The mansion was burning in silence and gunfire at the same time.
Outside—chaos.
Inside—truth waiting to explode.
Aanya stood frozen as Rudra's words echoed inside her mind.
"You're the reason I lose control."
For the first time…
she wasn't just afraid of Riya.
She was afraid of what Rudra was becoming around her.
Another explosion shook the eastern wall.
Dust fell.
Lights flickered.
Rudra immediately pulled Aanya down behind a broken marble counter.
Protective.
Fast.
Instinctive.
"Don't move," he ordered again.
But this time… his voice was different.
Tighter.
Like he was holding himself together.
Aanya looked at him.
"You're bleeding…"
A small cut on his arm.
But he didn't even notice it.
"It's nothing," he said coldly.
But Aanya didn't believe him.
For the first time, she reached out and touched his arm gently.
"Stop acting like you don't feel pain…"
Rudra froze.
Not from injury.
From her touch.
Silence hit instantly.
Even the war outside felt distant for a second.
Rudra looked at her hand.
Then at her face.
And something inside him cracked slightly.
"You shouldn't do that," he said quietly.
Aanya frowned.
"Do what?"
Rudra stepped closer.
Too close.
"Make me forget what I am."
Aanya's breath caught.
Before she could respond—
Riya's voice echoed again through the mansion speakers.
But this time… it wasn't calm.
It was sharp.
Almost emotional.
"Rudra!"
A pause.
"Send her out… or I start destroying what you built."
Aanya stepped back instantly.
"What is she talking about?"
Rudra didn't answer immediately.
His jaw tightened.
Then—
"Everything."
A heavy silence.
Aanya shook her head.
"No… this is not about me. It can't be."
Rudra turned toward her slowly.
And this time… his voice broke slightly.
Just a crack.
But enough.
"It started because of you."
Aanya froze.
Rudra continued.
"I didn't notice you at first."
A pause.
"Then I did."
His eyes darkened.
"And after that… nothing stayed the same."
Aanya whispered,
"You're blaming me?"
Rudra shook his head immediately.
"No."
A pause.
"I'm telling you the truth I tried to bury."
Silence fell.
Outside, gunfire continued.
But inside the mansion…
something more dangerous was happening.
A confession.
Rudra stepped closer again.
Slower this time.
Controlled.
But honest.
"I don't care about society," he said.
"I don't care about enemies."
A pause.
"But I care when you are in danger."
Aanya's eyes filled slightly.
Rudra's voice dropped lower.
"And that is the only weakness I cannot fix."
Silence shattered everything again.
Aanya whispered,
"So what now?"
Rudra looked at her for a long moment.
Then answered—
"Now I end this war."
A pause.
"But I decide what I lose… not her."
Outside…
Riya stood surrounded by her men.
Smiling faintly.
Because she had finally heard what she wanted.
Rudra had admitted it.
Not to the world.
Not to enemies.
But to Aanya.
And that meant…
he was already hers in ways he couldn't undo.