Page 14 of One Hellish Love

The mention of Rudra made her tense with anger, though she struggled to contain it.

“If you want to avoid him, fine,” Shekhar continued. “But don’t push the rest of us away. We aren’t the ones who wronged you.”

Kashish remained silent, unable to meet his gaze. Shekhar’s voice softened, but the urgency remained.

“And these designs... they mean nothing if you keep hiding.”

“Let it go, Shekhar,” Anjali interjected gently. But Shekhar wouldn’t.

“I’m not the enemy here, Kashish. I’ve always looked out for you. I just want to see you on the right path, not hiding behind these walls.”

“I get it, Shekhar. But—” Kashish started.

“No, I’m sorry,” Shekhar interrupted. “I pushed too hard.”

Without another word, he left, leaving Kashish stunned. Anjali quickly explained what had happened at the office—how Tanuja wanted her to lead the new project. Kashish was floored. The idea of working for Rudra’s project was unthinkable.

“Shekhar is trying to hold everything together, but he’s tearing himself apart. He can’t make everyone happy without hurting someone.” Anjali added softly.

Kashish nodded. She knew better than anyone the weight Shekhar carried for her. He had always been her protector. And someone like him? You never let them get hurt.

Anjali’s reassuring touch on her cheek brought her back to the present.

“Now, get back to your work. I know you’ll finish what’s on your mind.”

As Anjali left, Kashish moved to close the door, only to hear soft guitar notes drifting from the room down the hall.Hisroom. The sound was hauntingly beautiful, but to her, every note felt like a stab to the heart. No matter how gentle his music, everything he touched turned to poison. She slammed the door shut, desperate to keep his world, his very presence, out of her life. She couldn’t even bear to breathe the same air that kept him alive.

CHAPTER 6

Rudra had mastered the guitar at the tender age of eleven, his fingers instinctively finding the right chords. He had a knack for drums as well, and music had always been his true passion. If fate hadn’t shackled him to the massive Raheja empire, he would have undoubtedly carved out a career in music. But now, music was his escape—his only refuge from the suffocating past that consumed him. As he scribbled a few notes of a new melody into his diary, his phone buzzed, shattering his concentration. A message from Lavina flashed across the screen:

“Sorry, Rudra. You know I mean it.”

He barely glanced at it before flipping the phone over, continuing to play. A simple sorry wasn’t enough to undo what she had done. Lavina rarely went against his wishes—almost never, in fact. Their opinions usually aligned seamlessly. But today, by showing Kashish’s designs to Tanuja, she had crossed a line. A second message lit up his phone, and despite his urge to ignore it, he picked it up.

“I’ll meet her and apologize too.”

No. Absolutely not. Kashish couldn’t find out. The thought of her knowing sent a surge of alarm through him. Without wasting another second, Rudra dialed Lavina.

“Don’t you dare do anything like that,” he warned the moment she answered.

Lavina hesitated, trying to read between the lines of his tone. “Okay... I won’t,” she finally agreed.

Another pause lingered between them, but Lavina couldn’t suppress what was really on her mind.

“You’re being... protective of her, Rudra. I think she’s the first woman to ever get that from you.”

Protective?The word struck him like a cruel reminder of his failure. He hadn’t been able to protect Kashish when it mattered most. His failure to save her from becoming an orphan haunted him, sending a tremor through his body. He forced himself to push the thought down, steadying his voice.

“I’ll speak to Tanuja tomorrow and straighten this out. You and Bhai don’t need to worry about it.”

Lavina’s voice softened into a teasing tone.

“You always need to be the center of everything, don’t you? Why can’t you just sit back for once and let me and Shekhar handle it? I’ve already contacted a few designers I trust—maybe Tanuja will like their work and forget about Kashish.”

“You talk too much, La,” he muttered, his voice carrying an edge of impatience.

Lavina laughed lightly.

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