Morning light slowly filled the hospital room.
Riya opened her eyes, feeling much better than before.
Her fever had gone down.
But something else was different too.
Her thoughts.
They were still stuck on one person.
Arjun.
She turned her head slightly—
But the chair beside her bed was empty.
He was gone.
A strange feeling settled in her chest.
Why do I feel… disappointed?
She quickly shook her head.
"No, no… what am I thinking?" she whispered.
After getting discharged…
Riya returned home.
The small house, the quiet environment—it felt normal.
Safe.
But her mind wasn't at peace.
Everything that had happened in the last few days…
The sudden marriage.
The job.
Arjun's behavior.
It was all too much.
Later that evening…
Riya sat quietly, looking at an old photo in her hand.
Her eyes softened.
"Papa…" she whispered.
The photo showed her and her father, smiling happily.
A time when life was simple.
Before everything changed.
Before the debts.
Before the pressure.
Before she was forced into a marriage with a stranger.
Tears formed in her eyes.
"I had no choice…" she said softly.
"I did it for you."
The next day…
Riya entered the office again.
This time, she looked more confident.
More stable.
"Good morning, Miss Riya," a colleague greeted.
"Good morning," she replied with a small smile.
But as soon as she reached her desk—
"Come to my cabin."
That voice.
Cold as always.
Arjun.
Riya took a deep breath and walked in.
Inside the cabin…
Arjun was standing near the window.
Just like the first day.
His back facing her.
For a moment, everything felt the same.
But it wasn't.
"Feeling better?" he asked without turning around.
Riya blinked.
"Yes… I'm fine now."
A brief silence followed.
Then he turned.
His expression unreadable.
"Good," he said. "Because I don't like weak people."
Riya frowned slightly.
"There's a difference between being weak and being sick," she replied.
Arjun's eyes narrowed a little.
Interesting.
"You talk a lot," he said.
"And you don't listen enough," she shot back.
Silence.
Again.
But this time—
It wasn't uncomfortable.
It was… charged.
Arjun walked closer.
Slowly.
"You're changing," he said.
Riya held his gaze.
"Maybe I'm just getting used to you."
A faint smirk appeared on his lips.
"Careful," he said.
"People who get close to me…"
He paused.
His expression darkened.
"…regret it."
Riya's heart skipped a beat.
There was something in his voice.
Something real.
Something painful.
"Why?" she asked softly.
Arjun didn't answer.
Instead, he turned away.
"Focus on your work," he said coldly.
Conversation over.
Just like that.
But Riya wasn't satisfied.
Something was clearly hidden.
Something he wasn't telling.
Later that day…
Riya was organizing files when she overheard two employees talking.
"Did you hear about Mr. Arjun?" one of them whispered.
Riya's ears perked up.
"What?" the other asked.
"They say… his past isn't clean."
Riya frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"I heard his family went through something big… something bad."
Riya's heart tightened.
Family?
"What happened?" the second person asked.
"No one knows exactly," the first replied. "But ever since then… he changed."
Riya stayed silent.
Her thoughts racing.
Changed?
So that's why…
The cold behavior.
The distance.
The walls.
That evening…
Riya stood outside Arjun's cabin.
Thinking.
Should I ask him?
No… he'll just shut me down again.
But still…
Something inside her pushed her forward.
She knocked.
"Come in."
She entered.
Arjun looked up.
"Yes?"
Riya hesitated for a moment.
Then—
"Why are you like this?" she asked.
Straight.
Direct.
Arjun froze slightly.
"What?"
"You push people away," she continued.
"You act cold… like nothing matters."
Silence filled the room.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
"You're crossing your limits," Arjun said slowly.
"I'm just trying to understand," she replied.
Their eyes locked.
For a long moment—
No one moved.
Then suddenly—
Arjun stepped closer.
Very close.
"Don't try to understand me," he said in a low voice.
"Because you won't like what you find."
Riya's breath hitched.
There it was again.
That darkness.
That mystery.
That pain.
Hidden behind his eyes.
And for the first time—
She wasn't scared of it.
She was curious.
As she walked out of the cabin…
One thing was clear.
Arjun Mehra wasn't just cold.
He was broken.
And somehow—
She had become a part of his story.