The night on the balcony felt eternal, but reality knocked the next morning. Riya's phone buzzed again and again — business partners, her father, even unknown numbers. The scandal was spreading.
But in Aarav's arms, she felt safe. He kissed her hair gently.
"Answer them later. Right now, it's just us."
For the first time in her life, Riya ignored the world.
A New Beginning
Riya took Aarav out in her car the next day. Not to a five-star hotel, not to some rich club, but to her childhood home — the old bungalow where her mother had raised her before money changed everything.
The place was dusty, almost abandoned, but Riya's eyes softened. "This… is where I learned how to dream."
Aarav walked around slowly, touching the broken swing in the garden, the cracked photo frame on the wall. He smiled at her.
"Let's rebuild this place. Not as your father's house. As ours."
Her heart skipped. The idea of "ours" made her chest tighten with warmth.
The Interruption
But happiness was always fragile. As they stepped out of the bungalow, a black luxury car stopped outside. Kabir got out, sharp suit, sharp smile.
"Touching scene," he mocked. "The princess and her pauper."
Aarav's jaw clenched, but he stayed calm. "We don't owe you anything."
Kabir's eyes moved to Riya. "You owe your family everything. Do you even realize what this scandal is doing to your father's company? Investors are pulling out. Shareholders are panicking. And all because of him."
Riya's chest tightened, but she held Aarav's hand tighter. "If the company can't survive my happiness, then maybe it doesn't deserve me."
Kabir's smirk faded. For the first time, he realized — she wasn't playing.
The Emotional Anchor
That evening, Riya broke down in Aarav's arms. "Everything is slipping away, Aarav. My father's anger, Kabir's pressure, the media… what if I destroy your life too?"
Aarav cupped her face firmly, looking into her tear-filled eyes.
"You're not destroying me. You're saving me. Before you, I was just surviving. With you, I'm alive."
Riya's tears flowed harder. She kissed him desperately, clinging as if her life depended on it. Between kisses, she whispered, "I love you. I love you so much it hurts."
Aarav kissed her back, murmuring against her lips, "Then don't stop. Don't ever stop."
Progress – The First Step Together
The next morning, Aarav did something bold. At his café job, he stood up during open mic night and sang a song he had written for Riya.
It wasn't polished, it wasn't perfect. But the lyrics spoke of a woman with walls of glass, and a man with empty pockets, building a world together.
People clapped. Some even recorded. By the end of the night, that small video began spreading online.
For the first time, Aarav wasn't just a nameless waiter. He was her Aarav — and the world was beginning to notice.
Riya stood in the crowd, tears streaming silently. She wasn't afraid anymore. Her love was no longer a secret.