Page 62 of One Hellish Love

Anjali hesitated, pressing her lips together. She seemed reluctant to share, but after a pause, she sighed.

“Rudra is leaving tonight.”

Kashish’s heart clenched painfully at those words, a reaction she wasn’t prepared for. He was leaving? Really leaving? Her chest tightened with an emotion she didn’t understand.

“Leaving? Where?” she asked, the question escaping her lips with a bitterness she couldn’t suppress.

“Paris, Kashish. Where else? He’s not even waiting for his wounds to heal. I don’t know what’s wrong with him. Why is he so determined to punish himself like this?”

Kashish felt her stomach drop. He was truly going through with what he had promised her—to leave his own family just to ease her suffering, to rid her of the discomfort his presence caused.

“Let’s go home,” Anjali said, her voice tinged with exhaustion. “Since the day he returned, we’ve all been under so much stress.”

Kashish stiffened at Anjali’s words, her emotions flaring.

Anjali noticed the shift in her expression. “I’m sorry, Kashish, but it’s true. Ever since Rudra came back, Shekhar’s been consumed with trying to make his brother happy. But it’s never going to happen. Rudra’s a lost cause—he’s wrapped up in his own pain, and he doesn’t care about anyone else. Why else would he make such a drastic decision to leave, hurting his own family in the process?”

“He’s doing it forme,” Kashish blurted out, her anger spilling over.

Anjali froze, stunned. “What?”

Kashish looked away, guilt creeping into her voice. “I was the one who wanted to leave the house because I couldn’t bear being around him. That’s when he offered to go instead, reminding me that legally, I couldn’t leave until the court-appointed time.”

“And he agreed toleave?” Anjali asked, her disbelief apparent.

Kashish nodded.

“God, that man is a fool,” Anjali muttered, shaking her head. “Why does he keep sacrificing everything for people who don’t care about him? He’s going to destroy himself if this goes on. His feelings for you—”

Anjali stopped mid-sentence, realizing she had said too much.

Kashish caught it instantly, her mind spinning. “What did you just say? His feelings for me—?”

Anjali bit her lip, unsure of how to proceed. Kashish’s sharp gaze pinned her down, demanding answers.

“Tell me, Anjali. What feelings?”

Anjali hesitated, but seeing Kashish’s resolve, she gave in. “Rudra... loves you.”

Kashish staggered backward, her world spinning as if the ground had been pulled from under her feet.Love? Rudra Raheja, in love with her?

“Yes, it’s true,” Anjali continued, her voice softer now. “He confessed it to Shekhar. But he’d never tell you, because he knows how much you despise him. He’s willing to bear your hatred forever, rather than let you know how he really feels. It’s his way of protecting you, but it’s tearing him apart. He’s been in pain for so long, Kashish... and now, he’s just drowning in it.”

Kashish leaned against a pillar, her mind reeling.Love? This was why he had been so protective, so patient, enduring all her venom without retaliating. The compassion in his eyes had always hidden something deeper—something she had never seen coming. And now, the realization that Rudra loved her left her feeling shaken to her core, her heart conflicted in ways she had never imagined possible.

CHAPTER 23

Raheja Mansion

“What?” Shekhar roared, his anger piercing through the room as he glared at Anjali. “How could you reveal such a crucial thing to Kashish?”

Anjali was just as uneasy as her husband. She had barely stepped inside the house after returning from the temple, and the first thing she did was confess to Shekhar about the conversation she had with Kashish.

“Shekhar, I didn’t want to! It just slipped out. I tried to hold back, but—”

“We’re already facing a crisis here.” Shekhar gripped her arms tightly. Rudra is leaving for Paris tonight, and now, because you told Kashish about Rudra’s feelings, you’ve handed her another weapon to hurt him with.”

Anjali realized the gravity of her mistake, guilt swelling in her chest.

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