The unexpected meet

CONFRONTATIONS

Aahana's pov :-

I gripped Reyaansh's bloodied shirt, yanked him toward me, voice shaking with rage, love, and something deeper I couldn't name yet.

"Where the fuck were you?" I hissed, eyes burning into his soul. "You were gone for months, Reyaansh. Gone. I thought you were — I thought—" My voice cracked and I shoved at his chest. "You left me. You left us."

His jaw clenched. His hands came up, cupping my face like I was glass—shattered but precious.

"I didn't leave you" he whispered, forehead pressing to mine. "I was taken, baby. He locked me in a warehouse, tied me, drugged me, starved me. Every damn day I screamed your name. I held onto your smile in my head so I wouldn't lose mine."

My breath hitched. "You were there the whole time? While I was crying, breaking, trying to survive—"

"I was fighting" he growled, teeth gritted. "For you. For our baby. I didn't survive for myself, Aahana. I survived to see you one more fucking time."

The tears exploded from my eyes like a dam broken. I clung to him, punched his chest as I sobbed. "You stupid, stubborn asshole. You should've killed him the moment you broke free!"

He chuckled, low and dark. "I left that part for you, didn't I?"

I gasped out a laugh through my tears, punching him again. "Don't you dare joke with me right now. You don't get to be funny when I almost married a psychopath."

His eyes darkened. "That will never happen again. You're mine, and I'll burn the fucking world down before I let anyone take you from me again."

Before I could respond, Abhimaan cut in, voice sharp. "Can we do this later? Cops are here. The bride just assassinated the groom and the venue smells like gunpowder and testosterone."

Reyaansh didn't even blink. He scooped me into his arms like I weighed nothing.

"We'll talk at home" he muttered. "We'll scream, cry, fuck, whatever you need. But first, I'm taking you out of this goddamn place."

As he carried me out past the scattered petals, the bloodstains, and the broken chaos Dhruv left behind, my eyes found Kiara.

She was holding Abhimaan's hand, staring at me like she knew—really knew—what it took to stand back up when the world tried to bury you.

She mouthed: You're a warrior.

I smiled through my tears.

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

* Later at the Rajput Mansion *

The doors slammed open with the weight of everything we had just survived. The scent of fresh roses still clung to my bridal outfit, now stained with dried blood and gunpowder. Reyaansh hadn't let go of my hand once—not through the ride back, not when we crossed the threshold into his home.

But now? I ripped my hand from his.

"One month" I whispered, voice shaking. "You were out in one month."

He froze mid-step.

I took a trembling breath, eyes shining with fury and betrayal. "You were out. You were breathing. You were alive, and you didn't come. You didn't tell me. You didn't save me."

"Aahana—"

"Don't you fucking 'Aahana' me right now!" I screamed, my voice cracking like glass. "I begged the gods to bring you back! I mourned you! There wasn't a fucking day in my life for the past eight months in which I have not expected you to return to me. And you were alive, watching me suffer?!"