Chapter 30.
𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑾𝒂𝒔 𝑩𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝑩𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉
Song:- Six feet under
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Third POV.
Arjun huffed, his chest rising and falling like a man suffocating under the weight of his own truth.
The very truth he had sworn never to speak—the one that chained his soul in silence for four years—was now burning on the tip of his tongue. If not now... he'd lose her. Forever.
"You never asked," he began, voice hollow. "Why didn't I stop you that day... when you left."
Anaya's breath hitched.
But it was the next word that shattered her control.
Love.
"You know what I love most about you?" he whispered.
Her fingers tightened around the edge of the duvet. Her heart thudded painfully against her ribs. Love. He had never said that word. Not once. Not during their marriage. Not in the shadows of their stolen moments. Not even when she had given him everything.
He had only ever claimed her like possession. But never like love.
And now... this?
She didn't dare look at him. Because if she did, her resolve would break. And after what happened last night—after surrendering herself again to him in a moment of weakness—she couldn't afford to crumble.
Not again.
She hated herself for being so vulnerable. So naïve. So hopeful.
He huffed, running a hand through his hair, pacing like a man on the brink.
"You never demanded anything from me. Never. You gave and gave... and I just—" His voice cracked. "I was one of those selfish bastards who broke the only woman who ever truly loved me."
Her body turned slightly, facing away. She didn't want to hear him speak about her kindness like it was a mistake. About her love like it was charity.
Tears silently rolled down her cheeks. He used her. Again.
She had told herself she was stronger now. That she wouldn't fall for the same man twice. But last night proved otherwise. And now, the shame sat inside her like poison.
"Why?" His voice broke the silence again. "Why didn't you ever confront me, Anaya? Why didn't you scream? Slap me? Hate me?"
The pain in his voice should have softened her—but it didn't.
Because she had screamed. Every night. In silence. When no one could hear her. When the world had moved on and she had shattered in the dark.
Another tear slipped from his eye.
"She was pregnant," he said, voice barely audible. "And I had to protect the baby. I didn't care about Ruhanika. I would've never given a damn. But then I held her—Aryana—in my arms. Tiny, fragile... and I knew I had to protect her. Love her. The way you taught me to love."
Anaya's heart burned at his words.
Love.
Protect.
Words he had never offered her. Words he now used for someone else's child.
She closed her eyes, trying to block out his voice. But then—
"Even though she wasn't mine... she became mine the moment I held her."
Her eyes flew open.
The child... isn't his?
She froze.
Everything inside her screamed in disbelief. His voice echoed in her ears like a storm:
Not mine... not mine...
Her lips trembled. Her hands clutched the sheet harder.
"Get out," she whispered.
He turned sharply, caught off guard.
"Anaya..."
"Get out," she said louder, her voice shaking.
"Lis—"
"Out now," she snapped, sitting up, her back still to him. "Or I'll be the one to leave."
"No," his voice hardened, cold steel beneath velvet. "No one is leaving until you listen. You have to hear this. I can't stay silent anymore."
She stood, furious, and grabbed his arm to drag him out—but he jerked her back and pulled her flush against him.
Their bodies collided.
"Let me go!" she hissed, trying to shove him.
But his arms caged her.
His lips brushed her ear as he growled, "I haven't forgotten the stunt you pulled this morning. You shouldn't have left..."
She cut him off. "It was a mistake."
His breath caught.
A mistake.
That word slashed him deeper than she could ever know.
His hold tightened—possessive, angry.
"Mistake?" he repeated darkly. "You call us a mistake?"
He leaned in, eyes burning with something feral. "No, Anaya. The mistake was letting you walk away... when I should've caged you in my world where no one could reach you. The mistake was listening to my heart instead of my mind."
She glared at him. "You're a backstabber. A liar. You cheated—"
"I never cheated!" he barked, cutting her off. "Maybe I failed you. Maybe I destroyed you. But I never betrayed you."
"Liar!" she screamed, tears falling freely now.
In rage, she slapped him hard across the face.
The sound echoed. Time stopped.
Arjun didn't flinch.
He just grabbed her wrist, pushed her against the wall, and caged her again.
His eyes darkened. "You're lucky you're my Anaya. Anyone else would never see the next sunrise for raising a hand at me."
Her breath hitched.
"Look at me," he growled, grabbing her jaw. "Look when I'm telling you this."
Tears ran silently down her cheeks. His hold slowly loosened. He stepped back, his breathing ragged.
"If you don't believe me... ask Krish bhai. Ask Vedika. They know Aryana's truth."
He leaned in again, voice deadly quiet. "And I told them to stay silent. Because I wanted to tell you."
Anaya sank to the floor, knees pulled to her chest, as her world spun out of control.
He knelt beside her, eyes hollow, exhausted.
"I never wanted this," he whispered. "But I let it happen. I let you suffer. I let you break. And I'll live with that guilt until my last breath."
She sobbed silently.
"Last night wasn't a mistake," he said softly. "It was the most real thing I've ever known. You were never a mistake. We weren't."
He rested his forehead against hers.
"I'm sorry," he breathed. "For everything."
She wanted to believe him. But four years of silence had built a fortress around her heart.
"And still..." she whispered. "You chose power. You chose revenge over me."
He squeezed her hand.
"At that time... I had to choose between you and Krish bhai. I didn't know what to do. My father—he knew how to push every button. He gave me no choice."
Her eyes searched his, broken and confused.
"Anaya," he said, voice a razor, "Aryana... she's not just someone else's daughter. She's the result of my uncle's mistake. A one-night lapse. My father knew and made me take the fall. Said it was the price I had to pay."
She gasped, horrified.
But he wasn't done.
"And before your heart decides I'm lying again," he said bitterly, "you should know one more truth."
She stood, trying to flee—but his next words stopped her cold.
"Krish bhai is not the real child of Uday Singh Rajvansh."
Silence exploded.
Her eyes widened, mouth parted.
Shock. Horror. Disbelief.
Arjun didn't blink.
He stood there, waiting.
For judgment. For forgiveness. For fate.
Because everything was finally out.
And nothing would ever be the same again.
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Hey guys,
Big revelation...how well Anaya knows him she knew that his hunger for power is not the only reason.
Arjun was a cold-hearted man, maybe he accepted and loved Aryana after her birth but he couldn't have accepted others' burden on him...family or not.
Stunned Right...As I said before many things are not unfolded yet...
Stay tuned...
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Thank you,
Author.
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