste the moment-my tongue slid into her mouth, claiming her fully. Exploring, tasting, memorizing her.
She tasted like home.
She whimpered softly, completely breathless, and tapped my chest. I pulled back reluctantly, our lips barely parting as I rested my forehead against hers. Our breaths mingled, uneven and shaky, as we both tried to come back to earth.
She looked dazed, lips swollen, eyes wide with shy wonder.
I smirked and whispered near her ear, "Now I guess you know I'm not gay."
And she giggled-soft, embarrassed-and buried her face into my neck, trying to hide.
I laughed, holding her tighter, my chest finally feeling light after what seemed like years of heaviness.
In that moment, it was just us.
My fire and her storm-finally, one.
I still held her in my arms, her face buried shyly in my neck, and my heart was pounding-fast and wild. She was quiet, still catching her breath, and I didn't rush her. For a while, I just stood there, holding her like I never wanted to let go.
Finally, she lifted her face slightly, cheeks crimson, lips still trembling from the kiss.
"You kissed me like you'd been dying to," she whispered, eyes meeting mine.
I smirked, brushing a strand of her hair back. "Because I was."
She blinked. "Then why didn't you... why did you pretend to be angry?"
I chuckled softly. "Because you manipulated me into marriage. I had to punish you somehow."
She pouted adorably. "By ignoring me?"
"You followed me into the bathroom holding our son," I pointed out, looking at Sharaa who was now curled up like a baby cub at the foot of the bed.
"Because you were pretending to be angry and I was scared you'd leave me," she said, voice small.
I leaned in, kissed her forehead softly. "You're crazy if you think I could ever leave you now."
She gazed at me quietly, and her eyes held so much emotion-love, fear, guilt, longing.
"I love you," she whispered again.
"I know," I said, smiling.
She smacked my chest lightly. "Say it back!"
I pulled her even closer, kissed her temple, and whispered, "I love you, sunshine. More than you'll ever understand."
A small tear slipped down her cheek, and I wiped it with my thumb gently. "No more crying, hmm?"
She nodded, and I carried her to the bed.
I laid her down gently and slid in next to her, pulling her flush against me so her head rested on my chest, right where my heartbeat was loudest-just for her.
She curled into me instantly, like she belonged there. And she did.
"My sunshine," I whispered, wrapping my arms tightly around her. "Now that I have you, I don't intend to ever let you go. Knowingly or unknowingly, you married me. You forced fate to bind us. And now... I don't think I can live without you."
I kissed her head as her arms squeezed around me tightly, protectively, lovingly.
She didn't say anything. She didn't have to.
She was mine.
And I was hers.
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