Page 137 of One Hellish Love

“What did you say?” Savitri froze. “Rudra knows?”

“Yes, I showed him the note the moment I found it. Rudra knows everything.”

The blow hit Savitri hard. She collapsed onto the couch, utterly stunned. “Rudra knows and he… he’s still with you? How… how is that possible? What spell have you cast on him? Why can’t he see what you really are?”

Kashish knelt before her, her tears now flowing freely.

“Rudra has done so much for me. His love, his goodness… it’s more than I deserve. I know my father’s sin took away his innocence, his happiness. I can never undo the past, but I promise you, Daadi… I will spend the rest of my life trying to ease his pain. I will pull him out of the darkness.”

Her words carried a conviction that Savitri didn’t care to acknowledge. She had no interest in hearing what Kashish was capable of.

“I don’t want you anywhere near my grandson. Do you hear me? Leave him to us. I can look after Rudra, I will get him treated, and I will guide him toward the life he deserves. We don’t need you, Kashish Bedi.”

Her words roared through the room like thunder.

Kashish had expected this. But she wasn’t going to back down.

“Sorry, Daadi,” she replied, “but that’s not happening.”

Savitri’s eyes flared in anger as she tried to make sense of her defiance.

“I’m not leaving Rudra. Not until I’ve pulled him out of his sorrows and pain.”

“I’m not discussing this,” Daadi snapped. “This is an order, Kashish. I want you out of our lives.”

But Kashish stood her ground.

“If you force me out now, you’ll lose Rudra. He will turn the entire world upside down to bring me back. Why would you choose to fight a battle that was never in your control to begin with?”

Her words pierced Daadi’s ego like a blade.

“How dare you?” Daadi’s voice shook with rage. “Are you challenging me?”

“I’m not challenging you, Daadi. If it sounded like that, I apologize. I’m only telling you the consequences of your decision. You know, deep down, how much he loves me. Don’t you want to see your grandson free from his pain? Living without fear, without the nightmares that haunt him?”

For a brief moment, Daadi faltered. Yes, she wanted her grandson to smile again, to live without the shadows of his past. And in her heart, she knew that Kashish might be the only one who could bring that light back into Rudra’s life. But her fury, her pride, quickly returned.

“Keshav Bedi robbed this family of its dignity, its peace. I will never allow his daughter to be a part of us. If you have any guilt, any decency left, you will help Rudra heal, and then you will leave. Leave so far away that he can never find you, no matter how much he tries. That is the punishment you owe, for your father’s sins. And don’t even think about making your relationship with Rudra official. You don’t deserve to be part of this family.”

Kashish understood. Any woman in Savitri’s place would feel the same. Why would she ever want a bride whose father had caused so much suffering to their family?

“Tell me, Kashish. Do you accept my challenge?”

Kashish swallowed hard, the tears in her eyes refusing to fall.

“I accept. You will get your grandson back—healed from his pain, free from his sorrow... and free from me.”

Daadi’s shoulders relaxed slightly, a glimmer of satisfaction crossing her face.

“Good,” she said. “Let’s see if you can do it. And remember, Rudra must never know about this conversation.”

“He won’t.” Kashish wiped her tears and nodded firmly.

With a final, cold glance, Savitri turned and walked out, her mission complete. She had come to sever Kashish from Rudra’s life, but now she understood—only Kashish held the power to save him. She had bought herself time—a brief reprieve for Kashish to breathe life back into Rudra’s broken spirit. But once Kashish kept her word and vanished from his world forever, she could handpick the perfect bride, a woman worthy of carrying the Raheja name forward. As Daadi’s footsteps faded, Kashish stood rooted in silence. She had to save Rudra, even if it meant shattering her own heart beyond repair.

CHAPTER 46

Kashish decided to keep her confrontation with Daadi a secret. If Rudra ever found out that his grandmother had come, he would dig deeper, and if he discovered the promise she made to leave him after healing his wounds from the past, it would shatter him completely. As difficult as it was for her to live with this burden, she knew she had to find a way out—soon.

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