"Do you want proof of my love, babybird?" he whispered.
"Do you want to know what I see when I can't sleep?"
The screen turned black.A video started playing.
I gasped.I wanted to scream. But no sound came.
It was us.
That night.Our first time.
Tear...
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I gave a big, toothy grin, awkwardly scratching the back of my neck.
The glare I was getting from Arav could burn through walls.
"You shouldn't have done this," he muttered.
I huffed. "You're my friend or my enemy? If you've got so much problem, I'll leave. I didn't ask for your help. You brought me, remember?"
His shoulders slumped. "Mishti..."
"No, seriously," I said, folding my arms. "You already treating me like a burden and I didn't even ask for water."
"I didn't mean it that way," he mumbled. "But running away from your in-laws' house? In this weather? What if I didn't find you?"
"You were walking your dog," I mumbled, looking away.
The round Shiba Inu, sat on my lap like a warm loaf, tongue out, tail wagging. I stroked his ears gently.
"What's his name?" I asked, voice smaller now.
"Cheems," he said without a hint of irony.
I smiled. "Of course it is."
He chuckled but then went serious again. He scrolled through his phone and looked at me. "What do you know about Sultan Emad Khan?"
I stiffened. "What do you want to know?"
"Do you know who your husband really is?" he asked.
"He's... a businessman," I said slowly.
He narrowed his eyes. "He has underworld connections, Mishti. Currently. Not just shady past stuff. He's a cold-blooded killer."
I flinched.
He held out his phone.
I looked. News clippings. Blurred security footage. Articles with words like "extortion", "arms deal", "Khan syndicate". Mugshots of men I'd seen nod at Sultan at parties.
I said nothing for a long moment.
"You think this isn't real?" he asked.
"I don't know," I whispered.
He stared. "If it is real, he'll find you. You know that, right?"
I didn't reply.
My hands were still in Cheems' fur.
Because all I could see was Sultan wrapping my dupatta when I caught cold. Him kissing my belly and whispering to the baby. Him feeding me soup when I was sick. Him pulling a gun on my bullies and calling me his weakness.
