Page 80 of The Redemption
The moment I look at him, everything around him blurs. The music around me fades. The crowd disappears. All I can see ishim standing there beneath the full moon, dressed in black, with one hand tucked into his pocket.
Suddenly, my mind stops working normally. All at once, memories begin crashing into me. Every moment we’ve shared flashes through my head so fast that it almost makes me dizzy. The way he fought beside me, the first time we met at Josh Club in Mumbai. The way he carried me in his arms when I lost my footing in the grape-crushing vat during the vineyard tour.
At the stables, when he had patiently picked strands of hay from my hair to make me presentable again.
At the game lounge, the way he had tied my hair back because it kept falling over my face and distracting me.
The way he took that bullet for me, saving me from Singhal’s hitman.
There are many more of such moments… Somewhere along the way, without my permission, without me even realising it… this man has started occupying every corner of my mind, and I didn’t even know it until now.
Haider notices me first. He looks slightly confused, but then his gaze drops to the lily garland in my hands, and his eyes widen. The reaction catches Raghav’s attention,and he turns around. The moment his eyes meet mine, I’m already standing right in front of him.
Everything inside me goes still as Raghav stares at me, completely caught off guard. His dark eyes flicker briefly towards the garland in my hands before returning to my face, as if he’s trying to understand what is happening and what the hell I’m about to do.That look alone should have stopped me. But it doesn’t. Every instinct inside me screams to step back. To think. To breathe.
But before my mind can catch up with whatever madness has taken hold of me, before anyone can react, I lift the lily garland with trembling fingers and place it around Raghav’s neck.
Silence descends over the entire temple grounds. The drums stop. The conversations die mid-sentence. It seems like the entire valley has forgotten how to breathe. Everyone is staring at us and what I’ve just done. But my gaze remains locked on Raghav, who looks just as stunned as I am. We both are frozen in the moment. The white lilies rest against the black of his shirt, and the contrast somehow makes the entire thing look even more real. Too real. Enough to snap me out of the moment and back to reality.
Oh God. What have I done?
In front of everyone.
In front of the entire Shivtara Valley.
My heart nearly stops as the initial shock in Raghav’s eyes slowly changes into something darker, somethinghungrier. Like I’ve just handed him something he has been starving for, without even realising it himself. Like this one reckless act of mine has given the man standing before me a taste of something he now refuses to let go of. My fingers slowly fall away from the garland resting against his chest.
Then I instinctively take a step back. Fear, embarrassment, panic… all of it crashes into me at once. I swallow hard, my fingers still trembling to undo what I’ve just done. But I can’t. Because how do you take back something like this?
And Raghav…
He doesn’t move, doesn’t say a single word. And most of all, he makes no attempt to remove the garland. Not even once. That realisation hits me so hard that I stumble back. My hand flies to my mouth in pure shock. Before I completely lose whatever sanity I have left, I turn around and run. Far away from this commotion. Far away from the crowd who still remains frozen, and most importantly, far away from that man I know will come after me for answers, no matter what.
CHAPTER 17
RAGHAV
What the f*ck!I’m still trying to process what just happened. Did Siya Vardhaan just walk up to me in front of the entire valley and claim me by placing a white lily garland around my neck? For one long second, I just stand there in the middle of the temple grounds.
Everywhere I look, people are staring.
Women stand frozen with widened eyes, and some of them literally have their mouths hanging open in shock. Even the drummers have stopped mid-beat. The entire valley suddenly feels still, as if no one could believe what they’d just witnessed.
But I don’t care about any of it. Because all I can see is Siya who pushes through the crowd and disappears into the secluded, narrow lane behind the temple. Ignoring the stares of the villagers, I follow her. Fast. Within seconds, I close the distance between us, grab her wrist, and turn her sharply towards me. Her wide eyes lock onto mine. She still looks shocked by her own actions, but as for me? I’m well beyond shock now.
Siya’s gaze drops to the garland still resting around my neck, and when she realises I haven’t removed it, her breath catches. Because we both know what that means.
In this valley… in front of this goddess… a man only keeps the garland ifhe acceptsthe woman standing before him.
And I’m still wearing it.
“Leave me,” she says quickly, trying to pull away. “Let me go.”
I don’t.Instead, I pull her closer. The movement is so sudden that she crashes into my chest with a soft, breathless sound. Before she can steady herself or create distance again, my other arm slides around her waist and holds her there. Firmly.Almost claiming her.
The way I’m holding her now feels far more personal, and I can tell Siya feels it too. Her fingers tense lightly against my chest. With her face only inches from mine, and her breath caressing my jaw, I swear I have never seen a woman as beautiful as she is right now. Have never looked at anyone the way I’m looking at Siya.Not once in my life.
“Why?” I demand. Her lips part slightly as my eyes lock onto hers darkly.
