Page 119 of Rudra Nandani: The Saga of Control And Seduction

I could already see the tension and unease on his face at the news.

Playing a little, I gave a slight nod and muttered slowly,“kadachit usse adhik... Ab aap to humaari god bhar nahi sakte, to tab tak hum wahi reh lenge. Yahaan aane ka kya laabh?”(Maybe more than that... Now that you can’t make babies with me, what’s the point of being here with you? I’ll stay there and enjoy it.) I saidit, and he immediately fisted my hair, pulling me closer to him.

“Kya kaha aapne?”(What did you say?) I smiled teasingly and murmured slowly, looking deep into his eyes.“Wahi jo aapne suna,”(I said what you heard.)

And suddenly, he turned me beneath him, hovering over me with a dangerous closeness.

His face was so near, it blocked out everything else from my view. I just stared blankly into his eyes as he said,“Bahut bolne lagi hai aap?”(You talk too much.)

I smiled, meeting his gaze with the same intensity, and replied slowly,“To chup kara dijiye humein,”(So shut me up,)

He stared blankly at my face. I watched his pupils shift—his gaze slowly drifting from my eyes to my lips. A faint, sly smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he leaned close to my ear.

My head tilted slightly, and a shiver ran down my spine when he whispered,“Better not choke when I would.” I instantly pushed him away and sat upright, my heart pounding wildly as I processed what he meant.

“Hahahaha,” He chuckled warmly.“After all, you have such a slender neck,”he added, still in that teasing tone. I couldn’t even describe how flushed and timid I felt at that moment.

I gave his chest a light slap and muttered,“Rudra!”That only made him laugh harder. I stood up and adjusted my dupatta.

“Humein samay par nikalna hai, aapne to aaj avkaash le rakha hai kaam se kadachit,”(I need to leave on time, you seem like you’ve taken a day off from work,) I said, and he stopped me, holding my wrist.

I turned my gaze to him. He was lying on the mattress, his hand gripping mine firmly, his eyes filled with love.

A quiet silence followed as I tried to make sense of the look in his eyes. When, in a slow voice, he said,“Nandani ke bina Rudra bhi kuch nahi... aapki tarah hum apni bhavnaon ko aksharoan ki maala mein piro to nahi sakte, parantu aag dono taraf barabar lagi hai,”(There is no Rudra either without Nandani... unlike you, I can't put my emotions into words, but the feelings are mutual.) he spoke, and his words made my heart feel heavy.

The memories from last night surfaced in my mind, and I lowered my gaze.

I couldn’t say anything—not after reaching the finish line of my thoughts, not after saying more than I should have, not aftermaking everything so clear.

I looked up again when I felt him intertwine our fingers. He sat up slowly and brought the back of my hand to his lips, kissing it lovingly.

“Wear yellow, little sunflower,”he said. A wide smile spread across my face when I heard him call me little again.

He smiled too, and I gently pulled my hand away.

“Humein vilamb ho raha hai, Ranaji,”(I’m getting late, Ranaji,)

I said nothing more and walked off, adjusting my dupatta over my head as I stepped down from the terrace to return to the chamber.

“Where the hell were you? I looked for you everywhere!” Suman’s voice hit me the moment I entered. Her brows were drawn together, and she scanned me from head to toe.“Wait,” she said, narrowing her eyes.

She circled around me in suspicion, studying me from every angle.“Are you having an affair with someone?” she asked, stepping closer with wide eyes.“Why does it look like you slept with someone? And where were you last night, Nandani? You know Ranaji will lose it if he finds out. You should’ve told me. What if someone had asked about you? What would I have said?” She blurted out in a mix of panic and frustration. And as I looked into her eyes, I could see genuine concern and sadness.

I furrowed my brows slightly, seeing how worried she looked, and replied jokingly,“Yes, I went to meet my lover.”

Her eyes widened in shock.“What???” she squeaked in sheer fear. I simply nodded and continued walking into the chamber, ignoring her. She hurried after me.

“Nandani, Ranaji will be furious! He’ll kill me first, and then you!” I stopped and turned to her with a pleasant smile.

“He won’t. Don’t worry. He’ll never find out about my affair.” Her eyes grew even wider as she stepped closer, whispering,“Nandani, you love him. Remember?”

I raised an eyebrow, pretending to think.“Do I?” Her face turned pale with panic.

She shook her head slowly.“No, Nandani…” she murmured, scared.

I couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst into laughter.“Suman, I was with him,” She stared at me, agape, looking like she couldn’t believe what she heard. I kept laughing, and she gave me an upsetlook.

“I was really worried! I didn’t even sleep properly last night,” she said, frowning.

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