MY AVERAGE LIFE

Part 50

Sharath pov:

All I could think about was the different ways I could kill Akhil. My hands kept brushing Shivani's hair gently, trying to calm her down, but my mind was racing. Suddenly, she looked up at me with worried eyes.

"Sharath, what if he does something to Swathi in anger? You know she got back with him."

Even in this situation, while she's trembling, she's thinking about her friend. How can someone be so sweet and caring? Before I could say anything, she shot up from the bed and rushed out of the room. My heart leaped, worrying about the broken glass from the vase on the floor. I followed her immediately, relieved when I saw she hadn't stepped on any pieces. She grabbed her phone from the opposite room, dialing frantically, and I bent down to clean up the broken glass.

"She's not answering," Shivani muttered, pacing the room. Her voice was laced with panic as she dialed again. "Hello, Jyothi, are you with Swathi?" Her voice was calm now, completely different from the trembling mess she was in earlier. She explained to Jyothi what had happened, how Akhil had broken in, said some nonsense, and tried to misbehave with her before she hit him with the vase. She even mentioned being worried about Swathi like it was nothing—like she wasn't the one who was crying a few minutes ago.

It was annoying, how she downplayed her own pain and fear for the sake of someone else. I stepped back, still watching her, and pulled out my phone to message Madhav. I need Akhil in my basement.

Madhav didn't ask any questions. He just replied with a simple "Okay." He knew what I meant. That basement wasn't used often, but when it was... well, let's just say Akhil would regret ever touching Shivani.

I walked back to her, took the phone from her hand, and said making sure she understood the seriousness in my voice. "He won't come near your friend. And make sure none of you or your problems come near Shivani again otherwise u know what will happen If you don't, you can Google my name and believe the rumors."

The rumors about me destroying companies without a second thought, about people disappearing because they crossed me—those rumors were all true.

Before she could protest, I threw her phone onto the couch and grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards me. My other hand wrapped around her waist, and she placed her hands on my chest. I gently brushed her wrist with my thumb. "I'll handle everything. Just trust me, okay? Now tell me, is it hurting?"

"I'm okay now," she whispered, giving me a soft smile that nearly broke my heart. How could she smile so beautifully after what had just happened?

I couldn't stop staring at her, the guilt was eating me. If I had come up earlier, this wouldn't have happened. She must've noticed the change in my expression because she placed her hand on my cheek, stroking it softly.

"Sharath, what's wrong?" she asked, her voice tender. I cupped her face, gently running my fingers over the marks Akhil had left on her jaw.

"I could've stopped this. If I hadn't waited downstairs... if I'd come up right away, you wouldn't have been hurt." I didn't even realize tears were falling from my eyes until Shivani wiped them away.

"Sharath, it's not your fault," she said softly. "If not now, he would've done it another time. You came as soon as I called, right?"

"But if I had been with you..." I muttered, still unable to shake the guilt.
"Baby, we can't be together all the time," she said, giving me a small smile.

And that's when an idea hit me. I wasn't going to take any more chances. Akhil might be a dead man soon, but I couldn't risk something like this happening again when I wasn't around.

"Move in with me," I blurted out.

"Huh?" She looked confused, blinking up at me.
"In your mansion?" she asked, her brows furrowing.
"No, I have an apartment. Let's move in there, Shivani. I can't take any risks."

"Sharath, I—"

"You don't know how I felt when I was running up here. Seeing you like this—with these marks on you, scared and crying—" My voice cracked, and she placed her hand over my mouth to stop me. I gently pulled her hand away.

"Please, Shivani. I can't see you hurt," I whispered, the desperation clear in my voice.
She stared at me for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."

I pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you, baby."

"Ahh..." she winced softly.
"What happened? Did I hurt you? I'm sorry," I said, immediately loosening my grip.

"No, my back just hurts a little," she admitted. That bastard...

"We're going to my apartment. I'll call a doctor—"
"No, Sharath, I'm fine. I don't need a doctor. The marks will fade away, and it's just a little soreness. No need for painkillers. And I need to pack if I'm moving in with you," she said, pointing towards her bedroom.

"I'll have people do it."
"At least let me pack my clothes. I can't let people touch them," she insisted, already trying to head for the room.
I grabbed her gently and made her sit on the couch. "Shivani, let me do it. I don't want you moving around too much."

"I can't let people touch my clothes, Sharath!" she argued.

"Who said people will touch your clothes? I'll do it."

"No, you—"

"Say one more word, and I'll do u first, then your clothes," I teased, smirking at her.

Her eyes widened, and she playfully punched me in the stomach. "Shameless!"

"You haven't even seen 0.0000000001% of it yet," I said with a wink. "Don't worry. I'll show you soon."

She blushed, lowering her gaze with a shy smile. She threw a pillow at me, which I caught, laughing as her cheeks grew even redder. With a grin, I headed to pack her things—not before asking where she kept her suitcases.