đź–¤ Title: The Devil's Gentle Touch
đź“– Chapter 6: The Monster's Apology
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It started with a phone call.
Aanya's college had reopened, and despite being married to one of the most dangerous men in the country, she insisted on attending like any normal girl.
But when her body began aching again—slight chills, a headache, another dose of fever—she didn't say anything.
Dev had been busy. He hadn't slept for three days.
She didn't want to trouble him.
So she smiled. Took the medicine quietly. Hid the blanket when he walked in.
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But Dev saw everything.
The trembling in her hands.
The red in her eyes.
The wince when she turned too fast.
That night, he snapped.
"You're sick again and didn't tell me?"
Aanya flinched.
"I didn't want to disturb—"
"You could've collapsed again, Aanya! Are you out of your mind?"
His voice wasn't just angry.
It was terrified.
But Aanya's eyes welled up at the volume.
She hadn't heard him shout at her like that before.
Her throat tightened. Her face turned away.
Silence.
Then she whispered, "I just... didn't want to be a burden..."
And that's when his world crashed.
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The glass in his hand shattered on the floor.
His heart dropped.
She thought she was a burden?
The girl who warmed his coldest nights?
The only softness he had in a life of blood and bullets?
Dev stepped back, breathing hard.
"I'm... I'm sorry," he said, voice cracking.
"I didn't mean to raise my voice. I just—"
He couldn't find the words.
So he dropped to his knees.
In front of her.
Head lowered.
Eyes closed.
Like a monster begging for forgiveness.
"I get angry when I'm scared," he said quietly.
"And you scare me, Aanya. Because if I ever lost you... I wouldn't survive it."
---
Aanya knelt down too. Took his face in her small hands.
His eyes were glassy. Vulnerable.
She kissed his forehead gently.
"Then next time, just hold me."
"Don't roar. Just hold me."
He nodded.
And then he did exactly that.
Held her. Rocked her. Let her cry. Let himself feel.
Because love doesn't come in soft hands alone.
Sometimes, love comes from the monster kneeling in front of you, begging for another chance.