ASHES BETWEEN US

### Aradhya Kapoor

Aradhya Kapoor is the kind of girl who survives first and feels later.

At twenty-three, she is sharp-tongued, emotionally guarded, and impossible to control. She grew up learning that love is unreliable and weakness is dangerous, which is exactly why she built herself into someone nobody could break twice.

She doesn't cry easily.

Doesn't trust easily.

And definitely doesn't forgive easily.

She hates powerful men.

Which becomes a serious problem when she's forced to marry one.

She fights back.

Always.

And that is exactly what makes Aarav obsessed with protecting her.

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### Aarav Malhotra

Aarav Malhotra is power wrapped in silence.

At twenty-eight, he is cold, calculated, feared, and emotionally impossible to read. He grew up inside a world built on violence, control, and loyalty, where one mistake could destroy entire families. As the heir to the Malhotra empire, Aarav learned very young that emotions are weaknesses people exploit.

So he buried his.

He speaks calmly even when furious, rarely smiles, and watches everything with unsettling intensity. Most people fear him before he even says a word-and honestly, they should.

Because Aarav protects what belongs to him with terrifying devotion.

Especially when it comes to Aradhya.

Physically, Aarav is tall, broad-shouldered, and intimidating without effort. Dark eyes, sharp jawline, permanent tiredness hidden beneath expensive suits, and the kind of presence that makes rooms fall silent when he enters. He looks calm most of the time-but the violence underneath him is always there.

Unfortunately for both of them-

They're both right.