Prologue

It was a full moon night, and a soft yet generous amount of moonlight streamed directly onto the balcony of the king’s royal, luxurious, and massive room. The wind howled fiercely, making the curtains on the balcony tremble under its force. The palace was quiet—everyone was in their respective rooms, lost in deep sleep. 

But there was one person still awake. It was around three in the morning. She turned once again to look at the man beside her, his sleeping figure lying peacefully next to her. This was the night she had been waiting for, for years. Once, she thought it would remain nothing more than a distant dream, something forever out of her reach. But now, it was all hers—the name she secretly whispered behind her own, the status she longed for, and most importantly, the man she had loved for as long as she could remember. 

A small smile appeared on her face as her fingers traced his face gently. Finally, they had become one after an intense and passionate night of making love. Moving closer, she placed a soft kiss on his nose and whispered, “I love you, Ruhaan.” These were just three simple words—perhaps a magical phrase—but to her, they were everything. They carried years of waiting, the hatred she had shown him to hide her true feelings, the restrictions forced upon them by their families, and above all, the cold, ruthless wall he had built between them. 

Maybe—just maybe—she had finally broken through it. Maybe now, he had accepted her and the love she had for him. From this moment on, she didn’t have to hide it anymore. She could love him openly, loudly, and without fear. 

“I love you too,” he murmured in his sleep. 

Her world stopped. Her breath hitched. Her eyes widened in pure shock. 

He finally said it. The words she had yearned to hear for years. If she died in the very next second, she wouldn’t regret it. 

But destiny had something else planned for her. 

Her heart shattered the moment he continued in the same breath—"I love you too, Nabi (나비).” 

Nabi. The Korean word for butterfly. 

It wasn’t the word itself that cut through her like a blade—it was the realization that came with it. Even in his sleep, she was nothing to him. 

"Nabi"—the nickname he had once given to his ex-lover, his first love. The one who had left him, after which he had never looked at another woman and had turned into the ruthless man he was today. 

A single tear slipped from her eye. And then another. Before she knew it, her eyes had turned into a river of silent, heartbreaking tears. 

Everything had come full circle. Once again, she was right where she had started. 

For him, it had just been a drunken night. But Jahnavi—she had thought he had finally let her in. That he had finally melted the ice surrounding his heart. 

Slowly, she pulled herself away from the warmth of the quilt, gathered her scattered clothes from the floor, and walked towards the bathroom. 

As she faced the mirror, her reflection stared back at her—a reflection covered in deep purple marks, spread across her neck, collarbone, and stomach. But they weren’t meant for her. They never were. 

Disgust filled her chest, suffocating her. 

Her red, swollen eyes met her own in the mirror, filled with nothing but the silent pain of a love that was never hers to begin with.

    *ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

"You know what, Jahnavi? You are nothing but a mere sex whore for me, dear biwi," Ruhaan roared, his voice thundering through the massive royal chamber, echoing off the high walls. His sharp words cut through the silence like a blade. Jahnavi stood there, frozen, her heart pounding as she listened to the worst insult she could ever imagine coming from her own husband. But that was it—if she didn’t stand up for herself now, then no one ever would. 

Her fingers curled into fists, nails digging into her palms as she took a deep breath, her eyes locking onto his with a fierce intensity. "Wife aur whore mein farq hota hai, Ruhaan Rajvardhan," she roared back, her voice matching his in both pitch and power. He might be the king of this state, but she was a princess—now a queen—who would never bow down before anyone. 

"Whore tumne banaya mujhe, par har roz, subah se shaam tak wife banne ki koshish sirf maine ki hai," she spat, her words dripping with the pain and betrayal she had endured. 

Ruhaan had never seen this side of Jahnavi before. To him, she was always the calm, kind-hearted woman who never raised her voice, never fought back, never hurt anyone. But tonight, that woman was gone. The one standing before him had transformed—her aura burning with raw anger, her red, glossy eyes filled with fire, her whole body trembling with suppressed rage. 

She took a step forward, her voice unwavering as she glared at him. "Aur tum? Tum keh rahe ho maine khud ko bech diya? Tum toh khud bik gaye the, Ruhaan! Mujhe kharidte-kharidte apni rooh tak bech di!" 

Her words were like fuel to Ruhaan’s already burning anger. His hands clenched at his sides as he took a step toward her, his face inches from hers. "I'm not a gentleman, Jahnavi. You know that. I will burn you alive, and not a single soul will dare question me," he hissed, his voice low but laced with venom. His dark eyes held a dangerous glint, not just of fury but of something much deeper—an unresolved storm raging within him. 

But Jahnavi didn’t flinch. She had been afraid of him once, but not anymore. "I know," she whispered, her voice steady. "I know you're not a gentleman. And still, I love you, Ruhaan. I love you with everything I have." 

If it were any other day, Ruhaan would have been on cloud nine after hearing her confession. He would have mocked her, teased her, or maybe even smirked in satisfaction. But not today. Today, he saw it as another trap, another lie she was spinning to hide her so-called "true self." 

His lips twisted into a cruel smirk as he let out a humorless chuckle. "Pyaar? Tumhe pyaar ka matlab bhi pata hai?" he sneered. "Jo ladki apni desires aur pleasure ke liye kisi ke saath bhi—" 

SLAP!

The sound echoed through the room. 

Before he could even finish his sentence, Jahnavi’s palm landed hard across his face. His head slightly tilted to the side from the impact, and for a moment, he just stood there, frozen, as if trying to register what had just happened. 

The silence that followed was deafening. 

Tears welled up in Jahnavi’s eyes, but her voice was firm when she spoke. "Mujhe yeh galatfahmi thi ki tum badal sakte ho… ki main tumhe badal sakti hoon. Par tum toh apni hi biwi ko—" 

Ruhaan cut her off, his voice sharp as a dagger. "BIWI.NAHI.THI.TUM.MERI! NA.AB.HO, AUR.NA.KABHI.HOGI!" 

Jahnavi stumbled back as if his words had physically struck her. But Ruhaan wasn’t done yet. His rage had reached its peak. "Aur jab biwi nahi ho, toh nikal jao mere ghar se. Sirf mere ghar se hi nahi, balki mere desh se bhi!" 

She flinched at his words. She had known this truth for a long time, had felt it in every cold glance he threw her way, in every indifferent touch, in every moment of distance between them. She had always known that she was nothing more than a body to him—just something to satisfy his needs. But still, she had stayed. 

She had stayed not for herself but for *

him. So that he could live once again, so that the broken man inside him could heal. Because she had loved him all her life, and now, she was left with nothing. 

Her lips trembled as she looked at him, her voice breaking. "Mujhe jis izzat aur pyaar ke saath is desh mein, is ghar mein, aur iss jeevan mein laaye the… usi izzat ko tod kar, mujhe beizzat karke jaane ke liye keh rahe ho?" 

Ruhaan said nothing. His silence was louder than any of his cruel words. Every passing second of it shattered her heart even more. 

She let out a shaky breath, her hands clasping together as she took one last step toward him. "Agar aaj main yaha se chali gayi, Ruhaan… toh kabhi wapas nahi aungi." Her voice was barely above a whisper, yet it held so much weight. 

A tear slipped down her cheek as she finally broke—her pride, her dignity, everything she had held onto until now. "Please… mujhe mat jaane do…” She choked out the words, her knees threatening to give up. "Please, mujhe rok lo. Ek aakhri baar… apni self-respect chhod kar bheekh maang rahi hoon tumse… mujhe rok lo, Ruhaan." 

She begged. 

For the first time in her life, Jahnavi Karki Rajvardhan begged. 

But Ruhaan only narrowed his eyes, his lips curling into a bitter smirk. "Khud jaogi, ya kisi se keh kar dhakke maar ke bahar nikalwaun?" 

And just like that, whatever little hope she had left inside her died. 

Jahnavi took a deep breath, wiping away her tears. She had spent years chasing after a man who had never truly been hers. She had spent years fighting a battle that was already lost from the beginning. 

Tonight, she lost once again. 

...*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚...

...ख़ुशी तुम्हारी है जब इसी में...

...तो हम भी आंसू छुपा ही लेंगे...

...वजह जो पूछेगा ये जमाना...

...कोई बहाना बना ही लेंगे...

...✨ Ruhaan X Jahnavi ✨...

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