Chapter 15: No Turning Back

Avni stood frozen, her pulse erratic as she watched Reyaansh walk away. His words echoed in her head—There’s no walking away anymore.

A shiver ran down her spine. Was it fear? Or was it something far more dangerous?

Her fingers curled into fists as she forced herself to take a deep breath. Get a grip, Avni. This was not how she worked. She wasn’t someone who lost control. She wasn’t the kind of woman who got tangled up with men like him.

But she already was.

And the worst part? She wasn’t sure if she wanted to untangle herself.

She turned on her heel, determined to push this to the back of her mind. Work. That was what mattered. Not Reyaansh. Not his words. Not his touch.

But as she stepped out into the dimly lit hospital corridor, she felt it—his presence. He was leaning against the wall near the exit, watching her. Waiting.

"You’re following me now?" she asked, keeping her voice steady, though her body betrayed her with a shiver.

Reyaansh smirked, pushing off the wall with effortless grace. "You left something behind," he said, holding up her ID card between his fingers.

Avni’s eyes narrowed. "Where did you get that?"

"You dropped it." He stepped closer, closing the space between them again, and held it just out of her reach.

She made a move to snatch it, but he pulled back at the last second, his smirk widening.

"Reyaansh," she warned, her patience thinning.

"Say please."

Her teeth clenched. Infuriating. Arrogant. Impossible.

"Give it to me," she demanded.

He leaned in, lowering his voice, his lips just beside her ear. "Say. Please."

A battle raged inside her. The urge to slap him. The temptation to kiss him again. The need to break free.

But she did none of those things. Instead, she swallowed her pride. "Please," she said, her voice quiet but firm.

Reyaansh’s fingers brushed against hers as he placed the ID in her palm, his touch lingering longer than necessary. "See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?"

She exhaled sharply. "I hate you."

"You wish you did."

She turned to walk away, needing space, needing air—but before she could take another step, he grabbed her wrist, pulling her back with a force that sent her crashing into him.

Her breath caught. His grip was firm but not painful. His touch possessive but not forceful.

His gaze burned into hers. "Stop pretending, Avni."

She swallowed. "Pretending what?"

"That you don’t feel this. That you don’t want this." His thumb traced a slow circle against the inside of her wrist, making her skin tingle. "I see right through you."

Her heart was a wild drum against her ribs. "You don’t know me, Reyaansh."

His smirk darkened. "Oh, but I do. And that terrifies you, doesn’t it?"

She should have pulled away. She should have shoved him off and left.

But instead, she stood there, trapped in his gravity, her body betraying her once again.

Because the terrifying truth was—he was right.

And she didn’t know how to stop.

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