MYRA'S POV

It's been a day since I walked into Rayaan Rathore's  mansion.And not once have I felt like I could breathe.

The place is massive—exactly what a man with too many secrets and too much ego would build. He assigned me a room on the first floor, but the moment I stepped into these corridors, I felt every filthy stare scrape across my skin. His men look at me like they're waiting for Rayaan's permission to swallow me whole. There is no sign of a single woman here. Except a few terrified kitchen maids who don't even make eye contact. Rayaan ordered his men to keep me safe and tighten security.

I didn't leave the room much, but my eyes did. I studied every inch of this mansion—entrances, exits, blind spots, shift changes. By the end of a single day, I already had a full escape route mapped. And not just escape... an attack. If danger hits, I know exactly where to strike. I came here with a purpose. I need to finish Rayaan Rathore before the weight choking my chest explodes.

Night settled like a thick blanket, suffocating everything beneath it.

And the truths I learned about my past yesterday ... they shredded me. I couldn't forget him. Couldn't forget Adhvay.

I know he never meant to use me. I felt his sincerity in every touch, every look. Those emotions between us weren't lies—they were painfully real. But our past is twisted, knotted by blood and betrayal. If we don't stop... our future will twist into something even worse.

A tear slipped down my cheek before I could wipe it away.

His smile flashed in my mind—the pure, boyish smile he tried so hard to hide from the world.

Adhvay slowly cracked me open, emotion by emotion, turning me into a version of myself I didn't know existed... someone addicted to the way he loved.

I might not be by his side anymore. But I will destroy every obstacle before it touches him.

That's a promise I made to myself the moment I stepped into this hell.

Curled up on the bed like a cocoon trying to hold itself together, I let the silence swallow me.

And then—

the entire mansion went dark.

Every light was gone.

A blackout in a place this rich? Impossible. A mansion like this must have at least three backup systems. So why isn't even one working?

My breath quickened. This mansion is just like Rayaan Rathore—

dysfunctional, rotten from the inside, and seconds away from breaking.

The sudden scrape at my window swallowed every bit of air in my lungs. What if one of Rayaan's disgusting men tried to sneak in and lay their filthy hands on me? My gun—damn it—was on the table across the room. I rushed toward it, but before my fingers even grazed the metal, a hand clamped over my waist and slammed me against the nearest wall. My breath died instantly. I knew this touch. My body recognised it immediately.

"Shh... little storm... it's me."

His voice—raw, low, sinful—shot relief straight into my heart. Twenty-four hours without hearing him felt like years. My whole body trembled with the desperate urge to look at him, to touch him, but I forced myself to remain cold. I had to pretend I hated him. It was the only way to keep both of us alive.

He caged me between his chest and the wall, our faces inches apart, his breath brushing my forehead, making every nerve I ever possessed wake up screaming.

His voice dropped to something rough and possessive. "What... are you doing here?"

Here..... In his enemy's house. I scoffed, masking the ache twisting inside me.

"That's none of your business."

A violent groan tore from his throat as he slammed his fist into the wall beside my head. I flinched. The beast in him was seconds from breaking loose.

"Everything that involves you is my business." His hand gripped my cheeks, squishing them together as he dragged my face toward his. "Now tell me. What are you doing here?"

His voice. Oh God, that voice.....It awakened thoughts I never knew I could think—unholy, reckless, burning. I loved danger more than I ever admitted; softness was never meant for a woman like me.

Through his grip, I forced the lie out. "I came here to help Rayaan. And kill you."

Hate me, Adhvay. Please. After everything I've done, after every time I hurt you—why won't you hate me? A tear escaped me, traitorous and silent.

His grip loosened instantly. I heard his breath tremble. The darkness of the room hid his face, but I knew—he was breaking.

"You can walk into my fucking palace and shoot me right here," he rasped, grabbing my hand and pressing it hard against his chest. His heartbeat was wild and broken. "And you can walk away without a single scratch."

A warm drop hit the back of my hand. His tears. I lost control for a second—wanted to pull him in, cradle his face, protect the heart that wouldn't stop loving me. But I couldn't. He deserved a happy future, not a ghosting past like me.

"What's fun in that, Adhvay?" Venom burned my tongue as I whispered, "I want you to collapse inch by inch."

The lights burst back on. Our eyes met. His once-bright, beautiful eyes were red, wet, shattered. He looked away, hiding the pain I caused. My punishment.

He finally released me, stepping back with a coldness that stabbed through my ribs.

Suddenly the voices heard running across the corridors and Violent banging rattled my door.

"Myra! Myra, are you in there?" Rayaan's furious voice thundered.

Adhvay's muscles locked, his entire body shifting into something lethal. His jaw tightened. His eyes turned into the eyes of the beast I feared and loved. He stepped toward the door.

What the hell was he doing? They would kill him here. He is Unarmed. In his enemy's mansion.

My hand shot out and grabbed his arm, hard. He froze instantly—but didn't turn.

"What are you doing? They will kill you," I hissed.

His voice cracked. "Isn't that what you wanted? You said you want to kill me. Then why are you stopping me, Myra? Let me go."

His pain... it drowned me. He would walk into death just because I pushed him there.

How cursed am I... to love a man as deeply as he loves me? And still be forced to destroy him?

"Not like this," I whispered. "I will kill you properly. Watching your kingdom fall apart."

My tears betrayed me.

He nodded slowly, a heartbreaking smile touching his lips. He lifted my chin gently, forcing me to meet his wounded gaze. "You don't have to stay in another man's house to plan my death. Stay with me. Kill me in my palace. I won't stop you...Nobody will stop you. Because even death in your hands is my biggest happiness."

My heart begged to collapse into him—to shut the world out—but I clawed my dress tight in my fists, forcing myself to stay still.

Rayaan's pounding grew louder. "Myra! I'm breaking the door!"

Panic clawed up my throat. "Go. If you have even an inch of respect for me... go."

He stumbled backward. His whole body wavered, ready to run back into me, but he held himself still. His hand rose slowly, touching my cheek with a darkness, a possessiveness that melted my bones.

"I will take you back," he whispered.

And in the next second, the lights cut again. Pure black. His touch I craved vanished. His footsteps faded. When the power returned, his presence was gone.

The door burst open. Rayaan and his men stormed inside, ripping through the room, searching for someone who wasn't there.

"I was in the washroom," I said calmly, as if my world hadn't just collapsed.

Rayaan's rage filled the room. "A blackout.....It never happened before."

"I was wondering the same," I replied coolly. "Considering how rich you are... your backup should have worked."

His angry expression eased—just a fraction of second. "I'll figure it out. Stay alert."

And he left.

The moment the door shut, my knees gave out. I collapsed to the floor, shaking, drowning in the memory of Adhvay's tears, his voice, his pain.

And I realized—

The biggest mistake of my life wasn't walking into Rayaan's house.

It was falling in love with the man I was destined to hate.

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