Author's pov-
The house had settled into a comfortable hum of activity, the kind that only came after a storm of chaos. But Mahir felt anything but calm. He needed space-space to think, to breathe. He found himself in the garden behind the house, a sprawling oasis of olive trees and wildflowers. The quiet breeze brushed against his face, but it didn't ease the tension coiled in his chest.
He stopped in the middle of the garden, his gaze drifting across the endless expanse of green. It was peaceful, serene even. Yet, inside him, a war raged-one that had been brewing from along time.
He hadn't even heard Avi approaching him.
"Stop acting like you care" The voice was sharp, cutting through the stillness.
Mahir stood still, his hands buried in his pockets, the cool evening air brushing against his skin. He didn't move, didn't speak, as Avi approached with a storm brewing in his eyes. Mahir had prepared himself for this, or at least, he thought he had. The quiet fury radiating from Avi wasn't unexpected-it was justified. Avi wasn't just Siara's brother; he was her lifeline, her anchor, the one constant in her fragmented world.
Avi didn't speak at first. He didn't need to. His presence alone carried the weight of a thousand unsaid words. Mahir turned slowly, meeting Avi's sharp, unrelenting gaze. The younger man's glare was a mixture of pain and rage, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.
Mahir didn't say anything. He made no move to defend himself, no attempt to break the silence. He'd promised Siara he'd let Avi do this, and he knew it was justified. Avi mattered to Siara in ways that no one else did. He'd seen the way her cold, detached exterior softened ever so slightly around her brother-the love, the protectiveness, the unspoken bond.
For a moment, Avi didn't move. His eyes drifted past Mahir, fixed on the horizon as if searching for something far beyond their reach. Then, finally, he spoke, but his voice carried the weight of years of pain.
"I was twelve," Avi began, his voice low and steady, almost too steady. "Twelve when everything I knew was taken from me."
Mahir felt his chest tighten. He felt the weight of his words.
"My parents... my little brother..." Avi's voice faltered, but he didn't stop. "They died in a car accident. One moment they were there, and the next, they were gone. Just like that."
He paused, his jaw tightening as he stared into the distance.
"I didn't understand. How could I? I was just a kid. I kept waiting for them to come back, kept thinking it was some kind of mistake. But it wasn't. It was real. And I was alone. Alone in the world where nothing left for me."
Mahir swallowed hard, his throat dry.
"And then she came," Avi said, his voice softening, tinged with a mix of pain and fondness. "Dr. Siara walked into that hospital, looked me in the eye, and told me I wasn't alone."
He paused, a faint chuckle escaping his lips, though it didn't reach his eyes. "She looked terrifying that day. That twelve-year-old boy stopped crying, not because her words comforted him but because her cold, expressionless face scared the tears right out of him." He shook his head, a wry smile tugging at his lips.
Mahir's chest tightened as he listened, each word painting a picture of a woman he saw breaking in front of him.
"She took me home," Avi continued, his tone distant as though he were lost in that moment. "I didn't talk to her, and she... She didn't talk much to me. Talking isn't her forte, you know. It's like... words are unnecessary for her. She gets things done without them. For months, that's how it was-me scared of her and her... just being her. Taking care of me like it was second nature, without showing a single ounce of emotion."
Avi's gaze remained fixed on the horizon, his voice growing quieter. "I stopped living like I used to. Even when she gave me everything, I couldn't find that happy boy I used to be. He was gone, and I didn't think he was coming back."
He paused again, his breathing uneven as his emotions caught up to him. "One day..." His voice cracked slightly, but he pushed on. "One day, there was a football match at school. Everyone on the team was buzzing with excitement, talking about how their families would be there to cheer for them. I... I didn't say anything. I thought I had no one. I was just going to play, get through it, and go back at her home. Alone."
Avi blinked rapidly, his jaw tightening as if trying to hold himself together. "But when I reached the field... there she was."
Mahir felt his heart lurch at those words.
"She was sitting in the front row, wearing the most serious expression, like she was on some kind of mission. It was like nothing else mattered to her except me. Her focus was just on me." Avi let out a shaky breath, his voice trembling. "I don't think I'd ever felt that kind of care before. It wasn't loud, it wasn't flashy, but it was... real. It hit me like a brick."
Mahir's throat tightened as he watched Avi fight back tears, trying so hard to keep his composure but failing.
"That day, she became my everything," Avi said, his voice barely above a whisper. "My mother, my father, my sister, my family. That day she become just siara for me, Her home became mine and I understood something I'll never forget. She didn't need to speak for me to feel her love. Her actions-her relentless, unspoken sacrifices-were louder than any words could ever be. She brought that happy boy back. She gave me my life back."
Avi turned his gaze toward Mahir now, his eyes glistening, but there was an unmistakable steel in them. His voice dropped to a raw, low tone that carried the weight of years unspoken.
"But she couldn't bring herself back," he began, the words slicing through the air like a blade. "The real Siara... she's still gone. She doesn't smile, Not in all these years. Not once. She doesn't cry, doesn't show emotions, but I know-" his voice cracked, trembling under the weight of his grief-"I know she loves me. She doesn't have to say it. I see it."
Mahir's chest tightened, every word driving the knife deeper.
"I see it," Avi repeated, his voice rising with an edge of defiance, as if daring Mahir to argue. "In the way she shields me from the world. In the way she sacrifices everything without ever thinking twice. Every. Single. Day. She gets up and keeps going-not because she wants to, but because she has to. Because I'm here. Because I need her."
His voice faltered, and he turned his gaze away, staring blankly at the garden as if reliving the pain of all those years.
"She works like a machine," Avi said, his tone dropping into something hollow. "She eats when she remembers to. She sleeps only when she has no other choice. She has nothing left for herself-no dreams, no wants, no life of her own. But she does it all for me and her family."
He chuckled bitterly, a sound that was more heartbreak than humor. "The same family that abandoned her," he said, his voice dripping with anger and sorrow. "She tells me to not hate them so I don't but do they deserve her back? No...they don't. She says she's fine. But I know her better than she thinks I do. I've seen the way her hands shake when she thinks no one's watching. I've seen the way she avoids their names, avoids anything that might remind her of them. How can I not know my sister.. who raised me?"
The words hung in the air like a ghost, heavy and suffocating. Mahir felt his heart pounding, every beat a reminder of what he had done-of what he had lost.
Avi laughed bitterly, shaking his head as if to clear away the thoughts. "And yet, even with everything she does... even with all of that... she never talks about her past. She never told me why she's like this, why she doesn't let herself live," he said, turning back to Mahir, his eyes blazing now with a mix of fury and sorrow. "Do you know why she is like this Mr. Mahir Sehgal?"
Mahir swallowed, his fists clenching at his sides as he braced himself for the answer he already knew.
"She's gone because people broke her. People took everything from her. And you..." Avi's voice turned cold, laced with a simmering rage. "You were one of them."
Mahir swallowed hard, the weight of Avi's accusation pressing down on him like a boulder.
"You left her," Avi spat, his voice filled with venom. "For three years, you left her to pick up the pieces on her own. Did you ever thought of the women you married and left the same day"
Mahir opened his mouth to speak, but Avi didn't give him the chance.
"No," Avi said, his tone sharp and biting. "You don't get to explain. You don't get to justify what you did. Because there is no justification. She deserved better. She still does."
"You left her to deal with it all on her own. You walked away when she needed someone. And now, what? You're back because you suddenly decided you care? Because you think you can fix her?"
Mahir opened his mouth to respond, but Avi cut him off with a sharp glare.
"You don't fix people like her" Avi said, his voice quiet but deadly. "You don't just show up one day and expect to be forgiven. She's not a puzzle you can piece back together when it suits you. She's my sister-my everything. You know, she says she didn't care when you left. Says she wouldn't care if you did it again. But don't she deserve better than that? She is a human for God sake not a fucking robot."
His words hit like daggers, each one sharper than the last.
Mahir's chest tightened, the weight of his past decisions crushing him.
"She's my world," Avi said, his voice trembling with emotion. "And if you hurt her again-if you even think about hurting her-I swear to God, I will make you regret it."
"I know," Mahir said quietly, his voice steady despite the pain. "I know I don't deserve her forgiveness. But I'm not leaving again. No matter how much you hate me, no matter how much she does-I'm staying. And I'll spend the rest of my life proving I mean it. I-"
He couldn't even finish before Avi's fist collided with his jaw, cutting him off mid-sentence. The force of the punch made him stagger, but Mahir didn't retaliate. He straightened himself and stood still, his hands at his sides, as Avi's chest heaved with fury.
"Don't you dare say another word," Avi growled, his voice trembling with anger. "You don't get to talk like that. Like you're some kind of savior. Like you can just decide to come back and suddenly fix everything. My sister-she's not a damn charity project!"
Avi didn't wait for Mahir to respond. He swung again, his fist landing against Mahir's cheek with a sickening thud. "She's not someone you can toss aside when it gets hard! Do you have any idea what you did to her?"
Mahir stumbled but caught himself, refusing to defend himself, refusing to stop Avi. He deserved this. Every punch, every word, every ounce of Avi's rage-it was all justified.
Avi's voice broke as he yelled, "Again! Say it again! Say you're staying! Say you care! And I'll show you just how much I believe you!" His fists came down again, harder this time, as tears streamed down his face. "My sister is not a toy, Sehgal! You don't get to abandon her and then just come back like nothing happened!"
Mahir stood firm, letting each hit land without protest. He didn't fight back. He didn't raise his hands to block the second punch or the third. Avi's fury was justified, His jaw throbbed, his lip bled, but his gaze never left Avi's.
"You're right," he said softly, his voice barely audible over Avi's ragged breathing. "She's not a toy. And I was a coward for leaving. But I'm here now. And I'll never leave her again."
Avi froze, his fist hovering in the air, his expression a mixture of pain and disbelief. "You think that makes it okay?" he spat. "You think saying you won't leave makes up for the damn three years you weren't there? For the pain you caused her?"
"No," Mahir admitted, his voice steady and determined,"Nothing will ever make up for that. But I'll spend every second of the rest of my life trying. For her. And for you. Because I know how much she loves you, Avi. I see it in her eyes every time she looks at you. You're her world. And I'm not here to take that away-I'm here to make it better."
Avi's fist lowered slowly, his shoulders slumping as the weight of his emotions finally took its toll. He turned away, his hands trembling at his sides. "You don't get to hurt her" he said, his voice cracking. "If you do, you'll face her brother."
Mahir nodded, wiping the blood from his lip. "I won't," he promised.
Without another word, Avi walked away, leaving Mahir alone in the garden. The pain in his body was nothing compared to the weight in his chest, but for the first time, he felt like he had taken a step-no matter how small-toward earning his place in Siara's life again.
-------
Siara was sitting on the couch, scrolling through her emails, her expression as cold and detached as ever. The soft glow of her phone illuminated her sharp features, making her look even more untouchable. She didn't glance up when Mahir entered the room; her focus remained on her screen.
But Mahir didn't turn away. No, he couldn't. He stood there, unmoving, his gaze fixed on her like she was the only thing tethering him to reality. The air between them was heavy, charged with something unspoken.
He took a step forward, then another, until he stood directly in front of her. Siara didn't react. She didn't acknowledge him until the weight of his presence forced her to. Slowly, almost reluctantly, she lifted her eyes to meet his.
And then he did something she didn't expect. Mahir dropped to his knees before her, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that could've burned her alive. He didn't speak, didn't break the gaze. He just knelt there, as if the ground beneath her feet was holy.
Siara's sharp eyes scanned his face, pausing at the fresh cut on his lip. Her expression remained unreadable, but the smallest flicker of something crossed her eyes. Concern? Anger? He couldn't tell. She reached out, her movements deliberate, her fingers brushing against his jaw before her thumb traced the corner of his mouth, wiping away the faint streak of blood.
Time stilled for him. The world outside dissolved into nothingness, leaving only her-the sharp line of her jaw, the icy intensity in her gaze, and that fleeting, deliberate touch on his lip. Her thumb was fire and ice all at once, searing and numbing him in the same breath, but what wrecked him most was the quiet control behind it. She wasn't tender; no, tenderness wasn't her style. Her touch was calculated, precise, like she was drawing invisible lines of ownership across his skin.
He didn't blink. Didn't breathe. Every nerve in his body tensed, coiled tight like a predator ready to pounce, though he stayed frozen, kneeling before her. His mind roared with a single, primal thought, deafening in its desperation,'Don't do that, biwi. there'll be no coming back'
She tilted her head slightly, studying him like he was a puzzle she couldn't quite solve. Her voice, low and smooth, sent a shiver down his spine. "Who disarranged your face?"
Her thumb lingered on his cut lip, her touch just light enough to leave him aching for more. Her cold gaze bore into his, unyielding, as if she dared him to make a move. He could see the faintest flicker of something behind those sharp eyes-something she probably didn't even know was there. And it drove him mad.
He was unraveling. Every second of her silence, every deliberate stroke of her thumb against his mouth, was a storm ripping through his control. She didn't know, did she? How easily she held the leash to his restraint, how effortlessly she tightened it with every passing moment.
"Siara," he said, his voice rough, the name falling from his lips like a plea and a warning all at once.
Her thumb stilled, her cold expression unwavering as she tilted her head slightly, studying him. "What?" she asked, her voice as calm and detached as ever, a stark contrast to the chaos she was igniting within him.
Mahir leaned in, his gaze dropping to her hand for the briefest second before locking onto her eyes again. His voice lowered, dark and dangerous, every word laced with an edge of raw hunger. "Do you know what you're doing, biwi?"
Her brow arched, but she didn't pull away. "What am I doing, Mahir?"
His smirk was slow, sharp, but there was no humor in it. Only heat. Only obsession. "You're making me forget every reason I swore to be patient with you. You're making me forget how to be a gentleman." His voice dropped even further, barely above a whisper. "And trust me, when I stop being patient, you won't recognize the man kneeling before you."
For a fleeting moment, her gaze faltered, a flicker of something unguarded crossing her face before it vanished. Her thumb slipped from his lip, leaving behind a cold emptiness where her touch had burned.
She straightened, her mask of indifference slipping back into place as effortlessly as it always did. That cold, impenetrable exterior that kept everyone at bay, including him. But not for long. Mahir would crack that wall-piece by piece, until there was nothing left to hide behind.
Her eyes locked with his, glinting like shards of ice, as she spoke, her tone sharper than any blade. "Remember what I told you earlier, Mr. Sehgal?" she asked, her voice so calm it sent chills through him. "That still stands."
Mahir didn't blink, didn't falter. Instead, his lips curved into a slow, dangerous smirk, the kind that promised destruction, not safety. His tongue darted out to lick the cut on his lip, the spot where her thumb had lingered moments ago, as if savoring the faint taste of her touch.
"That?" he drawled, his voice dark and low, almost a purr. "Oh, Mrs. Sehgal, that never stands for me. I don't remember agreeing to it."
The words hung in the air between them like a storm cloud, heavy with unspoken truths and dangerous intentions. He leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between them, his eyes boring into hers with an intensity that would've made anyone else flinch. But not her.
Siara didn't waver, though he didn't miss the slight clench of her jaw, the way her breath hitched for just a fraction of a second. He saw everything, even when she thought she was unreadable.
His voice broke the silence, low and heavy, each word steeped in something darker than regret,"Three years..." he murmured, his gaze never leaving hers. "I'll regret my whole life for those three years, Siara."
Her expression remained unreadable, but her eyes flickered, just for a moment.
"I was a coward," Mahir confessed, his voice raw. "I let my own demons control me. I left the woman I married, You.. All I did was hurt you. And that's something I'll carry until my last breath."
He took a step closer, his presence overwhelming yet steady. "But if you think I'll let those three years define us-define what we can be-then you don't know me at all. I regret every moment I wasn't by your side. If I could go back and rip apart the man I was, I would."
Mahir's jaw tightened, and his voice dropped even lower, dark and resolute. "I'll alter everything for you, Siara. My world, my choices, my entire existence-it's yours. You don't even have to ask. Just give me a reason, and I'll burn it all down for you."
Her cold exterior flickered, but she quickly masked it again. Still, he saw it-the hesitation, the faint crack in her armor.
"I don't mind if you hate me," he continued, his words laced with an almost dangerous devotion. "I don't mind if you want me to suffer for what I did. I'll take it all-your anger, your indifference, even your silence. But what I won't take is losing you again. Never again."
Mahir's hands curled into fists at his sides, his knuckles white from the force of his emotions. "You don't have to forgive me. Hell, I don't deserve it. But know this-I'll spend every second of the rest of my life proving to you that I'm not that man anymore. I'll be the man who stays, no matter how hard you try to push me away. The man who fights for you, who puts you first, even if it kills me."
Siara's breath caught again, but this time she couldn't hide it. His words hit something deep within her, something she had long buried and forgotten how to feel.
Mahir stepped even closer now, his gaze locked onto hers with an intensity that was almost suffocating. "You don't have to say anything. You don't have to believe me right now. But I'll show you, Siara. Every day. I'll make you believe it."
The room felt smaller, the air heavier, as Mahir reached out and gently took her hand in his, his touch soft but firm. "Because for you," he said, his voice like a vow, "I'll alter the stars if I have to. I'll rewrite the universe. Whatever it takes-whatever it costs-it's already yours. I am yours. All yours."
For a moment, the weight of his words hung between them, the silence louder than anything he could have said. Siara stared at him, her cold facade wavering, as if his raw sincerity was too much even for her to ignore.
"I told you not to fall for me," she said while standing up, her voice quieter now, but no less firm. "You were supposed to keep things... professional."
Mahir chuckled, dark and low, the sound vibrating in the space between them. "Professional?" he echoed, his tone laced with mockery. "Do I look like a man who keeps things professional, biwi? Because I'm not."
He rose to his feet in one smooth, predatory motion, towering over her now, his smirk fading into something far more dangerous-"I don't follow rules, especially ones that keep me away from what's mine. And make no mistake, Mrs. Sehgal-you. are.mine."
Her eyes narrowed, but before she could respond, he stepped closer, the air between them growing thick with tension. He wasn't touching her, but the sheer force of his presence was enough to make her feel like she was trapped in his gravitational pull.
"You can tell me a thousand times not to fall for you," he murmured, his voice a dark promise while his hand lingered near her face, a subtle yet possessive touch, as he tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. The gesture was almost tender, but there was something dark simmering behind his eyes,"But here's the thing, Mrs. Sehgal-I already did. I fell in love with you. And I don't fall halfway. When I fall, I own. I consume. I don't stop until there's nothing left for anyone else. You've ruined me for anyone else... biwi"
Mahir's breath hitched as the words slipped out, raw and unfiltered. "I fucking fell for you... hard," he said, his voice a low growl that reverberated in the charged silence between them. His gaze locked onto hers, unwavering, burning with an intensity that made Siara's heart stutter despite her stoic exterior.
He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "You ruined me biwi. You're in my veins, Every thought, Every heartbeat, every fucking breath-I can't escape you, and I don't want to."
He stepped closer, closing the distance between them until she had to tilt her head slightly to maintain eye contact. "You want to know the truth?" His voice dropped, soft but dangerously intense. "I've been falling for you since the moment I came back into your life. And I didn't just fell-I crashed, burned, and never got up. I'd set myself on fire before I let anyone-or myself-hurt you again. That's how far I'd go for you, Siara. Because I don't just love you-I fucking belong to you."
Her mask faltered for a brief moment, her lips parting as if to say something, but no words came. He leaned in, so close that his breath ghosted against her ear, his voice dropping into a whisper that sent shivers down her spine.
"So, go ahead," he said. "Keep telling me to stop. Keep trying to push me away. But don't expect me to listen. Because when it comes to you, biwi, I don't back down. I don't walk away. And I sure as hell.... don't let go."
He pulled back just enough to meet her gaze again, his dark eyes burning with an intensity that left no room for doubt. "You can fight me all you want, Siara. But you'll lose. Because this-" he gestured between them, his voice unwavering, "-isn't something you get to control anymore. Your husband has fallen in love with you.....I love you Dr. Siara Mahir Sehgal"
She stared at him, her cold exterior visibly cracking under the weight of his words. But before she could say anything, he stepped back, giving her the space he knew she needed.
"Remember that," he said softly, his smirk returning as he turned to leave. "And next time, don't bother reminding me of rules I never agreed to."
The silence was suffocating, alive with everything unsaid. It wasn't just the absence of sound-it was a weight, a tension so thick it wrapped itself around them like a vice, demanding to be felt.
But then she said something which shattered his heart into thousands of pieces.
.
.
.
.
.