Rudra Singh Rathor’s Perspective– ]

*Eternity Group | President’s Cabin | The Brutal Decision*

I am leaning against the cold wall near the shattered window, watching the city below, trying to control the tremor in my hands. Laksh’s voice comes through the comms.

**Laksh (On Comm):** **“Status report: Ishita Ma’am secured and en route to her residence. Threat neutralized at the location. Waiting for the sweep team to identify the position of the hostile target. She was upset, Sir. She demanded to know what happened.”**

I close my eyes. **She was upset.** Good. Upset is better than hurt. Upset is better than dead.

**Rudra:** (My voice is tight, a metallic edge to the usually deep tone.) **“Did you tell her anything, Laksh? Did she see the men?”**

**Laksh (On Comm):** **“No, Sir. I kept to the script. She thinks you're just being overprotective due to high stress. But she is calling you the moment she gets home. What should I tell her? She wants to come here.”**

I straighten up, the cold reality hitting me with the force of the broken glass. They had a gun on her. They are not playing. My distance wasn't working; it just gave them opportunities to get closer. The only way to win this war is to make her *invisible* to them—to erase the target.

And the only way to erase the target is to destroy the bond.

**Rudra** (Inner Monologue): *This is the only move left. The most dangerous one. I have to make her hate me. I have to break her heart so she stays away from my poison.*

**I decide with Laksh that I will leave her and act like I never loved her.** I will become the monster she always feared. **I have to lie about using her only**—that she was just a convenient distraction.

**Rudra:** (I walk back to the desk, pressing the intercom button again.) **“Laksh, change of plans. I need you to prep the private jet for an immediate international flight. For me. And I need a secure, encrypted line that cannot be traced to the company.”**

**Laksh (On Comm):** **“Sir? You’re leaving the city? What about Ishita Ma’am? She is arriving home now. She’s going to call—”**

**Rudra:** **“Don't address her as Ma'am. And that’s the plan, Laksh. When she calls, transfer the call directly to me. I need to do this myself.”**

**Laksh (On Comm):** **“Do what, Sir? You are cutting ties? Just like that? After everything she is to you?”** Laksh’s shock is evident, a rare display of emotion.

**Rudra:** (My voice drops to a brutal, raw whisper.) **“Yes. I have to hurt her for this. If I push her away, she is safe. They want me to marry their sister? Fine. I will show them I’m a cold-hearted bastard who cares only about power and money. They will believe she was never important.”**

**Rudra** (Inner Monologue): **Even thinking about it made my heart beat stopped.** The thought of the pain in her eyes is a physical blow, worse than any bullet. **But I have to do this.** **I have to hurt me for this**—for *her*.

**Rudra:** **“When I talk to her, I will tell her the truth of my supposed feelings—that she was just a pleasant distraction before the real business began. You back me up. You confirm that our relationship was simply a temporary arrangement.”**

**Laksh (On Comm, after a long silence):** **“Sir… you will destroy her. This will break her, Rudra.”**

**Rudra:** **“I know. And every shattered piece of her heart will keep her alive. That's the only thing that matters. Get the line ready, Laksh. And prepare the company statement. She needs to hear it from me first. War is starting. And my first casualty… has to be my own happiness.”**

[Ishita Sharma’s Perspective –]**

*Cold December Night | Outside Ishita’s Studio*

The winter air had a quiet bite to it, but I didn’t care. **I stood outside my studio**, wrapped in my oversized wool shawl, heels clicking softly against the pavement as **I waited**.

My phone buzzed earlier. **“Come outside, alone. I need to talk.”** It was *him*. My Rudra.

There was no emoji. No "Jaana" or “Ishi” at the end. But I didn’t think too much. Maybe he was stressed. Maybe there was work pressure. He told me he sorted everything, right?

So **I waited**. Hugging myself. Looking out every few seconds toward the road.

Then — I saw it.

That signature black car, pulling in under the streetlight. My heart jumped like always. My lips curved automatically into a smile. **I took a few steps forward as the car door opened and *he* stepped out.**

Even under the pale streetlight, he looked like the Rudra I loved — sharp jawline, perfectly tailored coat, those cold blue eyes that always softened when they looked at me.

**Ishita:** **“Rudra!”** I whispered, rushing toward him, **arms already stretching out to hug him like I always do.**

But this time— **He stepped *back***.

My arms dropped midair. My smile faded instantly.

**Ishita:** **“Rudra?”** I blinked. **“What happened? Don’t want to hug? It’s okay, tell me… what’s wrong?”**

He didn’t even meet my eyes.

**Rudra:** **“I told you to come here,”** he said, **voice hard**. **“Because I needed to end this.”**

I laughed nervously. **Ishita:** **“What?”**

**Rudra:** **“I’m breaking up with you, Ishita.”**

I stared at him. Frozen. **Ishita:** **“What kind of joke is this? Not funny, okay?”**

**Rudra:** **“I’m not joking. It’s over.”** His tone now clipped, cutting.

**Ishita:** **“No,”** I said, shaking my head. **“No, you’re just saying it. Something happened, right? You’re angry? Is it the media again? Did someone say something? Rudra, you love me. You *said*—”**

**Rudra:** **“I said a lot of things. I lied. Get this straight, Ishita. Everything I said was a lie.”**

**Rudra:** **“I realised you're not my type. You’re just… loud. Middle class. You don’t fit in my world. You never did. You’re too much drama for a life I want to lead.”**

My legs buckled slightly.

**Ishita:** **“No… you don’t mean this. You—”** I reached for his face, my palm cupping his cold cheek. **“Please… look at me. In my eyes. And say this again.”**

He stared into my eyes.

**Rudra:** **“I never loved you, Ishita. It was just a game. I got bored. That’s all. Now stop touching me.”**

I felt the ground slip under me.

**Ishita:** **“You said you wanted a Radha-Krishna kind of love… a Shiv-Parvati forever. You told me that! You held my *dupatta* in the Gurudwara, Rudra! Was that a game too?”**

**Rudra:** **“Shut up with your nonsense. God and love are both fairy tales. I don’t believe in either. That was a joke. You were just a… passing time. A cheap thrill, nothing more.”**

I staggered back. My heart was crashing inside my ribcage. Tears streamed silently down my cheeks.

**Ishita:** **"Tell me if I did something wrong, Rudra. Please. Scold me. Slap me even. But don’t leave me. Don’t *hate* me, Ru… please…”** I was crying now. My voice trembled, broken.

**Rudra:** (He looked away, turning his face slightly into the shadow.) **“Stop creating a scene. Go home. Don't contact me again. I'm blocking your number, Ishita. You don't exist to me anymore.”**

I watched him. The slight quiver in his jaw. His fists clenched. His chest rising unevenly. **He was fighting something.** But what? The pain was too real.

**Ishita:** **“Rudra, please…”** I whispered, my voice gone. **“Don't do this to us. Don't throw away forever.”**

**Rudra:** **“There is no us. There is only me, and the next woman I marry. And that is not going to be a small-time model. Understand your place.”** He turned toward the car.

**Ishita:** **“You said you needed me to be your calm! You said I was your sanctuary!”**

He paused, his back to me. **Rudra:** **“I found a new one. A more profitable one.”**

Rudra Singh Rathor’s Perspective –

**I couldn’t meet her eyes.** **I had to do this.**

**I saw her** come running toward me like always. Smile glowing like a thousand suns. Her *dupatta* trailing behind. Her heart full of me.

God. I wanted nothing more than to open my arms and *hold her*. But **I stepped back**.

She stopped. Confused. Hurt. The worst part? **She still smiled. Still hoped.**

**Rudra:** **“I told you to come here,”** I said harshly, **my voice devoid of any warmth**. **“Because I needed to end this.”**

**Ishita:** **“Why?”** she asked gently. **“What happened?”**

**Rudra:** **“I’m ending it,”** I said flatly. The words tasted like ash.

I could feel the hostile lenses focusing on us from the surrounding buildings. They had to believe this.

**Ishita:** **“You’re joking, right?”** she said, that soft, hopeful sound that was my life's soundtrack.

**Rudra:** **“I’m not.”** **I stared straight ahead**. I *wouldn’t* look into those eyes until the final blow.

**Rudra:** **“I realised you're not my type. You’re middle class. Cheap behavior. Loud. Since you came into my life, everything's a mess. I’m in loss. Emotionally and professionally. You’re a liability, Ishita.”**

Her smile fell completely now. **Her hand trembling as she cupped my cheek.**

**Ishita:** **“Look at me and say it, Rudra…”**

My heart *screamed*. This was the moment of complete devastation.

**Rudra:** (I forced my eyes onto hers, locking onto the pain I was inflicting.) **“I never loved you, Ishita. It was just a game. I got bored. That’s all. Now stop touching me.”**

Her hand dropped. And something in her shattered.

**Ishita:** **“You said you wanted a Radha-Krishna kind of love… a Shiv-Parvati forever. You told me that! You held my *dupatta* in the Gurudwara, Rudra! Was that a game too?”**

**Rudra:** **“Shut up with your nonsense. God and love are both fairy tales. I don’t believe in either. That was a joke. You were just a… passing time. A cheap thrill, nothing more. Stop bringing up those sentimental lies.”**

**Ishita:** **“You can slap me if I did something wrong,”** she cried. **“But don’t leave. Please…”**

My jaw clenched so tightly I thought my teeth would break. **My hands were fists by my side**, nails digging deep into my palm to stop myself from hugging her, from telling her the truth. I looked away again, fighting the urge to shatter again.

**Rudra:** **“Stop creating a scene. Go home. Don't contact me again. I'm blocking your number, Ishita. You don't exist to me anymore.”**

**Ishita:** **“Rudra, please…”** she whispered, broken. **“Don't do this to us. Don't throw away forever.”**

I forced myself to turn toward the car, my back straight, projecting cold indifference. **Rudra:** **“There is no us. There is only me, and the next woman I marry. And that is not going to be a small-time model. Understand your place. You were a mistake, Ishita.”**

**Ishita:** **“You said you needed me to be your calm! You said I was your sanctuary!”**

I paused, my hand on the car door handle. The lie needed to be final, absolute. **Rudra:** **“I found a new one. A more profitable one. Enjoy your dreams, **Ishita**. They won't last long.”**

[Ishita Sharma’s Perspective –]

He kept talking. And every word from his mouth… **was like salt on the deepest wound.**

**Rudra:** **“You think this is some kind of big deal?”** he said, **emotionless**. **“I mean, who even *knows* about us? Nobody. We never made it public. We never told anyone.”**

He gave a cruel little shrug. **Rudra:** **“So, it’ll be easier for you to move on. That’s good, right? You won’t have to change your middle-class habits for me.”**

I couldn’t breathe.

**I just stood there.** My tears had stopped now — not because the pain was gone, but because my body had no strength left to cry. I was hollowed out, empty.

The wind picked up, a sudden, mournful sigh. And then — **the *rain* started falling**.

Soft at first, like the sky was whispering my heartbreak. Then heavier. Colder. Harsher. Washing over me, blurring the streetlights into smears of gold and red.

**I didn’t move. I didn’t *blink***.

**I just watched as he turned without another word and walked toward his car.** His back was straight, arrogant, every step a betrayal.

I didn’t scream. Didn’t chase. Didn’t beg anymore.

Because something in me shattered so loud, I swear the silence itself flinched.

His back. His steps. His distance.

**He opened the door, got in, and drove away — the red taillights disappearing into the misted rain.**

I stood there, **soaked to my bones**. The cold didn't matter. The pain was hotter than any fever.

And I whispered to no one —

**Ishita:** ***"You lied... You promised forever. You promised me your life, Rudra."***

[Rudra Singh Rathor’s Perspective–]

She was crying. And **I was still speaking.** Still *hurting* her.

**Rudra:** **“You think this is some huge drama?”** I said, my tone deliberately flat. **“We never told anyone. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. No one will even ask you anything. Your reputation is safe.”**

I saw the hope leave her eyes completely. She looked completely broken, and I wanted to rip my own throat out.

My throat burned. My hands shook in my coat pockets.

**Rudra:** **“Move on, Ishita. Trust me, it’ll be easier this way. You’ll find another nice, simple man.”**

She didn’t say a word. Not one. **She just stood there like a broken statue.** Soaked. Fragile. Cracked open.

And **I turned away**. My mind screamed *Don't look back, don't look back.*

The moment I opened my car door and slid inside, I gripped the steering wheel so tight my knuckles went white. I didn’t look back. Because if I *did*, I’d never leave.

The rain hit the windshield as I drove off. Fast. Blinded by the storm outside and the chaos in my chest.

**Rudra** (Inner Monologue): *I have to do this. I have to make them believe she is nothing.*

And when **I reached the turn where no one could see me—I *stopped* the car.**

I dropped my head on the steering wheel.

And **I cried**.

For the first time in **twenty-five years**. Since *Di* at Kedarnath when I was a boy — I had locked my tears, my pain, my softness.

But tonight… I cried. The sound was ragged, torn from the deepest, coldest part of my soul.

For *her*.

For the girl who brought colour to my black-and-white life. For the girl who never once crossed the line of innocence. For the girl who taught a heartless man what love even *felt* like.

I slammed my fist onto the dashboard, ignoring the fresh spike of pain.

**Rudra:** (I whispered like a man who had just buried his heart, the words choking me.) **“I'm sorry, **Jaana**... I’m so, so sorry. This is for your life. Please survive me.”**

**Rudra:** **“I promise I will fix this. I will end them. And when I come back, I will spend the rest of my life proving that every word I said tonight was the greatest lie I ever told.”**

[Ishita Sharma’s Perspective –]

**2:00 AM.** Middle of the road. **Rain pouring like the heavens were grieving with me.**

**I didn’t know how long I stood there.** Soaked. Shaking. My *dupatta* clinging to my body. My knees weakening. The ache in my chest so loud, **I couldn’t hear anything else.** Only his words, echoing, sharp, final.

***"I never loved you... You were just a game... You’re too much drama..."***

**Ishita:** **“No... No...”** I mumbled under my breath, my fingers trembling, pressing against my temples as if I could erase the memory.

And then I screamed. The control I had maintained for so long snapped completely.

**Ishita:** **“Ruuuudraaaa!!!”**

**I screamed so loud it echoed in the emptiness of the street.** My voice cracked, raw with pain. My body collapsed.

**I dropped to my knees on the wet pavement.** My heels scraped, my palms pressed against cold tar, ignoring the sharp gravel. **Tears mixed with rain**, but nothing could wash away the *betrayal* I felt.

My chest heaved. **I clutched it like maybe I could hold my heart together.** It was a desperate, useless attempt.

He left. He said it was over. **He said I was *nothing***.

I screamed again, this time through clenched teeth — broken, feral.

**Ishita:** **"Why?! Why would you do this to me?! You saw me in the Gurudwara, Rudra! Was that all a lie too?!"**

The wind howled back. The sky cracked with thunder. But the man I loved — **my Ru** — was *gone*.

I looked at my hand, at the spot where the blue rose had been pressed just hours ago. Now, it was empty. Just cold, wet skin.

**Ishita** (Inner Monologue): *He didn’t just break up with me; he murdered the person I thought I was. He took my faith in everything.*

[Rudra Singh Rathor’s Perspective–]

**He burst through the penthouse door like a wild storm.** My white shirt was still wet, sticking to my skin. My hands were cold and shaking, but my soul — *on fire*.

**Laksh:** **“sir—!”** Laksh came running from the kitchen, shocked by the sight of my ruined composure.

But I didn’t listen. The rage was deafening. I saw the flower vase—the one Isha had filled last week with yellow tulips. **I ripped the flower vase off the table — CRASH!** Shattered.

I saw the sleek, expensive lamp. I grabbed it. **I threw the lamp against the wall — SMASH!**

The crystal whisky glass—**SLAM!**

**Laksh:** **“SIR, STOP—! You need to calm down, !”** Laksh tried again, running toward me, fear finally visible in his eyes.

But I was gone—not physically. Emotionally. **Gone into a world of rage. Of guilt. Of unbearable *pain***.

**Rudra:** (I roared, the sound raw and tearing.) **“I HURT HER! I TOLD HER SHE WAS CHEAP! MIDDLE CLASS! I SAID I NEVER LOVED HER! I AM A LIAR, LAKSH! A F***ING COWARD!”**

**Tears were falling freely now.** My voice was cracking, barely recognizable. My strong hands were bleeding as **I punched the wooden column near the bar**. The impact was dull, agonizing.

Blood smeared down my wrist. My knuckles, already damaged from the window, now raw and split open again.

Laksh grabbed me, forced me back, pinning my arms. **Laksh:** **“ SIR! You did what you had to do. For her. You think she’d be alive if you hadn’t? You saved her life with that lie! Stop this self-destruction!”**

But I didn’t hear. My body dropped to the floor, heavy, defeated.

**Rudra:** (I whispered hoarsely, my head bowed.) **“She was the only peace I had, Laksh... My *sanctuary*.”**

**Rudra:** **“And I destroyed her with my own hands. I am the very monster the world fears. I used my power to kill her joy.”**

My head fell forward. Tears hit the cold marble floor.

And in the silence of that luxurious penthouse, all the money, power, and pride meant nothing.

Because the woman I loved was out there — shattered — believing every lie I said… **when all I wanted was to die saying the truth.**

**Rudra:** **“Get the private jet prepped now, Laksh. Now. I need to leave this city before I break my own rule and go back to tell her I lied.”**

[Ishita Sharma’s Perspective –]**

It’s been **one month and twelve days** since that night. Since I screamed his name in the rain. Since my soul shattered like glass under his words.

**Blocked.** Everywhere. Call. Message. Email. Nothing reached him. Not even a “seen”.

At first, I thought he needed time. Then I thought he was angry. Then… **I stopped thinking.** Because each thought hurt more than the last.

**I still messaged him daily.**

**Ishita (Message):** ***“Ru, please talk to me once. I need to know what happened to us.”***

**Ishita (Message):** ***“I don’t know what I did. But I love you. I need you to know that.”***

**Ishita (Message):** ***“Do you miss me even a little? I can’t breathe.”***

Of course, it all vanished into the void.

---

**I started losing weight.** Stopped talking to everyone much. **Locked myself in my makeup studio pretending to work.** Pretending to smile on shoots, but crying in the changing rooms.

At home, **I acted normal.** Laughing in front of Mom, helping Papa with evening tea. But the moment the door shut at night, **I curled under the blanket, hugging the sweater he once left in my studio.** It smelled faintly of his expensive cologne and the cold winter air.

I used to sing for him. Now, **my voice trembled when I tried.** Even music sounded empty.

Then, one random evening, I was helping Reet try out new *lehenga* designs. She smiled and said it like a passing comment—

**Reet:** **“Oh, and bhaiya left for Canada yesterday night. I thought you knew?”**

**Canada?**

I froze. The thread in my hand slipped. The needle pricked my finger. **Canada?** He left the country?

**Ishita:** (I manage a faint smile, trying to keep my voice steady.) **“Oh… okay. Must be a big acquisition then.”**

But my soul screamed inside.

He didn’t just walk out of my life. **He flew away from it.**

And **I was still standing here — like a fool, clutching memories, and begging empty air for closure.**

[Rudra Singh Rathor’s Perspective–]**

*Canada – 19th floor, glass-walled penthouse, downtown Toronto*

**Snow. Silence. Solitude.**

But no peace.

**I sat on the leather recliner**, looking out at the white city, wearing the same grey hoodie I'd worn the night **she hugged me last**. Unshaven. Exhausted. Eyes still swollen from the past month of battles — with enemies… and myself.

Laksh entered silently, setting a coffee cup beside me.

**Laksh:** **“Reet told Ishita you’re here. She found out yesterday.”**

I didn’t blink. Didn’t turn. **I just whispered, almost to myself—**

**Rudra:** **“Good. She needs to believe I’m gone.”**

Because at least now, she would stop waiting at the studio gate. Stop messaging a man who didn’t deserve her innocence.

---

**I lied.** I told her she was cheap. **I told her it was all a game.** When in truth, she was the only person who made me feel *alive* in years.

And now… Here I was — living in a city of strangers, haunted by the sound of her laughter.

The walls of my penthouse were bare — except for *one room*.

**His secret room.** The one only Laksh and Ishita ever knew about.

And there… Behind that wooden sliding door… Still hung every photo of her. Every painting she gifted. Every lipstick print she once left on tissue.

**I walked in silently.** The room was cold, reflecting the hollow space in my chest.

My fingers brushed across a framed candid of her laughing — the one I’d taken on the beach secretly when she was playing with sea shells.

**Rudra:** **“Jaan…”** I whispered, the name a painful echo. **“I’m dying a little every day without you. But I’ll burn this entire world if anything happens to you. Stay safe, **love**.”**

---

Every night, **I stared at her picture**, held her *dupatta* close to my chest, and cried silently. Not as Rudra Singh Rathor — the ruthless businessman.

But as *Ru* — Her Ru. The man she taught to love. The man who was only pretending to live now.

**Rudra:** **“Laksh, what’s the status on the counter-operation? I need a name. I need the sister’s location. I need something to end this war and come back to my wife.”**

**Laksh:** **“Sir, we are close. The threat has quieted since you left the country. They think you chose the marriage. We have to maintain the deception.”**

**Rudra:** (I squeezed the *dupatta* fabric.) **“We will. Tell my legal team to prep the merger papers for the acquisition in three weeks. We will make them think I am serious about the marriage. And then, we strike.”**

[Ishita Sharma’s Perspective – ]

Day 50

The clock on the wall mocked me. One month and three weeks. **Finally after a week** of nothing but silence and frozen despair, **I decided to also end her from my side.** I couldn't live like this anymore, tied to a secret vow with a man who flew a continent away without a word.

I walk to my dresser, my hands trembling. **I got ready**, choosing a simple white *salwar* suit. I look down at my wrist. **I pick up those bangles Rudra made her wear that day** after marrying me secretly in the Gurudwara—thin gold *kandani* bangles, heavy with unspoken promise. They feel like lead now.

**Ishita** (Inner Monologue): *I have to let go. I have to break the last piece of the lie.*

**I go to that Gurudwara**, the only place where I feel close to him and God, **knowing his Bebe came there every Sunday**.

I stand near the huge Banyan tree, waiting. The air is cold and smells of incense. **I wait till she came**, watching the familiar, dignified figure of Rudra's grandmother walk slowly into the courtyard.

My legs feel weak, but I force myself forward. **Then I go to her and give those bangles back with teary eyes.**

**Bebe:** **“Ishita, *puttar* (child)? What are you doing here? And why are you crying, child?”** Bebe’s face crumples in confusion, her usual sharp gaze softening instantly with worry. **“And these bangles… these are Rudra’s mother’s *kandani*! Why are you giving them to me? What is going on?”**

**Bebe was all confused what is going on.** **She asks at first.**

**Ishita:** (I try to speak, but the words catch, a painful, choked sound.) **“B-Bebe…”**

**I didn't tell anything**

initially, only shaking my head, holding the gold forward in my trembling hands.

**Bebe:** **“No, no, tell me, **puttar**. You look broken. You tell Bebe everything. Did Rudra say something? Did you fight?”**

**Bebe insist** gently, pulling me close.

The gentleness is my undoing. The dam breaks completely. **I told her while crying**, the words tumbling out in ragged gasps.

**Ishita:** **“He left, Bebe! He said… he said I was cheap, a game! He said he never loved me! He said… he flew to Canada and blocked me everywhere! He told me he found someone else, a profitable one!”**

I press the heavy gold bangles into her palm. **I give back those bangles**—the last tangible symbol of my secret vows—and then **I cry hard in her arms**. Her sari smells of sanctity and old comfort.

**Ishita:** **“He lied, Bebe. He lied about everything! I can’t—I can’t keep these lies anymore.”**

After a minute of wrenching sobs, I pull back, wiping my eyes roughly. I can't stay. **And then I walk away**, leaving my shattered heart and the memory of my failed *vows* in the sanctuary.

---

### **FLASHBACK:

*Rudra’s Car | That Day after the Gurudwara*

I remember the warmth inside the car, the lingering scent of *Prasad* and his skin. We were pulling away from the Gurudwara, the secret joy singing in my veins.

**I am having flashback of that day in car**—just after he called me his *Biwi Ji*.

**Rudra:** **“Hold out your hand, **Jaan**.”** He had stopped the car in a quiet lane.

I remember watching him take those gold bangles from his pocket, the same ones I just returned.

**Rudra:** **“These were my mother’s. The *Kandani*. They signify a complete commitment in our family. Only the Rathor *Biwi* wears them. You wear them now.”**

**Ishita:** **“Ru… they are too expensive. And it’s too soon…”**

**Rudra:** **“Too soon for forever? Never. Hold still.”**

He took my left hand and gently slid them onto my wrist. **Ishita:** **“They are beautiful. And heavy.”**

**Rudra:** **“They carry the weight of my promise, **Ishi**. They are unbreakable, just like our bond.”**

He leaned in then, his blue eyes intense, full of the silent love he rarely spoke aloud. I closed my eyes, anticipating the kiss. **We were literally inches apart.** I could feel the heat radiating from him, the soft brush of his breath on my lips.

Then, his phone buzzed. Loudly. He sighed, the tension breaking.

**Rudra:** **“Work. Always a distraction.”** He had pulled back with an audible sigh of frustration.

**Rudra:** **“Wait till tonight, **Biwi Ji**. No phone will interrupt us then.”**

The memory hits me like a physical blow. **If the phone didn't disturb them they were literally inches apart** from sealing that moment.

*He promised me unbreakable, and then he broke me.*