(Rudra’s POV)

The room was drenched in silence, broken only by the soft rhythm of Ayesha’s breathing. She was asleep again, her fragile body exhausted from the storm they both created. Her hand rested protectively over her stomach, even in her dreams.

Rudra sat beside her, elbows on his knees, staring at the gentle rise and fall of her belly. In the dim light, she looked almost like the girl he used to love — before hate and betrayal twisted everything between them.

He leaned forward, his fingers barely grazing the soft fabric of her nightgown, right over where his child rested. His heart, the one he pretended didn’t exist, clenched painfully.

This baby… our baby.

The thought should terrify him — Rudra Thakur, the king of sin, a father? But instead, it filled him with a strange kind of warmth he didn’t know how to handle. A warmth he would never show when she was awake.

“Hey there, little one,” his voice was low, rough around the edges, like gravel scraping against glass. “It’s me… your father.”

The word felt foreign on his tongue. Father. Could a monster like him even claim that title?

“I know you can’t hear me yet. Or maybe you can… your mother used to say babies could feel things before they’re even born.” His fingers spread across her stomach, protecting and claiming at once. “I don’t know what kind of father I’ll be. Hell, I don’t even know if I’m capable of loving anyone right.”

His throat tightened, but he forced the words out.

“But I swear on my blood… no one will ever touch you. No one will hurt you. I’ll be your shield, your sword, your goddamn nightmare if anyone even looks at you wrong.”

He exhaled sharply, as if trying to breathe out years of buried pain.

“I’ve hurt your mother. More than I can count. And I’ll probably hurt her again because I’m a selfish bastard who doesn’t know how to stop.” His hand curled into a fist, resting beside her. “But you… you’re innocent. You didn’t ask to be born into this fucked up war between us.”

His voice softened, a crack running through his usually unbreakable mask.

“So, I’ll tell you the truth no one else will. I love her.”

The words tasted like poison and salvation mixed together.

“I loved her when she walked into my life. I loved her when she walked away. And I love her now, even when all I want to do is hate her.”

He leaned closer, pressing a soft kiss against her stomach, his lips lingering just a second too long.

“And you, little one… you’ll be my second chance, won’t you?”

A faint smile ghosted his lips — a smile no one would ever see.

“You’ll teach me how to love again. Even if I have to learn the hard way.”

He stood up, the mask slipping back into place the moment he straightened. By the time Ayesha woke, all she would see was the same cold man, the ruthless husband she married at gunpoint.

But in the dark, when no one was watching, Rudra Thakur was already falling in love.

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End of Chapter 22