Page 152 of One Hellish Love

“Well,” she quipped back, “I’m curious to see how their love story unfolds.”

But her playful smile vanished the moment she saw the flicker of pain in Rudra’s eyes. Her heart clenched. Did she say something wrong?

“Where is our love leading us, Kashish?” he asked with uncertainty in his voice.

Confused by the sudden shift, she placed the book aside and gently touched his cheek.

“What do you mean?”

“We need to start thinking about the future… about commitment.”

Commitment.The very word stabbed at her conscience, reminding her of the promise she made to Daadi—the one she knew she couldn’t keep.

Her silence was all the confirmation Rudra needed. He could feel her pulling away, and it cut deeper than any words.

“Kashish,” his grip tightened slightly around her neck as he brought her closer, their gazes locking with an intensity that seemed to freeze time. “Do you really love me?”

“More than you know.”

“Do you trust me?” His voice softened.

“More than I trust myself,” she admitted.

“Good,” he murmured near her ear before embracing her fully.

She clung to him as if trying to ground herself in the storm of emotions swirling inside her.

“Why do our conversations always feel so intense?” she mumbled, her fingers running through his hair.

Rudra smirked, stroking her back with deliberate tenderness. He didn’t need to answer that. His love for her had never been ordinary, so why should anything about them be?

After a few minutes, Kashish pulled away.

“I should get dinner started.”

“Stay,” he whispered, not wanting to let go.

She chuckled at his persistence. “Rudra, if we keep cozying up like this, we’ll be the reason for global warming.”

Her joke finally brought a smile to his face. Reluctantly, he let her go.

“So, what’s on the menu tonight?” he asked, playing along with her lightheartedness.

“Whatever Sir desires,” she teased.

“Then I’ll eat whatever Madam cooks,” he shot back with a grin.

She laughed softly and rushed to the kitchen, knowing full well that no matter what she prepared, he would love it. That’s what love was.

Rudra watched her leave. She may have dodged the topic of commitment for now, but tomorrow would be different. He had already laid out his plan, and by then, she would have no choice but to confront her deepest fears—and commit to his love once and for all.

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Kashish woke up earlier than usual the next morning, her heart still racing from the remnants of another nightmare. In her dream today, she had seen Daadi arranging Rudra’s marriage with another woman—right in front of her. The sight of Rudra, solemnly tying the knot out of loyalty to Daadi, had torn her apart. Would that day ever come? Would Rudra, bound by his love for Daadi, choose someone else if she left him? The thought sent shivers through her. She could almost see it—the woman standing beside him, while she watched from the sidelines, powerless. Her chest tightened, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Rudra’s love for her was boundless, fierce, and undeniable. How could she ever imagine him enduring the agony of separation? She was going to hurt him—deeply, irrationally, by leaving him to fulfil a promise she never meant to keep with her heart. She was about to strike at the one place where he was most vulnerable: his heart.

The desperate need to see him, to feel him near, overcame her. She threw off her blankets and rushed to his room. It was Sunday, and they had no pressing commitments. She didn’t want to spend even a moment apart from him, not after the haunting images of that dream. But panic surged when she didn’t find him in his room. Her breath hitched as she hurrieddown the stairs until she finally spotted him—working out in the gym, focused on his abs. Relief washed over her like a wave as she stopped at the door, her heart racing for a different reason now.

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