Shiddat

Chapter 36

Arjun sat behind his grand mahogany desk, the weight of his office pressing down on him. The floor-to-ceiling windows showcased the sprawling city, its skyline a testament to his success. Yet, the sight felt hollow. The world outside buzzed with life, but his mind was elsewhere—lost in thoughts of Ananya.

Work had always been his refuge, a fortress where he could shield himself from the chaos of emotions. Power, control, and strategy were his strongholds. But no matter how many hours he buried himself in reports and meetings, he couldn't silence the quiet pull of her presence. Ananya had become a constant in his thoughts, lingering there like an unanswered question.

He hadn't anticipated this. Their engagement had been an arrangement—practical, straightforward, devoid of romantic illusions. Marriage, to him, was a transaction, a duty to fulfill family expectations. Love wasn't supposed to play a part.

But then came the engagement party.

He had stood at the edge of the crowded hall, his expression carefully neutral, observing the lively chatter around him. Then she walked in, and everything shifted.

She was dressed in an elegant white gown, her earrings catching the light as she moved with an effortless grace. There was something about her that drew his gaze—a quiet confidence that commanded attention without demanding it. Yet, beneath her poised exterior, there was a fragility that intrigued him.

It wasn't her beauty that unsettled him, though she was undeniably striking. It was the way she seemed entirely at ease and yet slightly guarded, as if she carried a secret she wasn't ready to share.

He had watched her from across the room, his gaze drawn to her despite himself. Her laughter, her warmth, the way she greeted guests with a sincerity that felt rare in their world—it all set her apart. For reasons he couldn't name, Arjun felt the beginnings of an unfamiliar pull, his defenses faltering.

And then came their wedding.

The moment she appeared at the end of the aisle, his breath caught. Dressed in intricate bridal attire, she was radiant, her every step measured and graceful. But it wasn't just her appearance that struck him. It was the look in her eyes—determined yet vulnerable. When she stood before him, her hands trembled slightly during the rituals. Her eyes searched his, steady yet distant, as if seeking something he wasn't sure he could give.

As he tied the nuptial chain around her neck and the priest's chants echoed around them, a thought pierced through his resolve: What if I let her in and she leaves?

Since that day, Ananya had been nothing but kind to him. She didn't push or demand, didn't question his distance. She spoke to him with quiet respect, her gestures thoughtful, almost selfless. Yet, her silence asked the questions her words didn't. Her presence unsettled him in ways he couldn't explain.

She didn't need to ask for his affection—her silence did. She didn't demand his attention—her eyes spoke volumes. In the moments between their conversations, when he caught her gazing at him with a softness he felt he didn't deserve, he could sense the walls he had so carefully built beginning to crack.

The truth was, he cared. More than he wanted to, more than he had thought possible. And that terrified him. Caring meant vulnerability. It meant giving someone the power to hurt you. And Arjun Rathore had sworn long ago never to give anyone that power again.

He leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly against the polished wood. His thoughts drifted to their first night together. She had looked at him with a quiet hope—a hope for something real, something beyond the arrangement they had entered into. But fear had held him back. Fear of being seen. Fear of being hurt. Fear that if he let her in, she might one day leave, just like others had.

For years, he had mastered the art of control. Control over his business, over his emotions, over the narrative of his life. Letting Ananya in meant relinquishing that control, even if only a little. And that was a risk he wasn't ready to take.

Yet, no matter how much distance he tried to maintain, she remained a constant presence in his mind. The way her laughter lit up a room. The quiet determination with which she fulfilled her responsibilities. The small, thoughtful gestures, like leaving a cup of tea on his desk in the mornings, even when he barely acknowledged her.

At night, he would find her staring out of the window, the moonlight casting a soft glow on her face. There was a quiet melancholy in her eyes that he wanted to understand but couldn't bring himself to ask about.

Would she leave him if he couldn't give her what she deserved? Would she tire of waiting for a man too afraid to face his own feelings? The thought gnawed at him, an ache he couldn't shake.

Arjun stood abruptly, pacing the length of the room. The polished floor creaked faintly under his weight, a sharp contrast to the quiet storm in his mind. He had built his life on the belief that love was a weakness, a liability. But Ananya was making him question everything.

If she left—if she decided the distance between them was too great to bridge—it wouldn't just be her absence that would haunt him. She would take with her the fragile hope he had started to nurture. The hope that perhaps he wasn't as cold and unfeeling as he had convinced himself to be.

He stopped by the window, staring out at the city he had conquered, the empire he had built. None of it felt like enough anymore. Not without her. The realization hit him with a force that left him breathless.

For years, he had fortified himself against the world, building walls so high that even he struggled to see over them. But now, for the first time, he wondered if those walls were worth the price he was paying.

Ananya was different. She didn't demand his love or his devotion. She simply existed in his life, a quiet force that challenged him to feel more, to be more. And maybe that was the most terrifying thing of all.

Because if he let her in, she might break him. But if he didn't, he might lose her forever.

For now, Arjun didn't have the answers. He only had the fear gnawing at him and the quiet truth he could no longer ignore. Ananya was no longer just a part of his life. She was a part of him. And that realization terrified him most of all.

----------------------------------------------

Thanks for reading!!

It might take a while to update chapters as I'm in a low network zone for work

Do share this story with your friends who you think might like it and give it a read

It will be only available here, and let me know your thoughts on the story

Don't forget to vote and follow me on Wattpad and Instagram

----------------------------------------------