Blossom and Burn

Chapter 47: Mar jao

Irisha:

The cold night air bit at my skin as I sat in the passenger seat, my hands clenched in my lap. Every muscle in my body was stiff, wrenching with anger and pain, yet I refused to show him how much it hurt.

I had given Veer everything - my love, my trust, and he had torn it apart.

I could feel the weight of his gaze on me, burning with unasked questions, accusations still simmering beneath the surface. But I didn't look at him. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

He may have been able to drag me to this place, thinking I owed him something, thinking he had the right to answers. But he had lost that right the moment he believed I had betrayed him.

I stared out the window, my arms crossed tightly over my chest as the car came to a stop. I didn't care where we were. It didn't matter. Nothing did. I just wanted to be away from him, and go back to my sleep so my mind could be at peace, even if for a few hours.

It was all ruined now. Destroyed by his doubts. His inability to trust me.

The moment Rakshit or Reyansh realise my absence, they will find me and get me away from him just like I need.

"Get out," his voice was cold, clipped, the demand hanging in between us like a threat.

I didn't move, didn't react. Maybe if I stayed still long enough, I would disappear. Maybe if I ignored him long enough, I would wake up from this nightmare where the man I loved was the one who shattered everything.

"Get out," He repeated, his voice was low, filled with frustration and impatience.

I still didn't budge, my hands gripping the seat beneath me. I couldn't bring myself to be able to face him. My heart ached with the weight of all the unspoken words, but I knew, deep down, none of it would matter. He had already believed the worst of me.

When I didn't respond, I felt him move beside me, his hand gripping my arm firmly but not harshly

"Dammit, Irisha, get out of the car!" he snapped, his hand gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white.

"Or I swear if I go inside that house alone, I will burn myself down along with it." He finished, looking straight into my eyes and I knew he would do it.

I felt nothing but numbness as I opened the door and stepped out into the cold night air. The farmhouse looked abandoned, but it looked like the maintenance was prim and properly taken care of.

"Manipulative bitch" I muttered under my breath as I heard the car door close.

I stood out in the darkness, my heart pounding in my chest, refusing to look at him. He was waiting for me to crack, waiting for me to say something.

I wouldn't.

He walked beside me and opened the door for us and I walked in the hall. The door slammed behind me, and he followed me in.

In two strides, he was there, grabbing my arm and turning me to face him. His eyes were wild, dark with confusion, anger, and many other things I couldn't place. But I didn't care. Not anymore.

"Why?" he demanded, his voice low, rough. "Why did you do it?"

I smiled bitterly, shaking my head, devoid of the emotions that was threatening to consume me from the inside. "Why?" I repeated, my voice colder than I thought possible.

His grip on my arm tightened, his frustration bubbling to the surface. "You lied to me,"

His words sliced through me, but I swallowed the pain, refusing to let it show. "You think I lied," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "That's all that matters."