đź“– Chapter 15: The Jealous Ruin
It started with a smile.
Not his. Hers.
And not for him.
Dev watched from his car window as Aanya laughed—genuinely, softly—with a boy from her college. The guy leaned a little too close, said something that made her blush.
Blush.
That blush used to be his.
And suddenly, his world tilted.
---
An hour later, she entered the mansion. Humming. Carrying iced coffee. Oblivious.
He was already inside, waiting—sitting in the dark like a shadow stitched into the leather couch, eyes blazing like gunpowder.
"How was college?"
The tone wasn't sweet. It was ice dipped in acid.
She looked at him, confused. "It was… fine. Why?"
He stood slowly. Walked toward her like a storm brewing under control.
"Did he touch you?"
She blinked. "Who?"
He didn't answer.
Just kept coming closer.
"The boy. The one who made you laugh like that."
---
Her back hit the wall.
"Dev, he's just—"
"No one touches what's mine."
His voice was dark. Low. Dangerous.
He grabbed her wrist—not to hurt—but to own.
The tension snapped. And he kissed her.
Hard. Desperate. Possessive. Devouring.
His hands tangled in her hair. Her breath caught. She melted into him—part in shock, part in desire.
He kissed like a man starved.
Like he needed to erase that boy's name from her lips.
And she let him.
---
He lifted her effortlessly, her back hitting the study table. Papers flew. A vase shattered. Neither of them cared.
"Say it," he demanded between kisses.
"Say you're mine."
She was breathless. "I'm yours."
His hands trembled at her waist. "No. Say it again."
"I'm yours, Dev."
He exhaled like a man on the edge of madness.
Because love wasn't gentle for him—it was war.
And that night, jealousy ruined him.
But she rebuilt him with her touch.
---
After hours of tangled sheets and whispered apologies, he lay beside her, brushing her hair back.
"I'm sorry," he murmured against her skin. "I just... can't stand the thought of losing you."
She kissed his chest.
"You'll never lose me, Dev. Because even your ruins… are home to me."