Story Notes

Some truths begin with blood. Some bonds begin with mercy. And some destinies begin long before the world is ready for them.

The boy was hidden away like a secret no one should discover - bruised, starved, barely breathing. The heir to a name that demanded loyalty and invited death. Arjun Devraj Ragunandhan.

On a night when even the moon refused to look at him, a soft sound broke the silence .. a tiny laugh, the crinkle of a wrapper, the scent of something warm.

Through a cracked hole in the wall, he saw a girl eating bun-butter-jam, her feet swinging, her world peaceful… while his was collapsing.

She noticed him. She didn’t scream. She didn’t run. She simply held out her food, the only kindness he had seen in his entire life.

She disappeared before he could speak. But the memory didn’t.

Some meetings are not accidents. Some are warnings. And some… are the beginning of a storm.

Summary

"No..." She shook her head, the word scraping out of her throat. "No, no... everything was a lie." Her voice rose, cutting through the silence. "You were a lie." She staggered back a step, but her eyes never left his. They burned ..grief and fury tangled so tightly she couldn't separate them. "You're a monster," she spat. "You played me. You played our entire-"Her breath hitched. "The whole fucking relationship was a lie." The fresh tear slipped free, hot against her skin. Then another. But her chin stayed lifted, stubborn, refusing to crumble in front of the man who had broken her. "I don't want to be with you," she said. Quiet. Steady. The kind of steady that comes when there's nothing left to burn. Then Arjun chuckled. It wasn't amused. It wasn't surprised. It was darker. Colder. "You really think you can just walk away?" he murmured, stepping closer. His shadow swallowed the distance between them. "Love... you don't have a choice." She went rigid as his fingers cupped her chin. "Because if I have to chain you," he whispered, eyes full of a devotion that looked too much like madness, "I won't hesitate." Lightning flashed behind him, turning his face into a silhouette carved from obsession. "I will do whatever it takes to keep you." Shivanya's breath shook, fear and anger and betrayal knotting together until she couldn't tell where one ended and the other began. she understood something terrifying: Arjun didn't just love her. He owned her. And monsters never let go of what they claim.

Genre: Romance

Author: Alistra

Status: 5mo ago

Chapters: 25

Rating: 5.0 (1 review)

Age Rating: 18+

Characters

Arjun Devraj Ragunandhan, 26 - the heir to the Devraj Ragunandhan empire, a man carved by violence and betrayal. Ruthless, cold, and cunning, he is someone who never knows the meaning of forgiveness. People fear him for his mind as much as his power. But beneath that brutal exterior, there exists a single weakness he cannot control , his obsessive protectiveness and dangerous possessiveness over Shivanya, the only softness he has ever allowed into his world.

Shivanya Damodharan, 22 - a gentle soul wrapped in quiet strength. She feels everything a little too deeply, loves a little too sincerely, and breaks without making a sound. There’s a softness in her that she guards carefully, and a hidden fire she hasn’t fully learned to trust yet. She carries kindness like it’s part of her breath, even when life has made her feel alone, confused, or lost. She overthinks her emotions but still chooses hope every single time. And without realizing it, she becomes the quiet peace Arjun Devraj Ragunandhan has spent his whole life craving , the warmth he fears, the calm he’s addicted to, and the only light that can tremble his darkness.