KOMAL'S POV
"Watch out, you idiot!" I yelled at an unsuspecting stranger, completely absorbed in the chaos around me as I basked in the Bahamian sun, steering the car toward Divirath's private beach.
Nassau displayed its vibrant colors, yet my heart was clouded with duskness. Boarding the flight when Vihaan turned away might seem cowardly, but it was necessary for my sanity and for those around me.
Sure, my manager threw tantrums like a spoiled toddler, but there was only so much he could do to the sister of a politician and a soon-to-be princess.
A quick text to my family, informing them about my impromptu trip, and a flirty conversation with Divirath to persuade him into letting me use his private plane later—here I was in Nassau, Bahamas—flirting with the ocean waves and hiding from my irresistibly sexy ex-boyfriend.
It had been two weeks since that dreadful night, and Nassau had embraced me with the first break of dawn.
I needed distance, a break from the chaos that had unfolded in India, and time to reflect and make decisions after... what happened! Also, a tiny part of me was terrified of facing Vihaan Malhotra... ever again!
"And somebody was just telling me they were betraying themselves in believing a spark ever existed!" Vihaan whispered in my ear as I struggled to catch my breath. "We don't need a spark, baby, when we are on fire! I burn for you every damn minute. Stop lying to yourself! I know you do too!"
I despised how even the liveliest of places were helpless to erase our recent encounter. It was frustrating, annoying, and maddening. Damn it! Hadn't the Malhotra parents taught their sons to handle a breakup with grace? Nope!
The Malhotras are raised to chase women until they drive them nuts! Poor little me was still digesting his attendance at my engagement, and the last thing I needed was to be tracked down and subjected to a full-fledged interrogation.
No, it wasn't a confrontation; it was an inquisition under the moonlight!
Though it had been a colorful week of gentle waves caressing the shores of this tropical haven, I still got shivers every time I recalled our first real conversation in almost five years.
"Why did you do this?" His voice cut through the air like a thunderclap, echoing in the empty streets.
"Why did you have to ruin my dream?" I could feel his fiery breath on my face as the air between us charged with current.
Maybe I was imagining things, but something in the air had shifted between us. My treacherous heart went wild as uncontrollable emotions stirred and oozed from every pore.
It was only a matter of time before it'd all come crashing down.
"Why did you have to break my heart, Komal?" His voice cracked, making my heart bleed.
"How could you do this to us? You promised?" I watched his throat wobble as he gulped and let out a shaky breath.
If I didn't know him better, I would have been fooled into believing he was cold. Neither he nor I was. How could we be when the intensity between us was engulfing us in flames?
I'd be lying if I said I didn't nearly cry and give myself away in his arms. Vihaan and I had dated for a solid five years before... before I broke up! And he was the dream boyfriend one could ever have. Sweet, understanding, charming, and a true gentleman.
The young man who had stolen my heart and preserved it like a treasure. He was my missing piece... my soulmate. Yet, he wasn't the one to hold it upon my head.
He treated me like a queen even when I didn't deserve it. He was a prince charming with girls lined up at his doorstep, yet he'd never hesitate to open doors or fall on his knees.
Vihaan had given me some of the most beautiful moments of my life. Right from romantic dates to steamy nights of love filled with so much desire and passion that I was in nothing but heavenly bliss. Devotion, love, fire, and perfect solitude—what more could I have wished for? What more could anyone wish for?
"What did I do? Where did I go wrong?" Every question flying out of his mouth made me flinch and curl my toes in shame. "What drove you over the edge? What was it that couldn't be worked out? TELL ME!"
I knew I had broken his heart. I was unfair. Leaving him over a text, ghosting him without explanation, deciding our future without ever listening to his side—I was a walking red flag the size of Jupiter, flagging so hard it could rile a tornado in no time, but I wasn't heartless.
He was better off without knowing it, and I wasn't about to change it merely because I was tempted to crawl back into his arms.
"OPEN YOUR MOUTH AND SPEAK!" His anger echoed as he slammed his palms on either side of my head.
Intensity flew out of his gaze in waves and pierced through me. Vihaan had transformed into a raging storm. Meanwhile, I felt like a mouse cornered by a lion.
The small, insignificant me couldn't satisfy his hunger, yet he seemed appreciative of my presence there!
As far as I could recall, every move Vihaan made was meticulously planned. He was a strategic player in the chess game of life. So calculated, I used to playfully tease him about the miniature boardroom in his head that approved every decision. Now, that meticulous planning seemed to have given way to unbridled rage, and I was miserably failing at handling his wrath.
"I... um... I didn't—" I stammered, my fingers nervously playing with the jacket of my tracksuit. The beats of the next track in my playlist barely registered over the chaos in my mind and Vihaan's heavy breath on my neck.
My arousal was dampening between my legs! The beastly side of him was overwhelmingly sexy. It made my toes curl in shame and submission. Oh, the effect he had on me!
I nearly moaned as he looked down his nose with dilated pupils. The lunatic knew about the things our proximity was doing to me.
I observed his fearless gaze as it roamed over the curves of my body. There wasn't anything he hadn't seen before, except now I had transformed into a woman from the girl who had once walked out of his life.
More full... more greedy... more than willing to submit to him!
A flush of crimson overtook my pale complexion as his dark eyes lingered a little longer on my heaving breasts. From the corner of my eye, I witnessed him curling his flat palms into fists. Suddenly, a newfound confidence surged within me.
Vihaan was suffering just as much as I was.
"This is pointless!" I didn't realize that I had spoken until I saw his red eyes widen and lips pursed. I curled my fists to the side. I was as surprised as he was.
"I. Don't. Want. To. Deal. With. Bullshit!" He hissed. My wide eyes had almost popped out of the sockets when his mammoth-sized palm necklace was around my throat.
Dear Lord, when did he become so massive and... veiny? A single glance, and you'd know how he'd invested his time outside office hours. Every popping vein in his arms was screaming GYM loud and clear.
"Let me warn you before you let any crap out of your mouth, Komal! I want to hear nothing but the truth. If you try to manipulate me with a fabricated tale, there will be consequences you won't like. Am I understood?" Vihaan's words were sharp and curt.
Was it the voice he used to bark orders at his subordinates? Another wave of pleasure passed in friction, making the desire pool between my legs.
"This," I hissed, jabbing a finger at his rock-hard chest. "This filthy attitude of yours was the reason—"
His brows knitted in confusion, and his grip loosened around my throat. It took everything within me to not fall on my knees and beg him to choke me again!
STOP IT BRAIN! WE AIN'T DOING IT WHILE HAVING A FUCKING ENGAGEMENT RING ON OUR FINGER! HAVEN'T WE MESSED IT UP ENOUGH?
I took a deep breath before I could trust my voice with words again.
"You used to behave like you owned me... I—" loved it. "Hated it!"
Vihaan scoffed, stumbling a few steps back.
"I hated how you Malhotra brothers think that women out there are just waiting for you to take them. The world doesn't revolve around you all, you know. I was a human too and I hated how—"
"I bowed at your wish?" Vihaan cut me off before pinning me to the car door again. His palms were back where they belonged—around my neck as he hissed at my cheek.
"Didn't I warn you that I'd be tolerating nothing but plain truth? When had I ever been domineering? Remind me when had I ever imposed myself on you?"
"But you would have!" I pushed him, or tried, suddenly feeling furious.
It had been five years. Granted, I had walked out of his life and blocked him from ever reaching out, but he didn't even try. I might have been wrong for making the decision myself, but I did it because I knew he wouldn't understand.
"You had been going on and on about how much you loved me and all, but you'd never truly respect who I was! You'd call me childish for having fun or feeble for not analyzing as promptly as you did! You'd listen to me talk for hours but do only what you believed was right."
"I have never—"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP AND FUCKING LISTEN! Isn't that why you have shown up after five stupid years? To hear me out and know why I have left you?"
I heaved as I wiped the tears from the back of my hand. I was done keeping things to myself. Life was beautiful with him, but it was also troublesome. I was a struggling teen, hormonal and desperate to discover me, and had he given me the chance, I would have bloomed into an inspiring flower.
Couldn't he see I was looking at myself through his eyes?
"You... you were per... perfect! Rich, handsome, full of plans for the future. You didn't want to take over your father's business, but you knew you'd have his shoulder to lean on in tough times. People were dying to please you. It was always the middle-class me who had to put myself out there and prove that I deserved you. Girls used to bitch in the bathroom about how an average me has climbed into your bed to extract benefits. They said I was using you. They pitied you for falling for me, Vihaan! I was never enough!" My throat burned dry with all the crying as I let out the partial truth.
I never told him about it, but I had cried myself to sleep, wondering if those girls were right. Was I truly not worthy of his affection? He didn't know any of my internal struggles, for I'd always meet him with a happy smile and pretend like I didn't care. I did, as much as every blooming girl would.
"They..." I hiccupped, wiping tears, but they kept coming up. I didn't dare raise my head and look him in the eye. I'd broken down, and I couldn't afford that! "They said I was pretentious, and you'd leave when you'd figure out how uneven we were. You were powerful, influential, and deserved an equal match! Then..."
More tears, more sobs, more hiccups, but I continued. It had been years, but it was time...
"I... you... then your bro... brother kidnapped Kratika on the day of her wedding. Your father had kept it down, but it had still spread like wildfire. It became the talk of the University. Even my mom got a word of it!" I paused, shivering. From the cold or my betraying body, I didn't bother figuring.
"You. Were. Involved." I spat, meeting his eyes for the first time since I had started speaking. Immediately, a gasp slipped past my lips. Vihaan had gone insane. It was the only explanation I could provide.
Rage, disappointment, disbelief, and desire—his soul was laid bare. I had invoked those emotions in him. He wasn't the controlled, ruthless tycoon who had attended his ex's engagement with a Nobel anymore; he was a devil sitting on the throne of hell.
Something within me told me that this man wouldn't mind plucking my soul out of my body just to have me.
"Your mother got a hang of it, and then? She told you to break up with me?" He sneered.
"Yes!" I breathed. "There was a huge fight in the house. Abhay was mad. Dad disapproved. They couldn't see me with a man like you. They were scared that—"
"I might do something like my brother did if I didn't get the girl I want?"
"Yeah! If it can happen once, it can happen twice. They said something about having a wrong conscience and a spoiled upbringing. It made sense back then. It was the final straw. You truly showed how easy it was for you to change someone's world in a fraction of a second while you wouldn't even bat an eyelid. Your parents covered the tracks. You guys were unfazed while Kratika's parents were struggling in a storm. It was hell for them. Something I wouldn't want for my parents ever!Then I thought maybe, the girls were right! You really are a king... while we..." a chuckle escaped my lips as I shrugged my shoulders. "I was a mere slave. I was scared of you, Vihaan. I had my whole life ahead."
I hope everything made sense. Vihaan had every right to yell at me. Hell, I'd even allow him to hit me, but I won't ever allow myself to tell him the real reason. It'd break him beyond repair, and I'd rather he hate me, hit me, or kill me than watch him loathe me for... being me!
Did I find my voice? Finally? Maybe! Thankfully! Because I needed to regain control. He couldn't show up out of nowhere.
"It has been years, Malhotra. I am over you." I sneered, trying to gain confidence in my voice as I attempted to push him off.
It brought him closer as he sandwiched me between his car and himself. I prayed he wouldn't take my swallowed breaths, flushed face, and wild heartbeats to be anything but agitation.
Who was I kidding? This man could read me like a freaking open book!
"Over me? Huh, are you?" The devil scoffed.
"Do you take me for someone you can just stroll over, brushing off everything as if your words never whispered promises of forever? As if you've never nestled into my arms, tracing my heartbeats with yours? As if you never came all over my cock again and again? Do you really think I'd belive you?" I nearly jumped when he slammed his palms on either side of my head and lowered himself to my eye level.
"What I've just said is nothing but truth! Your brother freaking kidnapped a bride to ease up his obsession, only an idiot would fall for your charms after that!"
He chuckled like a lunatic and peaked on my forehead.
A storm of butterflies fluttered in my belly. It tingled pleasantly only to be replaced by shivers by his next words.
"I believe your fear has some validity, Komal. Maybe you truly don't comprehend the madness embedded in Malhotra's genes. When we fall, we fall with an intensity that consumes everything. We're the ones who script our entire universe around you, and we're also the ones who can reduce the world to ashes until only you remain. I think it's high time you understand what it truly means to toy with the Malhotras."
He kissed away some of the tears before stepping back.
"Savor these last moments of your freedom because I am coming," he declared, spreading his arms as he peered at the stars, a chuckle escaping his lips. His tone sobered as he fixed a penetrating gaze on me. "I am coming to materialize your fears. Have your fun, hide, try to escape—the devil is at your heels, Sarkaar. Only at your service."