AUTHORS POV



"Please, please sreehan", Myra requested Sreehan to come with her to drop her in Adhvay’s room because she was scared of going alone.

"Vadinamma… he loves you, he can’t even scold you, but he will kill me without thinking for a second. You go na" , Sreehan whined and begged Myra.

"Shut up and come with me", she started dragging him toward Adhvay’s chamber.

She nervously knocked on the door, her heart pounding in her chest, thinking  the face-off with Adhvay.

Myra knocked again, this time loudly. The door opened within a second with force. Adhvay stood there. Their gazes met, and they drowned in each other’s eyes. Adhvay’s face showed no emotion, but his eyes turned teary, and he tried to hide it.

Sreehan, who was standing behind Myra, shook his legs nervously in the heavy silence around them.

"Anna… can you step aside? I need to move Vadinamma’s suitcase" , Sreehan stuttered, avoiding eye contact with Adhvay.

"Who told you that she can stay here? In this chamber?" ,  Adhvay turned his head toward Sreehan, questioning him angrily.

"Where else would she stay?",  Sreehan questioned back.

"I don’t know, but not in this room. You brought her here, sort it out yourself", Adhvay gritted his teeth.

"But—"

Before Sreehan could complete his sentence, Myra spoke,  " It’s okay, Sreehan. I will stay in my old room, if it’s still available".

Myra didn’t break eye contact with Adhvay.

Adhvay inhaled sharply, looking at her, unable to believe why she was here. why did she come back?

Confusion flooded Adhvay’s mind, but he couldn’t control his raging heartbeat. He was dying inside to hug her, pull her close to his chest, and never let her go again.

"Vadinamma… are you sure?", Sreehan asked.

"Let’s go…", she turned on her heels toward the next room, the one where she once stayed as a bodyguard.

_______

Myra stayed in her room till evening. She was called for lunch, but she refused.

He is so close, just a room away. Well, not really. She just had to slide the bookshelf and enter his chamber. The urge to hug him, cry in his arms, and apologise properly for the words she said grew wide and irresistible.

She took a warm bath, remembering the night Adhvay picked her up in his arms.

He never once saw her body, even when she was naked in front of him.

How could she call his love just lust? The thought burned and stung her heart as every second passed.

Now she understood how Adhvay felt about her; his undying love had kept her heart alive all these days.

She couldn’t take it anymore. She slid the bookshelf and entered his chamber, only to find it empty.

'Where has he gone'? she thought and started searching.

She remembered when sreehan told her, how Adhvay spent all his days in the drawing room in her absence.

Her steps hurried as she reached the drawing room.

Just before she was about to enter, the door opened slowly, and Adhvay stood in front of her.

He looked weak; his eyes had lost their charm, his face had shrunk, and he had lost a lot of weight.

Myra couldn’t look away from him. Adhvay broke the eye contact, his expression turning angry.

"What are you doing here"? , he asked.

"I–I am searching for you", Myra said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Don’t ever enter this room", Adhvay warned . "If you do, you will see my wrath".

"Do you have another girl hiding here, or what?", Myra asked, smiling.

Adhvay’s veins stood out, anger consuming him even more. "Why are you here, Myra?"

Her name on his lips after a long time made Myra’s heart flutter with thousands of butterflies.

"I came to my home,I guess",  she whispered.

"The home you left yourself, calling it a cage? Did you forget?" Adhvay mocked.

"Adh—"

'Is this an act? Did Sreehan force you to come here? You will leave once this marriage is over, right?", Adhvay’s voice was raw with sadness and anger combined.

"I said I came to my home, and I’m not leaving, not in this lifetime. So if you want to get rid of me, you have to kill me". Myra took a step forward toward Adhvay, closing the small distance between them.

Adhvay looked at her, his eyes consuming her presence.

"I want to hug you so badly, Myra", he whispered slowly and then took a step back.

"And you will call it lust. You know what? You are right Myra... You are the only woman in this world whom I look at with desire, the only woman I want to kiss every time I see. But that doesn’t mean I want only your body. I can sleep beside you without laying a hand for the rest of my life; just looking into your beautiful eyes . And if you still call it just lust, this time I won't survive.

So stay away from me."

And he left without turning back, leaving Myra frozen in her spot.

_______

The palace was decorated beautifully in every corner, the sunrays penetrating through the doors, making it look more divine.

Myra descended the steps like a goddess in a purple saree.

The wedding chores began as there was less than a month left. Servants ran here and there, fastening their work. Myra guided them with a pure smile, without a trace of anger on her face, looking every bit like a true queen.

Shanti watched her closely, noticing how she managed the chores, just like her sister once did.

Shanti’s heart melted thinking about Myra. The disrespect Myra faced for marrying Adhvay was not acceptable. Although walking away without telling him the truth was wrong, Shanti found Myra’s personality very similar to her own.

"Myra, tomorrow is Sreehan’s engagement, and the jeweller will come here in an hour to show the rings', Shanti said to Myra.

Myra felt happy that Shanti was talking to her, keeping all the disturbances aside.

" Yes, Atthaya gaaru, I will take care of it."

(Atthaya gaaru = mother in law / aunt  in respectful way)

Just before she was about to leave, Shanti placed her hand on Myra’s head. "I’m sorry… "she whispered.

"No, Atthaya gaaru, I understand. You love Adhvay so much; you couldn’t bear to look at him like that."

"Adhvay is right, Myra. I had no right to disrespect you in front of everyone like that. It’s just that I don’t have children of my own. Adhvay is the first child I ever pampered, ever played with in my arms. Seeing him like that broke my heart", Shanti’s eyes couldn’t stop their tears.

" I promise I will give you your happy, playful Adhvay back. Just a few more days. I am here now, and I’m not giving up on my husband".

She wiped Shanti’s tears and hugged her.

______

Myra knocked on Adhvay’s chamber door, holding a plate of breakfast close to her chest.

Almost ten minutes later, the door finally opened. Adhvay stood there fresh from the shower, shirtless, clad only in track pants, water droplets still clinging to his skin.

Myra’s eyes betrayed her, travelling over him for a brief second before she quickly looked away. Her heart thudded wildly, her cheeks warming with a shy, helpless blush.

Leaning lazily against the doorframe, Adhvay asked, his voice flat, “What?”

“Your breakfast,” she said softly.

He lifted an eyebrow and shook his head. “Did I ask you to bring it?”

“No,” Myra replied, smiling with quiet excitement, “but it’s already 10 a.m., so I thought you should eat.”

“I’m not hungry,” he said curtly, moving to close the door, but Myra stepped forward and blocked it without thinking.

“Someone once told me not to take anger out on food,” she said lightly, tapping her forehead as if trying to remember. “Hmm… who was that?”

Adhvay forced his face to keep expressionless,  but the sight of Myra standing there in a saree, holding breakfast just for him, looking unbearably divine, made his heart falter.

“Whatever you’re trying to do, stop it, Myra,” he said through clenched teeth, anger laced with something far more dangerous.

She tilted her head, a playful smirk curving her lips. “Do you really want me to stop, Adhvay?”

“Y-Yes,” he faltered. “You don’t have to pretend… when you feel nothing for me.”

“Who said I feel nothing for you?” Myra whispered, pushing past him and stepping into his room, leaving the door—and his defenses—wide open.

The sight of the room startled her. Nothing was in its place, clothes scattered, things thrown carelessly around, except for one corner that stood untouched—her clothes and jewellery, neatly arranged, exactly as she had left them. Empty glasses and alcohol bottles lay everywhere, silent witnesses to his sleepless nights.

Myra’s guilt came rushing back, tightening her chest until it hurt. She quietly placed the breakfast on the table.

“Why did you drink this much?” she asked, her voice trembling, her eyes filling with tears.

“To escape reality… to keep myself alive,” Adhvay said casually as he walked toward the mirror, pretending he didn’t care.

Myra swallowed hard. Tears slipped from her eyes and fell to the floor before she quickly wiped them away.

“Shall we have breakfast, Adhvay?” she asked again, forcing that familiar warm smile onto her face.

“I told you I have no appetite now, Myra,” Adhvay snapped, his voice rising sharply, making her flinch where she stood.

Myra suddenly grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the couch.

Adhvay’s eyes widened in pure shock, completely unprepared for her boldness, his mind struggling to keep up with what was happening.

“You don’t get to make choices,” she said firmly, pushing him down. “When I say you’ll have your breakfast, you will have it.”

Before he could react, Myra tore a generous piece of dosa and shoved it straight into his mouth.

Adhvay froze, sitting there stunned, chewing mechanically. What on earth had he just witnessed? Is this really Myra?

“I know I look beautiful in this purple saree,” she said casually, noticing his dazed stare, “but you really don’t have to look at me like that. Just eat.”

His brain short-circuited.

He lifted his hand and lightly tapped his cheeks, whispering to himself, “Wake up… it’s a dream. Wake up… it’s a dream.”

Myra rolled her eyes and pinched his bicep hard.

“Ahhhh!” his shout echoed through the room.

Smirking wickedly, she immediately shoved another piece of dosa into his mouth, silencing him once again.

Adhvay didn’t speak another word. He just kept looking at her. There was happiness somewhere deep inside him, but it never reached his face; only shock remained visible. Myra being this close, caring for him, acting so naturally like his wife, made something ache painfully in his chest. He wanted to cry in her warmth, scream out his happiness.

Rayaan is better than you…

All I can see in your eyes is lust…

The horrific memory slammed into his mind again, sharp and merciless. His jaw tightened, his hands curling into fists.

Suddenly, he snatched the plate from her hands and threw it onto the table in front of them, the sound cutting through the room.

“Why are you feeding a disgusting man like me?” he snapped. “Didn’t you say Rayaan is better than me? What changed your opinion?”

He stood up abruptly and walked away from her.

“Adhvay—” Myra tried to speak, but the words died in her mouth.

“Just imagine once,” he said, his voice dropping, heavy with hurt. “How would you feel if I insulted your love… if I compared you with some other girl?

He turned his face away.

“Huh… how would you even know? You didn’t love me even once.”

Myra stood there, shattered. The anger, the guilt, the pain she had been holding inside finally broke free, spilling down her cheeks as silent tears.

She walked away from his room without looking back.

Adhvay slammed his fist into the wall, the dull thud echoing through the silence as his wrath completely took over him.

________

The jeweller laid out an array of diamond ring designs on the wide table.

The room glowed with sharp reflections of diamonds, light dancing everywhere.

The entire family sat around carefully choosing rings for Sreehan’s engagement.

Though Myra was still hurting, she chose to bury her pain for Sreehan’s happiness. She sat beside him, helping him select a ring for his fiancée, her smile practiced but gentle.

“Sreehan, look at this… it’s beautiful, right?” Myra said, lifting a ring that shimmered brightly.

“Yes, Vadinamma,” Sreehan smiled, “but Veda likes simple rings. This one is a bit heavy.”

“Oh… okay,” Myra murmured, still staring at the ring for a moment longer. For some reason, her heart liked it a little too much.

“Vadinamma, you can take it if you like,” Sreehan said warmly. “I’ll pay for it, no worries.”

“Mam, this ring will look very beautiful on your hand,” the jeweller added politely.

“Myra, take it,” Shanti Devi said with a knowing smile, returning her attention to the other rings.

Myra hesitantly tried to wear the ring, but it refused to move past her knuckle.

Her face fell instantly. “It doesn’t fit me,” she said softly, placing the ring back with disappointment.

“Mam, I can resize it,” the jeweller  quickly took out a resizing rod and adjusting the ring slightly.

“Mam, give me your hand,” he said, extending his hand toward her.

Myra placed her hand in his, excitement flickering in her eyes, and just as he was about to slide the ring onto her finger—

A hand roughly yanked her hand away from his grip.

The air in the room shifted instantly, silence growing thick and heavy.

“Who are you to put a ring on my wife's hand?”

Adhvay’s eyes burned with fury, his voice rough and possessive.

“S-sorry, Raja varu… I’m extremely sorry,” the jeweller stammered, bowing repeatedly in apology.

Sreehan and Shanti Devi exchanged amused looks, smirks hidden as they quietly minded their own business.

Adhvay snatched the ring from the jeweller’s hand. His grip tightened around Myra’s fingers as he slid the ring onto her finger himself—firm, unyielding, almost harsh.

He stared at her hand for a long moment, took a deep breath, then turned and walked away without another word.

The ache in Myra’s chest eased instantly. Her lips curved into a small, uncontrollable smile, her heart warming at his silent, fierce possessiveness.

Adhvay returned with a cheque book in his hand. “How much?” he asked the jeweller coldly.

“Two point five crores, Raja varu,” the jeweller replied, staring at the floor, unable to meet Adhvay’s eyes.

Adhvay signed the cheque  and placed it on the table without a second thought.

“If you want your hands to keep working properly,” he said quietly, his voice dangerous, “don’t touch her again.”

“I’m sorry, Raja varu,” the jeweller bowed repeatedly, fear evident in every movement.

Adhvay then snapped a furious look at Myra. But Myra didn’t flinch. She met his gaze with love, respect, and a quiet longing that softened her eyes.

She smiled at him genuinely, already thinking of how she would calm his anger… and make him hers once again.

(Raja varu = king)

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