Page 224 of The Redemption
“I know… all these years you waited for your prince charming. You dreamt of someone who would woo you, someone who would win your heart the right way. You had plansfor your life, Siya. You wanted your independence. You wanted to build a life of your own. You wanted to leave this mafia world behind to live peacefully, happily...”
He exhales slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. “But I broke your trust. I broke your heart, Siya.”
Tears silently gather in my eyes until my vision begins to blur. I shake my head, wanting to stop him before he blames himself any further, but he caresses his thumb against my cheek.
“No...” His voice is barely above a whisper. “Let me speak.”
And I fall silent. My fingers tighten around his shirt as he continues looking into my eyes.
“The way I married you will always remain the biggest regret of my life.” He gently wipes away a tear before it can fall. “But I don’t want that regret to be the only memory our marriage leaves us with. I don’t want us to speak about our marriage years from now and remember only those bitter memories.” He shakes his head ever so slightly. “I want to give you another memory, Siya. One we’ll both cherish for the rest of our lives. And I want to give you that tonight.”
A small crease forms between my brows.
Tonight?
Without another word, he slowly turns his head and gestures towards the temple. My eyes follow his, and I almost stop breathing.
Right in the middle of the temple, before the deity, is a havan kund. The sacred fire hasn’t been lit yet, but all the arrangements for a traditional Hindu wedding are already in place. The wooden seats, the ritual offerings, the sindoor, the mangalsutra… every little detail needed for a marriage is right there.
And then, everything begins to fall into place. Raghav didn’t bring me here for a date. He brought me here to rewrite thedarkest memory of my life. The tears I had somehow managed to hold back finally spill over, and I don’t even try to stop them.
Raghav gently wipes each one away with his thumb before leaning down to place the softest kiss against my forehead. When he pulls back, his hands are still cradling my face. He searches my eyes for one long moment before speaking again.
“Siya Vardhaan...” His Adam’s apple bobs ever so slightly. “Will you marry me again?”
In that moment, the world around me simply fades away.
I stare at him, unable to breathe, unable to think. Not even in my wildest dreams had I imagined Raghav proposing to me. And yet here he is, asking me to become his wife all over again.
“I promise you, Siya,” he continues before I can even find my voice. “From this moment onwards, I’ll do everything in my power to make this the most beautiful memory of your life.”
His forehead almost touches mine.
“Every darkness that has ever shadowed your life... I’ll spend the rest of my life filling it with the light of my love.”
My heart stops.Love.
Did Raghav just...
He gives a tiny nod before I can even question it.
“I know. That word probably sounds strange coming from me,” he says with the faintest self-conscious smile I’ve ever seen on his face. “When Ayaan spoke about love, then Vishnu, then Krish... I always believed it wasn’t meant for someone like me.” His fingers brush a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “But then you walked into my life. You challenged everything I believed, and somewhere along the way, you made me realise how wrong I’d been… and how much I needed everything I had spent my whole life convincing myself I didn’t.”
His thumb strokes my cheek again, his eyes glistening.
“I needed peace. I needed a home. I needed love. And more than all of that...” He smiles at me with a tenderness that quietly steals my heart. “I needed you, Siya.”
My vision blurs completely.
“You’ve filled every empty corner inside me with a feeling I spent years denying even existed. And now...” His forehead rests against mine. “I can’t imagine my life without that feeling. I can’t imagine my life withoutyouanymore.”
Another heartbeat passes.
“I f*cking love you so much.”
For one endless moment, I simply stare at him, unable to believe that the man standing before me has just bared his entire soul to me. A sob escapes my throat before I can stop it, and the very next second, I throw myself into his arms. I hold him with everything I have, and Raghav doesn’t hesitate for even a heartbeat. His arms come around me just as tightly, pulling me against his chest. I bury my face into him, unable to stop the tears anymore, while his hand moves gentlyover my back in comforting strokes.
His lips press softly over the dupatta covering my head. Neither of us says a word. We simply remain there, wrapped in each other’s arms, holding on as though neither of us wants to let go. I don’t know how much time passes before I finally draw back.
