He couldn’t let her go, couldn’t let her vanish from his life like this. There would be no meaning to his life if she wasn’t a part of it. He grabbed her hand.

"Zarmeena, you can't go anywhere. You cannot leave me like this, or else..." He brought authority into his voice, trying to remind her that he was her husband.

"Or else what? You'll keep me in captivity as you kept my brother in...? Salaar, you have no right over me. You are my husband, but only officially. My heart never accepted you and never will."

Zarmeena's words hit his heart like sharp arrows. Instinctively, he clutched her waist and, with a sudden pull, brought her close to him.

"I love you, Zarmeena. I've never loved anyone like this in my entire life. Not Dado, not my parents, not Taimur not even my friends,no one. I love you even more than I love myself," he murmured, his hoarse voice trembling with intensity as he leaned into her ear. His words, raw and consuming, sent a shiver through her, making her heart tremble. He was so close that she could feel the rhythm of his unsteady breaths against her skin.

"I love you so much that I can't breathe when you ignore me," Salaar whispered between soft, uneven gasps.

Her body betrayed her, ignited by the fire in his voice and the heat of his touch. She felt her defenses weaken as his hands explored with an audacious familiarity, sending waves of sensation down her spine. She hated herself for it, but in that moment, she felt herself losing control, swept away by the intensity of his desire.

Salaar, consumed by passion, seemed to want to fuse her being with his own. His body tightened with unrestrained longing, and for a fleeting moment, Zarmeena found herself on the edge of surrender. But just as she began to waver, his voice cut through the haze.

"Don't you value this love? This immense love I have for you?"

Her body froze. A cold wave of realization washed over her, extinguishing the fire he had lit within her. How could she falter before the man who had destroyed everything she held dear? The man who had ruined not only her life but shattered her family for the sake of his selfish emotions.

"No," she said firmly, breaking free from his grip. "I have no value for your destructive love, Salaar Malik."

"Zarmeena..." he began, his voice faltering as her name escaped his lips, heavy with emotion.

But she cut him off, her eyes blazing with scorn.

"Why did you stop? Go on, fulfill this filthy desire of yours. Isn't that why you forced me into this marriage? Isn't that why you broke me to bend me to your will?" she spat, her voice dripping with venom.

Salaar's gaze, which had lingered on her trembling form, shifted to her face. The intensity in his eyes dimmed as he met hers, filled with icy disdain.

"I thought you would be happy that I married you and loved you," Salaar said, shocked by her response and her despising him.

"Happy?" She smirked with cold eyes.
"Of course, I am so lucky. The great Salaar Malik took an ordinary girl like Zarmeena Khan into his marriage. So what should I do? Vow to spend my whole life as your maid or worship you by falling at your feet?" The lava ignited within her found its way to burn Salaar into ashes.

"I am Zarmeena Khan. I will make you pay for everything you snatched from me, my family, my dreams, and my life. You messed with your own destruction Salaar Malik" She finished, glaring at him, and tossed the beautifully wrapped gift into the dustbin.

He realized for the first time that he would never find a way to her heart, as there was a huge gap that wouldn't let him reach out to her.