“Did you enjoy yourself tonight?” he asked.
Too quiet.
Gayatri frowned slightly. “What—”
“With him.”
The words cut through.
She stilled. “Advik is my friend.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
He moved toward her. Slow. Controlled. Predatory.
“You were laughing,” he said, voice tightening with every word. “Like nothing else existed. Like I didn’t exist.”
Gayatri’s brows drew together. “This isn’t—”
“You didn’t react.”
The interruption was sharp. A beat.
“Riya.”
Gayatri’s gaze didn’t shift. “Yes. She spoke to me.”
Her calmness hit him harder than defiance ever could.
“And?” he pressed, circling her now like he was trying to understand something that refused to make sense. “Nothing? No anger? No jealousy?”
She exhaled softly. “What was I supposed to feel?”
That—that broke something.
In a second, he closed the distance. His hand shot out, grabbing her wrist…hard.
Before she could react, he twisted her arm behind her back and pulled her into him. Her breath left her in a sharp gasp as her body collided with his. Chest to chest. Too close. Too sudden.
“Digvijay—leave me—” she struggled, her free hand pushing weakly against him.
But he didn’t let go. Didn’t even loosen his grip.
“Why are you like this?” he demanded, his voice rough now, breaking through control. “Why are you acting like none of this touches you?”
“Let me go,” she said, her voice uneven now. “Why are you doing this?”
His jaw tightened.
“Because I looked for you,” he snapped. “All night. Like a man losing his mind. And you…”
His hold shifted, pulling her impossibly closer.
“You didn’t care.”
Gayatri stilled and then shook her head faintly. “Don’t twist this into something it’s not.”
His eyes flashed. “Then what is it?”
“It’s simple,” she said, forcing steadiness into her voice despite the way her pulse raced against his grip. “You hate me.”
Silence. Heavy. Dangerous.
She held his gaze. “And I understand why.”
For a moment—he just looked at her. Then something changed. Slowly. Darkly.
“Does it look like I hate you?”
The question was lame. Almost mocking. But there was something else beneath it. Something unstable.
Gayatri frowned, thrown off. “Of course you do. My father—what he did to your family—”
“I hate your family,” he cut in sharply, stepping closer, forcing her to move with him. “I hate your father.”
His voice dropped…rougher.
“But you…”
The words hung there. Unfinished. His gaze fell. To her lips. Stayed there. Too long. Then rose back to her eyes. Then fell again.
Gayatri’s breath faltered. “Stop this,” she said quickly. “This is just madness. Temporary. It’s because I saved your life, that’s all—”
His grip tightened. Not enough to hurt. Enough to hold. To anchor.
“To you, maybe,” he said, his voice quieter now—but darker. “But don’t decide for me what this is.”
A pause.
His breathing slowed. But his eyes—they burned.
“You think this is gratitude?” he murmured.
A humorless smile touched his lips.
“Then why does it feel like I can’t breathe when you walk away?”
Gayatri’s heart stumbled.
“Why does it feel like I want to tear apart anything that makes you smile like that—if it’s not me?”
His voice dropped further. Almost a whisper.
“Why did it drive me insane… seeing you laugh with him… like I don’t exist?”
She stared at him. Speechless. Because this wasn’t anger anymore. This was something else. Something darker.
“You said I hate you,” he continued, his forehead almost brushing hers now. “But hate doesn’t do this.”
His grip shifted—less force, more control. More intent.
“Hate doesn’t keep me awake at night thinking about you.”
His gaze dipped again. To her lips. Slow. Deliberate.
“Hate doesn’t make me lose control just because you won’t look at me.”
Gayatri’s breath came shallowly now. “This isn’t real,” she whispered. “You’re confused. This is just—”
“Madness?” he finished quietly.
A faint, dangerous smile touched his lips.
“Yes.”
He leaned in just enough for his breath to ghost over her skin.
“I am going mad.”
His eyes locked onto hers. Unblinking. Relentless.
“And the reason…”
His voice dropped to something raw…. Uncontrolled.
“…is you.”
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