Chapter 11: The Unraveling

The fog had not lifted when Avni drove through the empty streets, her fingers tightening around the steering wheel. The night air felt heavier now, as if it carried the weight of the words unsaid, of the look Reyaansh had given her, like an unspoken promise. She knew she was playing with fire, but there was a part of her that couldn’t look away. He had a way of drawing her in, of unraveling the tight control she had over everything.

But she wasn’t ready to let herself fall into that trap.

As she pulled into her apartment complex, her phone buzzed in her pocket. It was a message from an unknown number. She hesitated for a moment, before unlocking her screen.

"Don’t forget the meeting tomorrow. I’ll be there." – Reyaansh."

Her breath caught in her throat. He was always one step ahead. Always. The hospital had an important round-table meeting scheduled for tomorrow. It would be the first time she’d have to face him in a room full of other doctors since their encounter in the parking lot.

She let out a frustrated sigh and tossed the phone on the passenger seat. He had a way of getting under her skin, making her feel things she didn’t want to feel. The last thing she needed was to be distracted by his presence tomorrow.

But as she reached her apartment door, her mind wandered back to the kiss. That moment of weakness. It had felt like she was drowning in it, like she had lost control of the one thing she prided herself on: her composure.

Inside her apartment, the silence was almost too much to bear. She kicked off her shoes and sank into the couch, staring blankly at the television that wasn’t even on. There was a growing pit in her stomach, one that she couldn’t shake, a nagging feeling that something else was brewing—something darker than the usual hospital politics.

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The next morning, the hospital’s conference room felt suffocating.

Avni sat at one end of the large table, her eyes fixed on the papers in front of her, though her mind was far from the notes. Every now and then, she could feel Reyaansh’s gaze on her, like a weight pressing down on her back. It was as if the air around them had thickened. His presence always did that—made the room feel too small, too confined.

"Dr. Avni," a colleague called, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Could you give us an update on the pediatric ward?"

She cleared her throat, straightening up in her seat, though her pulse quickened under the scrutiny of Reyaansh’s eyes. "Yes, of course."

She gave a brief overview of the ward’s progress, but the entire time, she could feel Reyaansh’s stare burning into her, judging, evaluating, as if he was always one step away from pointing out her flaws. When she finished speaking, she looked up, meeting his gaze directly. The intensity in his eyes was unrelenting.

“You’re still not fully confident in your abilities, are you, Avni?” Reyaansh’s voice cut through the room like a blade. "If you want to lead that ward, you need to do more than just talk. You need to take charge."

Her chest tightened at his words. They were not just criticism; they felt personal, like a challenge, like he was baiting her.

"Is that so?" she replied, her voice calm but firm, a thin layer of ice forming in her tone. "I think we both know how easily that can be achieved."

The tension between them was palpable, and as the meeting continued, Avni found herself battling not just the pressure of the discussion, but the growing pull Reyaansh had over her. She wanted to break free of it, to shut him out, but something told her that the game they were playing had only just begun.

As the meeting came to a close, Reyaansh’s voice once again broke the silence. “Stay after the meeting, Avni. We need to discuss the pediatric ward’s budget allocation.”

The words sounded innocent enough, but she knew better. He wasn’t just asking about the ward. He was asking for something else entirely. Something that neither of them could fully admit.

Avni nodded, her heart racing in her chest. “Fine.”

When the room cleared, it was just the two of them. She tried to ignore the charged atmosphere, the tension between them, but it was impossible. Reyaansh stood by the window, his back to her, his eyes staring out over the city, the lines of his body rigid, as if he were fighting something inside him.

“I don’t need you to babysit me, Reyaansh,” she said, crossing her arms, trying to maintain some semblance of control.

Reyaansh turned to face her, a cold smile playing at the corners of his lips. “No, you don’t. But you do need me, Avni. And you know it.”

Her breath caught in her throat, her pulse quickening. His words weren’t just arrogant; they were truthful in a way that unsettled her. She did need him, whether she liked it or not.

“But that doesn’t mean you get to control me,” she shot back, standing her ground.

He walked toward her slowly, deliberately, closing the distance between them, until she could feel the heat radiating off his body. “You’re right. I don’t control you. But you can’t deny that you can’t get away from me, either.”

Before she could respond, he was right there, standing too close, his breath mixing with hers. The words that followed were quiet, dangerous, as though they were secrets only meant for her ears.

“You’ll fall, Avni. You always do.”

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