Royal Secrets (Shhhh)

Chapter 31. ~Vishkanya 18+~

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Note:-This chapter has a mature content.

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Dhara flinched and dropped the photos. They scattered across the floor. She shut the iPad with trembling hands and placed it back on the table. Her body froze in place, her voice caught in her throat.

She lowered herself slowly onto the nearby chair, not speaking, not moving-only silent tears rolled down her face.

Abhinav didn't rush her.

"I didn't show you this to scare you, or to hurt him. This secret has been buried for years. Only I, his family, and now... you know the truth," he said calmly.

"But it was important you knew. Because in this palace, aside from me, no one else knows what's going on between you two."

He paused, watching her closely.

"I need to ask you something. But before I do, if you want to leave-now is the time. I won't stop you. You're free to walk out of this room and forget everything. You can even use this against us. I won't stop you."

Dhara looked up at him, confused, her eyes searching his face. She could feel he was holding something back-something unspoken, something heavy.

"Sahabji..." her voice cracked, but she managed to speak, "Trust me. I will never speak a word of this to anyone. Not ever. I swear. I can do anything for Hukum."

Her voice was low, fragile, but her words carried weight. There was fear in her eyes-but there was something more. Something deeper. And Abhinav saw it.

Love?

He stared at her, unsure if he wanted to believe what he saw. But it was there. Undeniable.

"I'm asking one last time," he said firmly. "If you want to leave, go. Because if you stay... neither I, nor even he, will be able to save you."

Dhara wiped her tears and looked him in the eye.

"Hukum gave me a new life. Everyone saw Dhara's burn marks, my damaged face, but no one ever saw the pain behind them-no one cared to. But one day, he walked into my world like a storm. And everything changed. He didn't look at my scars, he looked into me. Into my soul. He made me feel alive again."

Her voice was still trembling, but her words were clear.

"This life is no longer mine. It belongs to him."

Abhinav stared at her. Stunned.

She wasn't speaking like a servant or a victim. She spoke like someone who had made peace with her pain, and turned it into purpose.

But that only made things harder for him.

Because now, she wasn't just another girl in the palace. She was someone who loved him-deeply. And that made her a danger, not to herself, but to Samar.

Rajgardh couldn't afford another crack in its legacy. And Abhinav couldn't afford another wound in Samar's life.

"Would you give up your life for Rana Sa?" he asked quietly.

She didn't hesitate. "Try me. Giving my life for him is a very small thing."

Her voice, though broken, was unwavering.

He stared harder. "And if... if it came to killing someone for him? Would you be able to do it?"

This time, Dhara paused.