She pushes my hand away and steps back. “You really are a devil. The way you beat that man… you’ll always be an asshole.”
“I saved you,” I fire back, stepping closer. “You should be thanking me, not cursing me.”
“I don’t owe you a damn thing, least of all a thank you. And as for saving me? I’d rather have him touch me than have you swoop in like some hero.”
My jaw clenches. If she wants to see the worst in me, then that’s exactly what she’ll get.
“You’re right, I am not the hero, sweetheart. I am the villain of your life.” I smirk. “And the only reason I saved you is because I don’t tolerate any bastard laying a hand on what carries my name. Not because I care about you.” I hold her gaze. “But because the name Dev Rathore is something that people fear. And I won’t let anyone tarnish that, ever.”
She swallows hard, her breath catching for a second.
“And the sooner you understand that,” I add, brushing away a loose strand from her cheek, “the better it will be for you.”
She doesn’t respond.
She just looks at me—furious, scared, shaken—all at once.
Chapter 15
Meera
“Samarth, I still don’t have anything,” I mutter into the phone, pacing the length of the balcony.
It’s been almost a month since Dev beat that man in the pub, an encounter that still crawls up my spine every time I think about it. Yet it didn’t scare me enough to silence me. I’ve tried to dig in every direction I could—listening in on phone calls, watching patterns, reading expressions. But every trail ends in a dead end.
“Don’t push too hard, Meera. Dev’s family isn’t normal. They’re experts at burying their dirt and at making sure no one ever gets close,” Samarth warns from the other end.
God, they sure are clever enough to leave no trace. But they won’t be clever forever. Soon, I’ll have something on them.
“I know,” I whisper, pressing my fingers to my temple. “But I can’t just sit here doing nothing, Samarth. I need to…”
“You need to be careful,” he breathes, his breath hitching like he’s holding back fear. “We’d rather walk away with nothing than have your stubbornness put you at risk.”
“Samarth, I am always careful.” My fingers tighten around the railing. “I just… need to do this. For my own sanity.”
“I get it,” he says after a moment, his voice softening into that familiar concern he never fails to show every single day. “But tell me honestly… how has Dev been with you? Has he done anything… anything at all that should worry me?”
“He’s… surprisingly happy to keep his distance,” I say quietly. And that’s the truth. Ever since the pub incident, Dev has barely spoken to me. No sharp remarks, no cold jabs, nothing. It’s like he’s decided I simply don’t exist.
On the other hand, Veer and Esha have been constantly poking and prodding, testing their limits with me. But every time they tried, I made sure to show them exactly where their place ended and mine began. They didn’t like it. And I didn’t care.
And then there was Dev’s dad. He didn’t need to say a word. The way his eyes skimmed over me, heavy with open dislike, made it clear he didn’t want me here. The feeling was mutual. I wanted to get the hell out just as badly. But not before I made each one of them regret every single thing they did to me and my loved ones.
“Meera, we can still take revenge without you being in this marriage. You don’t need to stay with—” Samarth begins, as if reading my mind, but I cut him off instantly.
“Samarth, we spoke about this, and I—”
Before I can finish, that infuriating voice cuts from behind me.
“So… you’re busy romancing with your boyfriend?”
“I’ll call you later, Samarth,” I say into the phone, ending the call before turning to face Esha. She’s dressed in yet another skimpy outfit, one hand resting on the handle of a trolley stacked high with bottles of alcohol.
“I think I should tell your husband about this call,” she says, arching a brow as if she’s caught me red-handed.
I give her a faint smile. “You don’t need to trouble yourself.”
She smirks. “Are you scared?”
