while Aariz finally slept soundly with his arms wrapped tightly around her, Timtim’s eyes remained open, staring at the ceiling. His warmth pressed against her like a chain and yet like a shelter. She could hear his steady heartbeat, feel the way his hand refused to let go of her waist, as if even in dreams he feared she might vanish.But inside her, a storm brewed.Love is not this, she thought. Love is not about caging someone, holding them so tight they can’t breathe. Love is about giving space, about letting someone bloom the way a flower does under the sun.Her lips curved into a faint, bittersweet smile. She imagined a delicate flower rooted in its soil, opening its petals freely, soaking in life, and still—despite attracting countless butterflies—it never fled from the plant it belonged to.That was what she wanted him to understand.Aariz may think of me as his drug, his obsession, his possession… but I will teach him what love truly is. I will teach him that love does not bin
Timtim stepped out of Zoya’s house with a heaviness in her chest that even the gentle morning breeze couldn’t carry away. Her dupatta clung to her shoulders, damp from the sweat of nerves rather than heat, and her heart echoed with every word Zoya had spoken. Follow your heart… he loves you…Her mind kept wrestling with those words. Could it really be so simple? Could she just give in, surrender to the storm named Aariz, and find peace in that chaos? Or was Zoya just seeing what she wanted to see — a man who seemed to care, when in reality, he was her captor, her tormentor, the reason she cried into her pillow night after night?The car was waiting, just as Aariz had ordered. The driver gave her a polite nod, opening the door for her. She slid inside silently, her fingers nervously knotting together in her lap. She knew he’d be waiting. Aariz always waited, in his own way — sometimes with burning eyes, sometimes with a silence that crushed her spirit.The city blurred past the tinted
The first rays of dawn filtered through the tall curtains, spilling golden light across the room. The air carried a heavy stillness, as if even the walls had soaked in the weight of the previous night.Timtim sat on the edge of the bed for a long while, her fingers nervously clutching the hem of her simple cotton kurta. Her eyes were swollen, lashes clumped together, evidence of hours spent in tears. Her lips trembled faintly, though she pressed them together in silence, refusing to let another sob escape. Her heart still felt raw, like it had been scraped open.But she moved.Without a word, she slipped into the bathroom, washed her face, let the cool water run over her skin as though it might take away the heaviness inside her. It didn’t. Her hair, damp and slightly wavy, clung to the sides of her face and down her back. She dressed in modest, normal clothes—nothing fancy, just soft fabric draping over her form. Yet there was something about her, even in her simplicity, that radiate
The car rolled to a stop in the mansion driveway. The moment the driver stepped out to open the door, Timtim pushed it open herself, eager to flee from the suffocating silence. She walked quickly up the marble steps, her eyes stinging, her throat tight. She didn’t glance back at Aariz, didn’t wait for him.Inside, the grand mansion greeted her with its usual silence, but tonight it felt different — it felt mocking. The chandeliers sparkled with their cold light, the polished floors reflected her blurred image back at her, and the stillness pressed against her ears until she wanted to scream.She made her way to their bedroom, each step heavier than the last. Her fingers trembled as she closed the door behind her, and the moment the lock clicked, she collapsed onto the bed.The sheets smelled faintly of Aariz — expensive cologne, leather, and that sharp scent of smoke that lingered in his clothes no matter how many times they were cleaned. She grabbed the fabric and clutched it to her
Ishtiyaq remained in the office lobby, his expression unreadable. His men stood behind him, waiting for orders regarding the business deal they had come for. But Ishtiyaq wasn’t focused on contracts or money. His gaze lingered on the elevator where Timtim had disappeared moments ago. For the first time in years, the man known for making his enemies bleed without hesitation felt something he couldn’t explain—helplessness. The underworld bowed to him. Men trembled at the mere mention of his name. And yet, one innocent girl’s teary eyes had pierced his iron heart deeper than any bullet ever could. He muttered under his breath, “Aariz doesn’t deserve her. He’ll destroy her.” His men exchanged nervous glances. They had never heard softness in their boss’s tone before. But it lasted only a second. The next moment, Ishtiyaq’s face hardened again, like steel reforged in fire. His eyes gleamed with dangerous intent. “If Aariz makes her cry again…” he whispered, almost to himself, “…t
TimTim’s fingers trembled slightly as she clutched the little food carrier against her chest. The glass walls of Aariz’s towering empire loomed around her, shimmering like sharp-edged mirrors, reflecting not only her fragile figure but also the gap between their worlds. For a girl who had always lived in simplicity, who thought love was as pure as laughter shared on rainy evenings, she had never imagined the kind of wealth, power, and darkness Aariz walked in every day. She had wanted to surprise him—her stern, possessive husband who rarely smiled, rarely allowed her outside those mansion gates. All she wished was to see his eyes soften, to watch the crease between his brows vanish when she placed before him the meal she had carefully cooked with her own hands. She thought it would melt him, remind him he was not just Aariz seikh Pataudi, the feared name in the underworld, but also the man who belonged to her. But the moment was ruined. Sana’s sharp heels echoed across the mar