Page 39 of One Hellish Love

Gritting her teeth, she tried to stand, using a nearby pillar for support. But her efforts only worsened her injury, and she landed back on the floor, her bottom bruised now too. It was all because of him—if he hadn’t blocked her way, she would have been in her room by now.

“If you don’t let me take care of that ankle now, you’re only going to make it worse,” he warned, his voice calm but firm.

“You’ve already made my life worse. What more could you possibly do?” she spat; her voice laced with venom.

She groaned again as another sharp wave of pain shot through her ankle. Rudra had it enough. Without another word, he bent down, scooping her up in his arms despite her protests. Fury flashed in her eyes, but he didn’t care. He was done playing nice.

“You’ll regret this,” she hissed through the pain, her voice shaky.

Rudra ignored her, quickening his pace as he carried her to the bedroom. She was so overwhelmed by the pain that she didn’t even notice when he set her down on the edge of the bed. Kneeling in front of her, he gently placed her injured foot on his thigh. Her eyes widened in shock, and she tried to pull away, but he held her leg firmly in place, his gaze locking with hers.

“I’d rather cut my leg off than let you heal it,” she growled, trying to yank her foot away again.

His response was a cold, unwavering look.

“Have some mercy on your body,” he muttered, giving her just a second before twisting her ankle back into place.

Kashish gasped in pain, her hands instinctively fisting his shirt over his shoulder.

The sharp pain quickly subsided, leaving behind only a dull ache, and soon, even that faded. Her eyes met his, a mix of confusion and anger swirling in her gaze.She knew what he was doing.And she hated that she knew.

She jerked her foot away and stood up abruptly.

“Oh, so now you're a doctor too?” she snapped. “How did you know twisting my ankle would ease the sprain?”

“That’s called common sense, Kashish—something your hatred for me tends to overlook.”

Her jaw dropped at his mocking tone.

“I know exactly what you’re trying to do. You think by doing this, you’ll earn my apology? Get it through your head—I’ll never forgive you.”

Her words were like daggers, piercing him deeply, but this wasn’t the first time he’d heard them. Forgiveness from her was as impossible as forgiving the devil himself. He hoped—prayed, even—that one day before his last breath, she would find it in her heart to forgive him. But he couldn’t allow himself to dwell on that hope now. Crossing his arms over his chest, he stared back at her, his expression unreadable.

“So,” he said, his voice cold. “Why were you with Sanjay?”

Her mouth fell open, stunned. Was he seriously questioning her like that?

CHAPTER 15

“Why should I tell you?” she shot back, crossing her arms and rising to her feet. Her ankle had healed, thanks to him, but she refused to acknowledge it, let alone thank him.

Rudra’s eyes darkened, his gaze cutting through her.

“Fine. I’ll ask him instead. And not as politely,” he growled, turning sharply to leave.

Panic surged through her. What would he do to Sanjay? She couldn’t let this escalate.

“We were at a café. The whole team went after work,” she replied through gritted teeth, hating that she had to explain herself.

He shot her one more icy stare before leaving the room. Kashish glared after him, furious. Who did he think he was? She wasn’t accountable to him. It was her life, and she could live it however she wanted. He had no right to question her.

Back in his room, Rudra sat down, staring blankly at his laptop. If the whole team had been at the café, it wasn’t a big deal. But seeing Kashish so close to another man stirred something dark inside him. He tried to refocus on work, on the emails that needed answering. He had a strict timeline—three months to finish everything before heading back to Paris. Staying any longer would only complicate things. But could he really leave her behind?

He had done it before, for 11 years. Back then, he hadn’t even known what she looked like, only imagined her face, fillingin the blanks in his mind. That was enough to soothe him. But now, everything had changed. He knew her—the way she smiled around Shekhar and Anjali, the fire in her eyes when she was angry, the way she moved. Could he really walk away from all that? Could he return to Paris and pretend she didn’t exist?

His mind screamed no. She was everything to him, even if he was nothing to her. But how long could he hold onto this? She would soon be 25, free to leave this house and this family. What would happen then? Once she was gone, he would have no reason to stay. He’d be forced to return to Paris, closing the chapter of Kashish Bedi forever.

Frustration boiled over, and he slammed his laptop shut. The pain of knowing she’d never be his was suffocating. He stormed out to the poolside, trying to calm the storm raging inside him.

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