Hey my lovely readers I hope you are all well

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RUHANIKA'S POV

As I stepped into the dark room, my heart clenched painfully.

There he was.

Rudraksh.

Broken glass was scattered across the floor, covering every corner of the room. His fists were bleeding, and his eyes were filled with pain, anger, and something much deeper.

For the first time, I didn't see the cruel man who hated me.

I saw a man who was hurting.

A man who had lost someone precious.

And somehow... seeing him like this hurt me too.

"Rudraksh ji..." I called softly.

His sharp gaze snapped toward me.

The moment he recognized my voice, his jaw tightened.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he growled.

I took a hesitant step forward.

"Please come home."

His eyes darkened.

I looked at his injured hands and tears filled my eyes.

Blood was dripping from his knuckles.

Without thinking, I rushed toward him and gently held his large hand in both of mine.

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" I whispered.

No matter how much he hated me...

No matter how badly he treated me...

I couldn't bear seeing him in pain.

"Leave," he ordered coldly.

His eyes were bloodshot, his entire body trembling with rage.

"No."

My voice shook, but I didn't move.

"At least let me bandage your hand first."

Without waiting for his permission, I tore a piece from the edge of my saree and carefully wrapped it around his wounded hand.

For a moment, silence filled the room.

Then suddenly—

His hand shot up and wrapped around my throat.

I gasped.

"I hate you."

His voice was cold enough to freeze my blood.

"Stay away from me."

Tears gathered in my eyes.

"You can hate me all you want, but first let me take care of you."

His grip tightened before he suddenly released me.

I stumbled backward and fell onto the floor.

The next second, he grabbed another glass jar and smashed it against the wall.

Crash!

The broken pieces scattered everywhere.

Then, to my horror, he pressed his wounded hand into the sharp glass.

"Rudraksh ji!"

I ran toward him.

"Have you lost your mind?"

"Please stop!"

"Don't hurt yourself because of me!"

"Get lost!" he shouted.

"No!"

I shook my head stubbornly.

"If someone deserves punishment, it's me."

His eyes narrowed.

A cold smirk appeared on his lips.

"Oh?"

"You want punishment?"

I nodded.

His gaze shifted toward the shattered glass covering the floor.

"Fine."

"Then stand there."

My heartbeat stopped.

The sharp glass glittered beneath my feet.

"I know you won't do it," he mocked.

"It's all just another drama."

I looked at him for a long moment.

Then quietly stood up.

And stepped onto the broken glass.

Pain exploded through my feet instantly.

"Aahh!"

I bit my lip hard to stop myself from crying.

For a second, I thought I would collapse.

But then I looked at him.

His pain was far greater than mine.

"If this can lessen your suffering even a little..."

"I can bear it."

Rudraksh stared at me in shock.

For the first time, his confidence wavered.

But the next moment, he leaned back on the couch and crossed his arms.

"If you're so eager to be punished..."

"Dance."

My eyes widened.

"What?"

"Dance on the glass."

He played music on his phone.

The melody filled the room.

I looked down at my bleeding feet.

Then at him.

And slowly...

I began to dance.

Every step felt like fire.

Every movement pushed another piece of glass deeper into my skin.

Tears rolled down my cheeks.

My vision blurred.

But I kept going.

Because somehow...

Watching him destroy himself hurt more than my own wounds.

Minutes passed.

Blood stained the floor.

My legs trembled violently.

Still, I danced.

Suddenly, Rudraksh's phone rang.

He glanced at the screen.

"Keep dancing, Mrs. Raizada."

Then he walked outside.

The moment he disappeared, my body nearly gave up.

But I forced myself to continue.

A few minutes later, he returned.

The second he entered the room, he froze.

Blood.

There was blood everywhere.

My feet were completely covered in it.

For a moment, something flashed in his eyes.

Fear.

Concern.

Regret.

Without saying a word, he strode toward me.

Before I could react, his arms wrapped around my waist.

And the next second—

I was in his arms.

"Why didn't you stop?" he asked angrily.

His voice was rough.

Almost hurt.

I stared at him in confusion.

Wasn't he the one who told me to continue?

Before I could answer, he carried me out of the room.

Out of the farmhouse.

Out into the night.

And for the first time...

His grip wasn't cruel.

It was careful.

Three days had passed since the farmhouse incident.

Things had changed slightly inside the Raizada mansion. Some family members had started treating Ruhanika a little better, though the hatred in a few eyes still remained the same.

Ruhanika slowly opened her eyes and rubbed them sleepily. As her vision cleared, her gaze landed on Rudraksh.

He was standing near the mirror, already dressed in a crisp black suit, adjusting his watch before leaving for the office.

For a brief moment, their eyes met.

A strange silence filled the room.

Ruhanika immediately lowered her gaze and looked away, unable to hold his stare.

Ever since that night, something had changed between them.

Not enough to erase the pain.

Not enough to build trust.

But enough to create confusion.

"Your internship starts today, right?" Rudraksh asked suddenly.

Ruhanika looked at him in surprise.

He remembered?

"Y-Yes..." she replied softly.

"Hm."

That was all he said before picking up his car keys.

Just as he reached the door, he stopped.

"Be careful."

And then he left.

Ruhanika sat frozen on the bed.

For the first time, his concern didn't sound fake.

A small smile appeared on her lips before she quickly shook her head.

"No, Rooh... don't think too much."

After getting ready, she wore a simple sky-blue kurti and tied her hair into a neat ponytail.

Today was important.

Today was the first step toward her dream.

Becoming a lawyer.

Downstairs, she found Dada Ji reading a newspaper.

"Good morning, beta," he greeted warmly.

"Good morning, Dada Ji."

"You look nervous."

"A little."

Dada Ji smiled.

"Fear is normal before achieving something big."

His words instantly calmed her heart.

A few moments later, she left for her internship.

---

Meanwhile

Rudraksh's POV

I sat inside my office, pretending to read a file.

Pretending.

Because for the last thirty minutes, I hadn't read a single line.

My mind was somewhere else.

On someone else.

On her.

I closed the file in frustration.

"Damn it."

Why was I thinking about her?

Why did her tears affect me?

Why did seeing her injured make me feel guilty?

And most importantly...

Who was she?

Because now I was certain.

The girl living with me wasn't Manika Suryavanshi.

The real Manika was in Paris.

I had seen her with my own eyes.

Then who was the girl who danced on broken glass just because I told her to?

Who was the girl who tore her saree to bandage my hand?

Who was the girl who still cared for me after everything I had done?

A knock interrupted my thoughts.

"Come in."

Anurag entered.

"Sir, I found something."

My eyes narrowed.

"What?"

He placed a file on my desk.

"A confidential file regarding Nandita Suryavanshi."

My heartbeat stopped.

Nandita Suryavanshi.

Ruhanika's mother.

I immediately opened the file.

The first few pages contained old family records.

Then suddenly...

A photograph slipped out.

And my entire world froze.

There were two identical girls standing beside Nandita.

Not one.

Two.

Twins.

My hands tightened around the photograph.

One was Manika.

And the other...

Ruhanika.

"What the hell..." I whispered.

For the first time in months, fear entered my heart.

Because if this was true...

Then I had been punishing the wrong person all along.

And suddenly...

Every tear she had shed.

Every wound she had suffered.

Every scream I had ignored.

Came back to haunt me.

For the first time in my life...

Rudraksh Singh Raizada felt guilty.

Very guilty.

To be continued...