PROLOUGE

Ishaani's heart pounded wildly in her chest as she burst through the doors of Rivaan's office, her breath ragged, her vision blurred with unshed tears. Her hands trembled as she pushed past the stunned guards, ignoring their protests. Nothing mattered—nothing except him.

The moment she had heard the news, her world had tilted on its axis. Rivaan Chauhan met with an accident. It was terrible. No one knows if he'll survive. The words had shattered every wall she had built around her heart.

She couldn't lose him.

Not like this.

She had spent too long running, too long pretending that what she felt for him was anything but love. And now—now when she might never get to see him again, never hear his deep, commanding voice calling her name, never feel the warmth of his presence—she realized how much of a fool she had been.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she threw open the doors to his office.

And there he was.

Alive. Safe. Standing by his desk, brows furrowed in confusion, looking at her like she was the storm that had just crashed into his world.

"Ishaani?" Rivaan's voice was laced with worry as he took a step toward her. "What happened?"

Her breath hitched. She couldn't move. She couldn't think. And then, in a choked whisper, the words spilled out.

"They said you had an accident." Her voice trembled, raw with emotion. "They said it was bad, that you might not—" She stopped, her hands clenching into fists as fresh tears welled in her eyes. "I thought I lost you."

Rivaan's face darkened, his jaw tightening as he took another step closer. "Who told you that?" His voice was dangerously low.

"I don't care!" she cried, cutting him off. "I don't care who said it. I don't care if it was a lie. Because for those few minutes, Rivaan, I—" She sucked in a shaky breath, her entire body trembling. "I felt what it would be like to lose you."

Rivaan's eyes softened, the anger in them melting into something far more intense. But he didn't say a word. He just waited, giving her the space she needed, even when his entire being burned to reach out and hold her.

"I was scared," she whispered, voice breaking. "Not just today. Always. I was scared to love you. Scared to let you in. Because love... it destroyed my family, Rivaan. It tore everything apart. My father—he broke my mother. He ruined the idea of love for me. And I told myself that I would never, never let myself feel that way for anyone."

She took a shaky step forward.

"My parents didn't teach me love," she whispered, her voice aching with old wounds. "I learned it from the silence. My mother never asked why my eyes were red. My father only noticed me when I made a mistake. I learned to hug myself when no one else did, to whisper, 'It's okay,' when the house was too loud. I wiped my own tears when their words cut too deep. I held my own hand when the world felt too heavy." Her lips trembled. "I taught myself to survive in a house that never felt like home."

Rivaan clenched his jaw, his fists curling at his sides as if he could take all her pain and make it disappear.

"But then you came into my life."

His breath hitched.

"You barged into my life like a storm, refusing to let me push you away. You saw parts of me that no one else did. You made me feel safe, made me feel wanted." A tear slipped down her cheek as she smiled, a broken, beautiful smile. "You made me feel like I belonged to someone.I've endured the heartache of losing those I cherished, which has filled me with a deep fear of losing you as well. Today, I realized that the thought of living in a world without you is unbearable; your love is my light in the darkness, and I don't know how I could survive without it."

Rivaan exhaled sharply, his entire body tense as if restraining himself from pulling her into his arms.

"I love you, Rivaan." Her voice cracked, but she didn't stop. "I love you in a way that terrifies me. I love you in a way that makes me want to run and never stop. But I also love you in a way that makes me want to stay."

She couldn't hold back anymore.

With a sob, she threw herself into his arms.

Rivaan caught her instantly, his strong arms wrapping around her like a shield, holding her together when she felt like falling apart. She clutched onto him tightly, burying her face in his chest, feeling his warmth, his presence, his life.

"You're okay," she whispered shakily. "You're here."

She pulled back just enough to look at him, her fingers gently tracing the lines of his face as if making sure he was real. And then, before she could stop herself, she leaned in and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to his forehead—a silent promise, an unspoken devotion.

Rivaan's hands tightened around her waist, his heart hammering against hers. His blue eyes darkened with something deep, something possessive, something utterly consuming.

"Say it again," he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion.

Ishaani swallowed, her hands trembling as they cupped his face. "I love you."

A sound rumbled deep in Rivaan's chest—a sound of relief, of possession, of something dangerously raw. And then, before she could take another breath, his lips crashed onto hers.

The kiss was fire and desperation, a storm of emotions that neither of them could control anymore. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her against him as if he wanted to mould her into himself. Ishaani gasped against his lips, her fingers digging into his shoulders, surrendering completely to the force that was Rivaan Chauhan.

He kissed her like she was his lifeline like he had been waiting forever for this moment. And maybe he had. Maybe they both had.

When they finally pulled apart, both breathless, Rivaan pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, his voice thick with unspoken promises.

"Never run from me again, Ishaani."

She looked up at him, her heart full for the first time in forever. "Never."

Because she had finally found where she belonged. In his arms. With him. Forever.

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