Ekaksh looked at Ayesha, his gaze softening. He rose from the place near her feet and gently covered her with a warm blanket. She was still asleep. Sitting down beside her pillow, he whispered,

"You know… from the very beginning I knew you didn’t love me. Your heart belonged to someone else.

And yet, I stayed.

Not because I loved you beyond reason…

But because I was terrified of even touching you."

Mujhe apse dur jane ke khyaal bhar se dar lagta he me dar jata hu jab ap us insaan ki baho me hoti or me kisi out sider ki tarf ek kone me khada hota fir bhi yaha hu “Because the way I care for you never allows me to walk away,”

Ekaksh said, his eyes turning suddenly cold—

devoid of expression, empty of emotion…

holding nothing but a quiet, aching loneliness.

He smiled faintly, a smile born out of exhaustion rather than joy - aapko pata he me kisi se nahi darta bas ek aap h jiske aage humari bhi chalti “If dying is what it takes to hold you in my arms, then I’ll die without hesitation.

And if killing is what it takes…

then I’ll do that too.”

Me apki zindagi haar jaunga par is baar apko nahi haru ga  “I swear on you…”

There was a fierce madness burning in Ekaksh’s eyes—

an obsession to claim Ayesha as his.

“You won’t be Armaan Malik’s Ayesha anymore.

This time… you will become Ekaksh’s Esha.” Or is baar mujhe kasam h " me apko nahi harugaaa"    As he spoke, Ekaksh pressed his forehead to Ayesha’s,

their breaths mingling—

and he drew in a slow breath,

as if he could absorb her existence into himself. 

bas ese hi har raat apki saso ko apne andar ghulte hue dekhnaa chata hu me It wasn’t merely something he said—

it was his madness…

a wild obsession for which he had fought battles

no one even knew he had fought.

He got up from where he was sitting and walked back toward the window.

Turning halfway, he said quietly,

“I’m leaving for now, jaan…

but I’ll come back soon.

Maybe you won’t wait for me—

but I’ll still be waiting for you… restlessly, desperately.”

With that, he turned away

and slipped out through the window.

“Sir, are you alright?”

" Still" he replied in single word.”

Ye kya sir ke muh me jaban nahi he jo hamesha hmm haa me javab dete h bande ko or kuch bhi bolna hota shut up arth agar jaan pyari he to chup karo “Standing beside him, the man nudged Arth with his elbow and said, ‘Yes, yes… I’ll keep quiet now. Happy?’

Arth pouted and muttered, ‘His mood is ruined now.’”

Sir hume kaha chalana he “Trailing after Ekaksh, Arth spoke quietly…” jahanum me  “He’ll spit the words out in anger.”

Jahnummm me huhuu majal ye band sidhe sawalo ka sidha javab de

“A little while later,”

“Ekaksh stood near the large portrait; because of the shadows, no one could see him clearly.

He lifted his hand and slowly traced the face painted in the picture, humming under his breath.”

Agar naa ho skati tum se mohabbat to naa karta kart tere mohabbat me khud ko itna jalaya naa karta naa hoti mohobbat to tum se naa karta

Yeh dil to ek pal ke didaar ko tarsta h tere or ke tu he jise humari fikar tak nahi he

Naa ho sakti mohabbat to Tuse naa karta

**“There weren’t just words in his guilt—there was a madness… a madness even he hadn’t recognized yet.

Now, love would begin only to destroy everything.

Humming under his breath, he laughed like someone truly unhinged.

Everyone standing there shivered at the sight of him.

They had seen madness before, yes… but this?

This was something else entirely.

Something he wanted… cherished… feared.

Just then, footsteps echoed in their ears.

The house was wooden and old, so the floor creaked—

khat… khat… khaaataa…”*

Just then, with a firm, commanding grip, someone placed a hand on Ekaksh’s shoulder.

And in a voice so scorching—

the kind that could burn anyone who heard it—

they said,

“If you’re done being insane, sir…

maybe pay a little attention to the killers around you.

Otherwise—”

Agli baar me aapki maiyat ne aat hu nazar aauga  “Saying this, he smiled in that strange, unsettling way of his.”

Humari maiyat me aane ki to tere sapne ki aukaat nahi h “Ekaksh looked at Yatharth with eyes that burned like fire.”

Oo really  “He laughed with that unhinged, crazed edge in his voice.” agar kesa hota to me tera ghar par teri nazaro ke samne kyu aya hota

“That’s true,” Ekaksh muttered, lighting his cigarette as he turned to stare outside.

Taking the cigarette from Ekaksh’s hand, Yatharth spoke in a low, deliberate voice,

“So… now you’ll become vikrat.” vo bhi us mamuli ladki ke liye The moment Yatharth’s words reached Ekaksh’s ears, he flared up—

as if something inside him had been set ablaze.

He snapped.

With a furious roar, he grabbed Yatharth by the collar,

his fists tightening like iron,

and in the next second he had him pinned—

dangling from the ceiling beneath his grip.  mamuli nahi he vo ekaksh ke dil ki dhakkan h

“So listen carefully… if you value your life,

don’t ever dare something like this again.

Otherwise, in your youth, your corpse won’t even get a proper fire at the cremation.”

“Acha, acha… fine! Okay, my lord—just let me go!”

Yatharth’s face was drenched in sweat.

“Okay,” Ekaksh muttered, releasing him.

Ayesha’s Room

Ayesha lay unconscious on the bed, completely unaware of anything happening around her.

She didn’t react… didn’t move… didn’t feel.

Armaan opened the door and stepped inside,

his gaze landing on her still face.

“You know… you look so beautiful when you’re asleep,”

he whispered softly, almost lovingly.

“Why do you force me to be harsh with you?

Why do you make me do things I don’t want to?”

He gently brushed his fingers across her cheeks,

trying to calm himself.

“Tomorrow morning, wake up and apologize to mom, okay?

She’ll forgive you.”

A slight crease formed on Armaan’s face—

a hint of pain, barely visible but real.

He lay down beside her,

pulling her into his arms with a quiet desperation.

“I love you, Ayesha…” he breathed against her hair.

“I’ll never leave you.

And you… don’t you ever leave me either.”