Night arrived quietly, but no one slept peacefully.
Sunday's laughter had faded, leaving behind questions that refused to settle.
---
Aara's POV
Aara lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, the room lit faintly by the streetlight outside her window.
Ignoring Kabir had felt right.
Necessary.
And yet, the calm she expected never came.
His silence at the café replayed in her mind—not anger, not control, but something wounded. That disturbed her more than his authority ever had.
She turned on her side, hugging her pillow.
Why does his presence feel like a storm even when he says nothing?
Her mother's words echoed softly in her memory: If fear and comfort come from the same place, be careful.
Aara exhaled slowly.
She didn't want to be afraid.
But she didn't want to belong to anyone either.
---
Kavya's POV
Across the room, Kavya lay scrolling through her phone, pretending not to watch Aara's restlessness.
Kabir Rathod wasn't normal.
No one that powerful ever was.
She had seen the way he watched Aara—quiet, intense, claiming without touching.
That wasn't romance.
That was possession waiting for permission.
Kavya decided something that night.
She would protect her friend.
Even if it meant standing against a Rathod.
---
Kabir's POV
Kabir Rathod stood alone in his study, city lights stretching endlessly beyond the glass.
He hadn't touched his phone all evening.
That was new.
Control usually came easily to him.
Tonight, it didn't.
Aara's deliberate indifference cut deeper than rejection ever could.
Not because she ignored him—
But because she could.
He poured himself a drink, untouched.
Her laughter with Aditya burned behind his eyes.
Not betrayal.
Not jealousy.
Fear.
Fear that she might choose a world where he didn't belong.
And worse—
Fear that she might someday learn who he truly was.
Kabir's grip tightened around the glass.
Underworld meetings. Blood contracts. Silent orders.
If Aara ever connected those shadows to him—
She would never look at him the same.
That thought unsettled him more than enemies ever had.
---
Rahul's POV
Rahul sat on the terrace, cigarette unlit between his fingers.
He had watched Kabir unravel quietly over the years.
Never like this.
"You're losing yourself," Rahul had said earlier.
Kabir hadn't argued.
That was the problem.
Rahul exhaled sharply.
If Kabir didn't pull back soon, someone would get hurt.
And Rahul wasn't sure it would be Kabir.
---
The Rathod House – Morning
Morning arrived with the smell of coffee and quiet conversation.
Kabir's grandmother sat at the dining table, prayer beads slipping through her fingers.
His grandfather folded the newspaper carefully.
Aditya scrolled through messages, smiling.
Rahul watched Kabir closely.
"You didn't sleep," his mother said gently.
Kabir took his seat. "Work."
She shook her head softly. "You were never restless because of work."
Silence followed.
His grandmother spoke without looking up. "Love should steady you, Kabir. Not shake you."
His jaw tightened.
Love.
He wasn't sure that was the word anymore.
---
Kabir Alone
Later, in his car, Kabir sat without starting the engine.
He replayed every moment from the café.
Aara's calm dismissal.
Her strength.
Her choice.
For the first time, Kabir Rathod understood something terrifying.
Obsession didn't begin with desire.
It began with fear of loss.
And he was afraid.
Afraid of losing control.
Afraid of losing her.
Afraid that if Aara ever learned the truth about his underworld ties, she wouldn't just walk away—
She would run.
Kabir closed his eyes.
He had built his empire on secrecy.
Now that secrecy threatened the one thing he didn't know how to fight for without destroying.
---
Across the city, Aara stepped out into the morning light, unaware of the silent war unfolding inside Kabir Rathod.
But she felt it.
Some connections didn't need words.
And some silences were louder than confessions.
This wasn't the end of distance.
It was the beginning of something far more dangerous.
Because once fear and desire intertwine—
Someone always crosses a line.