Devil's Bride

Maya knows the Truth

Maya stood frozen in the living room, her hand clutching the remote tightly, her gaze locked on the TV screen. Her world felt like it was crumbling around her as the news anchor’s voice echoed in her ears. The report was about a major mafia bust in the city, detailing the latest crackdown on a powerful syndicate. Her heart sank when the name flashed on the screen: Rathore Industries. The very name Ayaan had told her, the name she had thought to be just a business empire, now meant something entirely different.

The news report continued, and Maya’s stomach churned as the words mafia boss were spoken aloud. Her mind raced. The Don—the powerful and feared leader of the organization. A name she had heard whispered by the few who dared speak of it. And now she knew the horrifying truth. It wasn’t just a rumor. Ayaan was the mafia lord.

Her breath hitched in her throat, the room suddenly feeling too small. The man she loved, the man she had trusted with her heart, was the same man who ran this underground empire—an empire built on blood, fear, and lies. She had seen the signs, the private meetings, the security, the secrecy. She had always brushed them aside, telling herself that Ayaan was different, that he loved her, that he would never drag her into that world. But now, the truth was undeniable.

Maya felt a wave of dizziness wash over her as she sank onto the couch. Her chest tightened, and her hands began to shake. She couldn’t believe it—Ayaan, the man she had married, the man who had swept her off her feet, was hiding a dark side. All the times she had questioned the late-night calls, the unexplained absences, the luxury that surrounded him—all of it now made sense.

She had crossed paths with his mafia world before, but she had never known how deep it ran. She had seen the men in suits, the bodyguards, the hidden weapons, but she had always dismissed it, convinced that Ayaan would never involve her in such a life. But now, standing there in front of the TV, she couldn’t deny the truth any longer. He was the one they all feared.

Her heart pounded as she replayed every moment they had spent together. The first time she saw him walk into the room, commanding attention without saying a word. The times he would disappear for hours, only to return with cold, calculated words. The power he exuded—she had thought it was just business, but now it seemed to seep from his very soul.

How could she have been so blind? How could she have fallen so completely in love with a man who lived in such a dangerous world?

Her mind raced, and she couldn’t breathe. She thought of her father, the simple man who had raised her. The quiet life they had lived together in their small village. She had never imagined that her love for Ayaan would pull her into this nightmare. She had trusted him with her heart, her body, her future. But now, everything she thought she knew about him seemed like a lie.

She grabbed her phone, her fingers trembling as she dialed Ayaan’s number. It rang once, twice, three times, and then his deep voice answered.

“Maya? What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”

His voice, always so calm, so reassuring, felt like a lie now. Her lips trembled as she spoke.

“I saw it on the news, Ayaan. I know everything.”

There was a long silence on the other end. Ayaan didn’t speak immediately, and when he finally did, his voice was strained.

“Maya, I—” He cut himself off, and there was a heavy pause. “I never wanted you to find out like this.”

Maya’s heart shattered as his words sank in. "You never wanted me to find out?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "How could you keep this from me, Ayaan? How could you keep living this lie?"

“Ayaan, I never thought it would go this far,” Maya continued, her voice breaking. “I never thought the man I loved, the man I married, would be the very person I feared.”