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Chapter 4 - The first storm

đź–¤ Title: The Devil's Gentle Touch

đź“– Chapter 4: The First Storm

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The storm came without warning.

Thick grey clouds twisted above the city like secrets about to spill.

But Aanya didn't care.

She walked home from college alone for the first time. Told the guards she needed air.

Maybe she needed to feel something.

Her pastel pink kurti clung to her skin as rain poured over her, soaking her to the bones. Her breath turned shaky, lips trembling.

She had barely made it inside the mansion before her knees gave out.

Cold.

Shivering.

Barely breathing.

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Dev threw open the door of his study when he heard a thud.

There she was. On the floor. Wet. Pale. In pain.

"Aanya!"

He rushed to her, eyes wide with a kind of fear she had never seen on his face before.

"Why the hell didn't you wait for the car?!" he growled, lifting her into his arms. She was featherlight. Burning up.

"I... I just needed... some peace," she whispered, barely conscious.

He didn't speak.

He carried her straight to his bedroom.

---

The warm water ran in the marble bathtub as Dev gently pulled off her soaked clothes, layer by layer.

He wrapped her in a towel, set her into the steaming bath, and stayed beside her—fully clothed, kneeling.

She was half-asleep. Delirious.

"Don't... don't leave..." she whispered.

His hand paused.

"I won't," he said quietly, brushing wet strands from her forehead.

---

That night, he didn't leave her side.

He tucked her into his bed, pulled the blanket around her tightly, and sat beside her until her fever broke.

She stirred awake at midnight, only to find him still there, head resting beside hers.

"You're still here," she murmured.

His voice was soft—softer than she'd ever heard.

"Where else would I go?"

She smiled weakly. Then shivered.

He stood up.

Without a word, he removed his shirt, then slipped under the blanket beside her. His arms wrapped around her, heat replacing the cold.

His fingers traced light circles on her back.

No desire.

No control.

Just care.

For the first time, she felt... safe.

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