Page 69 of The Redemption
That catches my attention. So, just as I had asked Haider to dig into her past, she had been digging into mine.
Siya trails off, her fingers tightening together before she looks at me again.
“You were the only one who walked away from the underworld and made everyone believe you were dead. The only one who built a fresh life without leaving a trail back to your past identity. That’s why I knew onlyyoucould help me. You were my only hope, RK. That’s why I came to RK estate in the first place. To ask for your help.”
Her jaw tightens slightly as she continues.
“To help me live the kind of life I have always envisioned for myself. A life away from the mafias.”
I go completely still.
She lets that sink in before continuing, “But when I came to RK estate, I didn’t trust you enough to ask for your help right away. And in getting to know you, time was running out. Then I came to know that Samarjeet preponed my wedding to next month.”
My jaw tightens. I didn’t know that. If Siya doesn’t get out in time, she’ll be forced to marry that clown Parag Reddy. My fingers curl into fists at that thought.
“So I needed a backup plan,” she goes on. “The Singhals were supposed to be that. But now I realise how stupid I was to even consider it.”
A faint, bitter smile touches her lips. “Thank you for saving me. You stepped between me and death without a second thought. The ones who would have done that for me are not alive anymore.”
Silence stretches between us, but she isn’t finished.
“How am I supposed to repay something like that,Raghav?”
My gaze lingers on her face, still processing what she just said. It’s the first time she’s called meRaghav. Not RK like she always does. Never ever has my name sounded this soft or meaningful until it came fromherlips. I swallow hard, trying to curb these thoughts running in the back of my mind and focus on what she’s saying instead.
“Today, once again, this mafia life has reminded me how unpredictable everything is. How fragile trust can be and how your entire world can burn into ashes in the blink of an eye if you fail to protect it.”
She shivers. I’m one second away from holding her when Siya rubs her hands over her arms to stop those tremors.
“I don’t want this life anymore, where every breath you take is not yours to claim freely. Where every moment of peace feels like silence before a storm. I’m done living in that chaos. I don’t want my future to be like this. I want to leave. Start a fresh life with Mom. A small town. A new name. A place where no one knows who I am. Where I can plan a safe future, fall in love, get married, build a family… without the underworld staining it with its brutality.”
She holds my gaze when she says the last part.
“I won’t marry Parag. In fact, I won’t marry any man who is even remotely connected to the mafia. Not in the past. Not in future.”
My teeth clench and the words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. “I don’t care what you want your future to look like, Siya. Because no matter what, I can’t help you.”
Her face goes still at my cold and final statement. For a second, I expect her to argue, to get angry, but she simply nods.
“I understand,” she says, swallowing her hurt. “And I won’t ask that of you either. I know that you have a family to protect. You cannot risk them or this place by helping me. If anyone from the underworld came here looking for you, it would compromise everything you have built here for yourself now. And I wouldn’t want that either.”
She straightens slightly before her eyes meet mine one last time.
“It’s difficult to escape the mafia and start a fresh life. It takes a lot of courage and planning. And I don’t want you to ruin all this for me.”
For a moment, neither of us moves. Then she rises and walks away. I remain exactly where I am, watching her leave. The door closes behind her, and the silence returns. But my mind is not where it should be.
I told her no. And I meant it.
Not because I’m afraid of who might come knocking if I help her. What angers me is something else entirely. It’s the image she just painted. Her walking away from this world. Starting a new life… withsomeone else.
Somewhere far from this world. With a man who has absolutely nothing to do with blood, guns, power, or the kind of darkness that follows people like me. Someone she probably dreams of as her prince charming. A man she can build a quiet life with. A home. A family. Children.
I don’t like those visuals. They make my stomach churn. Because I can’t stand the thought of Siya being close to another man, touching him in the way she just touched me a few minutesago. Can’t stand the idea of someone else holding her, kissing her, hearing her laugh, or bearing her tantrums.
I want to burn down every man who even looks at her for too long. Forget touching her, the mere idea of another man thinking he can have Siya Vardhaan awakens something dark and murderous inside me. I want to break every hand that dares to reach for her. And I would.
That’s the worst part. I know myself well enough to understand this isn’t a passing thought. If that time ever comes…I actually would.
