Blood stained love

9

The night was colder than usual, but Dev’s blood was boiling. The city lights blurred past as his car raced through the streets. Kaya was in the passenger seat, still unconscious, her face pale against the dim glow of the dashboard. He gripped the wheel tighter, his jaw clenched so hard it could shatter. How did it come to this? How did we reach a point where she was slipping right through my fingers?

He glanced at her again. Her lips trembled slightly, her breathing uneven. He could still hear the hospital monitors flatlining, could still feel the weight of her collapse in his arms. His fingers twitched he wanted to wake her up, to shake her, to tell her that she wasn’t allowed to give up. Not on him. Not on them.

He pulled the car to a screeching halt outside his villa a towering, intimidating structure that reflected everything he was. Ruthless. Unyielding. Powerful. Without a second thought, he stepped out, walked over to her side, and yanked the door open.

"Kaya," his voice was firm but desperate. No response.

His heart pounded harder. He scooped her up in his arms, his grip tightening as he carried her inside. His men, usually stationed like statues, exchanged nervous glances. They had never seen him like this.

"Get the doctor here. Now." His voice was calm, but the danger underneath it was unmistakable.

Kaya stirred slightly in his arms as he placed her on the velvet couch. Her fingers twitched. He let out a breath, but the rage inside him refused to settle. She fainted because of him. Because of Arjun. Because of Reyansh. Because of all the people who thought they could take what was mine.

He knelt beside her, brushing away the loose strands of hair sticking to her forehead. "Wake up, Kaya," he whispered, his voice raw. "You don’t get to leave like this.”

And then, just like that, her eyes fluttered open.

For a second, she looked lost. Then, reality hit.

Her eyes locked with his, wide with fear, pain, and something else something unspoken.

"Where where am I?" her voice was hoarse, fragile.

Dev swallowed hard. "You’re safe."

She tried to sit up, but he stopped her, his hands firm on her shoulders. "You need to rest."

But then, like a tidal wave, everything crashed back into her mind. Her mother. The hospital. The fight. Arjun.

Her breath hitched. "Maa..." Her voice cracked.

Dev’s jaw tightened. "I know," he said, his tone softer, but still laced with something dark. "I know, Kaya. I was there.”

She turned her face away, her body shaking. Tears spilled down her cheeks, and for the first time in years, Dev felt truly powerless. He had conquered cities, built empires, destroyed men with a single word but watching her break apart in front of him? That was a battle he didn’t know how to fight.

"Why?" she sobbed. "Why did this happen? Why did you take me from there?"

His grip on her tightened. "Because you would’ve destroyed yourself if I hadn’t."

She shook her head, her tears blinding her. "I had to be there! I had to stay!"

"You had to be saved," he shot back.

Silence.

Her gaze flickered to him, full of pain and anger and something deeper something dangerous. "You don’t get to decide for me, Dev. Not anymore."

Something in him snapped. He leaned in, his hands caging her in. "I decide everything when it comes to you," he growled. "Because I know you. I know you better than you know yourself. And I know that right now, you need me."

Her breath hitched. His proximity was suffocating, intoxicating.

"Let me go," she whispered, but even she didn’t sound convinced.

Dev’s fingers trailed up to her jaw, tilting her face up to his. "Never."

And then, suddenly, a phone rang.

The sharp sound shattered the moment.

Dev exhaled harshly, running a hand through his already disheveled hair. His mind was still spinning Kaya’s trembling form beneath his grip, the storm in her eyes, the way her lips had parted in shock.

And now, this.

He turned, his movements slow, controlled too controlled. His men knew better than to breathe wrong in his presence when he was like this. "What did you just say?"

The guard swallowed. "Sir… Reyansh escaped."

For a second, there was only silence. Then, without warning SMASH!

Dev's fist collided with the glass table beside them, shattering it into a thousand sharp, glistening fragments. Blood trickled down his knuckles, but he didn’t even flinch.

Kaya did.

She gasped, trying to move away, but Dev’s hand shot out, grabbing her wrist. Not gentle, not kind possessive. Unyielding.

"You’re not going anywhere," he growled. His grip tightened, as if daring her to challenge him.

Kaya’s body went rigid. Her tear-streaked face twisted into something sharp, bitter. "You’re insane," she spat, struggling against his hold.

Dev yanked her closer, his breathing uneven. His world, his sanity, was slipping between his fingers, and the only thing grounding him was her the fire in her eyes, the way she still fought him even after everything.

"Say it," he hissed, his voice dangerously low. "Say that you hate me, Kaya. Say that you want to leave. Say that you’d rather be with him.”

Her lips trembled, but she held her ground. "I do hate you, Dev," she seethed, her voice cutting through him like a blade. "I hate you more than I’ve ever hated anyone in my life."

Dev’s jaw clenched so hard it ached. The pain in his bleeding hand was nothing compared to the burn in his chest.

"But you don’t get to decide for me anymore," she continued, her voice shaking but strong. "You don’t own me. You don’t control me."

Dev’s eyes darkened. He leaned in, his breath fanning over her face. "That’s where you’re wrong, sweetheart," he murmured, his grip still firm. "You’ve been mine since the day you crashed into my life, and you’ll be mine until I say otherwise.”

Kaya let out a bitter laugh, but there was no humor in it only pain, only fury. "I am not yours," she whispered, her voice venomous. "I was never yours. And I will never be yours again."

Dev inhaled sharply. For a moment, his fingers loosened around her wrist, as if her words had physically struck him.

And in that moment, Kaya did something she had never done before she shoved him away.

He staggered back, stunned. No one no one pushed Dev away.

But she just did.

Her eyes were wild, her entire body shaking with exhaustion and anger. "Let me go, Dev," she said, her voice trembling but firm. "This time, I mean it.”

But she just did.

Her eyes were wild, her entire body shaking with exhaustion and anger. "Let me go, Dev," she said, her voice trembling but firm. "This time, I mean it."

Dev stared at her, his breathing ragged. He could kill Reyansh. He could tear apart the entire city if he wanted. But the war he was losing… was with her.

And he wasn’t sure how to win her back.

Not this time.

× × × × × × × × × × × ×

Kaya ran.

Barefoot, breathless, blind with panic she ran through the cold corridors of the hospital, the scent of antiseptic and death thick in the air. The world blurred around her, but she didn’t care.

Ma…

She needed to see her. She needed to hold her one last time.

Her heart pounded as she pushed open the heavy door to the hall where the final rituals were being performed.

And then she froze.

The air left her lungs. Her body turned to stone.

There he was.

Dev.

Standing tall, powerful, dominant dressed in white, his expression unreadable.

The priest was mid-chant, the sacred fire burning bright. Dev’s hands, those same hands that had held her, hurt her, loved her, now lit the final pyre.

Her mother’s last rites.

And she?

She had been robbed of them.

The world shattered. The noise in her ears became deafening. She stumbled forward, but two of Dev’s men blocked her path.

Kaya’s breath hitched. “No… no, no, no, move!” she screamed, shoving against them, her nails digging into their arms. “Let me through! Dev!”

Her voice was raw, breaking, but the monster standing by the flames didn’t even turn.

Her knees buckled. “Maa… Maa…” she sobbed, but it was too late.

She wasn’t allowed to see her. Her own mother.

She hadn’t even been given a choice.

She clenched her fists, trembling with rage. The betrayal hit her like a knife straight to the heart.

“You had no right,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the chants.

Dev turned at that. His face was unreadable, but his eyes those dark, piercing eyes held something dangerous. Something final.

“I had every right,” he said coldly. “You were in no condition to handle it.”

Kaya let out a bitter, broken laugh. “So you played God?” she choked out. “You decided I didn’t deserve to say goodbye to my own mother?”

Dev took a step forward. “You weren’t there, Kaya,” he said, his tone firm, unyielding. “I did what needed to be done.”

Kaya’s vision blurred with hot tears. “You stole my mother from me.”

Silence.

Dev didn’t deny it. He didn’t apologize.

Because in his twisted mind, he believed he was right.

Kaya’s breathing grew erratic. Every ounce of sadness, grief, and loss turned into searing, blinding rage.

“I will never forgive you,” she whispered, her voice shaking. “Not in this life. Not in the next.”

Dev’s jaw clenched. A flicker of something pain? crossed his face. But it was gone in an instant.

“You can hate me all you want,” he said, stepping so close that she could feel the heat of his body. “But you will never leave me, Kaya.”

She looked up at him, eyes blazing. “Watch me.”

And this time when she turned, she didn’t look back.

Kaya walked away, but her legs felt like lead. The weight of grief pressed against her chest, suffocating her, breaking her piece by piece. Every step away from that burning pyre, from the man who had stolen her last goodbye, felt like walking through fire.

But she didn’t stop.

She wouldn’t stop.

She pushed past the crowd, past the whispers, past the glances filled with pity.

She needed air. She needed to breathe.

Outside, the cold Delhi night wrapped around her like a cruel embrace. The streetlights flickered. The world felt distant, like she was floating above her own body, watching herself unravel.

Her mother was gone.

And Dev

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the image of him standing there, playing the role of a son-in-law he had no right to be. The man who had once abandoned her, who had walked away without a second thought, had now stolen her last moment with the only person who truly loved her.

I will never forgive him.

A car screeched to a halt nearby.

Arjun.

He rushed toward her, his face filled with worry. “Kaya!”

The moment she saw him, everything broke.

She collapsed into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably, fists clutching his shirt as if he was the only thing keeping her from falling apart completely.

Arjun held her tightly, one hand cradling her head, the other wrapped protectively around her back. “I’m here,” he whispered. “I’ve got you.”

She shook her head. “He he took her from me, Arjun,” she cried. “He didn’t let me see her he he ”

Arjun’s jaw tightened. He knew exactly who he was.

“It’s over, Kaya,” he murmured. “I won’t let him hurt you anymore.”

But the moment he said those words

A low, menacing voice cut through the air.

“Won’t let me?”

Arjun froze.

Kaya’s breath hitched.

She turned slowly

Dev stood a few feet away, his eyes dark, dangerous. His presence sent a shiver through the air, a storm brewing in his aura. He was a man on the edge, raw, furious, unstoppable.

His gaze locked onto Arjun’s hands still holding Kaya. His fists clenched. His entire body was taut with barely restrained violence.

Arjun didn’t back down. “She doesn’t need you, Dev,” he said, his voice steady. “She never did.”

Dev took a step closer.

The streetlight cast sharp shadows across his face. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes those wild, obsessed eyes held nothing but possession.

Kaya stepped back, her heart pounding. “Stay away from me, Dev,” she said, her voice trembling. “You’ve done enough.”

A slow, dangerous smirk curled his lips. “Have I?” he murmured.

And before anyone could react

He grabbed her wrist.

A gasp left her lips as he yanked her forward, so close that she could feel his breath against her skin.

“Let. Her. Go.” Arjun’s voice was sharp, furious.

Dev didn’t even spare him a glance. His entire focus was on Kaya on her tear-streaked face, her heaving chest, her trembling lips.

“You think you can walk away from me?” he whispered, his voice low, rough, almost vulnerable beneath the aggression. “You think I’ll just let you?”

Kaya struggled, trying to break free, but his grip only tightened.

“Dev, stop ”

“I own you, Kaya,” he hissed. “I have always owned you.”

“You left me!” she screamed, tears spilling down her cheeks. “You left me to rot and now you ”

“I never left you,” he growled, his forehead pressing against hers. “I was a fool. A coward. But I never stopped wanting you. Never.”

She gasped, her breath hitching, because the intensity in his eyes was burning her alive.

Arjun grabbed Dev’s shoulder, trying to yank him back. “She doesn’t belong to you, Dev! Let her go, or ”

Dev turned so fast, so violently, that Arjun barely saw it coming.

One second, he was standing.

The next

A brutal punch landed across his jaw.

Arjun stumbled back, a groan of pain escaping his lips.

“Dev, STOP!” Kaya screamed.

But Dev wasn’t stopping.

His rage was blinding. His possessiveness consuming.

He grabbed Arjun by the collar and threw another punch, then another. His fists were relentless, fueled by five years of pent-up fury, obsession, and something darker.

Arjun collapsed onto the pavement, coughing, groaning in pain.

Dev stood over him, his breath ragged, his hands still curled into fists, his blood roaring with the madness of a man who had just lost his mind.

Kaya pushed against his chest, desperate, sobbing. “STOP IT! PLEASE, STOP!”

Her voice her broken, devastated voice was the only thing that made him pause.

She looked up at him, eyes filled with horror.

“I hate you,” she whispered.

Dev went still.

The words hit him harder than any punch ever could.

For a moment, he didn’t move. He didn’t breathe.

Then, slowly he stepped back.

Something flickered in his eyes. Something dark. Something shattered.

Without another word, without another glance, he turned and walked away.

Leaving behind the wreckage of the woman he had vowed to never lose again.

Kaya stood frozen, her chest heaving, her vision blurred with tears as she watched Dev disappear into the night.

Her knees buckled. She felt hollow, ripped apart, as if everything inside her had been broken beyond repair.

Arjun groaned beside her, wiping the blood from his lips. “You okay?” he muttered, his voice rough from the beating.

She didn’t answer. She couldn’t.

Her mother was gone.

Her world had crumbled.

And Dev… Dev had destroyed the last shred of peace she had left.

She sank onto the cold pavement, her shoulders shaking. “Why?” she whispered, more to herself than anyone else.

Why did Dev keep coming back, only to wreck her life all over again?

Why did he refuse to let her go?

Arjun placed a hand on her shoulder. “Kaya…”

She flinched. The touch felt wrong. Everything felt wrong.

She jerked away, standing abruptly. “I need to be alone.”

Arjun frowned. “But ”

“Please,” she cut him off, her voice barely above a whisper.

He hesitated, then nodded. “Call me if you need anything.”

She didn’t respond.

She turned and walked, not knowing where she was going only that she needed to get away.

Elsewhere…

Dev’s knuckles were raw, his breath uneven, but he didn’t feel the pain.

He felt nothing.

Except rage. Except obsession. Except a madness that was clawing at his insides, demanding release.

He sat in his car, gripping the steering wheel so tightly his fingers turned white.

She had said it.

I hate you.

His mind replayed the words, over and over, like a sick joke.

He slammed his fists against the dashboard.

She can’t hate me.

She was his.

She always had been.

And yet… she had hugged Arjun. Clung to him. Let him be her solace, while Dev Dev was the villain in her eyes.

A bitter, humorless laugh escaped his lips.

He should leave. Go back to Abu Dhabi. Walk away before he lost what little sanity he had left.

But he couldn’t.

Because she was here.

And no matter how much she hated him, no matter how much she fought Kaya was his.

The night was thick with silence, the kind that suffocated more than soothed. A storm brewed over Delhi, lightning flickering in the distance, illuminating the empty streets for mere seconds before darkness swallowed them whole.

Dev stood on the balcony of his penthouse, his fingers curled around a cigarette he hadn’t lit. The city stretched before him, but his eyes saw nothing. His mind was stuck in a loop her voice, her tears, her hatred.

I hate you.

He exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down his face.

She could say it a million times. She could scream it. Curse him. Run. It wouldn't change a damn thing.

His phone buzzed on the table behind him. He ignored it.

Another buzz. Then another.

He turned, snatching it up. Reyansh.

Dev smirked bitterly. Of course.

He let it ring out, tossing the phone onto the couch. The moment it fell silent, it vibrated again this time, a different name flashing across the screen.

Raghav.

Dev frowned. Raghav wasn’t the kind to call unless it was urgent.

With a deep breath, he answered. “Speak.”

There was silence on the other end, then a hesitant voice. “Boss… there’s something you need to know.”

Dev’s grip tightened around the phone. “Get to the point.”

Raghav exhaled. “It’s Kaya.”

Dev stilled.

Something dark, primal, possessive coiled in his chest.

“What about her?” His voice was dangerously low.

Raghav hesitated again. “She’s missing.”

The words landed like a punch to the gut.

Dev’s heart stopped. Then restarted with a force that made his entire body burn.

“What the f do you mean she’s missing?”

“I mean she was last seen near the hospital, and now she’s nowhere.”

Dev didn’t even realize he’d crushed the cigarette between his fingers.

His blood turned to ice. His mind sharpened.

The storm outside was nothing compared to the one inside him.

He grabbed his keys, his coat, and stormed out.

He would find her.

And whoever had taken her… would wish they were never born.