Kiaan

******

My legs had given up. It wasn't far when my arms would do too. So with whatever time was left, I frantically started opening cabinets, rummaging through them to find something, anything that could give me respite. There were so many vials, ampoules, and wooden boxes inside the cabinets that my fingers touched, but nothing had what I needed at that moment. Nothing had the antidote I needed to survive.

I tried opening my eyes, so maybe at least I could see even if it was blurry. But when I eventually opened my eyes, the shock hit me like a wave. Because I could see nothing, my vision was gone completely. My vision met with the darkness I was compared to.

With all the symptoms my body had shown so far, I figured out what kind of poison was in my system. Luckily, I had its antidote on my yacht. The poison was a common one. It was the nightroot herb that had been given to me. I knew the intent behind giving it to me was purely to scare me and not to actually kill me. The third counter from where I stood carried its antidote.

I struggled to move my legs, but I extended my arm and held the knob of the cabinet. Hurriedly, I pulled it open and rummaged through it to find the small circular wooden box inside. I took out the wooden box and opened it. My fingers came in contact with an ampoule, a small, cylindrical vessel that contained the antidote.

If I was right about the poison in my system, which I knew I was, then it had to work. And if by any chance I wasn't, it would worsen my situation. The best case would be that it would stop my heart instantly if it was not the same poison.

I broke the head of the glass ampoule with my teeth, spat the glass pieces, and then gulped the antidote in one go. The moment it passed through my throat and settled in my system, my nerves burned like they were on fire. I groaned as it felt like my entire body was on flames. The indication was quite clear that the poison had spread widely in my system. Whatever vigour had kept me standing till then, even with my weak legs, was gone, and my body touched the ground.

I lay there with my eyes open, darkness visible, and breathing hard. I waited and waited and waited for my vision to come back, for my legs to feel. Every second felt like torture, every minute a punishment.

When the burning sensation began to cool down, my throat constricted hard, like something was stuck there. I turned to my side slowly as I coughed violently. I could feel something coming out of my mouth, and as my vision began to come back slowly, I saw the dark splatter of blood on the floor.

My breathing began to grow normal. The throbbing of my head began easing as well. Slowly, I pushed myself off the floor and stood up. I took a few long strides, grabbed the handle of the fridge, and opened it to take out a chilled water bottle. Uncapping it, I gulped the entire thing down, calming the burn of my throat, my nerves.

Putting the bottle somewhere on the counter, I held the counter, taking long breaths, and just then it hit me. Simran. 

She wasn't there with me. Where was she? Panic hit me hard as I sprinted to the master cabin where I had left her.

The moment I reached the room, the scene in front of me squeezed my lungs, labored my breathing. She was lying on the floor, her face contorted with pain, and blood seeped out from the corner of her head. A crashed vase was lying right beside her.

My heart palpitated as I recalled what had happened. I saw her tonight, the woman I had already killed. I thought Simran was her and mistakenly pushed her away.

Fuck! What the hell did I do?

My footsteps caught her attention as her eyes snapped open, teary, in pain. She still looked drunk. Guilt overpowered me now like a ghost sailing over me. Her one glance at me had me stop in my tracks. I stared at my hands, the same hands I used to hurt her, push her away, the hands that pushed her so hard she was bleeding now.

Bleeding.

That word rang in my head. I rushed to her as I sat on my knees. She sat up straight, her back touching the couch. She didn't look angry, disappointed, just in pain. She wasn't even scared of me, which any sane person would be after what I did.

I had never seen her that way. I messed up. I messed up pretty badly this time. I hurt her.

But even after everything, she didn't scoot farther.

"I..." I tried to speak, but my voice cracked, words caught up in my throat. I had no idea what I should say. The beast the world feared broke a part of his own salvation.

"My head hurs...hutss...husss..." She sniffled as she still tried to speak.

"Hurts..." I mumbled. She nodded as she sobbed. My eyes burned with unshed tears, for I was really close to losing her. I raised my hands to touch her face, but then stopped. I put her through something unimaginable, and I had lost the right to touch her now. I was scared because of myself, because I knew I would break her. I was a monster, and a monster never deserves a story, a happy ending. A monster only deserves pain.

I had given up on myself. But she didn't. She brought her face closer and pressed her face gently into my raised palm like she needed it desperately, like my touch was her need, which was going to put life into her. But that touch, that one mere touch, made me feel alive; it put life into me instead.

She looked like she was the same little girl who used to write letters to me once, like we were never apart, like she still remembered me.

She trusted me when I couldn't even trust my own shadow.

I pressed her to me gently, not harshly. I held her close to me delicately, as if my one strong grasp would break her.

I was scared. I was fucking scared. This beast died multiple deaths at once just because of that one state I put her in.

You don't deserve her.

You don't deserve her.

You only know how to destroy. Caring is something you are not capable of.

That one quiet voice in my head chanted those lines like a prayer. I couldn't quiet it down. How could I have when everything that voice said was true?

She let herself loose in my arms, while I couldn't bring myself to even touch her properly. When I pulled back instantly, she smiled at me, like she wasn't facing someone who hurt her, but someone who cared for her. That one sight of her, that trust of hers in me, increased my guilt, escalated the pain I was feeling.

I had to protect her, not from anyone else but from myself. Because the biggest villain of her life was me. But first, her wound needed to be treated.

So, I got up, scooped her up in my arms, and then I took her inside the washroom. Placing her on the edge of the empty bathtub, I opened the wooden drawer attached to the wall, taking out the small first aid kit.

I wet a towel and then knelt on the floor. She had been watching me throughout, curiously, not uttering a word, placing her trust in me.

And that trust....that was going to kill me. That was the worst poison someone could hand over to a beast.

A storm had emerged inside of me, which I knew would consume me now. And if I didn't maintain distance, it would destroy her, too. As I dabbed the wet towel at her wound, she flinched.

"I..I didn't mean to...." I stuttered.

She didn't let me complete as she mumbled softly, "I know."

The guilt had begun doing its job, making me question everything, my step, my decision, and even my existence. But I didn't let it stop me from treating the wound on my wife. I put some ointment over cotton once I was done cleaning the wound and dabbed over her wound carefully, blowing air on her wound.

She hissed in pain as she gripped my arm tightly, putting her faith in me, like I was the one who would free her from the shackles of the pain I gave her.

'Don't trust me, firefly. I am not someone to be trusted. I don't give happy endings, just the sad ones.'

I wanted to say that aloud, but I didn't. I just stayed quiet.

Thankfully, her wound wasn't deep. I carefully pasted the band-aid over her wound once I cleaned it thoroughly. She smiled once I was done and then giggled. It was all alcohol making her behave that way. I wondered if she had even let me see her, if she was in a sane state after what I did to her.

I removed one of her hands from my arm and brought it to my lips to kiss her fingers. And then I noticed the purple shade of her nails. I clearly remembered she had put pink nail polish and not purple. Only the tips of her nails were purple, though the rest were still pink.

I held both of her hands now. Nail tips on both of her hands were purple, and it all made sense then. Nightroot herb poison goes into the system either through eating it or when it goes into your bloodstream. Simran had dipped her nails in the back of my palm a while ago, drawing blood out of my skin, and that's how it got into me.

"How did your nails get purple?" I asked in a scared tone. Someone had tried to hurt her by giving her the poison. I was not the target, but it was her.

"Flowers..." She said quietly, looking like a scared kitten.

"Stay here," I said before I rushed to the kitchen to get the antidote. I hurried because my life was at stake. I broke the head of another ampule, which had an antidote, and mixed it with water in a glass. When I was back, she was still sitting on the edge of the bathtub, now staring at me with uncertainty about what was going on. I pressed the tip of the glass closer to her lips as I said," Drink it..."

She took one sip and began pushing me because it would have tasted bitter, but I forcefully made her empty the glass, holding her arm steady with my other hand. When she had drunk it all, I removed the glass, and she coughed. If it tasted bitter to her, then it meant the poison didn't travel inside her bloodstream. She hadn't shown any symptoms, so I was positive the poison was not in her body. But I wanted to be sure. I could never take any chances with her. So, when she didn't cough up blood, I exhaled in relief. I was holding that breath ever since I noticed her nails were purple.

She was smiling now. After killing me multiple times without pulling the trigger, she was smiling and giggling as if nothing had happened.

I didn't know what power a human could hold over a beast until she stepped into my life. And now, I find myself kneeling in front of her, eyes burning with tears, fear crawling inside my veins because I hurt her, almost lost her. Grabbing her waist gently, I pulled her down in my arms as I hugged her tighter this time.

"Don't make me lose you, please...." I whisper, holding her firmly as if I lose grip and she would vanish.

"I...I can bear anything but not this," I laid my fears out in the open. My heart was thumping because of the fear of losing her. I lost control once, and my world was on the verge of destruction.

Her breaths were calmer now that she was in my arms. I heard her soft snores now, her breath falling onto my neck, working as a soothing ointment for my burning skin and soul. She had been drowsy throughout, but my arms were where she found her peace, where she decided to let go. Her trust had begun doing its job of being the slow poison. Beasts never have a guilty conscience, but with her, I was different. I barely recognized the man I had become now.

I kissed her hair softly, and then I got up with her still in my arms. I walked inside the room and put her gently on the bed. I hovered over her sleeping form, watching her sleep peacefully, not caring for anything in the world, not being worried about anything, even when our world was on fire. Not that I wanted any trouble for her, but I also knew I couldn't keep her away from the trouble anymore. Because when I would tell her everything about our past, she would break, and that scared me.

Planting a soft kiss on her forehead, I murmured, "What have you turned me into?"

I had to let go now. It's time I maintained some distance. Getting back up, I dialled Enzo's number.

"Hello, Enzo, listen to me very carefully," I told him everything about the nightroot herb, and that someone had brought it into the reception. I ordered him to thoroughly go over the cruise and not let any guests leave until that was done. There could be a possibility that the perpetrator had already left, but that could be dealt with later. At least those still left needed to be examined thoroughly

At the same time, I texted in the group to Arjun, Hredhaan, Dhruv, and Namit. I told them to give the antidote to every guest. The antidote was there at the cruise too, so it wasn't a hassle. I would have doubted Rhea for this, but I knew she wasn't that smart. She might be weird and lunatic, but not an idiot to give poison to my wife at our reception. Still, I had ordered Enzo to integrate her without mercy because leaving loose ends was never my style.

******

Author

******

Simran was sleeping peacefully. That was what Kiaan presumed. And anyone would have thought the same. But that wasn't completely true. Kiaan had walked out on the foredeck of the yacht. He was scared he would hurt her again, so he left her to sleep peacefully. He sat on the floor with his dark thoughts, staring up at the sky, remembering his past with his wife. Simran, on the other hand, was not actually sleeping.

She was exhausted, yes. She felt sleepy, yes. But it didn't mean she slept or wanted to be left alone. Even with her eyes closed, she could picture everything that she had been avoiding. That one distressed moment from her reception was still running through her mind. Things had shifted the moment Kiaan left to get dinner for her. That was the moment she overheard the conversation that had her shaken, that had her pulled more to her husband, that had her eventually realize that the only person she could trust now was Kiaan. But she was scared too, because even if she could trust him, there was no guarantee he wouldn't change. After all, why wouldn't he listen to his family? Why would he not listen to his grandfather and leave her for no one else but Rhea?

A tear slipped out of her eye as the conversation replayed again in her head, and the flashes of what happened began playing in front of her.

******

Kiaan was prepping her meal plate while their guy friends were bothering Kiaan, causing him to get late getting to her. Meanwhile, she wasn't spared either; her female friends and family members had been constantly teasing her, making her blush. Simran's efforts were negligible in front of the teasing. Not that she minded that much, she was actually enjoying it. Later, she excused herself to head towards the restroom to rearrange her saree. When she was done, she walked out of the restroom and was walking back to her table. That was when she noticed Dharmesh Kapoor striding somewhere angrily. His phone was attached to his ear as he said, "Tell him to release Rhea."

Simran's steps halted. She had heard Rhea and wondered why Dharmesh wanted her to be released. The real question that troubled her was how he even knew she was there. It could only mean one thing that he was the one who let her in the reception....or better... he was the one who invited her. She remembered Kiaan had told her someone must have let Rhea in, otherwise there was no way she would have been allowed entry.

Could it be possible that Rhea walked in with Grandpa? Simran thought.

Without wasting a moment, she followed Dharmesh Kapoor. Her curiosity had grown. She thought that because Rhea was Kiaan's old friend who kept meeting his family at different occasions, his family considered her a part of their family, and had become closer to her, not knowing her true self, and that was the reason Dharmesh was worried about Rhea. But she was clearly oblivious that she was going to be proved wrong.

Dharmesh walked to the private hallway, which was guarded by a few security members who were armed. They let Dharmesh in the hallway. Simran was watching it all from a distance. She then saw a couple who had lost their way and were walking in that direction, but were stopped instantly by those armed men. She wondered if they would let her in, but she didn't stop just because she was clueless about whether she would be allowed entry or not. The moment she walked in there with confidence, those men paved a way for her without her saying anything. She politely smiled at them as she walked inside the hallway. After all, who would have stopped the beast's wife from accessing anything he owned? There were closed doors on each side of the path in the hallway, and Dharmesh Kapoor was not in her sight. She wondered where he could be, but then she heard him yelling. His loud voice echoed through the walls of the hallway.

"I said uncuff her." He heard his shout.

She followed the voice and found herself standing in front of a door at the end of the hallway. There was a small window-like opening in the door, which was open so anyone could easily see what was going on inside. She hid herself well amongst the tall artificial plants outside the peripheral vision of anyone inside that room, but she could hear well and see everything going on inside. Rhea was sitting on a chair, her hands were cuffed and placed on the wooden table kept in front of her. Even in that state, there was a smile on her face. It was more like a smirk. Dharmesh Kapoor looked angry, and he was glaring at two armed men standing in front of him. Simran recognized them instantly. They were from Kiaan's security team who used to guard their house.

"What was he thinking?" Dharmesh's voice got lower.

"I don't know grandpa. I was just captured and brought here, and so was my friend." Then Simran saw the man sitting a little farther from Rhea. His hands were cuffed too. He was the same man Simran had confused with Kiaan because of the similar color of their outfits. Plus, his height was also similar to Kiaan's, which was a weird coincidence.

"Sir has specifically given orders not to uncuff or release either of them until Sir tells us himself." One of the men said to Dharmesh.

"To hell with your Sir. I am his grandfather, and I am telling you to let them go." Both men stood in front of him, with their heads bowed. They didn't disrespect Dharmesh, but at the same time didn't go against Kiaan as well. Simran was surprised by the loyalty they had shown to her husband.

"Get out," Dhaarmesh said in a low, cold tone, but the men stayed rooted at their place.

"I said, ' Get out, I need to talk to her alone." They both nodded now, satisfied that he only wanted to talk. They walked out and also brought the tied man, who was Rhea's friend, with them because Dharmesh wanted to talk to Rhea alone.

Simran wondered what he wanted to talk to her about. The two men took Rhea's friend into an adjacent room. Now, only Dharmesh Kapoor and Rhea were left behind, and Simran's curiosity and anxiety had expanded to another level.

"Grandpa, I told you this would happen." Rhea's smile had dropped now, and she looked villainous.

"I shouldn't have let him go ahead with that wedding." Dharmesh Kapoor said as he rubbed his temple.

Simran was stunned when she heard him talking against her and Kiaan's marriage. He never once displayed his disapproval for it before. Simran's heart sank now.

"It's not your fault. At least you tried. If you hadn't given that letter to Arvind Kashyap, the wedding would have proceeded smoothly; at least there was chaos."

Simran's mind went blank. She had no idea that behind the chaos of her wedding was a letter that Dharmesh Kapoor, the most loved elder of the family, had given to her father. Not only that, even an outsider, Rhea, knew about it, but she didn't.

"Did you tell her about the letter?" Rhea asked Dharmesh.

Holding a poker face, Dharmesh's calculated reply came, "Kiaan does not let her get her away from his sight for even a moment. There is always someone following her around. He has his men watch her all the time, even while she is at the academy."

The courses of shock hadn't ended for Simran. She was clueless that apart from Enzo, there were other men watching her from afar, following her around everywhere. She was angry now, not at anyone but Kiaan. She wasn't upset that he had some men follow her; she was upset because he didn't trust her enough to tell her why.

"So what? No one would stop you from talking to her. Anyways, she is dumb and gullible and will easily fall into the trap." Rhea's words ignited fire in Simran. But she didn't lose her calm, unlike any silly person.

"She is not dumb." Dharmesh defended Simran now, making her confused. First, he tried to ruin his own grandson's wedding with her and then defended her. His hypocrisy didn't sit well with Simran.

"Okay, fine, as you say. But she married him against her family's wishes, so in my opinion, she is surely dumb."

Dharmesh stayed silent at that, as if he was in some deep thoughts. Rhea then struggled to itch her wrist, which was burning because of the handcuffs. Dharmesh noticed her struggle, cast one concerned look at her, and assured her, "I will have you released. Don't worry."

"That's not what I want to hear right now. I want to know about your promise. Are you a man of your word or not?" Rhea spat angrily. Simran was surprised. Dharmesh Kapoor was a respected man, and no one ever got past disrespecting him like that.

To her satisfaction, Dharmesh Kapoor looked in rage and replied in a cold, threatening voice to Rhea.

"Don't use that tone on me. Remember that your survival depends on my words. If I want, I can have you tied for your entire life."

Rhea went quiet and didn't say anything now. She looked scared but was still angry.

"And about my promise..." Dharmesh Kapoor took a pause before adding, "I have given my word to you, and I won't go against it. My grandson will marry you, and I will make sure of that...And as far as Simran is concerned...I will make sure she leaves him. He wouldn't be left with any choice but to abide by what I say."

For Simran, it felt like the ground beneath her slipped away. A conspiracy had been running in the family all this time to throw her out of Kiaan's life and to make Rhea his wife. She would have doubted Kiaan was involved in it, but now she had enough trust in him, which strengthened as well after hearing the conversation between Rhea and Dharmesh.

A lot of emotions were running through Simran's system, but what simmered the most was her anger. She could control every overbearing emotion, but her anger was something she couldn't pull the leash on. When Dharmesh left the room, Simran came out of hiding and walked inside, surprising Rhea. For a moment, Rhea looked shocked, but then a smug expression took place on her features.

Simran smiled at Rhea. It wasn't an evil one, but the kind of smile that said, 'You don't belong here, and it's only a matter of time before you are thrown into the sea.'

"Those cuffs look good on you." Simran took a jibe at Rhea, gesturing towards her handcuffs.

Rhea scoffed, her smirk not leaving her features as she replied, "And you look good draped in someone else's diamonds."

"That's where we differ," Simran touched the diamond draping her neck elegantly as she said, "I can take these diamonds off whenever I want... but...I can't say the same about your handcuffs."

That was enough for Rhea's smug expression to drop and anger to take its place. But what should she have done anyway? She was tied, couldn't even fight.

"What are you doing here?" Rhea asked, gritting her teeth, now completely showcasing her hatred towards Simran.

"This is my party. I can be wherever I want. The real question is, 'what are you doing here', because, as far as I remember, my husband ordered for you to be captured?"

"Just here to see you happy for one last time before I take everything from you. Your family, your husband ...."

"Stay away from my husband," Simran warned her sharply.

Rhea simply smiled, now starting to rile up Simran.

"Scared that he will choose me?"

"Worried that he will kill you," Simran replied coolly. She knew her husband was more than capable of doing that.

"What if he doesn't?"

"Then I will." Rhea looked disturbed, not scared but definitely bothered. Simran, all of a sudden, took hold of a pen resting on the table and pointed towards Rhea's eyes. Rhea looked horrified and screamed in fear. The guards stepped inside after hearing Rhea's scream and were shocked to see Simran there, pointing a pen at Rhea, who looked frightened.

"Relax, it's just a pen," Simran whispered before she put the pen back, holding a smirk on her face, showing Rhea who had the upper hand there. Simran wasn't done yet, though. She looked at the security personnel appointed by her husband and ordered them, "Release her."

They both shared a questioning look and said, "But Sir had told us to keep her there."

"It's my order, release her." Rhea seemed amused, thinking she would see Simran humiliated when those men would defy her. But she didn't know they all were ordered to regard Simran even above Kiaan. Not only that, they all genuinely respected Simran, unlike other women who had tried to step into their boss's life.

"Sure, Ma'am. But even if we release her, Sir will order us to track her down and chase her," Rhea was shocked now, listening to one of the security personnel agreeing to her order when they didn't listen to Dharmesh Kapoor. She understood the power Simran had.

"Exactly..." Simran said before she cast a look at Rhea and replied with a calm smile, "Release her, chase her, capture her again...and do whatever your Sir orders next..."

Rhea's amusement was nowhere to be seen. She was scared and feared for what would happen next. When the guards took steps towards her, she pulled her cuffed hands to herself, shaking her head and saying, "No... no. Don't release me."

Simran then raised her palm up, indicating to the security personnel to stop. He nodded at Simran, and Simran left from there. Though she left calmly, she was nowhere calm now. After the revelation of everything, her anger didn't calm, and her heart pumped in anxiety. On her way to the table, she had collided with Arjun, who had a box of brownies in his hand. By then, Simran had been starved like crazy. Moreover, she hadn't had anything to eat since morning. So she simply picked two brownies and filled her mouth with them like a hungry kid. That was the moment the fiasco of the night had begun, where the center stage became her spot.

******

Hi Lovelies,

Kaise ho sab log? 🤗

Agle chapter ke liye thoda dil sambhal ke rakhna 🥹 Just a warning!!

But what do you guys think Kiaan would do now? 🥹 Vaise, I dropped a hint already 🙈

Aur Simran? vo kya karegi ab? 🥹 My poor baby was hurt, but still chose to trust Kiaan 🥹

Do share your views about the chapter. It would mean a lot to me. ❤️

P.S -> The next update will be published on Saturday 🤗

Thanks,

Shrishtee