Page 160 of One Hellish Love

He turned to leave, but she grabbed his arm, desperate.

“Don’t... don’t leave me,” she begged.

Rudra paused, swallowing hard. He didn’t turn around as he spoke, his voice low and hollow.

“You planned to leave me, Kashish, long before you even confessed your feelings.Youleft me...Ididn’t leave you.”

When she still didn’t wipe her tears, he took her wrist gently and pressed the tissue into her hand, forcing her to use it.

“I know you’re hurt,” she sniffled, her voice barely audible.

“You think you understand my pain?” He stared down at her. “Trust me, Kashish, you’re nowhere close to feeling what I’m going through at this moment. Because of you.”

He handed her the tissue again, then walked out of the room, leaving her shattered and lost.

CHAPTER 52

Raheja Mansion

Raheja Mansion felt heavy with tension as Shekhar shared the latest news with Daadi—Rudra had decided to leave for Paris. Yet, Daadi remained unsettlingly calm, her silence confusing him.

“Daadi, did you hear me?” Shekhar repeated, disbelief in his tone. “Rudra’s planning to fly to Paris tomorrow.”

“I heard you, Shekhar,” she replied quietly.

“Aren’t you even surprised?”

Daadi’s lips twitched, but there was no shock in her eyes.

“I know Rudra better than anyone else. I’ve dealt with his anger and his ways of hiding from the world since he was a boy. Do you remember the time when you rode his new bicycle without permission, and he pushed you off in a fit of rage?”

Shekhar’s mind raced back to that incident, from years before Keshav Bedi’s accident. He had been teasing Rudra by riding his new bicycle, only to be pushed off in a burst of fury. The fall had left his knee bloodied, but it was Rudra’s reaction that had stunned everyone. After realizing what he had done, Rudra had disappeared for hours, hiding in the garage and crying silently, punishing himself for causing his brother pain. Even years later, after coming out of the juvenile home, Rudra had isolated himself from the family—partly because of his guilt over Kashish’s father’s death, but also as a form of self-inflictedpunishment. This was a pattern, one that had haunted him his entire life.

“I remember,” Shekhar muttered.

“He’s doing it again,” Daadi continued. “He’s trying to run away because he’s hurt.”

“But this time, Daadi,” Shekhar interrupted, his voice rising, “this time he didn’t hurt anyone. You and Kashish hurt him.”

Daadi’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, but she held her ground.

“Why can’t anyone understand my point of view? I’m not his enemy. I only want to protect him. Rudra has already paid a heavy price for what happened with Kashish’s father, and now he knows he wasn’t fully responsible. But the relationship they are trying to build won’t last. This will come back to haunt them someday, and I’m trying to prevent that heartbreak. What will people think if Rudra and Kashish are together? Either they’ll blame Kashish for loving the man who killed her father, or they’ll say Rudra took pity on her and decided to marry her. How do we stop that kind of talk?”

Shekhar shook his head, still unconvinced. “Daadi, why does it matter what people think? We can’t please everyone. Rudra is the heart of this family, and if this is what he wants, why can’t we give him that?”

Daadi’s eyes narrowed. “You think he still wants her?”

Silence fell between them as Shekhar struggled to respond.

“If he did,” Daadi said, breaking the silence, “he wouldn’t be planning to leave for Paris.”

Shekhar sighed, frustrated.

“Yes, he’s hurt. But that doesn’t mean he’s stopped loving her. One day, the wounds between them will heal, and he will bring her back into his life.”

“I don’t see that day coming,” Daadi countered, rising to her feet. “He needs time away from her. We can’t force Kashish toleave until she turns 25, as per the court’s orders, but if Rudra goes to Paris, maybe he can clear his head. He’ll realize that this so-called love was just guilt all along.”

Shekhar turned away, exasperated. Every effort to resolve this felt like it only deepened the chaos. Daadi, however, had already made up her mind. She retreated to her room and sat in her rocking chair, contemplating her next move. She couldn’t leave Rudra alone in Paris. Someone had to be there to watch over him. And she knew exactly who to ask. Picking up her phone, she dialed Lavina.

---