Page 181 of Rudra Nandani: The Saga of Control And Seduction

“She did all that to protect you… from me,”he growled.

I looked at him with a flat face.“Ahh… umm… okay, if she did all that to protect me from you, then why?” I asked slowly.“Why did she feel the need to protect me from you?”

He sat down, facing me, and I met his gaze.

“Because I’m stronger than you,” I said plainly.“And if I wanted, I could’ve killed you the moment I saw you. But now… you're her husband. The man she loves. So I can't lay a finger on you—not without breaking her,”

I let that sink in, lowered myself to the ground, and sat before him.

“Yes, you’re stronger than I. But she’s still your sister. You can hate me forever, but you’ll always have to face her. And whether you believe it or not, she misses you. She was devastated the second she found out you were leading the war against us. She was terrified for you,”

He looked down, staring at the dry earth beneath us. I let out a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, Abhi. I didn’t know anything about my father… or the truth behind all this. I deserve your hate—I know that. But please… she’s your sister. Don’t do something that’ll break her even more,”

His gaze slowly lifted to mine, and in a slow voice, he said,“As if she cared about me,”

I moved closer, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“She does, Abhi. She always has. If you don’t believe me, ask her who she loves more. I swear—she’ll choose you over me in a heartbeat,”

A bitter chuckle escaped him.“She didn’t even try to talk to me,”

I exhaled quietly.“She was shattered, Abhi. She couldn’t even gather herself,”

He gave a small, weak smile.“Little did she know about my devastation,” His voice dropped.“She’s selfish,”

I shook my head instantly.“She’s not,”

His eyes locked onto mine.“She is. She chose you over everything else,”

I inhaled sharply, holding my voice steady.

“No, she didn’t choose me. She chose to sacrifice herself, to become a pawn in a political alliance with Suryagarh, just to make sure I wouldn’t get the throne and gain the army so that Mahableshgarh wouldn’t fall into war. She gave up her happiness to protect everyone—even you,” I paused and inhaled deeply.

“Not everything that seems love is a bed of roses, Abhi,”

I saw the moment he swallowed a hard lump.“So… you love her now?” he asked quietly.

I held his gaze.

“I always did,” I admitted.“But I was too numb to realise it,”

He looked down again. His voice was barely above a whisper.“Is she… okay?”

I nodded.“Yes,”

And then a single tear slipped from his eye.“I couldn’t see her like that. And I… I don’t think I’ll ever be able to face her again, knowing I was the reason all this happened,” His voice trembled.“If I hadn’t trusted you… You wouldn’t have come to the kingdom. If you hadn’t come, she wouldn’t have met you. And none of this would’ve happened,” He said. And for a moment, I didn’t say anything.

“It wasn’t your mistake, Abhi. It was mine,” My voice was low, ashamed.“I used everything… and trust me, I’m utterly ashamed. I don’t even feel like I deserve her,”

He didn’t hesitate.“You don’t. You don’t deserve her,” His voice was sharp, filled with rage.“You call it love? That’s not love. She loves you. You hurt her, and still, still she chose you. And what did you do for her?”

I inhaled deeply, the sting of his words settling in my chest.“I know, Abhi. I know. I’m so sorry. But this hate… it should be for me, not her. She doesn’t deserve this. I’m the one who came between you two. I should’ve stayed away,”

He stared at me coldly.

“Yes,” he said.“You should have. And now, you’ll pay for it,”

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