Page 68 of Mrs. Rathore

“Aryan…” I breathed, my voice coming out low and husky. “Please…”

A smirk ghosted over his lips. “Please, what, Avni?” he whispered. His breath fanned across my skin, making my heart pound louder. “Please stop? Or… please don’t?”

His arrogance stung, but it was the way he looked at me like he could read me like a book that really rattled me. He knew. He could see what his closeness did to me.

His hand reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his knuckles grazing my cheek in a gesture far too soft for the hatred we supposedly shared. But Aryan had always had a way of awakening something inside me, something dangerous, something I never felt near any other man.

“You hate me, don’t you?” he murmured. “Then why do you tremble when I’m close? Why does your breath hitch every time I touch you? It feels like you enjoy it.”

He tilted his head, his eyes dark and unreadable. “You pretend you’re above all this. But deep down, you want to feel something, even if it’s wrong. Even if it’s with me.”

His hand moved slowly to the side of my neck, fingers resting just over the rapid beat of my pulse. “Your heart is screaming louder than your mouth, Avni. You say you don’t want this, but your body doesn’t lie.”

He leaned in so close that our lips were just a breath apart. “Maybe I disgust you. Maybe you disgust me. Maybe we ruined everything. But tell me, when you close your eyes at night, do you ever wonder what it would have been like if I’d touched you without guilt?”

My breath caught. Heat swirled in my stomach. My throat tightened.

“Don’t,” I whispered.

For a second, he didn’t move. His jaw clenched, and something cold settled in his expression. Then his hand dropped from my skin as if touching me had hurt him.

“You’re right,” he said flatly. “This is a mistake.”

Without another word, Aryan turned and walked out of the room, leaving only the echo of his cologne and the chaos he stirred behind.

I sat frozen, trembling. My breath was uneven, my heart pounding and betraying everything I thought I believed.

He didn’t kiss me. We didn’t even really touch.

But he knew exactly what he did to me, and he made sure I knew it too.

_____

Chapter 25

ARYAN

Avni was sprawled across the bed like she owned it.

I yawned, my eyes heavy with exhaustion. I hadn’t slept properly in days, and my body ached for rest but rest wasn’t possible when your enemy was lying beside you.

There was no extra mattress in the room. No couch either. I looked down at the carpet and frowned. I couldn’t even crash on the floor.

Damn.

I peeled off my shirt and carefully got into bed, doing my best not to wake her. I lay on my back, one arm tucked beneath my head, the other resting across my abdomen.

Twenty-one more days. That’s how long I had to endure this madness. Then I’d be called back on duty.

With any luck, I wouldn’t return home for a couple of years, and when I did, I’d come back with divorce papers in hand.

I had promised Ira I’d end this marriage in a few months, but it wasn’t that simple. When I spoke to the family lawyer, that idiot had gone straight to my father. The old man called me, furious.

His words still echoed in my head:

“Are you insane, Aryan? What are you talking about? Do you really think divorcing is that easy? You’re just murdering our family’s reputation!”

His voice had thundered through the phone like a slap to my face. I closed my eyes now, taking a deep breath, trying not to explode. I had never disrespected him, but at that moment, I wanted to.

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