"Ayaan... I love you." The words hung in the air between us. Loud. Heavy. Unapologetic. His body stiffened. "I don't know when it started," I continued, the tears now falling freely again, "maybe it was the night you brought me that stupid cupcake with a candle on it because no one else remembered my birthday. Or when you carried me across that muddy road so my heels wouldn't get ruined." I laughed softly through the tears. "Maybe it was when you fought that guy in college who called me names... even though you got suspended for it." "I kept convincing myself it was just friendship." He turned slightly, his jaw tightening even more. I took a deep breath, stepping a little closer. "But the truth is - it's always been you, Ayaan. Every time. Every moment. Every goddamn day." Silence. I looked into his eyes - finally - and whispered, "Say something. Please." Just then, the airport speakers crackled to life. "Passengers of flight AI-243 to Delhi, please proceed to Gate 7. The boarding gate will close shortly." The words echoed in the space between us - loud, final, cruel. I felt a sudden chill run through me. My fingers were still pressed against his chest, feeling the rapid thump of his heartbeat. But Ayaan slowly reached up and gently removed my hand - one finger at a time - like tearing away the only thing holding him back. "You don't understand, Sanya," he said, his voice low but firm. "Your engagement is already fixed." His words sliced through the air like a blade. I looked at him, my vision blurred from the tears. "I don't care about the engagement," I said desperately. "I'll talk to Dad, to everyone. I'll fix it - I just need to know... do you feel the same?" My voice cracked on the last word. He looked at me. For a second, something flickered in his eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it came. He didn't answer. Instead, he stepped back. "I'm getting late," he said quietly, without meeting my eyes. He walked away....

Prologue When honey turns bitter, even sweetness scars the tongue. Revenge that was the fire keeping Arjun Rathore Mehra alive. An orphan turned billionaire, he learned that love was a lie and trust a blade. Power wasn't enough. For his enemy Raj Malhotra sharma, Arjun needed something crueler: Raj's daughter, Aarohi. Twenty years old. Blue eyes like oceans. A fragile girl who believed in fairytales. Arjun gave her soft words, tender smiles, and promises under the stars. She surrendered her trust, her laughter, her innocence. For her, it was love. For him, it was a weapon. Then her world shattered. "I never loved you, Aarohi. You were just my game. My bed. My weapon." Her father's slap burned her skin, her mother's silence sealed her fate. Alone and disgraced, she left behind two trembling words: "Forgive me." Arjun didn't look back. In his mind, she would heal. Arjun thought nothing of it. The project was his. Revenge complete. Until fate punished him. On a crowded street, he saw her again wearied, rough-handed, whispers trailing her: "Carrying a bastard... no better than a whore." Tears fell. And then he saw her belly seven months heavy. Every insult she suffered, every tear she shed was because of him. His revenge had left her alone with a burden she never deserved: a child without a father's name or protection. And in that moment, his triumph turned to ash. That was when honey turned bitter. The project was his. But the price was her. Some wounds never fade. Some sins never find redemption. Some loves cannot survive the moment when honey turns bitter. Because the cruelest truth is this: once honey turns bitter, it can never be sweet again. ❝Has Arjun already lost her forever? Is he too late to mend what he destroyed? Or is fate already written in poison? Can even the bitterest honey still hold a trace of sweetness... if only she lets him in?❞ ✨ When Honey Turns Bitter a tale of love, betrayal, and a revenge that cost more than it ever