Born to Love You

25- Challenge

Aru's Pov:

Ugh, what was I even thinking?! Here I am, trying to sleep, but no—my brain just has to replay the idiotic things I said to him. Like, why? Why would I blurt out something so ridiculous? Oh, Aru, you're a genius, truly. I mean, come on, this guy could have the top models of the country—or heck, the world—and I'm over here thinking he'd care about me? Brilliant logic, really.

And then, the fact that he saved me from that hyena, and did I even bother to say thank you? Nope. But who cares, right? He was staring at me like a total creep anyway, so whatever. Besides, we all know he was just putting on a show—saving me like some knight in shining armor, acting the part of a perfect husband for the world to see. It's not real. None of it's real.

I changed into my shorts and PJ top, hoping to sleep off the chaos in my head, but the moment I shut my eyes, it hit me—a flash of that day. What Farhan did. The way he assaulted me. My heart started racing, and suddenly, I couldn't breathe right. Anxiety was taking over.

And then Aryan's stupid face popped into my mind. How he stared at me earlier. It was so weird, yet... not the same as that day. How? How is that even possible? It's not like I have feelings for him, right? So why wasn't I disgusted? I should be disgusted.

But instead, here I am, trying to make sense of it. Tears started spilling down my face before I could even stop them. The memory of what Farhan did—it's like I'm reliving it. The fear, the helplessness, the shame. God, why can't I just stop thinking about it?

Suddenly, I hear this loud thud—the door swings open, and of course, there he is. My wonderful fake husband, the one and only Aryan Adani, standing there like he owns the place, I mean he does but whatever. Because why wouldn't he? Knocking? Oh no, that's clearly beneath him. Who needs common sense when you're Mr. Perfect?

Great. Just what I needed right now.

Oh, perfect. Just perfect. My eyes were swollen, my face blotchy, my nose and cheeks a brilliant shade of red. Basically, I looked like I'd just lost a fight with an onion—and now he had to see me like this. Vulnerable. Wonderful timing as always, Aryan. I mean, could this day get any better? I quickly wiped my tears away, pretending like I hadn't just been sobbing into my pillow, and glared at him.

"Do you have any common sense at all?" I snapped. "Or is barging into rooms without knocking just your special talent?"

And then, oh joy, instead of answering like a normal human being, he just stood there. Staring. For two whole minutes. Not a word, not a movement—just staring at me like I was some kind of fascinating science experiment. I swear, I could see a flicker of sympathy in his eyes for a split second, but nope—he replaced it so fast with that stone-cold, emotionless face of his. Of course. He'd probably ace a masterclass in masking emotions. *Learn to be a human robot in five easy steps, taught by Aryan Adani*

Finally, after what felt like a century, he decided to open his mouth. "Common sense? Oh, you mean the thing you clearly lack, considering you're sitting here crying for attention instead of locking your door like a normal person."

Wow. Absolutely roasted.

I blinked at him, stunned for about half a second. Then, the sarcasm just flowed out like second nature.

"Oh, wow. Crying for attention, huh?" I clapped my hands slowly, giving him my best mock-enthusiastic expression. "Bravo, Aryan. You cracked the code! I was just sitting here thinking, you know what's missing in my life? Attention. And clearly, the best way to get it is to cry my eyes out in a dark room, in the middle of the night, alone. Genius, really."

I tilted my head, arms crossed, and gave him a once-over. "And as for locking my door, I'm sorry, I didn't realize I needed to. I mean, who would've guessed that the big, important Aryan Adani—the man who has an entire empire to run—would take time out of his very busy schedule to randomly barge into rooms uninvited? Clearly, I underestimated your talent for surprise visits."