7 hours ago
Chapter 150: Fractured Dawn
Golden sunlight spilled through the half-drawn curtains, painting the hotel room in warm, hazy strokes. Dust motes danced lazily in the beams as the sun rose over the city. Nikitha lay awake, her body still humming from the night before. She was completely naked, her smooth skin pressed against Jay’s equally bare form. His arm was dbangd possessively over her waist, their legs tangled beneath the rumpled sheets. The scent of sex and sweat still lingered faintly in the air—musky, intimate, undeniable.
She studied his face in the quiet light. In sleep, Jay looked peaceful, almost boyish. The usual tension around his eyes had softened, his breathing deep and even. For the first time in what felt like forever, he seemed to have found real rest. A pang of tenderness twisted in her chest, quickly followed by crushing guilt. He finally had a clean, peaceful sleep after so long… because of me?
Last night had been impulsive, born of guilt, tears, and overwhelming need. She had surrendered herself to him completely—arching beneath his touch, whispering his name like a prayer as he filled her again and again. The way his hands had explored every curve of her body, the way he had kissed her tears away while moving deep inside her, slow and sensual at first, then urgent and consuming. Her legs wrapped around him, nails digging into his back as pleasure crashed through her in waves. It had felt like coming home… and like the ultimate betrayal of everything she now believed about herself.
Nikitha carefully slipped out from under his arm, her heart aching. She sat on the edge of the bed, watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest.
He warned me once, she thought bitterly. I’ve successfully destroyed everyone’s peace. Hurt every heart around me. I was poison. Unworthy.
Returning to Jay would only drag him back into the chaos she created. She couldn’t do that to him—not after everything he had endured, including the things he had silently witnessed.
At the same time, a cold fear gripped her. Had Tharun seen them last night? The kiss? The way their bodies had moved together in the shadows? She couldn’t bear to think about it, yet she had to face it. She resolved to become the unreliable partner—the woman who would hurt him again and again until he finally stepped back. It was the kindest cruelty she could offer.
Quietly, she gathered herself. She padded to the bathroom, the cool tiles a shock against her heated skin. Under the shower, she let the water cascade over her body, washing away the traces of Jay’s touch even as memories made her thighs clench. She dressed in a simple sundress that hugged her figure, then glanced once more at the sleeping man she still loved too much. With a heavy heart, she left the room.
At the reception, she inquired discreetly about the man who had caused the disturbance last night.
The staff confirmed he was staying in the hotel—Room 412. Her pulse quickened. She went straight there.
Tharun opened the door almost instantly, as if he had been standing right behind it. He looked wrecked. Dark circles shadowed his eyes. He clearly hadn’t slept. His hair was disheveled, clothes rumpled from the night before. The moment he saw her, raw longing flooded his expression.
“Why are you like this?” Nikitha asked, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. Her voice was steady but laced with exhaustion. “I told you I came here to have sex with Jay. Why won’t you believe it? I don’t know if you saw or heard anything, but my intention isn’t to hurt you. This is the life I want now—an open one. I’ve become… a woman who craves variety. I can’t be with just one man. If you ever choose me, you have to be ready for that. Ready for me to slip away whenever the urge takes me.”
Tharun’s face tightened, but he didn’t retreat. Instead, he stepped forward and gently pressed a finger to her lips. “Stop. I don’t want to hear anything else.” His voice was hoarse, thick with emotion. “I just need you in my life, Nikitha. I can’t be separated from you. I feel like I’ve mentally committed to you already. I can’t be the same even for a single day without you.”
She stared at him, frustration and sorrow swirling inside her. “Why are you acting like a child? This isn’t healthy, Tharun.”
“Come back to me,” he pleaded, voice breaking. He reached for her hands, holding them tightly.
“Marry me. If you want others… I’ll allow it. Just don’t leave me.”
Nikitha felt the ground shift beneath her. The man who once demanded full ownership, who had been fiercely possessive, was now willing to share her. He had stooped so low for her. “Do I really worth it, Tharun? Why are you lowering yourself like this?”
“Because I can’t imagine a single day without you,” he whispered fiercely. “A life without you is no life at all.”
She searched his eyes and saw it clearly now—something deeper than love. It was obsession, a consuming, all-encompassing fixation that had taken root. He wasn’t just in love; he was mentally bound to her, willing to endure anything, even the pain of sharing, just to keep her in his orbit. The realization settled heavily in her chest.
“What do you want?” she asked softly, almost defeated. “Why is everyone giving me such a hard time with love?”
“Marry me,” he repeated, eyes burning with determination. “Come with me now. Trust me—the past 24 hours have been torture. I’ve already set the date. It’s this weekend—five days from now. You have to come with me.”
Nikitha looked into his serious, unwavering gaze. The fight he had put up, traveling all this way, refusing to let go… it was overwhelming. Last night’s impulsive surrender to Jay had been a mistake, one that might have given Jay false hope. She couldn’t keep hurting people like this. But pushing Tharun away the obvious way wasn’t working.
A new resolve settled over her. She would play a different game entirely.
Golden sunlight spilled through the half-drawn curtains, painting the hotel room in warm, hazy strokes. Dust motes danced lazily in the beams as the sun rose over the city. Nikitha lay awake, her body still humming from the night before. She was completely naked, her smooth skin pressed against Jay’s equally bare form. His arm was dbangd possessively over her waist, their legs tangled beneath the rumpled sheets. The scent of sex and sweat still lingered faintly in the air—musky, intimate, undeniable.
She studied his face in the quiet light. In sleep, Jay looked peaceful, almost boyish. The usual tension around his eyes had softened, his breathing deep and even. For the first time in what felt like forever, he seemed to have found real rest. A pang of tenderness twisted in her chest, quickly followed by crushing guilt. He finally had a clean, peaceful sleep after so long… because of me?
Last night had been impulsive, born of guilt, tears, and overwhelming need. She had surrendered herself to him completely—arching beneath his touch, whispering his name like a prayer as he filled her again and again. The way his hands had explored every curve of her body, the way he had kissed her tears away while moving deep inside her, slow and sensual at first, then urgent and consuming. Her legs wrapped around him, nails digging into his back as pleasure crashed through her in waves. It had felt like coming home… and like the ultimate betrayal of everything she now believed about herself.
Nikitha carefully slipped out from under his arm, her heart aching. She sat on the edge of the bed, watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest.
He warned me once, she thought bitterly. I’ve successfully destroyed everyone’s peace. Hurt every heart around me. I was poison. Unworthy.
Returning to Jay would only drag him back into the chaos she created. She couldn’t do that to him—not after everything he had endured, including the things he had silently witnessed.
At the same time, a cold fear gripped her. Had Tharun seen them last night? The kiss? The way their bodies had moved together in the shadows? She couldn’t bear to think about it, yet she had to face it. She resolved to become the unreliable partner—the woman who would hurt him again and again until he finally stepped back. It was the kindest cruelty she could offer.
Quietly, she gathered herself. She padded to the bathroom, the cool tiles a shock against her heated skin. Under the shower, she let the water cascade over her body, washing away the traces of Jay’s touch even as memories made her thighs clench. She dressed in a simple sundress that hugged her figure, then glanced once more at the sleeping man she still loved too much. With a heavy heart, she left the room.
At the reception, she inquired discreetly about the man who had caused the disturbance last night.
The staff confirmed he was staying in the hotel—Room 412. Her pulse quickened. She went straight there.
Tharun opened the door almost instantly, as if he had been standing right behind it. He looked wrecked. Dark circles shadowed his eyes. He clearly hadn’t slept. His hair was disheveled, clothes rumpled from the night before. The moment he saw her, raw longing flooded his expression.
“Why are you like this?” Nikitha asked, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. Her voice was steady but laced with exhaustion. “I told you I came here to have sex with Jay. Why won’t you believe it? I don’t know if you saw or heard anything, but my intention isn’t to hurt you. This is the life I want now—an open one. I’ve become… a woman who craves variety. I can’t be with just one man. If you ever choose me, you have to be ready for that. Ready for me to slip away whenever the urge takes me.”
Tharun’s face tightened, but he didn’t retreat. Instead, he stepped forward and gently pressed a finger to her lips. “Stop. I don’t want to hear anything else.” His voice was hoarse, thick with emotion. “I just need you in my life, Nikitha. I can’t be separated from you. I feel like I’ve mentally committed to you already. I can’t be the same even for a single day without you.”
She stared at him, frustration and sorrow swirling inside her. “Why are you acting like a child? This isn’t healthy, Tharun.”
“Come back to me,” he pleaded, voice breaking. He reached for her hands, holding them tightly.
“Marry me. If you want others… I’ll allow it. Just don’t leave me.”
Nikitha felt the ground shift beneath her. The man who once demanded full ownership, who had been fiercely possessive, was now willing to share her. He had stooped so low for her. “Do I really worth it, Tharun? Why are you lowering yourself like this?”
“Because I can’t imagine a single day without you,” he whispered fiercely. “A life without you is no life at all.”
She searched his eyes and saw it clearly now—something deeper than love. It was obsession, a consuming, all-encompassing fixation that had taken root. He wasn’t just in love; he was mentally bound to her, willing to endure anything, even the pain of sharing, just to keep her in his orbit. The realization settled heavily in her chest.
“What do you want?” she asked softly, almost defeated. “Why is everyone giving me such a hard time with love?”
“Marry me,” he repeated, eyes burning with determination. “Come with me now. Trust me—the past 24 hours have been torture. I’ve already set the date. It’s this weekend—five days from now. You have to come with me.”
Nikitha looked into his serious, unwavering gaze. The fight he had put up, traveling all this way, refusing to let go… it was overwhelming. Last night’s impulsive surrender to Jay had been a mistake, one that might have given Jay false hope. She couldn’t keep hurting people like this. But pushing Tharun away the obvious way wasn’t working.
A new resolve settled over her. She would play a different game entirely.
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