Chapter 92: chapter 92

SRUTHI The trip back to the capital was uneventful, with us barely uttering a word. The silence between us is awkward and uncomfortable. I am bothered by it, but from the looks of it, Madhav seems unbothered. Of course, he is unbothered because he has no feelings for me. I am a fool for developing feelings for this man when I know that he has another woman in his heart.It is okay.This isn't the first time I have feelings for a man who is in love with another woman. Just like the last time, my feelings for Madhav will fade in a few days, like how it happened with Praveen. I am sure what I feel for Madhav is just fleeting emotions and not that big of a deal.Keep telling that to yourself. Repeating a lie will not make it true.It is morning by the time we reach our home. I put my hand on the doorknob to open my room when Madhav's voice startles me, “We should stop sharing the bed.”“Huh?” I turn in surprise, trying to still my racing heart. What the hell? Why am I behaving like a stupid teen girl? He hasn't said a word to me in the past twelve hours, and my heart starts racing the minute he talks to me.“Why?” I ask, processing his words.“Because I think you are brave enough to sleep by yourself. It is not like I am going to be with you forever, and I feel guilty toward the woman I love if I share the bed with you.”“Okay,” I answer, turning away from him. I open my door to find my room as I left it. I take his pillows and blankets. A feeling of heaviness and unease settles in me as I walk out of my room to give him his things. He receives them gladly without any remorse. He takes them to his room without another word, and I am left standing alone in the hall, wondering what suddenly happened to us. I thought we were in the process of developing a good relationship. I even believed he had feelings for me. Nope, strike that. I was so sure of his feelings for me. But what happened to him to push me away all of a sudden?He seemed fine until I left the room in the afternoon yesterday. Then, something must have happened when he went out on the mission to capture the trafficking gang.What happened? Did he meet the woman he loves? My imagination starts to run wild, and various scenarios come to mind for his sudden coldness.But every one of the scenarios is associated with the woman he loves. I need to know which woman has the power to enamor Madhav like this. Frankly, I feel bitter towards this woman.Wait!What the hell?Why am I suddenly thinking like the villainess from fiction? Why should I be angry at that woman? It is not like she came into Madhav's life after he married me. No, it is the other way around. I was the one who came after that woman.❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥“Can I return to work?” I ask the principal of the school where I am working.“Yes, Miss Sruthi,” the man answers, feeling relieved. “The teachers had a hard time trying to handle the kids without you. But the substitute teacher we had in place helped a lot. Glad to know you are coming back.”“I will start the day after tomorrow,” I say, rubbing my hand over my eyes.“Fine,” the man says and hangs up.After the incident with Vishnu, I was on medical leave for a month. Now that I am in good health, I want to resume my work. Also, going to work would take my mind off many things, and I wouldn't be overthinking.I leave my room to inform Madhav about my decision. I am starting to believe that Vishnu was the real culprit behind every one of my attacks. I dare to believe that I am safe.I go through all the arguments in my head that I would need to make Madhav understand why I should resume my work before knocking on his door.He opens his door with a frown. His eyes are clear and alert, guarded. “Do you need something?”“Yeah,” I say, “I am going back to school for work.”I meet Madhav's cold gaze with determination. I expect him to stop me from going, citing the issues of safety, but surprisingly, he nods his head.“When are you starting?” he asks, looking at his phone. He types away something fast as I try to gauge if his reaction is good or bad.“The day after tomorrow,” I answer.“Okay, a car will come to pick you up and drop you off. The driver is one of my trusted men who has been working for me for years. He will take care of any threats that come your way when you are out. He will act as your bodyguard when I am not near.”“That is okay. I can take care of myself now,” I say, not wanting to inconvenience him. His lips curve into a cruel smirk, “Just because you know how to throw a punch and kick someone does not mean you are ready to defend yourself.”“Then when will I be ready?” I huff out in frustration.“When you can take me out in a duel,” he says confidently.“Someone is cocky,” I say.“Not cocky. Just confident about my skills. You still need to go a long way.”“How long?” I ask, wondering how much more I still need to learn. Isn't knowing how to throw a punch and kick enough? “I am done with people pampering and guarding me like I am some precious person. I don't think I will be harmed anymore. So, we can stop with this security and stuff.”Madhav suddenly moves, and the next minute, his arms wrap around me in a tight hold. My back is flushed against his front. My heart skips a beat and my breath hitches. His hold on me is rough and hard. “Break out of my hold, Sruthi, and you can have your way with the security. If you fail to break out, then you are following my words and taking the bodyguard I assign you wherever you go,” he says in a commanding tone. His teacher's tone. The one he uses when he teaches me self-defence. The thing is, I know that I should focus on breaking out of his hold, but my mind keeps noticing trivial things, like how good he smells, how solid his body is, or how much I missed having his arms around me.For God's sake, woman! Get a grip! The man is trying to teach you something.With a shake of my head, I try to focus on breaking out of his hold. I have been kind of annoyed with the security thing for some time now. I can't lead a normal life when I have a person shadowing me for my safety. I am okay if that person is Madhav, but anyone else other than him is a big no. No matter what, I need to break out of Madhav's hold. But my mind comes up blank except for trying to wiggle out of it. Madhav had taught me to free myself from tight ropes and elastic ties. He had taught me how to kick or punch someone when they approached me from the front, but he never taught me how to break free of someone's hold when they attacked me from behind.I put my full strength into breaking out of his hold, but he is strong. My nails scratch his arms in an attempt to escape, but his hold only tightens. A couple of minutes later, I give up the struggle with a sigh. I am breathing hard as my shoulders sag in defeat.“You can't give up,” Madhav whispers in my ear. His lips are so close. I am thankful for the full-sleeved T-shirt I am wearing that hides the goosebumps on my skin. My brain is hazy with his smell. I should feel threatened, but I feel the safest in Madhav's arms. Does he even know that? The woman he holds dear in his heart is hella lucky. I want to tell her how awesome this man is.“Think of me as a stranger wanting to take you away and try to break free,” Madhav says, unaware of the thoughts swirling in my mind. “Do whatever it takes, Sruthi.”There is a challenge in his voice. He knows how to goad me into doing stuff. I take a deep breath and, with new determination, try again. I claw, push, pull, and hit his arms, but to no avail.Come on, Sruthi. You can do this. A stranger is holding you, and you need to break free. Do whatever it takes.I kick Madhav in his shins, hoping that he will buckle and fall, but he stands steady despite my kicks. I try a few more times but then realize how true his words were. Knowing how to throw a punch and kick isn't enough. I still have a long way to go.I suck in a sharp breath and yell, “HELP ME!”“What the..?” Madhav mutters and puts one hand over my mouth. That is when I do something crazy. I say crazy because I am not sure if I would do it with anyone else. I stick out my tongue and lick his palm that is above my mouth. His body goes still, and he recoils away from me like he touched something poisonous. I quickly turn around and kick him hard in the shins. He must be unprepared for it because his knees buckle, but I place my hands on his forearms and catch him before he could fall.“You okay?” I ask with a triumphant smile on my face. I have rendered him speechless; I can see the surprise on his face. He is clueless for a couple of seconds before he regains his composure.He directs a glare at me. “Don't you dare do this to another man.”His voice is low and dangerous. His nostrils flare in anger, and his eyes gleam with heat.Of course, I wouldn't even think of doing what I did with him if someone else had been in his place. But he doesn't need to know that. Besides, wasn't he the one who told me to do whatever it takes to break free?“I just obeyed your words,” I answer, removing my hands from his forearms. The tension between us is too thick as Madhav stares at me for a few seconds. I hold his gaze without backing down.“God! Sruthi, if you had done that with another man...” He stops abruptly, shaking his head like he can't bring himself to imagine that. His jaw clenches as if he’s forcing himself to hold back. His eyes flicker with something unreadable—anger, frustration, maybe even desire—but whatever it is, he quickly shuts it down. He straightens up, taking a step back, putting distance between us.“Just… don’t do that again,” he says, his voice strained. He looks away, avoiding my gaze, and I feel a pang in my chest. Why does he keep doing this? It’s like he’s playing some sort of cruel game, and I’m the only one who’s losing.“Fine,” I answer, willing myself not to be hurt by how he is acting. “So, did I pass your test?”“No, you didn't,” Madhav says in a business tone. I open my mouth to argue, but he cuts me off. “Just accept the security measures. I can't rest easy or focus on my work knowing that you are unguarded.”“What do I mean to you, Madhav? Why are you obsessed with keeping me safe?” I ask in a desperate voice. I don’t know how much more of this I can take. He pushes me away one moment and the next acts like he cares. I want to know what I mean to him.“Just an assignment,” he answers, looking indifferent. There is no emotion in his eyes. I get why people are scared of him. “Your brother wanted me to keep you safe, and I am doing it.”“Is that all?” I ask, thinking about all the times I felt like we had something special going on between us. Was it just my imagination then? Madhav never saw me as a woman. He always saw me as his best friend's little sister. “Yes, that is all you are to me. It would be for the best if things stayed that way,” he answers, looking away from me. “Thanks for being honest,” I mutter, turning away. I don’t want to look at him anymore. I don’t want to see the indifference in his eyes or the way he avoids looking at me. I just want to get away, to be alone with my thoughts, where I can sort through the mess of emotions swirling inside me.I make my way back to my room, closing the door behind me with a soft click. Leaning against the door, I take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. It’s no use. My mind is a whirlwind, and my heart aches with a pain I can’t describe.Why does it have to be so hard? Why can’t he see what’s right in front of him? Why can’t he see me?Tears prick at my eyes, and I blink them away, refusing to cry. I need to forget about him, about the way he makes me feel, about the way my heart races whenever he’s near.But even as I tell myself this, I know it’s a lie. Because no matter how much I try to deny it, I can’t help but love him. I can’t help but want him, even though I know he’ll never be mine.Yep, I am in love with this man.So hard and deep in love that it hurts so much when he pushes me away. Not even Praveen's letter hurt me this much. Yet, Madhav and I haven't even kissed, but I feel like my heart is shattering to pieces when he talks about the woman he loves. Ugly jealousy and bitter resentment make me frustrated with myself. Who the hell is the woman he has in his heart? Why is she so special to him? I wipe away the stray tear from my cheek and walk to my desk. I pick up my phone and open the browser. Love makes us do crazy things. So, that is the only excuse for what I am going to do.It doesn't matter if Madhav doesn't return my love, but I want to give him one last gift before we part ways. An unforgettable gift that will make him go crazy with happiness. I am going to find the woman he loves and convince her to accept Madhav. ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥