The night had swallowed everything: logic, restraint, the rules I lived by.
But morning…Morning brought something worse, Clarity.
As my eyes opened, they didn't scan the room for danger, for shadows, for enemies. They went straight to her.
Reha.
Curled up beside me in my bed, her breathing soft, lips parted slightly, wearing my oversized black shirt like it belonged to her.
Like she belonged to me.
The sunlight spilled through the curtains, golden and bold, landing on her face and making her shift uncomfortably. Her brows knit, lashes fluttered, and something inside me twisted.
I didn't even think. My hand moved on its own, shielding her face from the light, hovering protectively over her forehead.
And then…She moved.
Without opening her eyes, without a word, she reached for me. And hugged me.
Her arms were around my waist. Her face was buried against my chest.
It wasn't desperate. It wasn't fearful. It was natural.
As if I were hers.
And just like that, I froze.
My heart slammed against my ribs. My pulse stuttered. It felt like someone had lit a match inside my veins, 440 volts of something electric, raw, terrifying.
I'd broken bones without blinking. Burned down warehouses without flinching.But this girl's touch? It was undoing me.
And I didn't want her to stop.
I didn't want her to wake up. Didn't want to break the illusion that I was anything other than the monster who had been ordered to keep her safe.
One month. That's what Khanna had said.
"Keep her hidden. One month. No harm must come to her. You're the only one I trust. I can't take chances, not when the police think I'm the suspect."
And so, I took her at her word. No hesitations. She became part of my world, my chaos.
But somewhere along the line… she stopped being an assignment.
My phone buzzed, shattering the stillness.
"Sir," the guard said, "someone's downstairs to see you. He's asking for you. Says it's urgent."
I slipped out from her arms, reluctantly, and let her hand fall back onto the bed. She stirred but didn't wake. Thank God.
I threw on a shirt, splashed water on my face, and walked downstairs.
The moment I saw who was waiting… my entire body tensed.
Khanna.
The man who'd given me Reha. The man who trusted me to keep her safe.
But today, something about his presence felt off.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, voice calm but cold.
He offered a faint smile. "Relax, Ved. I just came to check on the girl."
My jaw tightened.
"You gave her to me for one month. You didn't say anything about dropping by."
"I was worried," he replied smoothly. "The heat's rising. Police are sniffing closer than I expected."
I stepped closer, lowering my voice to a dangerous pitch.
"She is safe with me, but next time, inform me before showing up like this."
His brows lifted. "You sound... territorial."
I didn't flinch. "I am."
Khanna studied me for a moment. Maybe he realized what I hadn't admitted out loud yet.
Reha wasn't just under my protection anymore. She was under my skin.
"Whatever it is, Ved, I don't care."
Khanna's voice cut through the silence like a blade. Calm. Controlled. But there was something beneath it, a ripple of urgency I didn't like.
"I just need to say this," he continued. "You need to take Reha and disappear. Today."
I turned to him slowly, my jaw tightening. "The hell are you talking about?"
Khanna looked me in the eye and, for once, he didn't play games. "There's noise. Too much. And now… suspicion is creeping toward you."
I stilled.
Me? If the police were sniffing around Khanna and now me, then things are worse than I thought.
"I booked you a place," he continued. "A small apartment. Middle-class locality. Tight-knit society—neighbours who ask too many questions, smile too much, and notice everything. But don't worry. My men will always be around. Even if you don't see them."
I didn't say anything.
Because deep down, I knew what he was about to ask wouldn't be normal.
Wouldn't be easy. Wouldn't be something I could walk away from clean.
"You'll have to stay there for a month," he said. "With Reha."
I nodded once. That part, I could handle. .But then, he handed me a file.
I took it. Flipped it open.
And froze.
Marriage documents.
My and Reha`s photos and....wait, but different names and signatures?
My hand tightened around the edge of the folder. "What. The f*ck. Is this?"
Khanna didn't flinch.
"You'll have to pose as husband and wife. You two can't just live there as strangers. People will notice. Gossip. It'll bring attention. The safest cover is a married couple lying low. After a month, once things settle, I'll take care of Reha."
That last sentence—"I'll take care of Reha."
Lit something violent inside me.
No.
No, you won't.
You don't get to take her anywhere.
My blood boiled, my fists itched to break something, but I didn't say a word. Not yet.
Khanna kept talking like this was just business.
But it wasn't.
Because the second I saw those marriage papers, Something snapped.
For a split second, the thought tempted me.
Reha is mine. Legally. Physically. Every f*cking way that mattered.
But reality clawed its way back. This wasn't real. This wasn't meant for men like me.
She was light. Soft. Untouched by the blood on my hands. And I was about to drag her into something deeper.
I looked down at the paper again. My photo is next to hers as her husband.
My signature is below hers.
It felt like a promise. A lie I wanted to believe.
I turned to Khanna, voice low, clipped.
"You've planned this well."
He gave a small nod. "It's the only way."
Maybe it was.
But as I stood there, holding fake documents that felt too damn real, the truth burned behind my ribs:
For the next 30 days…She'd sleep under the same roof. With my name. With my ring and pendant.
Even if it was all for show—
Reha would be mine.
And God help anyone who tried to take her away.
Khanna wasn't done.
His words turned colder. More venomous. "As long as she obeys, fine. But if Reha tries to act smart… if she tries to run—kill her. Right there."
I clenched my jaw so tight, I heard my teeth grind.
My vision blurred red.
Kill her?
Reha?
One command—and I was supposed to put a bullet in the girl who had started living in my veins without permission?
I didn't flinch. I didn't react.
I couldn't.
Because in this world, emotion was a weakness. And weakness got people killed.
Khanna continued, casually cruel."There are other ways to get to the Oberois. Reha's just a pawn. Replaceable."
The air around me turned heavier, like gunpowder before the spark. Every word he said—about hurting her, using her—was slicing into me like a blade.
But I couldn't show it.
So I kept my face blank. My voice is low.
"That won't happen," I said flatly. "She won't run."
Khanna raised a brow. "You trust your little babydoll that much?"
I let a slow smile curl on my lips—dark, cocky. Dangerous.
"You think she can outsmart me?" I said, stepping closer, my tone deliberately sharp. "She's with me. Under me. In every way that matters. She doesn't breathe unless I allow it."
Khanna nodded, satisfied.
I spoke like a man in control. Like, Reha was nothing but a toy in my hands.
But inside? Every word tasted like poison.
I was trying to protect her, with the one weapon I had left, Cruelty.
I had to convince Khanna that I was still on his side. That Reha meant nothing.
But fate…Fate had other plans.
Because just as Khanna walked out, the door behind me creaked.
I turned.
And saw her.
Reha.
Standing there in the shadows of the hallway. Barefoot. In my shirt. Eyes wide. Face pale..
She had heard everything.
The fake dominance. The cold words," She is under my control, what I`ll do to her that matters."
Her eyes didn't meet mine.
Not even once.
She stepped back like I was something dark crawling toward her.
I tried to speak. "Reha—"
But she turned. Silent. Shaking. Like the weight of what she heard was crushing her.