Page 20 of One Hellish Love

“Anything that you have touched can never belong to me—not even this.”

Without another word, she turned and walked away, leaving him standing there, her words like shards of glass in his chest.

Rudra’s hand clenched around the anklet, his gaze following her until she disappeared into the building. Shekhar felt the tension thickening and tried to diffuse the moment.

“Rudra—just let it go,” Shekhar urged softly, but Rudra was already walking away, his heart heavy with the weight of her hatred.

No words could soothe the raw wound she had just opened.

CHAPTER 8

‘Anything that you have touched can never belong to me.’

Those words reverberated in Rudra’s mind. No one had ever affected him like this. She was still the same girl who had hurled a stone at him all those years ago, the same fire in her eyes, burning with a rage so fierce that it could scorch his very soul if he got too close. The intensity of it all was maddening. Did she even realize how deeply she had humiliated him? Not that anyone from his office had witnessed their heated exchange, but there were enough eyes around to notice the charged atmosphere between them. He sucked in a deep breath as a knock sounded on his door, forcing himself to appear composed.

“Come in,” he said, his voice cold, the fury barely contained beneath the surface.

Shekhar stepped inside, taking in his brother’s tense posture and the storm brewing in his eyes.

“I don’t want to discuss what happened a few minutes ago,” Rudra warned before Shekhar could begin his usual speech about giving Kashish time to adjust.

Shekhar studied Rudra’s scowl, recognizing the tight leash his brother had on his emotions. Calmly, he decided to shift the subject.

“Alright, let’s change the mood then. Daadi’s organizing a welcome party for you tomorrow evening.”

Rudra’s expression darkened further, his jaw tightening.

“She knows I hate those parties. I’m not interested in meeting our relatives. Tell her to cancel it.”

“Rudra, come on,” Shekhar said, his tone patient. “We both agreed to keep her happy, remember?”

“Except for this one thing, I’ve been doing everything she asks, Bhai,” Rudra replied, his frustration growing. “But I’m not doing this.”

Shekhar sighed. “It’s just a gathering, Rudra. What’s the big deal?”

“I’m not prepared.” Rudra’s voice was strained, his hands clenched into fists.

Shekhar had anticipated this reaction.

“It’s been 11 years, Rudra. Everyone has moved on from that incident. No one’s going to point fingers at you. In fact, our relatives are impressed with your success. You’ll only hear praise.”

Rudra’s expression didn’t soften.

“I don’t care about their praise or their criticism. I just don’t want to face people who will remind me of my past.”

Shekhar pressed on, trying to reason with him.

“No one’s focused on your past anymore.”

“That’s what you think,” Rudra retorted, his voice low and dangerous. “But the moment they see me, they won’t be able to stop themselves from feeling sorry for me. I don’t want their pity. Cancel the party before it’s too late.”

Without waiting for a response, Rudra walked out of the cabin, leaving Shekhar standing there, sighing in defeat. He knew he was in for a long, hard battle, stuck between two stubborn forces—Rudra and Kashish.

*******************

Later that evening, Kashish sat on her bed, staring at her bare ankle, the absence of her mother’s anklet a painful reminder of what she had just lost. That anklet was one of thefew precious things she had taken from her childhood home before joining the Raheja family all those years ago. Her father had given it to her when he was alive, telling her to keep it safe as a cherished piece of her mother’s memory. And now, it was inhispossession. She should have snatched it from him, not wasted time with those heavy words. Why did she always let her emotions get the better of her when he was around? She clenched her fist around the remaining anklet. No, she couldn’t let Rudra keep it. She couldn’t let him touch something so sacred to her. She had to get it back.

Determined, she stormed into Shekhar’s room later that evening.

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