Devil's Bride

A SIlent Promise

The sun was beginning to set as Maya made her way through the busy streets of Mumbai. She had just finished a lecture at the medical college and was heading back to the hostel. The city was alive, full of energy, yet Maya’s thoughts often wandered back to the man who haunted her heart—Ayaan.

She hadn’t expected to see him again, not in a city as vast as Mumbai. The memory of their time together in Chennai still lingered, but she was doing her best to focus on her dreams, putting aside her feelings for him.

As Maya walked, a commotion caught her attention. A group of well-dressed men, perhaps from a rival college or local business, had cornered a street vendor, hurling insults at him for no apparent reason. The vendor, a frail middle-aged man, looked helpless, his face flushed with embarrassment.

Maya’s instincts urged her to intervene, but she knew it would be futile. These men were too powerful, too intimidating. She hesitated, unsure whether to step forward or retreat.

Then, from the edge of the crowd, a sleek black car pulled up to the curb. Maya barely noticed the vehicle at first, but as the driver opened the door, she froze. A tall figure emerged from the car, dressed in an impeccably tailored suit. His presence was magnetic, and the crowd seemed to part almost instinctively as he walked toward the scene.

It was Ayaan.

The men didn’t seem to recognize Ayaan at first. But as he approached them, his eyes cold and calculating, they instantly stopped in their tracks. Ayaan didn’t shout, didn’t make a scene. He simply looked at them, his gaze sharp, like a predator sizing up its prey.

“Gentlemen,” he said, his voice low but filled with authority, “I suggest you leave.”

There was no need for force, no need for threats. His presence alone commanded respect. The men hesitated, glancing at each other, then at Ayaan. The tension in the air was palpable.

“I don’t think we have a problem here,” one of the men finally muttered, his bravado wavering.

Ayaan gave them one last, steely look. “Good. Now leave.”

The men, clearly intimidated by his unspoken power, muttered under their breath before backing away, leaving the vendor untouched.

As the group dispersed, Maya watched in awe. Ayaan hadn’t lifted a finger, yet he had de-escalated the situation with nothing more than his presence. She had always known him to be powerful, but this—this was a different kind of strength. It was the strength of a man who commanded the world without needing to raise his voice.

Ayaan turned and saw her standing a few steps away, still frozen in place. His expression softened just for a moment, though his eyes still held that familiar intensity.

“Maya,” he said her name like it was a secret between them, and the world around them faded away.

Maya swallowed hard, unsure of what to say. The man she had tried so hard to forget stood before her, his presence overwhelming yet somehow comforting.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Ayaan smiled, a small, knowing curve of his lips. “I could ask you the same,” he replied. His gaze swept over her, the softness in his eyes betraying the steel that lay beneath. “Studying medicine, I see. You’ve grown.”

Maya looked away, the words she had prepared for so long suddenly failing her. She had thought of him so many times, but seeing him here, standing so close, was a shock.

“I’m not a child anymore,” she said, more to herself than to him.

Ayaan chuckled softly, but it wasn’t mocking. “No, you’re not,” he agreed. “But I still remember the girl from the village. The one who had a heart too big for her own good.”