Published on:- 27/12/24 [Friday]
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"In every life,
in every death,
I'll find you.
You're my curse,
my salvation, and
there’s no escaping me."

NILAY

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NILAY's POV:-

Six - seven months ago, I met a young girl during a car accident in Shimla. She was driving recklessly, and I scolded her for it. I thought she was a kid of seventeen years old. But before I could say more, she suddenly fainted in my arms.

My heart started beating faster as I held her close. She was hurt, bleeding, and had injuries all over.

I didn’t know why, but in that moment, I felt the need to protect her, to keep her safe from everything, even herself. That day, something inside me changed, though I didn’t understand it at the time.

Her last words before losing consciousness were: "Hide me. Protect me from the world". And I promised myself I would fulfill them.

I took her to Shlok’s aunt’s hospital. His aunt, a skilled surgeon, operated on her immediately. It was a police case, but I had no information about her, no name, no identity. I couldn’t risk her life either.

Growing up surrounded by blood, guns, and ruthlessness, I knew what danger looked like. Something about her injuries and those desperate words told me she was running from a darkness I couldn’t ignore.

Shlok donated his blood to save her. When she regained consciousness, the way she stared at me, spoke to me, and even the way she seemed to breathe me in, sent a storm of wild, untamed thoughts through my mind.

She told me her name was 'Divita'. This name stabbed my school time memories.

"This girl is no good", I told myself and forced my feet to leave her at the hospital. But fate wasn’t done with me yet. Not long after, something happened and i felt that she was in danger and when I went back to private ward. She disappeared from the hospital without a trace.

That incident turned my world upside down. My heart felt an unfamiliar ache, a restlessness I couldn’t shake. I searched for her madly, desperate to find her. There was something about her, a magnetic pull I couldn’t resist, no matter how hard I tried.

Three months later, I saw her again.

It was at a villa, of all places, and she was working as a waitress. The sight of her stopped me in my tracks. She looked different yet exactly the same, her presence still had that strange pull over me.

My heart pounded as memories of that accident and hospital flooded back. She had disappeared like a shadow, and now, here she was, standing before me as if nothing had happened.

Fate wasn’t done playing games with me and I knew at that moment.

I followed her, unsure if I was dreaming or if it was real. I needed to know the truth.

As I trailed her, my steps quickened when I saw her turn into a room. What I found made my blood boil. Two bulky, older men were hovering over her and their intentions were clear and vile.

She looked terrified as her small frame was trembling as she tried to defend herself.

Without thinking, I stepped in, my anger taking over. There was no way I was going to let anyone harm her, not while I was around.

I didn't hesitate. I punched those men with all the anger coursing through me, leaving them sprawled on the ground. I protected her and took her to my father's house for safety.

At that moment, I wanted to take her directly to my private house, but I held back.

'How could I bring her into my heaven?'.

My dark heaven - a place I had built for myself? Where all my paintings were hidden from the eyes of the world.

Dark Heaven was a world, I controlled but wasn't meant for someone like her, someone who seemed like an angel with her dark, enchanted eyes.

Yes, she was the same girl I met during the accident. She called herself Divita, though I knew it wasn't her real name.

Divita... My school mate. Her name lingered in my mind, but I knew one truth- Divita was never the girl I loved. She was someone I admired deeply, someone who inspired me.

But love? No, love was something entirely different, something far more consuming.

I used to have a huge crush on Divita and this crush helped me alot in painting but the way her personality changed that was not I ever like it. She was mean, ambitious and had a twisted personality.

But this tiny girl with small eyes quickly got along with my mother, as if she’d been part of the family for years. But my father? He never liked her. I knew exactly why, because she had the same attitude as him.

It was almost amusing, really. The way they clashed - his cold, commanding nature meeting her defiant, sharp presence. I chuckled softly every time I thought about their face-offs.

It was like watching a battle of egos, and neither one of them was willing to back down. A part of me couldn’t help but enjoy the chaos they created, but I knew it wasn’t just the clash of personalities.

There was something deeper there, something neither of them would admit.

Two devils were living in one heaven…

That’s what it felt like whenever I watched the interactions between my father and her.

Both of them were ruthless, both consumed by their own power and pride. And yet, in this twisted little world I had created, they coexisted, two forces of nature, constantly at odds but never quite destroying each other.

A few days later, I received a call from my manager, Vardhaan Thapa, telling me that someone was trying to buy one of my paintings.

That news left me perplexed. There was something about the situation that didn't sit right with me. I had a hunch that whoever this person was, they weren’t bringing good news.

And my security team informed me that , that person who was trying to buy my paintings were Divita Joseph Lockwood.

I lost my mind. I did not want to face but her continuous tricks were giving me headache.

I decided to take a tiny girl to Shimla, away from everything. I left her outside the police station, a place where she could be safe, but where I also felt she couldn’t escape me any longer.

She was lying to me. I knew it. Her name, her story of being an orphan, the imaginary brothers she’d told me about - they were all lies. But I didn’t confront her. I waited, patiently, for her to tell me the truth herself. The truth she could no longer hide.

That day never came, the day she would admit the truth to me. But instead, I started seeing different sides of her, ones I hadn’t expected.

She had a sharp tongue, a fierce personality, and a mind that stormed with thoughts, calculated and unyielding. She could be cruel when she wanted, and there was an edge to her I couldn’t ignore.

My exhibition schedule was fixed. I called Shlok but his phone was attended by his girlfriend Perna. I told Perna about the exhibition. Both Perna and Shlok came before me to attend the exhibition.

And there Divita came and ruined my plan to meet the organisers who was organising a fund raising for the cancer patient children.

I left the exhibition and went to house and there she was not present at home that again ignited a fire in my heart.

This tiny girl was cruel. She loved to suck my blood, ate my brain and left me weak.

But what fascinated me the most was her ability with guns, her skill in fighting and killing. She had no fear of blood, no hesitation in the face of death. She was a contradiction, a dangerous mix of strength and darkness. And despite everything, I found myself drawn to her even more.

She killed a man.

And the reason? He came to kill me.

I was stunned by the news. No one could hurt me. It was impossible. I was the youngest prince of Rathore clans, from the kingdom Gadh, Rajasthan, India and the son of Neil Piyush Khanna, a ruthless business tycoon, the devil who never forgets or forgives.

I had shadow guards and a security team watching over me at all times, even without my knowledge. No one could get past them, and yet this man had somehow slipped through the cracks, plotting to end my life.

But she had stopped him. With cold efficiency. And I couldn’t decide whether I was grateful or unsettled.

I called my elder brother, Abhimanyu Singh Rathore - the King of Gadh.

He was always the level-headed one and the one who could see things I often missed. After hearing from the shadow guard what had happened, he told me to be watchful.

"Nilay! Someone is trying to break your security panel," Brother warned me.

His words hit me like a jolt of ice water. If someone had managed to breach the security around me, it meant they were no ordinary threat. And that made everything more dangerous than I had ever imagined.

"Brother! Who is that person?" I asked him.

There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and I could hear the weight of his thoughts. Finally, my brother spoke and his tone was grim.

"The person is from a mafia background," he said, his words sending a chill through me.

'A mafia connection?'

That explained a lot, but it also raised more questions.

'Why target me?'
And who else was involved?

The situation was getting deeper, more dangerous, and I could feel the storm brewing around us.

"Nilay! Do you like that girl you're staying with?"

My brother's sudden question caught me off guard. It was blunt, direct, and made my chest tighten. I had never talked about her with anyone, let alone him.

For a moment, I was silent, unsure how to answer.

'Did I like her?'

I couldn’t deny the pull she had on me, the fascination, the obsession that had started growing the more I saw her, but admitting it out loud felt like stepping into dangerous territory.

I sighed, trying to steady my thoughts before responding.

"I have no comments on your choice," my brother said and his voice was colder than usual. "But if she is your choice, be ready for the chaos she will bring into our family."

"What do you mean, brother?" I asked him.

My heart was racing with a mix of confusion and unease. He paused for a moment before dropping the bombshell.

"The girl is a Mafia Princess. The next in line to the throne of Scorpion Satan",  he said, his words were heavy with meaning.

'A Mafia Princess? The heir to one of the most dangerous criminal empires in the world?'.

I was stunned.

The truth about her identity, about who she really was, was far darker than I had ever imagined.

And now, it seemed I was caught in the web of a dangerous legacy, one that could bring everything crashing down around us.

But something else stirred inside me - a fire that ignited deep within my chest.

I had fought with her. With the girl who had been playing with my peace, making me lose my mind, pushing me to do things I never imagined.

Her love confessions, the way she stole kisses from me, the way she held my hands, the way she hugged me - it was all like a ticking bomb.

And the way her tiny body fit so perfectly in my arms, like a piece of a puzzle, shattered the walls of peace I had so carefully built around my heart.

Those marks on her arms, the ones I couldn’t stop thinking about, were driving me mad. I had told her to leave me alone, but the moment I said it, she did. She walked away from me, and in that moment, I realized how much I had just lost.

On one hand, Divita and Her constant confessions, her presence, everything about her was suffocating. I had never asked for any of it. She was a reminder of things I didn’t want. Divita was a distraction from the storm brewing inside me for tiny girl.

But this tiny girl... she was different. Even though she was driving me mad with her unexpected actions, there was something about her that I couldn’t shake off.

Divita, on the first hand, was nothing but a nuisance. I had no patience for her. On the other hand, It was the tiny girl who had taken over my thoughts, whether I liked it or not.

"Pay attention to Divita. Don't let her come near me," I instructed my security team. I wasn’t going to let her disrupt my life any further.

Then, I shifted my focus on the troublemaker. "Where does Scorpion Satan live?" I asked the shadow guard.

The Mafia Princess. The heir to a ruthless criminal empire.

I needed answers, and I needed them fast. The more I learned about her, the deeper I was drawn into this dangerous web, and I couldn’t afford to be unprepared.

I waited for her to return, but she never did.

And with her absence, I found myself drowning in darkness again - the same darkness I had faced as a child, when our family's enemies tried to tear us apart.

The feeling, the pain, the suffocation - it was all the same. A heavy weight pressing down on me, threatening to swallow me whole.

"Where are you?" I called out, I was desperate for any sign of her. But there was no response.

It was as if she had vanished, and with her disappearance, a part of me had been lost too.

"We found the address", one of the shadow guard said and the next moment I went there, to see her but it was risky to entered there.

But how could I let this chance slip away?

"If she could watch me all the time, then I also wanted to see her," I thought and a new determination ignited within me.

One of the shadow guards placed a webcam in her bedroom, and also the other rooms were easy enough to access.

The game had changed. And now, I was ready to play.

"Princess, you're not the only one who knows how to play a game," I thought while my lips curling into a cold smirk.

I had grown up surrounded by wicked ruthless men and learnt their ways of manipulation, deceit, and control. It was a harsh world, and I had adapted to it long ago. If she wanted to play, I was more than prepared.

"Welcome to my hidden darkness, Princess," I whispered.

From that moment on, I watched her. I stalked her every move, delved into her life, learning everything she did. 

She started painting, drawing me on the blank Canva. I admired her strength but i couldn't praise her artistic skills.

She was too bad in it.

I knew everything about her. Her steps, her actions, the little things she thought no one noticed, I saw it and heard it all through the webcam

She thought she could play with fire, but I was the one who had mastered the flame. And now, she was stepping right into the heart of it.

But I made a mistake. I lost the connection between us.

When my sister came to meet me, a sharp pain struck my chest. It wasn’t ordinary, it was the kind of pain that screamed she was in danger.

Moments later, I received word from one of my shadow guards. Something had happened at the base. What exactly? I didn’t know, and the uncertainty was tearing me apart.

My blood trickled down from my clenched fist, but the thought of losing her suffocated me, unraveling my sanity. Without hesitation, I stormed out into the wild thunder and rain, my heart pounding louder than the storm.

I told everyone that I had lost my inspiration and wanted to focus on the company. They were shocked and confused. But deep down, I knew the truth. It wasn’t about the inspiration.

It was about her.

Sunaina - the woman who had become my muse, my obsession, my everything. She was away from me, and that distance was unbearable.

I want her- it was a declaration of my heart.

I left Shimla and headed to the capital city with my sister and brother-in-law. The occasion? Our parents' wedding anniversary - a grand event that demanded the presence of every family member.

But my mother noticed everything. She always had a way of understanding things, even when no one told her.

She didn’t have clear memories of Sunaina, but she had written about her in her diary. My mother’s diary was like a book of secrets, where she noted everything she observed about people.

That diary became a big help to her. She started putting together pieces about Sunaina and her connection to me. Even though I stayed quiet, I knew my mother was figuring out the story I wasn’t ready to tell.

During the celebration, one of my security team members informed me that Sunaina, along with her team, was just outside the Khanna mansion.

My heart skipped a beat at the news, but I maintained my calm. Without hesitation, I gave a clear order to the team.

"Let them enter. Make sure the other security teams don’t stop them from attending the party."

I wanted to see her, to know why she was here and what she intended. This was her move, and now it was my turn to play along.

The next moment, my world froze. My father stood in the center of the celebration, announcing my engagement to his friend’s daughter.

I wasn’t ready for this. My mind went blank, chaos swirling inside me.

But then, everything around me came to a halt when my eyes found her.

There she was - Sunina. The Devil Princess. Her presence was impossible to miss. There was a fire blazing in her heart that was burning brighter than the lights around us.

She wasn’t just angry. She was a storm waiting to unleash its fury, and I knew, in that moment, this night was about to change everything.

And then it happened.

In a twist I hadn’t seen coming, Sunaina held my mother hostage, or perhaps, it was better to say, my mother willingly became her hostage.

The room fell silent as everyone stared in shock. My mother sat there, calm and composed, as if she had orchestrated this herself.

Sunaina’s fiery eyes locked onto mine while her lips curled in a daring smirk. She wasn’t just challenging me; she was challenging everyone in the room.

My father’s face darkened with fury, but I… I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

This wasn’t just a game anymore. It was war. A war where she had just made her boldest move yet.

Her boldest move wasn’t just taking my mother hostage, it was her audacious demand to marry me.

A forced marriage.

The room erupted into chaos, gasps and whispers echoing in every corner. My father’s fury was unmatched, his voice was booming with protest.

But Sunaina stood firm, unwavering, with a confidence that only she could muster.

I felt a surge of emotions - anger, disbelief, and something I couldn’t quite name. The audacity, the sheer gall, and yet… that fire in her eyes drew me in, igniting something deep inside.

This wasn’t just about power or control anymore. This was Sunaina staking her claim on me, and in her own ruthless way, she was winning.

We got married.

In a matter of hours, my life turned upside down. She tattooed her teeth mark along with her name onto my finger, marking herself not just on my hand but on my very existence.

And then, as if to seal her audacity, she performed all the rituals. she filled my hairline with vermillion, tied a golden chain around my neck - the symbol of a married man in her bold, defiant world.

I was stunned, speechless. Never in my wildest imagination had I thought I’d marry someone like her, let alone be forced into it.

A girl who didn’t just claim me with words but owned me with her actions, unapologetically and entirely.

As I looked at her, standing with pride and determination, I couldn’t decide whether to feel enraged, captivated, or both.

This was a woman who had rewritten my destiny without hesitation and I couldn’t deny it, she had done it with a fire that left me in awe.

But amidst the chaos, and awe, there was a rage simmering deep within me.

Every time I looked at my mother, her tear-filled eyes and silent sobs ignited that fury.

Sunaina's boldness, her defiance, her ability to claim me without hesitation, it had left everyone stunned, but it had also left scars.

My mother’s pain wasn’t something I could overlook, and every tear she shed felt like a dagger to my chest.

I couldn’t ignore the brewing storm within me. The woman who had taken control of my life had also become the reason for my mother’s anguish. And that rage? It was becoming harder and harder to contain.

In one swift motion, I threw her body on my shoulder and stormed into the bedroom and threw her onto the bed. My hands trembled with anger, but as I ripped off her top and something stopped me.

I saw blood.

A deep, crimson stain on her stomach.

My heart froze, the anger faltering as concern crept in. My heart ached for her. Wanted to ruined everything who hurted her.

In that moment, something shifted. Amidst the chaos, the passion, and the rage, I realized the truth I had been avoiding.

I was in love with her.

The Devil Princess - my Devil Princess.

Her strength, her defiance, her chaos... it was all tangled up in me, making me ache in ways I couldn’t comprehend. I had never wanted this, never wanted to feel so vulnerable,

but I was caught.

Caught in love with the woman who had claimed my heart, even if it meant loving the storm she brought with her.

I tried to ignore her, to bury the turmoil she caused inside me. But how could I ignore the woman who was now my wife?

Her presence, her fire, everything about her ignited something I couldn’t control. I fought it, I tried to focus on other things, but she haunted my every thought.

Then, the next day, she left me and I joined the company.

I thought it would be a distraction, a way to bury the chaos she had brought into my life. But no matter how hard I tried, the void she left behind was impossible to ignore. She had me, completely.

And I didn’t even know what to do with that feeling.

The message from the unknown number that belonged to the driver of Scorpion Satan, hit me like a lightning bolt.

Driver was trying to tell me about Sunaina's real identity but why? What was his notice or who was behind him?.

"It’s time to protect your woman".

Those words pierced through the numbness I had surrounded myself with. They shattered the walls I had tried to build around my emotions.

She wasn’t just a woman, she was my woman. My wife, whether I liked it or not.

The anger surged through me. The fear, the protectiveness, everything I had kept buried came rushing to the surface.

I couldn’t let her go. Not like this. Not when I knew she was in danger.

I had to find her. And this time, I wouldn't let her slip away.

After dealing with the driver and his tricks and knowing about Divita's another tricks, I boarded the plane to New York to attend the mafia ball.

The Mafia Ball was not just an event; it was a game. A dangerous game where power, loyalty, and betrayal were tested at every turn.

I had one goal in mind: to protect her. To keep her safe, even if it meant stepping deeper into the world I had never been interested to know.

As I walked into the other grand hall from the backside of the door, the sound of hushed whispers filled the air. The rich, dark scent of power and wealth hung thick. But all I could think about was finding her.

She was out there somewhere, and I wasn’t leaving until I had her in my arms again.

"Naina! Your husband is here"....

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Word count: 4160

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