THE RECURRING

✨ Masked Man

Author's POV :

Sanvi was jolted awake by the relentless pounding on her front door. Groggy and disoriented, she stumbled to answer it, only to be greeted by a man in a black mask. Panic gripped her as he lunged toward her and started choking her, his intentions clear and deadly. In a flurry of confusion and fear, just when she thought it was the end, someone intervened.

Breathing heavily, Sanvi struggled to focus on her surroundings, still reeling from the attack. A man crouched before her, asking urgently, "Are you alright?" Her vision sharpened, and there he was—Arjun Rathore. What is he doing here? she thought, startled. He repeated the question, and she managed to nod, though her thoughts were elsewhere.

Her gaze shifted to the unconscious figure on the floor. Shaking, she reached down and pulled off the mask, her heart sinking when she saw her ex-boyfriend. The betrayal stung deeply. Why would he try to kill me? A bitter answer surfaced quickly—she already knew why. She had been the one to support him financially, only for him to discard her when he found someone else.

Sanvi’s thoughts were interrupted by the man sitting across from her, anger simmering just beneath his calm exterior. Arjun's eyes were hard, dangerously pissed. "Mr. Rathore, why are you here?" she demanded, still trying to piece it all together.

"I don’t know," he admitted, his voice low and rough. "I had a feeling you were in trouble. When I got here, he was choking you."

Sanvi blinked, incredulous. Seriously? A feeling?

That’s when she noticed his bloodied knuckles. Her eyes widened in alarm. "Oh my... Mr. Rathore, your hand is bleeding. Let me get some first aid."

---

Thirty minutes earlier,

Arjun had come home furious. Nothing about the day had gone right. Meetings had fallen apart, deals had failed because of the missing files... Pouring himself a drink, he tried to calm his nerves. That’s when a message popped up on his phone from Raj.

Raj: Sir, the deals didn’t go well as planned because of your father and step-brother… Sorry, but I just found out.

The words hit like a slap. Anger surged through him, and before he knew it, the whiskey glass in his hand went flying, shattering against the mirror. His fists followed, smashing into the glass, his thoughts spiraling. The involvement of his father made it worse—it always did. His control snapped, and he tore through the room, breaking everything in sight.

But then, a strange feeling crept over him. He couldn’t explain it, but he felt an overwhelming urge to see her—Sanvi. He didn’t question it, just grabbed his keys and drove straight to her place.

When he arrived, the sight that greeted him made his blood run cold—an unknown man had his hands wrapped around Sanvi’s throat. Fury blinded him, and the next thing he knew, the man was on the floor, unconscious.

Now, as Sanvi fussed over his bleeding knuckles, Arjun felt a strange disconnect from the pain. “It’s nothing,” he muttered.

Sanvi ignored him, fetching the first aid kit and cleaning his wounds at the sink. “This is going to hurt,” she warned before applying disinfectant. Arjun stared at her in quiet awe. The girl who had just narrowly escaped death wasn’t trembling, wasn’t fearful. Instead, she kept talking, keeping his mind off the pain as she patched him up. But when he saw the dark, angry fingerprints on her neck, something inside him snapped again.

He stood, calling the police, and within minutes, they arrived to take her ex-boyfriend away.

As Arjun prepared to leave, Sanvi’s voice stopped him. "Mr. Rathore, did you eat?"

He blinked, the question catching him off guard. "No, I didn’t."

"You’re not going anywhere," she said firmly, leading him back inside. She returned from the kitchen with two plates, offering him a warm meal of dal makhani and chapati. "It’s not much, but I hope you like it."

The first bite was enough to make Arjun pause. The food was simple, but it was good—comforting in a way he hadn’t felt in years. He asked for more, and without hesitation, Sanvi brought it. As they finished eating, she cleared the plates and disappeared into the kitchen.

Left alone, the emotions he had kept locked away for years finally broke free. Tears slipped down his face. It wasn’t just the exhaustion of the day or the anger at his father—it was the quiet care Sanvi had shown him, something he hadn’t experienced since his mother’s death.

When Sanvi returned, she found him sitting silently, tears streaking his face. Arjun braced himself, expecting her to ask what was wrong, but she didn’t. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him, offering silent comfort, and let him cry.

Is love beginning to bloom between them?
But what lies ahead? The entry of a new villain, perhaps?
And why does Arjun’s father hate him so much?