Chapter 4

(Natasha's Point of View)

The air was thick... heavy with something unspoken. Something dangerous. Something I had hoped for.

I could feel it shift.

They could feel it too.

Raghav took a sip of the wine. The one Kiyara had made him. She said it would calm him down, ease his nerves.

But I had added something more. Something subtle. Just enough to lower his resistance. Just enough to let desire take control.

He sat at the dining table, his fingers tightening around the fork. His chest rose and fell with every uneven breath. His jaw clenched.

His muscles locked. I could see it in his eyes, in the way his whole body reacted.

The drink was working.

I watched him closely, a knot of anticipation curling in my stomach. This was it. He wouldn't be able to fight it much longer.

His desire would take over. His body would remember what I've always wanted him to feel for me.

I waited.

Waited for him to look at me.

To reach for me.

To finally choose me.

But instead... Kiyara touched him.

She placed her hand on his back. Gentle. Soft. Too damn caring. She rubbed slow circles like she knew exactly how to calm him. Her voice, like a whisper only he could hear.

"Raghav, are you okay? You're breathing heavily."

His breath caught.

His fingers twitched.

And then... he turned.

To her.

Not me.

To her.

In a single, effortless motion, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his lap. Like it was the most natural thing in the world.

I froze.

My breath hitched. My heart slammed in my chest. I felt it crack. Very loudly and painfully.

"Raghav..." I whispered, barely able to speak.

But he didn't even glance at me.

His eyes, dark with something wild, were locked on her. His hands roamed her body with such hunger... the kind I had never seen before. Never from him. Not for me.

I spiked the drink so he would crave me. I cooked dinner hoping he'd taste me in every bite. I made sure everything was perfect. I did everything.

But it didn't matter.

He wanted her. Still her.

A laugh escaped Kiyara. It was breathless. Nervous. "What's gotten into you?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Raghav didn't answer.

He just stood, picked her up like she weighed nothing, his grip firm. Possessive. Like he couldn't wait a second longer.

She gasped, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Raghav..."

He didn't care.

He didn't stop.

He carried her away.

Into the bedroom.

The door slammed shut.

And I was left there.

Alone.

The sound echoed in my chest like a scream I couldn't release. I stared at the empty hallway, unable to move, unable to breathe.

I had done everything.

And I still lost.

They say love wins. But what they don't say... is that sometimes, love isn't enough.

He might love her with all his heart.

He might have never stopped.

But he made sure one thing... that he wouldn't sleep with her.

That was the only dignity he gave me. As his wife. The least respect he showed me.

They had everything else. But the physical line... they never crossed..

And now... I don't know.

If he loses control... if he crosses that line...

Then maybe I've truly dug my own grave...

(Kiyara's Point of View)

The second Raghav locked the bedroom door, I knew something was off.

His skin burned like fire. His breath came fast and shallow, his eyes wide and clouded with something dark. Desire, yes. But more than that.

I reached for him, touching his arm. "Raghav, are you okay?"

He didn't speak.

Instead, he pulled at his shirt, yanking it over his head like it was suffocating him. His chest rose and fell with every breath, sweat glistening across his skin.

He turned to me.

And I saw it in his eyes.

Hunger.

Raw and unfiltered. Like a storm building inside him.

He grabbed me suddenly, pressing me against the cold wall. His body was flush with mine. His breath hot against my ear.

"I want you, Kiyara. Now," he whispered, voice low, shaking.

My heart skipped.

I felt myself reacting, my body remembering every touch, every kiss, every night spent in his arms before his marriage..

But something wasn't right.

I tried to breathe, to speak. "Raghav, wait. We agreed we'll wait... until your divorce."

He didn't hear me.

Or maybe he didn't want to.

His lips crashed into mine. Urgent. Desperate. His hands roamed over my body like he couldn't stop himself. Like I was the only thing that mattered.

I gasped, my fingers trembling as I grabbed his shoulders.

"Raghav... please... slow down."

But he didn't.

His lips moved down my neck, rough and hot. His hands tugged at the straps of my dress, pulling them down. My skin burned under his touch, my breath catching in my throat.

It wasn't him. Not fully.

This wasn't the Raghav I knew.

The man who respected my boundaries. The one who never forced me, who held me with love, not desperation.

"Raghav," I whispered again, pressing my hands against his chest.

He looked at me really looked at me for a moment.

His eyes were wild, conflicted and painful.

He kissed my shoulder, then dipped his head lower. His lips brushed my breast, then he took it in his mouth gently, lovingly.

A moan slipped from my lips, my body arching. God, I wanted him too. I always did.

But this... this wasn't right.

His kisses moved across my chest, his hands exploring, needy. My fingers tangled in his hair, torn between pulling him closer and pushing him away.

"Raghav..." I gasped, panting, skin burning.

He groaned my name against my skin, his voice wrecked.

But I couldn't ignore the truth anymore.

This wasn't him. Not fully.

Something had triggered him. And I had to stop it before we crossed a line we couldn't undo.

I pushed him gently, then grabbed the glass of water on the bedside table and poured it over his head.

He blinked

Soaked and confused.

"Raghav!" I held his face between my hands. "Look at me!"

His eyes were red. His breath sharp. His body trembling.

Something had happened.

"Come with me," I whispered. "Let's go to my apartment. You're not okay right now."

He nodded.

I helped him dress. And together, we left his house.

No more words.

Only silence.

And a storm neither of us could understand...

****