Forbidden Mania | 18+

16.

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Author's pov~
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The soft echo of Arsh's car fading into the night brought a rare smile to Raghav's lips. For a fleeting moment, the cold stillness of the mansion didn't feel as suffocating. His younger brother's happiness was contagious, and the news of Arsh's upcoming marriage warmed something buried deep within Raghav's chest.

Leaning back into his chair in the grand but dimly lit study, Raghav cradled his plastered arm with a sense of contentment.

"He found his anchor, his person, he mused. The anklets, a legacy and a weight had finally found a worthy bearer." He muttered to himself.

But even as the joy lingered, a shadow crossed his mind. The faint glimmer of love and warmth Arsh had described felt like a distant dream to him. His own life, tangled in obsessions and secrets, felt like a stark contrast to his brother's simplicity.

Raghav's gaze drifted to the hallway where the draped paintings hung in eerie silence.

"Soon." He thought, flexing the fingers of his uninjured hand. "Soon, I'll find her. The girl who brought color back into my world."

The memory of her face, so fleeting yet so vivid, sent a shiver through him.

He let out a soft chuckle, his plastered arm feeling like both a burden and a reminder.

"I can't go to her like this." He whispered to the empty room.

"I'll scare her away." His smile grew faint as he considered the delicate balance of his emotions, yearning and obsession, hope and fear.

Arsh's words from earlier replayed in his mind, the younger brother's enthusiasm shining bright in the darkness of the mansion. Raghav felt a flicker of pride. Arsh had grown into a man who followed his heart fearlessly, unshaken even by their mother's wrath.

"Good for you, little brother." Raghav murmured, leaning forward as his good hand rested on the desk. "You've chosen love. I hope it doesn't destroy you the way it almost destroyed our Mom."

The room was silent again, save for the faint ticking of a clock. Raghav stared into the shadows, his thoughts clouded with a mix of joy for Arsh and the dark pull of his own unspoken desires.

For now, he let himself feel happy for his brother. Arsh deserved the love and warmth he found. As for Raghav, he'd wait. And when the time comes, when his arm heals and his resolve sharpens, he will find her.

He only hoped she'd understand when she saw the depth of his devotion. Or at least, that she wouldn't run.

The smile on Raghav's lips faltered as the memory rushed in like a tidal wave, vivid and unstoppable. His good hand clenched the edge of the desk as he sank deeper into the past, a moment he couldn't forget, no matter how hard he tried.

<<FLASHBACK>>

It had been an ordinary evening. He was on his way to switch cars to avoid the snarling traffic ahead. The streetlights flickered, and the cacophony of honking horns filled the humid air.

As he stepped onto the sidewalk, his sharp eyes caught a truck speeding recklessly down the road.

Then he saw her.

She was oblivious, walking along the edge of the street, clutching a bag to her chest. Her hair swayed in the wind, and there was a distracted look on her demeanor, as if she were lost in her own world. In an instant, his sharp instincts kicked in. The truck wasn't slowing down, it was headed straight for her.