Rayaan's pov:

She said it.

“I love you.”

And the words hit me like a wave, crashing over everything I’d carefully built up. But instead of pulling me closer, they shoved me back.

I could feel my heart beat faster, louder, but it wasn’t excitement it was panic. A surge of memories hit me, uninvited.

Her. Ayesha.

I remembered how she used to say the same thing. How she promised me she’d never leave, that I was her everything. I believed her. I gave her everything I had, thinking this love would be different.

But then she left. No explanation. No goodbye. Just silence and an empty apartment. I was left with my trust shattered and my heart in pieces, wondering where I went wrong.

Since then, I’ve built walls. High, thick ones. I told myself I’d never be that vulnerable again, never let someone hold that much power over me. Especially not after her.

So when Arvi said it, when she confessed her feelings… it stirred something in me I hadn’t felt in years. Hope. Real, raw hope. And that scared me. Because I knew deep down that if I let myself fall for her, I would be opening myself up to the same hurt.

The same heartbreak.

And I couldn’t do that again. Not to myself. Not to her.

I walked away. Not because I didn’t care, but because I did too much. I loved her too much. And that terrified me.

Yess “I love Arvi.”

“I love my wife, even i pushed myself far away from her but still my hearts loves her.

She was forced to me but not anymore.”

No matter how badly I wanted her

I told myself walking away was strength. That I was protecting us both.

But the truth?

It was fear.

I was terrified of loosing her.

And then tonight, I saw the photo.

Aleesha’s private story.

Only a few names get to see those. Arvi doesn’t know I’m one of them. She doesn’t know I watch.

But I do.

I saw her in that dress. Laughing. Glowing.

And something inside me snapped.

Because while I’m here, unraveling quietly… she looked like she’d already started to forget.

And maybe that’s what I deserve for not staying when she finally let me in.

I couldn't stop staring at the phone. My fingers hovered over the screen, but I didn't immediately reply. The words echoed in my mind, each one piercing deeper than the last.

“Interesting post. Tell Mrs. Oberoi. Does her husband know the kind of image you're putting out there? He might not like it.”

My chest tightened. This wasn’t just some random comment. It was calculated. Cold. A warning.

It felt like the walls were closing in on me. I’d just started to breathe, to exist beyond the suffocating silence of our last encounter. And now, someone someone who probably knew me, knew her was throwing that back at me.

I couldn’t ignore it. I couldn't push it aside and pretend like it didn’t matter. The message, the warning it had my name written all over it, no matter how it was disguised.

Rayaan Oberoi. The husband. The one who should be holding his wife’s hand, not letting her slip through his fingers. But I had pulled away. I'd been afraid. Afraid of getting close, afraid of loving again.

But now? It felt like the universe was throwing it in my face. Reminding me that I wasn’t there for her when she needed me most.

I leaned back in my chair, staring at the phone. My thumb hovered over the screen, but my mind was somewhere else. With Arvi. Her pain. Her confession. That kiss.

I love her.

But I am too afraid of losing her like I had before. My ex. The heartbreak that still haunted me. The one that had shattered me.

I left Arvi because I couldn’t bear the thought of falling for her completely, only for her to leave me like my ex did.

But now I had to face it. I had to admit I was afraid.

I looked at the photo aleesha had posted.

Her smile. Her eyes. The girl I wanted more than anything. The girl I had let slip away.

I pressed my thumb to her photo, holding it there for a long moment I kissed the photo, as if hoping it would somehow bring her back to me.

And then, without thinking, I made it my wallpaper.

I wasn’t ready to admit it, but I missed her.

I missed Arvi.

I told myself I needed to get stronger, to work through this fear before I could fully be the man she needed. I needed to be whole, for her. She deserved more than my broken pieces, more than a man who could barely keep his own heart from shattering.

I had to stay away... at least until I could give her the love she deserved. The love that was pure, without any hesitation or fear.

But every part of me hated that idea. Hated the distance I was creating between us. Hated that I was pushing her away when all I wanted was to pull her closer.

But deep down, I knew I wasn’t ready to be the man I wanted to be for her. Not yet. And that fear? It was suffocating me, making it impossible to feel anything but dread every time I thought about how close I was to losing her because I wasn't strong enough to fight my own demons.

I had to find my strength.

It all started at the restaurant. I remember it so clearly, the way she bumped into me, and the drink spilled all over my shirt. The shock on her face, the apology that followed, and the anger that welled up inside me. She was just another girl, another face, yet she had made me look like a fool.

I told myself I hated her for that moment. But that wasn’t even the worst of it. No, the worst came later, in my own home.

She was in my mansion, standing there like she belonged. And I... I made sure to let her know she didn’t. I called her a gold digger without even knowing her story. Without hearing her side. Without understanding anything about her. My words were cruel, and I didn’t even realize how much they would cut her.

I had no idea what she was going through at that time. I didn’t know the pain, the things she’d been through, the wrath she’d faced. But I couldn’t see past my own bitterness, my own pride. My mother, who always seemed to know more about people than I ever did, told me I was wrong, but I didn’t listen. I couldn’t. I was too hurt, too stubborn to admit I might be wrong.

But then came that night.

That night when everything changed.

I found out the truth. The boys. The ones who had tried to hurt her. I was furious. And when I realized it was the same girl I had treated like dirt, the guilt washed over me in waves. I couldn’t believe what I had done. She wasn’t the gold digger I’d called her. She wasn’t anything like that. She was innocent. My mother had been right all along.

I had no choice but to bring her into my life. To try to make up for the things I’d done. For the words I’d said. But marrying her, it wasn’t something I did with joy. It wasn’t because I loved her. It was because I was too guilty to let her go, too scared of what would happen if I didn’t make it right.

The night when i told her we are only strangers, looking at her, feeling like a stranger in my own marriage. We were two people forced together by circumstances, but we were not a couple. Not in my heart.

And I distanced myself from her, pretending like everything was okay, a part of me died inside. I couldn’t love her. Not yet. Not after everything I had done to her. Not when I still couldn’t forgive myself for the way I had hurt her. For the way I had used her to fill the void of my own broken heart.

I told myself that night, I would stay away from her. I needed to stay away, at least until I could gather the strength to love her. Because I knew, deep down, if I let myself fall for her, I might lose her. And I couldn’t bear that. Not after everything I had put her through.

So, I kept my distance. But I knew... I knew deep down that I was afraid. Afraid of losing her. Afraid of loving her too much. Afraid of letting my walls come down.

But it was too late. I had already let her in.

No matter how I behaved in past I will make up to her she is mine, mine to love, mine to  kiss, mine to —, Behave Rayaan! Behave.

She is my little fragile wifey.