Heart That Desires

PROLOGUE

I was sitting in the darkness, no sound, no presence, just me and my tears. Not long ago, I had married the man I loved deeply, but circumstances forced me to leave him. And yet, destiny, with its stubborn will, brought us to this moment. Now, wearing the  sacred marriage necklace(mangalsutra) and vermillion (sindoor)in his name, I sat waiting for him. In just one night, my life had completely changed—I was no longer Vanika Khurana, but Vanika Ishaan Malhotra. My name was now tied to his, and we were bound in a relationship I never saw coming. All I could do was wait for him.

The sound of the door opening broke the silence. As our eyes met, there was no love in his gaze, only anger and a seething hatred.

"So, Mrs. Malhotra, how does it feel to be my wife now?" he asked with a cold smirk. I couldn't muster a response, my voice trapped somewhere between fear and heartbreak. He stepped closer, his hand suddenly around my throat. In his eyes, I saw a fire so intense, it felt like he could end me right then and there.

"Please... leave me, it hurts," I tried to say, though the words wouldn’t come out fully. But I struggled to speak.

"Of course it hurts," he said, his voice cold, "because you made the mistake of loving me. And an even bigger mistake of trying to leave me. How could you ever think you could walk away from me and I’d just let you go?"

I was terrified now, my heart pounding. I had never seen this kind of rage in him before. He had always spoken to me gently, even when I thought he hated me. But now, there was no trace of love in his eyes.

"You... you’re right," I stammered. "It was my mistake... loving you. I should’ve never—"

Before I could finish, he came closer, gripping my wrist so tightly that I heard my bangles shatter. The sharp pain hit me, and I could feel blood trickling down, but he didn’t seem to notice. Tears welled up in my eyes from the pain.

"But the mistake has already been made, hasn’t it?" he whispered, his voice hardening. "And now, you have no right to marry anyone else. No right to love anyone else. You are mine. Only mine. Understand?"

His grip tightened, and I could see blood dripping onto the floor. Suddenly, he noticed. His eyes flickered with something—was it guilt? He let go of my wrist, and for a moment, the man I once loved returned in his gaze. I knew he wasn’t capable of hurting me, at least, that’s what I always believed. But... this side of him, I didn’t recognize.

And it scared me.

Without saying a word, he walked out of the room, leaving me in stunned silence.

An hour later, I went to the kitchen, and what I saw stopped me in my tracks—he was holding his hand over a candle flame, letting it burn. The fire licked his skin, but he didn’t even flinch. Panic surged through me, and I ran to him, grabbing his hand in mine. "What are you doing, Shaan? Why are you hurting yourself?" I cried, pulling his hand away from the flame. I held his hand tightly, my heart pounding, and without thinking, I kissed his burnt skin gently, trying to soothe the pain.

I pulled him into a tight embrace, feeling his chest rise and fall with uneven breaths. "Please stop... I can’t see you like this," I whispered against him, pressing my lips to his cheek, then to his forehead, as if my kisses could somehow heal his torment.

He stood there, stiff at first, but then I felt his arms wrap around me, holding me close. His face nuzzled into the crook of my neck, and for a moment, I could feel his walls crumbling. "I love hating you, Vanika," he murmured, his voice breaking. "But I hate loving you."

I placed a soft kiss on his lips, lingering for a moment, hoping to ease the turmoil inside him. "Then stop fighting it, Shaan. You don’t have to hurt yourself because of it. I’m here... with you" I whispered, resting my forehead against his, letting the silence between us speak for the emotions we were both too scared to admit.

"I am sorry shaan"