Author's POV
After that night on the balcony, something changed.
Not visibly.
Not enough for anyone else to notice.
But Meera noticed.
Aarav became colder.
If that was even possible.
He avoided unnecessary conversations. Stopped coming to breakfast. Returned late from work.
Almost like he regretted what he had revealed.
Or feared saying more.
And somehow…
that bothered Meera more than it should have.
Because now she knew.
Beneath that cold exterior, there was pain.
And once you saw someone’s pain, pretending not to care became difficult.
—
Three days later, Meera was walking through the mansion library when raised voices stopped her.
She froze.
Voices from Aarav’s office.
One of them belonged to Rajveer.
The other—
Aarav.
Angry.
Actually angry.
She had never heard him raise his voice before.
Curiosity pulled her closer.
The office door wasn’t fully shut.
“Control your emotions, Aarav,” Rajveer said smoothly.
Aarav’s voice came low and dangerous.
“I said stay away from her.”
Meera’s breath caught.
Her?
Rajveer chuckled.
“Your concern for your wife is… interesting.”
Silence.
Then Aarav spoke again.
This time quieter.
Scarier.
“Maine ek baar kaha na. Meera se door rahiye.”
(I said it once. Stay away from Meera.)
Meera went still.
Rajveer laughed softly.
“Or what?”
A sharp sound followed.
Glass shattering.
Meera flinched.
Then silence.
Long silence.
When Aarav spoke again, his voice had become ice.
“Test me.”
That was all.
Two words.
Yet they carried enough threat to freeze blood.
Footsteps approached.
Meera quickly stepped back before the door opened.
Rajveer walked out first.
Perfect suit. Perfect smile.
But his eyes—
cold.
He noticed Meera immediately.
Of course he did.
For one second, neither spoke.
Then Rajveer smiled.
“Listening at doors is a bad habit.”
Meera crossed her arms.
“Threatening people is worse.”
His smile widened.
Interesting.
“You’re fearless.”
“No,” she said calmly. “I just don’t scare easily.”
Rajveer leaned slightly closer.
“Everyone gets scared eventually.”
A chill ran down her spine.
Not from his words.
From how calmly he said them.
Then he walked away.
Meera exhaled slowly.
Something about that man felt deeply wrong.
—
She entered Aarav’s office.
The moment she stepped inside, she stopped.
Broken glass lay near the wall.
A vase.
Destroyed.
Aarav stood near the desk, both hands braced against its edge, head lowered.
His breathing was controlled.
But barely.
His knuckles were bleeding.
Meera frowned.
“Did you punch a wall?”
No response.
She stepped closer.
“Aarav.”
Still nothing.
Then—
“Leave.”
Meera ignored him.
She walked to the first aid cabinet she had noticed earlier.
Opened it.
Took antiseptic and bandages.
Aarav’s voice hardened.
“I said leave.”
Meera turned.
“And I said stop acting impossible.”
His eyes snapped to hers.
Dangerous.
Sharp.
Most people would have backed away.
Meera didn’t.
She walked straight toward him.
“Sit.”
“No.”
“Aarav—”
“No.”
Her patience ended.
“Bas bohot ho gaya. Har baar sabko door dhakelna band karo.”
(Enough. Stop pushing everyone away every single time.)
Silence.
Aarav stared at her.
She grabbed his wrist before he could react.
His body went rigid.
Warm skin. Tense muscles.
Meera carefully cleaned the blood from his knuckles.
The room became painfully quiet.
Neither spoke.
After a while, Aarav finally said—
“You don’t know when to stop.”
Meera focused on wrapping the bandage.
“No. I know exactly when not to stop.”
A faint bitter exhale escaped him.
Almost a laugh.
Almost.
She looked up.
Bad idea.
He was already looking at her.
Not cold.
Not angry.
Just… intensely.
Meera’s heartbeat quickened.
Why did he look at her like that?
Like he was trying to understand something impossible.
His voice lowered.
“Why?”
She blinked.
“Why what?”
“Why do you keep doing this?”
She frowned.
“Doing what?”
“Caring.”
The word landed softly.
Unexpectedly.
Meera stopped moving.
Aarav’s gaze didn’t leave hers.
“Everyone in this house fears me.”
His voice was quiet now.
“Staff. Rivals. Family.”
A pause.
Then—
“You don’t.”
Meera swallowed.
Because that wasn’t true.
She did fear him.
Just not in the same way.
She feared what happened when his walls fell.
Because every glimpse beneath them affected her more.
Quietly, she said—
“Maybe because I don’t think you’re the monster everyone else sees.”
That did something to him.
She saw it.
A crack.
A reaction.
Then Aarav asked the question she never expected.
“Then what do you see?”
Silence.
Meera looked into his eyes.
Really looked.
And saw it.
The exhaustion. The guilt. The loneliness.
The grief.
She answered honestly.
“Someone tired.”
Aarav froze.
Meera continued softly.
“Someone carrying too much alone.”
No one moved.
No one breathed.
And then—
Aarav lifted his hand.
Slowly.
His fingers brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face.
Meera stopped breathing.
The touch was feather-light.
Yet it felt electric.
His voice dropped to barely a whisper.
“Meera…”
The way he said her name—
Soft. Careful. Dangerous.
Like it meant something.
Their faces were too close now.
One more inch.
That was all.
One more inch and—
A loud knock shattered the moment.
Both pulled apart instantly.
The walls slammed back into place.
A servant entered nervously.
“Sir… there’s an emergency at the warehouse.”
Aarav’s expression hardened immediately.
Back to business.
Back to control.
He grabbed his coat.
Before leaving, he paused near Meera.
Without looking directly at her, he said—
“Stay inside the mansion tonight.”
Meera frowned.
“Why?”
Aarav’s jaw tightened.
Then he finally looked at her.
And something in his eyes made her pulse spike.
Concern.
Real concern.
“Because I said so.”
Then he walked out.
Leaving Meera alone in the office.
Heart racing.
Mind spinning.
And with one terrifying realization.
The man everyone feared…
was slowly becoming the only man whose silence she wanted to understand.
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