[Rudra Singh Rathor's Perspeactive]

I am staring at the snow-covered skyline of Toronto, reviewing the final blueprints for the counter-operation, when the encrypted line rings. It's Bebe. I know why she's calling. Laksh warned me she was due at the Gurudwara today.

I take a steadying breath and answer.

**Rudra:** **"Bebe. You should be resting. Why are you calling so late?"** I keep my tone low, calm, masking the tremor in my chest.

**Bebe:** (Her voice is a sharp, trembling shout, filled with hurt and outrage.) **"Rudra! Don't you dare tell me to rest! You broke her, **puttar**! You shattered that girl into a million pieces!"**

**Rudra:** **"What are you talking about, Bebe?"** I lie easily, the calmness a forced shield.

**Bebe:** **"Don't pretend! She came to the Gurudwara! She waited for me! And she gave me these!"** I hear the faint jingle of gold against the phone receiver. **"The *Kandani*! The bangles you made her wear after your little secret vow! She said you left her! She said you flew away for someone else!"**

**Rudra:** **"Yes, Bebe. That is correct. I left the country for business. And I ended things with Ishita."** I force the words out, each one slicing through my own heart.

**Bebe:** **"It's okay, Bebe? **It's okay**, you say? You broke her! You found someone else! **If it was your intentions why you play with her, huhh**? She loves you, Rudra! She loves you like a goddess loves her devotee! She was weeping in my arms, Rudra! Do you hear me?"**

**Rudra:** **"Bebe, I appreciate your concern for her. But you know I don't believe in sentiments. It was time to move on. She was a temporary distraction, nothing more."**

**Bebe:** **"Liar! You are a liar! **You are not my puttar, Rudra!** My son had a heart! **You can't do this!** This is cheap! This is cruel! You brought her to the Gurudwara! You used the sacred *Kandani*! You betrayed her trust and mine!"**

**She keeps saying a lot of things**, her voice cracking with every accusation-grief, betrayal, shame. **I hear everything**, letting the pain wash over me, using it to fuel my resolve. **I answer calmly**, sticking rigidly to the persona of the heartless prince.

**Bebe:** **"You always said you didn't believe in God, but you believe in power! Is this new woman more powerful? Worth ruining an innocent girl for? Tell me, Rudra! Look at your heart and tell me!"**

**Rudra:** **"Yes, Bebe. She is. She is a better fit for the life I lead. Ishita and her dreams were too fragile for the Rathor empire. I made a mistake, and I corrected it. Now, please rest. I will call you later."**

I didn't tell the truth of blackmailing. I couldn't. The truth would put both Bebe and Ishita in danger. The cold monster is the only one who survives this war.

**Bebe:** **"Don't you dare call me later! I won't speak to you until you bring my *puttar* back! Not this ruthless stranger who doesn't value love! You have shamed this family, Rudra!"**

She hangs up abruptly. The dial tone rings loudly in the silence.

I drop the phone onto the desk. My calm facade cracks. My head falls into my hands.

**Rudra:** (I whisper to the empty room.) **"I am so sorry, Bebe. I am sorry I had to become the monster you see. But I will keep her alive, even if it costs me the love of everyone I care about."**

I drop the phone onto the desk after Bebe's call. The silence is heavy, filled with her heartbroken fury. I slide into the leather recliner, the cold of the Toronto winter a minor ache compared to the devastation inside.

**I close my eyes and fall into memory of that day.** The one moment of absolute, pure happiness, right after I claimed her as mine in the Gurudwara.

FLASHBACK

**I made her wear those bangles with all love**, holding her delicate hand carefully. The gold *Kandani* felt heavy, precious, resting on her small wrist. **I keep looking at her**, memorizing the soft blush creeping up her neck and cheeks.

**Rudra:** **"They are perfect, **Ishi**. They belong right there."** I whisper, my voice thick with emotion.

I couldn't resist her softness. **I kiss her knuckles** lightly, then turn her hand over and press my lips to **her palm**, the skin warm and yielding. I move up to **her wrist**, the bangles cool against my mouth.

When I look up at her, **she blush hard and bit her lip**, a nervous, adorable habit.

**Rudra:** (My voice is low, possessive.) **"Don't do that, **Jaan**. That lip is mine to bite."**

**I release her lip from her teeth** with the gentle brush of my thumb, my gaze intense. **She understood what i means**-the promise, the desire, the utter devotion that was brewing between us. **And nod** softly, giving me permission without a word.

**I smile and lean close**. Her eyes flutter shut. **We both just inch apart to kiss on lips**, my breath mingling with hers, the anticipation electric, consuming the entire space of the car. My universe narrowed to the curve of her mouth.

And then, **my phone rang**-a harsh, immediate sound cutting through the moment. An **important call** that couldn't wait.

**Rudra:** (I curse in frustration, a low growl against her ear.) **"Damn it! Damn the world and its timing!"**

I pull back just enough to avoid the kiss, the self-control a physical agony. **I kiss her nose** quickly, a possessive, disappointed peck.

**Ishita:** (She pulls back slightly, opening her eyes, the disappointment mirroring mine.) **"Go, Ru. It's okay. Work is important."**

She didn't look at me, but turned her head to **look out of window**, giving me the privacy to take the call, but hiding the pain of the lost moment.

**Rudra:** **"Don't you worry, **Biwi Ji**. I'll make up for that later tonight. That kiss is only delayed, never cancelled."**

I pick up the phone, my jaw tight, already plotting how to destroy the distraction that dared interrupt my precious moment.

The memory of the lost kiss is a raw wound, but I let my mind drift to a softer evening, back when our world felt safe and contained within these walls.

**I think about that day when we were at my penthouse spending time together**. The city lights were a quiet shimmer outside the glass. We were curled up on the huge leather sofa, talking softly.

Suddenly, a loud, cheerful sound drifts up from below. **There was a wedding at my neighbourhood**-some distant relative of one of the tenants, likely.

**A song was playing** loudly, the melody soaring up to the 20th floor: ***Raanjhanaa hua main teraaa... kaun mere bin tera*** (Raanjhana, I am yours... who is yours without me).

**Ishita:** (She lifts her head from my shoulder, her eyes sparkling with mischief and a hint of real emotion.) **"Oh, listen, **Ru**! This is my favorite wedding song! It's so romantic!"**

**Rudra:** **"Too loud for my taste, **Ishi**. And too sentimental."** I tease her, even though the song feels different, better, now that she's listening to it.

**Ishita:** **"Sentimental? No! It's perfect! You know what?"** She pauses, giving me a cheeky smile.

**Ishita:** **"I want my future husband will dance on this song when he took marry me. Right in front of everyone. A whole choreography, Rudra!"**

She drops the name *Rudra*, not *Ru*, making it a formal challenge. **She intentionally teasing me**, knowing exactly how much I hate public displays and sentimental nonsense-and how much I secretly love doing things only for her.

**Rudra:** (I raise an eyebrow, pulling her closer so her back rests against my chest, my arms wrapping around her waist.) **"Oh really, **Biwi Ji**? Your *future* husband? You mean me. And you want the great Rudra Singh Rathor to dance? On a Bollywood song?"**

**Ishita:** **"Yes! And you must wear something flashy! No boring black suit, **Mr. Rathor**. Unless you don't plan on marrying me publicly, then maybe I should look for a future husband who *will* dance for me."**

**Rudra:** (I tighten my arms around her, a possessive move.) **"Don't finish that sentence, **Jaan**. There is no other man. Ever. And if you want me to dance, I will hire a choreographer, empty the Royal Ballroom, and dance until my feet bleed, just for you."**

**Rudra:** **"But know this: I am not dancing for the audience. I will be dancing only for my wife. And I will dance to this song, **Ishi**. Because I am yours. **Kaun mere bin tera** (Who is yours without me)? The answer is no one. Only me. Promise."**

I press a firm **kiss** into the soft curve of her neck, sealing the future promise.

**Ishita:** (She sighs contentedly, leaning back into my embrace.) **"Okay, **Ru**. Promise accepted. Now, quiet. I want to listen to my future wedding song."**

I had just promised **Ishi** I would dance for her, and she was already settling in, her head tucked comfortably under my chin. The wedding music from below was a sweet backdrop to my quiet happiness.

**Ishita:** (She shifts slightly, her excitement bubbling up.) **"Oh, and **Ru**, I also love this song! It's so intense and beautiful! **Let's sing!**"**

She pulls out her phone, navigates quickly, **and plays the song while attaching to Alexa**. The volume in the penthouse swells, mixing with the distant sounds of the neighborhood celebration.

**Ishita (Singing):**

***(Main ta jind meri tere piche haariya***

***Main ta tere utto jaan baithi vaariya***

***Main ta jind meri tere piche haariya***

***Main ta tere utto jaan baithi vaariya)***

Her voice is soft, a little breathless, but full of sincere devotion. She's singing directly to me, her eyes shining.

**Rudra (Singing):** (I let the emotion take over, singing my part directly into her hair.)

***(Main tan tere naal sachi laayi yaari ve***

***Mainu chaddi teri ishq khumaari ve***

***Mere dil da eko supna***

***Tenu apni bana ke main ta le jaana)***

**Ishita & Rudra (Singing):** (We sing the chorus together, my voice rougher, hers melodic, the words becoming our secret vow.)

***(Chhan vi gawah taare gawah***

***Main apna tenu maneya***

***Chhan vi gawah taare gawah***

***Main apna tenu maneya***

***Chan vi gawah taare gawah***

***Main apna tenu maneya***

***Chhan vi gawah taare gawah***

***Main apna tenu maneya...)***

**Ishita (Singing):** (She turns her head slightly, her fingers tracing the buttons of my shirt, reinforcing the promise of forever.)

***(Tere naal jeene marne di tyari ae***

***Tere naam kiti zindagi main saari ae***

***Tere naal jeene marne di tyari ae***

***Tere naam kiti zindagi main saari ae)***

**Rudra (Singing):** (I hold her tighter, the commitment in the lyrics feeling intensely real.)

***(Main tan tere layi chaddi duniya saari ve***

***Main tan soch liya tu meri saari ve)***

**Ishita (Singing):** (Her voice is full of sweet longing, the ultimate request.)

***(Main rabb kolo eho mangdi***

***Tu dholi ch bitha ke meinu le jave)***

**Ishita & Rudra (Singing):** (Our voices blend again, proclaiming our truth to the empty sky.)

***(Chhan vi gawah taare gawah***

***Main apna tenu maneya***

***Chan vi gawah taare gawah***

***Main apna tenu maneya***

***Chan vi gawah taare gawah***

***Main apna tenu maneya***

***Chan vi gawah taare gawah***

***Main apna tenu maneya...)***

**Rudra (Singing):** (I nuzzle her ear, teasing her with my possessiveness.)

***(Tenu meri jaana***

***Main apni banauna***

***Tu mere baare ki eh sochdi***

***Tenu meri jaana***

***Main apni banauna***

***Tu mere baare ki eh sochdi)***

**Ishita & Rudra (Singing):** (The beat slows, the voices become intimate whispers.)

***(Sab sachiya ne kasma)***

**Rudra (Singing):** ***(Jhothiya eh nhi)***

**Ishita & Rudra (Singing):** ***(Hath fad ke nibhaniya)***

**Rudra (Singing):** ***(Gawaniyan main nhi)***

**Ishita (Singing):** (She pulls my hand to her chest, right over her heart.)

***(Mera dil tere piche sajna***

***Tu dil'ch vasa ke mainu le jave)***

**Ishita & Rudra (Singing):** (The final, powerful declaration of love echoing in the penthouse.)

***(Chann vi gawah taare gawah***

***Main apna tainu maneya***

***Chan vi gawah taare gawah***

***Main apna tenu maneya***

***Chan vi gawah taare gawah***

***Main apna tainu maneya***

***Chan vi gawah taare gawah***

***Main apna tainu maneya....)***

The song fades out, leaving a warm, heavy silence. **I look down at her, my heart overflowing.**

**Rudra:** **"You see, **Ishi**? We are already married. The moon and the stars are witnesses. Now stop stressing about your future husband, **Jaan**, and just focus on the present one."**

**Ishita:** **"Okay, **Ru**. But you better not forget that dance choreography."** She laughs, the sound sweeter than the song itself.

**Rudra** (Inner Monologue): *That moment... that was real. That was my truth. Not the lies I told Bebe.*

Three years later

The air in the basement is thick and metallic. The silent witness to the brutality is the overhead single bulb. I click the gun, the sound sharp and final.

** I loaded another bullet into my gun - slowly. Calmly.** My heart is a block of ice, focused only on the broken man before me. My eyes are ice. Unblinking. Void. Merciless.

I walk toward the man. The *same bastard* who once sent me the videos... the threats... the ultimatum to give up my **Isha**.

**Rudra:** (My voice is cold, measured, the only control left.) **"Three years... you breathed freely for three years. Did you think Rudra Singh Rathore forgets?"**

*Slap.* (I hit him across the face, the sound echoing in the cold space.)

I tilt the man's jaw up roughly, forcing him to meet my gaze.

**Rudra:** (My voice low, deadly, a predator's snarl.) **"But I never stopped hunting you. Every deal, every shadow, every fucking camera-I dismantled the entire network that protected you. Until I caught your scent. And now you're mine."**

The man whimpered. Blood ran down from his nose and split lip. He was bruised, broken, begging for mercy.

**Blackmailer:** (Choking, spitting out blood.) **"You're insane... You've been hunting me for three years for a *girl*?"**

**Rudra:** (I smirk slightly, a cruel, haunted expression.) **"No. Not for any girl my girly love my jaan I was in *love*. And you, *idiot*, are the reason I had to become this. The reason I learned to live without a heart."**

I turn, cracking my knuckles, the sound like distant thunder, suppressing the storm that lived in my chest.

**Rudra:** (I slam my fist on the metal table beside him, the impact shaking the chair. My knuckles connect with the cold steel, ignoring the pain.) **"WHY?! Why her?! What did Ishita Sharma ever do to you? She was light, she was pure! Why did you have to touch her world?!"**

The man coughed, blood spraying onto the floor.

**Blackmailer:** (Mumbling, terrified.) **"She... she wasn't the target... it was you. The target was *you*."**

**Rudra:** (I freeze, the cold rage momentarily suspended.) **"What?"**

**Blackmailer:** (Panicking, trying to confess and survive.) **"It was all because of my sister... she... she was obsessed with you, Rudra Singh Rathore! She thought if Ishita disappeared-if you were forced to choose-you'd marry her instead! I was just helping her plan. I didn't know it'd go this far... I swear!"**

**Rudra's jaw clenched.** I slowly walk back, the truth a poison in my veins. And I laugh. **A soft, bitter, *haunted* laugh.**

**Rudra:** **"So you broke her... you destroyed the most beautiful thing in my life... to *help* your sister's obsession? I broke my own soul for a cheap plan?"**

My laugh vanishes instantly. My eyes darken, turning truly **merciless**.

**Rudra:** (Stepping close, whispering, my breath a cold current against his ear.) **"I gave up my world... my **Jaana**... I ruined her smiles. I burned her light. I lived in hell for three years. All for *nothing.*"**

I stare at the man as if seeing something not even human.

**Rudra:** (My gun is raised, the barrel resting against his forehead. My tone is colder than ice.) **"She still thinks I never loved her. That I used her. You made me the villain in her story. You took my *forever* and burned it."**

**Blackmailer:** (Crying hysterically.) **"P-Please... I didn't mean-"**

**Rudra:** (Cutting him off, the gun pressed harder.) **"No one touches what's mine and walks away breathing easily. No one threatens my **Ishi** and expects a quick death."**

I didn't pull the trigger. *Not yet.* I lowered the gun slowly, a decision far worse than death settling in my eyes.

**Rudra:** (To Laksh, standing quietly behind the shadows, his face grim.) **"Laksh. I want this man to suffer until he begs for the mercy of death. Break every bone, but keep him alive. I want him to remember my name every time he closes his eyes. And I want the sister found. Immediately."**

**Laksh:** **"Understood, Sir."**

---

*Later That Night - Rudra's Penthouse in Canada*

He finally returned to the city after three long years. The basement's stench of blood and fear still clings to the memory, but the pain of her betrayal is worse.

I walk into the same **secret room**. **Which I transform same as his Rathore mansion room in Delhi**, sparing no expense. **Not a single photo had changed. Not a single memory erased.**

I sit down in front of her picture - the one where she's holding my face and laughing like the world didn't exist.

**Rudra:** (Softly, achingly.) **"You're twenty-four now, baby... Probably ruling runways, winning hearts, hating me with every breath you take."**

I look down at my own hands - **the same hands that once held her waist with trembling love.** The same hands that let go of her, for her safety. **The same hands that now spilled blood in her name.**

**Rudra:** **"But I found him, **Ishi**. I found the reason behind every tear you shed. I found the man who made me lie to you. And he confessed everything. It was all a twisted, cheap play."**

I close my eyes, breathing shallow.

**Rudra:** **"And now that the truth is mine again... I swear on every breath left in me-I'll make the world see who you are. I'll make them bow to the woman I secretly married."**

**Rudra:** **"And someday... even if it takes eternity... I'll stand in front of you again. Not as a tycoon. Not as a monster. But as *your Rudra.* If you'll have me. I hope you give me a chance to tell you the truth, **Jaan**."**

The basement smells of blood and fear. The air is thick with the consequence of my rage. I stand above the motionless body of the man who had ruined three years of my life.

**I started torturing both brother and sister brutally.** Every scream, every broken gasp was a payment for the pain I saw in Ishita's eyes that rainy night.

He had pointed a gun at *my Ishi*. He had dared to play god with my jaana's* safety.

**Now he lay lifeless on the floor, a disgusting final exhale rattling from his cracked lips.**

**I stood there, unmoving.**

Blood splattered across my knuckles. My shirt soaked in sweat and fury. **My ocean-blue eyes staring at the corpse with nothing but *satisfaction***.

I didn't flinch. Didn't blink. Just... *breathed.*

Laksh stood by the door. Quiet. Unshaken by now. He had seen me do terrible things in these three years. But today, for the first time in a long time-he saw something different in my eyes.

**Peace.** The terrifying peace that comes after a long, brutal war.

**Laksh:** **"Is he...?"** he asked softly.

My voice was hoarse. Deep. Almost dangerous.

**Rudra:** **"Dead."**

**Rudra:** **"And he *deserved* every second of it. He deserved worse."**

**I enter the master bedroom for the last time.** There was only one room in the entire penthouse that had been untouched by the rage and grief.

**The Memory Room.**

Inside it, her photos covered every inch of the walls. Her laugh frozen in frames. Her smile glowing under soft lights. Candid shots from her studio days. Snaps I secretly clicked when she wasn't looking-drinking *coffee*, yelling at traffic, doing her makeup.

**I stare at the giant frame in the middle.** Her in that soft red suit... the day we about to kiss

**Rudra:** **"Jaan,"** I whisper, touching the glass gently, **"I did it. He's gone. No more shadows. No more danger. The threat is eliminated."**

My eyes glistened. For the first time, they weren't just *ocean-blue*. **They were *tsunamis***-raging, yet finally settling.

**Rudra:** **"Now it's time... to bring you home. Even if you don't want me, I'll still come. You hate me, I know. You *should*. But I'm done hiding behind lies. I'm Rudra Singh Rathore. And I'm coming to get back what I lost."**

**I pack only the essentials.** Ditch suits for black *kurtas*, casual shirts - *she always said i looked more human in those.*

**I lock the memory room carefully.** That room is the only proof I didn't become the monster I pretended to be.

**I slide a velvet box into my pocket** - the same *ring* I bought for her before everything broke. It's been waiting three years.

Laksh enters, leaning on the doorframe.

**Laksh:** **"Sir... are you sure? She's not the same Ishita anymore. She's tougher now."**

**Rudra:** (I smirk faintly, tying the laces of my boots.) **"Neither am I. She's mine. Broken or whole."**

**Laksh:** **"She might hate you. She gave back the bangles, sir ."**

**Rudra:** **"I'll still kneel. Every day. For the rest of my life. If she lets me. I deserve her hatred."**

**I board the jet silently.** Seats alone. Window side.

No champagne. No gadgets. No distractions.

Just **one photograph in my hand.** Of her. Wearing a floral *dupatta*, grinning wide.

**Rudra:** (I murmur, pressing the photo to my lips.) **"Get ready, Ishita Sharma. Your ruthless, heartless idiot... is coming back. To say sorry. To say... I never stopped loving you. Prepare for chaos, **Jaan**."**