The first sign that something was wrong came quietly.
Too quietly.
Aarav noticed it during his morning briefing. His assistant's tablet froze for half a second longer than usual. The stock update lagged. A minor glitch—something no one else would have paid attention to.
But Aarav had built his empire by noticing what others dismissed.
"Pause," he said.
The room fell silent.
"Run the numbers again," he ordered.
The financial analyst hesitated. "Sir, they're the same as—"
"Again."
Minutes later, the color drained from the man's face.
"There's been a coordinated short sell," he said carefully. "Overnight. Multiple shell companies."
Aarav's jaw tightened.
"How much?"
"Enough to destabilize confidence," another director added. "Not enough to destroy us. Yet."
Aarav leaned back slowly.
This wasn't business.
This was retaliation.
"Trace it," he said. "Quietly."
As the meeting ended, his phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
He didn't answer.
The message appeared seconds later.
Power makes men careless. Attachment makes them weak.
His fingers curled around the phone.
They knew.
---
Ishita felt it before she understood it.
The driver missed a turn on the way to the hospital.
She frowned. "This isn't the usual route."
The man stiffened. "Construction, ma'am."
Her instincts prickled.
"Stop the car," she said.
He hesitated.
"Now."
The car slowed.
That was when the black SUV appeared behind them.
Too close.
Too deliberate.
Her breath hitched. "Call Mr. Malhotra."
The driver already had.
The SUV swerved suddenly, blocking their path.
Ishita's heart slammed against her ribs.
The window of the SUV rolled down just enough for her to see the man inside.
She recognized him instantly.
The investor.
The one Aarav had threatened.
He smiled.
"I told you your husband wasn't as powerful as he thinks."
Fear surged — sharp and suffocating.
"Drive," she whispered.
The driver slammed the accelerator, tires screeching as they narrowly missed the SUV. Traffic chaos erupted around them.
Her phone rang.
"Aarav," she gasped the moment she answered.
"I know," he said, voice dangerously calm. "Listen to me. Are you hurt?"
"No."
"Good," he replied. "Don't hang up. I'm rerouting security. Stay in public areas."
"You said you pulled them back," she said, panic creeping in.
"I said I reduced them," he corrected. "Not removed."
The SUV followed for another block before suddenly turning away.
The silence afterward was deafening.
Ishita's hands shook.
By the time they reached the hospital, Aarav was already there.
She had never seen him like that.
His composure was intact, but his eyes—
They burned.
He pulled her into his arms without hesitation, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other gripping her wrist like he was grounding himself through her pulse.
She froze.
Then slowly, she relaxed.
"I'm here," she whispered.
His breath shuddered.
"You should never have been touched by this," he said harshly. "This is my war."
"It became mine when I married you," she replied softly.
That stopped him.
He pulled back just enough to look at her face.
"You're shaking," he said.
"So are you," she pointed out.
He didn't deny it.
---
The attack escalated within hours.
False rumors leaked to the press. Articles questioned Aarav's leadership. Anonymous sources hinted at instability within Malhotra Group.
And then—
A file surfaced online.
Marriage contract.
Not the full document. Just enough to imply it existed.
The headline spread like wildfire.
CEO's Marriage a Sham? Sources Claim Contractual Union
Ishita stared at the screen, numb.
"So this is how they break you," she murmured.
Aarav stood behind her, fists clenched.
"They're testing limits," he said. "They want me to react."
"And if you do?"
"They win."
She turned to face him. "And if you don't?"
His voice dropped. "They'll come for you again."
The room felt suddenly too small.
"This is because of me," she said.
"No," he said immediately. "This is because I changed."
She searched his face. "Do you regret it?"
The question hung between them like a blade.
Aarav exhaled slowly.
"I regret that the world noticed," he said. "I don't regret you."
Her chest tightened painfully.
"But I won't let them use you," he continued. "If this gets worse, I'll end the contract publicly."
Her breath caught. "What?"
"I'll take the hit," he said. "Scandal, loss of authority—whatever it costs. You'll be free."
She stared at him.
This was the man who once equated freedom with weakness.
"And what do you lose?" she asked.
He didn't hesitate.
"Everything I built."
Silence swallowed the room.
Slowly, Ishita shook her head.
"You don't get to decide that alone."
He frowned. "I'm protecting you."
"And I'm choosing you," she said firmly. "Don't take that choice away from me now."
His eyes darkened.
"This isn't a small risk."
"I know," she replied. "But neither is loving someone like you."
The word loving slipped out before she could stop it.
They both froze.
Aarav's breath hitched.
"Ishita—"
She held up a hand. "I'm not saying it's complete. Or safe. Or even permanent."
She swallowed.
"But I won't be used as leverage. Not against you."
The resolve in her voice steadied something inside him.
For the first time, they stood on the same side of the storm.
---
That night, Aarav made a move that shocked the board.
He called an emergency press conference.
"I will not comment on fabricated rumors," he said calmly to a room full of flashing cameras. "But I will say this—my wife is not a liability."
Gasps rippled through the room.
"She is not a contract," he continued. "She is not leverage. And any attempt to threaten her will be treated as an act of war."
The statement sent shockwaves through the market.
Shares dipped.
Power fractured.
But something else happened too.
The attacks slowed.
The message was clear.
Hurting Ishita meant crossing a line even Aarav Malhotra would burn the world to defend.
---
Later, in the quiet of their bedroom, Ishita sat on the edge of the bed, exhaustion heavy in her bones.
"You didn't have to do that," she said.
"Yes," he replied. "I did."
She looked up at him. "Even if it costs you control?"
He knelt in front of her, eye level now.
"Control kept me safe," he said. "Trust keeps me human."
Her eyes stung.
"This world will keep testing us," she whispered.
"I know."
"And we might not survive it."
He reached for her hands, holding them gently.
"Then we face it honestly," he said. "No contracts. No cages."
Just us.
She nodded slowly.
That night, when she leaned into him, it wasn't fear that drove her.
It was resolve.
And somewhere beyond the mansion walls, the world recalculated.
Because the moment Aarav Malhotra chose love over power—
He became far more dangerous than before.