BEYOND UNFINISHED✔️

Chapter 33. The Fire Beneath Her Silence

Song:- Rehnuma.

True love doesn't need proof...
The eyes told the truth...

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Third POV.

The words sliced through her like rusted blades—

"Such a whore..."
"Slut should be punished..."

Every syllable screamed through the grand sitting area like poison-drenched arrows, and they hit her heart with surgical cruelty.

When Anaya reached the bottom of the stairs, her soul already trembled with unease. The moment her eyes caught sight of Shruti, shouting at the top of her voice, venom pouring from her lips, the world tilted.

She stood there... frozen.

And what shattered her wasn't just the ugly accusation—it was the silence around it.
The stillness of the people she once considered her own.
The way he stood there... saying nothing.

Her feet trembled. Her breath came in ragged shivers. Tears fell freely, silently. Her hands clenched her saree as if it could hold her together.

Why always her?

Every lie, every defamation, every cruel judgment—always for her to carry. She was tired. God, she was so tired.

Her chest heaved. A sob escaped her lips. She couldn't take it anymore.

She ran—away from that venomous room, from their soulless stares, from his silence.

And just as her knees buckled, a firm grip caught her by the waist and yanked her back from falling.

"Stop it, Anaya! Are you insane?! What if you got hurt?!" Arjun's voice thundered behind her.

She struggled against him. "Let me go! I don't want to be here! Just let me—"
Her words broke, much like her heart.

Arjun tightened his hold. "Never." His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "Look at me. Hey... look at me."

His palm gently cupped her cheek and turned her face toward him. Her eyes—once filled with life—looked hollow, betrayed.

A muscle ticked in his jaw.

"I swear on the ashes of my soul, Anaya—nothing anyone says, does, or accuses you of... will ever change the way I see you. I trust you with every inch of me." His voice was ice and fire.

His breath hitched with fury. "That bastard Viraj... and that vile bitch Shruti... they dared question my wife's dignity. They dared tear at your name. I'll ruin them. Every tear they caused... I'll burn them for it. That's not a threat—it's your husband's promise."

Anaya clutched his shirt like a lifeline.

"But I didn't... I didn't do anything," she whispered through her sobs. "Please... believe me... they're lying... I—"

"Shhh..." he silenced her, pulling her closer. "You don't need to prove anything to anyone. I know who you are... I see you. You're my wife. And if anyone even thinks of questioning that again... they won't live to say another word."

He picked her up in his arms.

Her trembling hands slid around his neck as she rested her head against his shoulder. She was exhausted. Shattered. But in that moment, she felt something rare—safe.

When they reached the corridor, Krish and Aashi rushed to them. Krish's face was pale with concern.

"Arjun... she's okay, right?"