SHANAYA’S POV

The night after I told Kabir I would try to accept his world didn’t feel like a fairytale.

There were no fireworks. No perfectly timed kisses under the stars. No “happily ever after” declarations.

It was just… us.

Two broken people trying to hold on to something fragile in a world built on destruction.

We lay in bed—our bed now, I suppose—tangled in warmth and silence, our skin still humming from the touch of each other. But more than that, it was the stillness that stayed with me. The kind that comes when two souls are trying to relearn each other after the truth has changed everything.

His fingers brushed down my spine, slowly, as if memorizing every inch of me. But it wasn’t lust that filled the room tonight—it was something deeper. Something raw.

“Talk to me,” I whispered, my cheek pressed against his chest.

His heartbeat slowed, but he didn’t respond right away. I felt his throat move beneath my palm before he finally said, “I’ve killed people.”

My breath hitched.

He didn’t flinch. “Some deserved it. Some didn’t. And I live with that every day.”

My fingers curled tighter against his skin, but I didn’t pull away.

“You scare the world, Kabir,” I said softly. “But here… with me… you’re just a man trying to stay whole.”

He closed his eyes like those words gave him something he hadn’t let himself feel in years.

“I’m not asking you to lie or sugarcoat it,” I continued, lifting my head to look at him. “But I need to set boundaries. You can’t shut me out anymore. If you’re going somewhere dangerous, I want to know. If someone’s a threat, I want to be told. I’m not a porcelain doll.”

He smiled faintly, brushing a kiss against my forehead. “Noted. But you are precious.”

“I mean it.”

“So do I.”

There was a long pause.

“Can I ask you something?” I murmured.

He nodded.

“Are you scared?”

His jaw clenched. “Not of the mafia. Not of enemies. Not of dying.”

“Then what?”

“You,” he breathed. “Losing you. That terrifies me in ways nothing else ever could.”

I exhaled, tears welling in my eyes again. “We’re going to figure this out… together."

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TWO WEEKS LATER

They said time heals, but I think time just gives you the space to grow tougher skin.

In just a matter of days, I had gone from clueless girlfriend to the quiet observer in Kabir's world. No, I wasn’t planning assassinations or giving orders. But I was learning.

I started to notice the subtle nods his men gave him. The way their eyes flickered when something was amiss. The change in his voice when he used code.

I didn’t ask questions in front of others. But I remembered faces. Connected the dots. Read the energy.

I saw how Kabir respected kartik's instincts, how Rohit played dumb but carried more weight than anyone realized, and how Veer stayed silent but always stood closest to the exits.

I wasn’t part of their world.

But I was his world.

And that gave me strength.

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One Evening – Kabir’s Study

“You put new cameras in my yoga room?” I raised a brow, arms crossed.

Kabir looked up from his laptop, pretending to be innocent. “Security upgrade.”

“Security or obsession?”

He smirked, unbothered. “Both.”

“Kabir!”

He got up, walking toward me, calm and steady like a storm in disguise. “You went to the bookstore last week without telling me. No guards followed And Your driver took a different route.”

“I wanted space.”

“You don’t get space.

  You get safety.”

I pushed his chest. “I’m not your prisoner.”

“And you’re not immortal.”

There was a beat of silence.

“Why won’t you just trust that I can take care of myself?”

His hands cupped my face suddenly, eyes sharp. “Because I’ve lived in a world where one second of carelessness gets people killed. I won’t lose you to that world, Shanaya. I can’t.”

The intensity in his voice made my anger waver.

“I’m not trying to rebel,” I said gently. “But I need to feel human. I need to breathe.”

His thumb brushed over my cheek. “Then we find a middle ground. You tell me when you leave, and I’ll back off the extra guards. Deal?”

I exhaled. “Deal.”

He pulled me closer. “You’re learning fast.”

“I’m dating a mafia leader. I kind of have to.”

We both laughed, the tension softening.

But behind the laughter, I saw it—that quiet panic still lurking in his eyes.

And in mine… a growing fire.

I wasn’t fearless. But I was no longer afraid of him. I was learning to be brave for him.

Even if the world outside didn’t slow down, our hearts… had found a rhythm.

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END OF THE CHAPTER

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