The ride back home was silent.
Too silent.
The convoy moved through the dark roads—
but inside Aarav's car—
not a single word was spoken.
Meher sat beside him quietly.
Hands clasped together tightly in her lap.
Still trembling slightly.
And Aarav noticed.
Of course he did.
He noticed everything about her.
The way she wasn't looking at him.
The way she flinched when blood from his knuckles stained the steering wheel.
The way her breathing changed whenever the warehouse flashed back into her mind.
And slowly—
a horrible realization started sinking into him.
She was scared.
Of him.
That thought hurt more than anything Rudra ever did.
Aarav tightened his jaw.
But said nothing.
Because for the first time—
he didn't know what to say.
When they finally reached home—
he stepped out immediately and opened her door himself.
Like always.
But this time—
when his bloody hand moved toward her—
Meher instinctively stepped back a little.
Just a little.
Barely noticeable.
But Aarav saw it.
And it destroyed him quietly.
The air between them changed instantly.
Meher realized what she did immediately.
"Aarav, I—"
"It's okay."
Too fast.
Too calm.
That made it worse.
He stepped aside instead.
Giving her space.
Which he never did before.
Meher's chest tightened painfully.
Because now she understood—
he noticed everything.
Inside the house—
the silence followed them again.
Aarav removed his bloodstained coat slowly.
Expression unreadable.
Meher stood near the stairs—
watching him.
Confused.
Shaken.
Because what happened in the warehouse kept replaying in her mind.
The sound.
The rage.
The terrifying calm afterward.
And those words—
"Feed his body to the animals."
A chill ran through her again.
Aarav looked toward her once.
And immediately saw it.
Fear.
Not huge.
Not hatred.
Just enough fear to break him silently.
He looked away first.
That never happened before.
"I'll clean up," he said quietly.
Then walked past her.
Without touching her.
Without stopping her.
Without even looking back.
Meher stood frozen.
Because somehow—
his distance hurt more than his anger ever could.
A few minutes later—
she slowly walked toward his room.
The door was slightly open.
And inside—
Aarav stood near the sink.
Washing blood from his hands.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Like he couldn't remove it.
His knuckles were bruised badly now.
Skin broken.
Still bleeding slightly.
But he didn't seem to care.
Meher watched silently.
Then—
very softly—
"Aarav…"
He stopped moving instantly.
But didn't turn.
Silence filled the room.
Then finally—
he spoke.
"Tum mujhse darr gayi ho?"
(Are you scared of me?)
Direct.
No hiding.
Meher's heart tightened painfully.
Because his voice—
didn't sound angry.
It sounded broken.
"Aisa nahi hai—"
"Sach bolo."
(Tell the truth.)
Still not turning toward her.
She looked down.
And that silence—
became the answer.
Aarav closed his eyes slowly.
A small bitter smile appeared for a second.
"Understandable."
That one word—
hurt her instantly.
"Aarav please…"
He finally turned toward her.
And Meher's breath caught.
Because his eyes—
weren't angry anymore.
They looked tired.
Deeply tired.
"I warned you once," he said quietly.
"Ki main acha insaan nahi hoon."
(That I'm not a good person.)
Meher shook her head quickly.
"You're not bad—"
"I killed him."
Silence.
The truth sat heavily between them.
Raw.
Unavoidable.
Aarav walked closer slowly.
Not threatening.
Almost careful.
"As long as it was about me…"
A pause.
"I could control myself."
His eyes locked onto hers.
"But when he touched you…"
His jaw tightened.
"…I couldn't."
Meher's eyes filled slowly.
Because now—
she wasn't seeing a monster.
She was seeing someone terrified of himself.
Aarav looked away again.
"That's the part you should fear."
And somehow—
that honesty hurt more than anything else.
Because monsters don't usually warn people to stay away.
But he was.
For her.The house had finally gone quiet.
No guards talking.
No calls.
No chaos.
Just silence.
Heavy silence.
Meher sat on the bed—
knees pulled slightly close—
crying quietly.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just… continuously.
Like her heart had become too full.
Too much fear.
Too much pain.
Too much happened too fast.
And Aarav—
stood near the window.
Still.
Motionless.
His hands clenched tightly beside him.
Because hearing her cry—
was becoming unbearable.
But he didn't know how to fix it anymore.
Not after tonight.
Every few seconds—
his eyes moved toward her.
And every time—
seeing tears on her face made something twist painfully inside him.
He tried to stay away.
Really tried.
Because maybe she needed space.
Maybe she felt safer without him close.
But the longer he stood there—
the worse that feeling inside him became.
Uneasy.
Wrong.
Like something was tearing him apart slowly.
His chest felt heavy.
His breathing restless.
Because no matter what happened—
one thing stayed the same.
He couldn't bear her pain.
Especially when she was crying alone.
After a long moment—
Aarav finally gave up.
Completely.
Slowly—
he walked toward her.
Meher looked up slightly through blurry eyes.
And before she could say anything—
Aarav sat beside her and pulled her tightly into his arms.
Strong.
Protective.
Almost desperate.
Meher instantly broke again.
A soft sob escaped her lips as she hugged him back tightly.
Very tightly.
Like she needed him to breathe.
And the second she held him—
Aarav finally felt that horrible uneasiness inside him calm down.
Slowly.
Finally.
His eyes closed for a moment.
Relief.
Actual relief.
As if this—
her in his arms—
was the only place where his mind stopped burning.
Neither of them spoke.
They just stayed there.
Holding each other.
Her tears soaking his shirt.
His arms wrapped around her securely.
Almost like he was afraid to loosen his grip even slightly.
Minutes passed.
Long silent minutes.
And for the first time since the warehouse—
they both started calming down.
Meher's crying softened slowly.
But she still didn't let go.
Neither did he.
Then after a long while—
very softly—
she whispered,
"Aarav…"
He immediately shook his head lightly against her hair.
No.
Not now.
He didn't want to talk.
Didn't want explanations.
Didn't want fear.
He just wanted this moment to stay.
Just this.
Meher's lips trembled slightly at that silent refusal.
And somehow—
it made her hold him even tighter.
Aarav buried his face near her shoulder quietly.
Breathing slowly now.
Calmer.
Safer.
Because despite everything—
her arms still felt like home to him.
And maybe—
his did too.
Another few moments passed in silence.
Then Aarav finally whispered very quietly—
almost like a confession meant only for her—
"Don't cry like that…"
A pause.
"It destroys me."
Meher's eyes filled again instantly.
Not from fear this time.
From him.
From the way even after everything—
he still sounded more worried about her pain than his own darkness.
She slowly lifted one hand—
placing it softly near his face.
And Aarav leaned into that touch unconsciously.
Like he needed it.
Needed her.
Then again—
she whispered softly,
"Aarav…"
This time—
he didn't stop her.
Didn't move away.
Just held her closer—
and closed his eyes.
Listening.
Because no matter how dangerous he became—
her voice still quieted every storm inside him.The room stayed quiet.
Softly quiet now.
Not painful anymore.
Just tired.
Emotional.
Meher still sat curled against Aarav's chest—
his arms wrapped around her protectively.
Neither wanted to move.
As if moving would break whatever fragile peace they finally found.
Aarav's breathing had steadied.
But Meher could still feel tension in him.
Hidden deep.
Like he was still fighting himself quietly.
Then slowly—
her eyes moved downward.
Toward his hands.
Bruised.
Swollen.
Cuts across his knuckles.
Some dried blood still near his skin.
And suddenly—
her chest hurt again.
Because those hands—
became violent for her.
Protected her.
Destroyed for her.
"Aarav…"
His hold tightened slightly at her voice.
"Hm?"
She gently took one of his hands in both of hers.
Carefully.
Like it was something fragile.
Aarav looked down silently.
Then at her.
"It's okay," he murmured automatically.
But Meher shook her head softly.
"No…"
Her thumb brushed carefully over one bruise.
And Aarav's jaw tightened slightly.
Not from pain.
From the way she touched him.
So gently.
So lovingly.
As if those same dangerous hands deserved tenderness too.
Meher's eyes filled slightly again.
"You got hurt…"
Aarav almost smiled.
After everything that happened—
she was worried about him.
"Barely."
"That's not barely."
Her voice came out soft—
almost scolding.
Then before he could respond—
she slowly lifted his bruised hand closer.
Aarav watched her quietly.
Confused for a second.
Until—
very softly—
Meher pressed a tiny kiss against his injured knuckles.
Aarav froze.
Completely.
Her lips barely touched his skin.
Gentle.
Warm.
But somehow—
that tiny kiss affected him more than violence ever could.
Meher looked at his hand sadly.
"These hands only protect me…"
A pause.
"So don't hate them."
Something inside Aarav cracked quietly at that sentence.
Because he did hate them right now.
Hated what they became.
Hated losing control.
But the way she held his hand—
like it still belonged to someone worthy—
made his chest ache.
Meher kissed another bruise softly.
This time slower.
And Aarav inhaled sharply.
"Meher…"
His voice had become rough.
Not from anger.
From emotion.
She looked up at him slowly.
No fear in her eyes now.
Only softness.
Only him.
"You scare me sometimes," she whispered honestly.
Aarav's expression dimmed instantly.
But before he could pull away—
she held his hand tighter.
"But you never scare me for myself."
Silence.
His heartbeat actually stopped for a second.
"I know…" she continued softly, "you'd rather destroy yourself than let anything happen to me."
A tear slipped from Aarav's eyes before he could stop it.
Small.
Silent.
But Meher noticed immediately.
And that broke her completely.
"Aarav…"
He looked away instantly.
But she gently held his face this time.
Making him look back at her.
"You don't have to become a monster to protect me."
His lips parted slightly.
Then finally—
very quietly—
"You're the only reason the monster stops."
That sentence wrapped around her heart painfully.
Because now she understood.
The world feared Aarav.
But Aarav feared himself.
And somehow—
she was the only thing standing between him and that darkness.
Meher slowly rested her forehead against his.
Still holding his bruised hand carefully between both of hers.
Then softly—
almost like a promise—
"I'm not leaving."
Aarav closed his eyes immediately.
Like those words physically weakened him.
And after a long silence—
he whispered back,
"You better not."
But for the first time in days—
his voice finally sounded at peace.The storm had finally quieted.
Not outside.
Inside them.
The room glowed softly under the dim bedside lamp.
Warm.
Peaceful.
For the first time in what felt like forever.
Meher still sat close to Aarav—
their foreheads touching lightly.
His bruised hand remained in hers.
Protected now.
Loved.
Neither spoke for a while.
Because some moments become too soft for words.
Slowly—
Meher's exhaustion started showing.
Her blinking became heavier.
Her breathing slower.
Aarav noticed immediately.
"Tired?" he murmured softly.
She nodded slightly against him.
"Very…"
A tiny smile appeared on Aarav's lips.
The first real one tonight.
"Come."
Carefully—
he shifted back against the headboard and gently pulled her with him.
Meher went willingly.
Too willingly.
Like her body already knew where it belonged.
She rested against his chest slowly—
careful of his injuries.
But Aarav ignored all pain the second she settled into him.
One arm wrapped securely around her waist.
The other moved up slowly—
fingers brushing gently through her hair.
Soft.
Repeated.
Comforting.
Meher melted into him instantly.
Her eyes closing halfway.
"Aarav…"
"Hm?"
"Don't go anywhere tonight."
That quiet request hit him deeply.
"I'm not moving."
A pause.
Then softly—
"Not even an inch."
Meher smiled faintly at that.
Sleepy.
Safe.
Her fingers slowly curled into his shirt.
Holding it lightly.
As if making sure he stayed.
Aarav looked down at her quietly.
Her face finally looked peaceful again.
No fear.
No panic.
Just softness.
And suddenly—
his chest hurt in the gentlest way possible.
Because after all the darkness tonight—
she still chose to sleep in his arms.
Still trusted him.
Still came closer instead of running away.
His fingers brushed slowly near her forehead again.
"You should sleep," he whispered.
Meher nodded lazily—
but didn't close her eyes fully.
Instead she looked up at him sleepily.
"Will you sleep too?"
Aarav almost said no automatically.
He rarely slept peacefully.
Especially after nights like this.
But looking at her—
he couldn't refuse.
"Yeah," he murmured quietly.
"Only if you do."
That made her smile again.
Tiny.
Beautiful.
Then slowly—
she shifted even closer.
Actually hiding herself against his chest now.
Aarav's arm tightened around her instinctively.
Protectively.
Like his body relaxed only when she was this close.
Minutes passed quietly.
The room grew softer.
Still.
Meher's breathing slowly evened out.
Almost asleep.
But just before drifting completely—
she whispered softly against him,
"You feel safe…"
Aarav's eyes closed for a second.
Because those words—
after everything—
felt almost unreal.
He lowered his head slightly—
resting it gently against her hair.
"And you feel like peace."
Meher smiled sleepily at that.
Then finally—
her body relaxed fully in his arms.
Asleep.
Aarav stayed awake a little longer—
just watching her quietly.
His fingers still brushing softly through her hair.
Slow.
Careful.
Almost like a habit now.
Then after a long moment—
he pulled the blanket higher around her protectively.
Holding her even closer.
And for the first time in days—
Aarav's eyes finally closed too.
Not because the danger disappeared.
But because she was in his arms.
And somehow—
that made the whole world quieter.
.
.
.
.
Hope you will like this chapter 🤍 🌙