The door exploded open.
Wood shattered. Dust filled the air. The house that once felt like shelter turned into a battlefield in seconds.
Meera Verma stepped back instantly, her heart pounding so hard she thought it might break.
But Kabir Rajvansh didn't move away from her.
He moved in front of her.
Completely.
Dark figures entered the house.
Armed. Silent. Deadly.
Not random criminals…
But trained men.
Meera's breath caught.
"This is not normal…" she whispered.
Kabir didn't turn back.
"It never was."
The first attacker rushed forward.
In one sharp movement, Kabir disarmed him and threw him back against the wall.
No hesitation.
No emotion.
Just control.
Meera watched, frozen.
She had heard he was dangerous…
But seeing it was different.
This wasn't violence for fear.
This was violence for protection.
For her.
Another man came from the side.
Kabir blocked instantly.
"Close your eyes," he said without looking at her.
Meera didn't move.
"I said close them."
This time… softer.
Not an order.
A shield.
Meera slowly obeyed.
But she didn't close her heart.
She listened.
The chaos. The struggle. The fight.
All for her.
Kabir's voice turned cold again.
"Take them out."
His men responded instantly.
The room filled with movement.
But Kabir stayed near Meera the entire time.
Never letting distance grow.
One attacker broke through.
Rushed toward Meera.
She gasped.
But before she could even move—
Kabir grabbed him mid-step and slammed him down.
Right in front of her.
Silence fell for half a second.
Meera's eyes widened.
Kabir was breathing heavier now.
But his gaze immediately shifted to her.
Checking.
Making sure she was still okay.
"Don't look at them," he said quietly.
"Look at me."
That sentence hit her harder than anything else.
Because in the middle of chaos…
he wanted her attention on him.
Not the danger.
Not the blood.
Him.
Meera's voice trembled.
"Why are you doing all this?"
Kabir paused for a fraction of a second.
Then answered honestly—
"Because you are the only thing I cannot afford to lose."
The attackers were retreating now.
Kabir's men had taken control.
The house was slowly becoming silent again.
But the damage was done.
Not outside…
Inside Meera.
Kabir finally turned fully toward her.
His eyes were intense.
Focused.
But something softer was underneath.
Something he refused to show the world.
"It's over for now," he said.
But then added—
"Not for long."
Meera looked at him, shaken.
"You live like this every day?"
Kabir nodded once.
"Yes."
A pause.
"Now you do too."
Silence.
Heavy.
Unfair.
Real.
Meera slowly whispered,
"I didn't choose this life…"
Kabir's expression changed slightly.
Then he stepped closer.
"You didn't."
A pause.
"But I did."
And for the first time…
Meera understood the truth completely.
She wasn't in danger because she entered his world.
She was in danger because he refused to let her go from it.
Kabir turned slightly, giving orders to his men.
But before leaving the room…
he looked back at her one last time.
"I won't let them reach you again," he said firmly.
Then softer—
"Even if I have to end everything."
And as the night settled again…
Meera realized something terrifying.
She was no longer just being protected.
She was being claimed by a war she never asked for…
and a man who had already decided she was worth burning the world for.
To be continued… 💔