Page 12 of Mrs. Rathore

Avni Parmar.

She had replaced Ira.

Replaced my Ira.

Why? Why the hell did she do this to us?

Yes, it was us. Because Ira and I were not just individuals. We were a story. A future. A dream. And Avni tore it all apart like it was nothing. Like we were nothing.

I had two dreams growing up. One was to wear my country’s uniform, to make my father proud and serve with honor. The second was to marry Ira Solanki. She was the woman who made my heart beat louder than the drums of war. The woman who loved me without asking for medals or rank. She loved me.

And now?

Now, in order to save my career, to keep my name from drowning in scandal, I had kicked Ira out of my life.

I stopped answering her calls.

I canceled our wedding.

I blocked her everywhere.

Because I loved my uniform more than I loved Ira... or so I told myself.

But it hurt like hell.

I let out a sharp, broken breath, my lips curling into a bitter smile as I stared at the red wine trailing down my hand. I looked like a madman, laughing at his own despair. “I’m sorry, Ira,” I whispered. “I’m so fucking sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you, and I promise I’ll fix this. I’ll teach Avni a lesson she’ll never forget. If I’m going to be broken, let it be complete.”

The door slammed open.

“What are you doing, Aryan?” Ira's voice was full of fire, the kind that used to warm me but now threatened to burn me alive. She stormed into the room, her face red with rage, her chest heaving. Her eyes, once filled with devotion, now blazed with betrayal.

“You promised me,” she shouted, fists clenched at her sides. “You promised you would marry me, Aryan! You didn’t even have the decency to fight for us! You just threw me away to marry that crippled woman! Are you out of your fucking mind?”

I sat there, silent, while she paced back and forth like a lioness in a cage.

“I’ve never seen you like this,” she continued. “Not when you went on your first mission. Not even when you lost your best friend in the ambush. Not when you almost lost Rhea. But now? You’re just... lost. Hollow. Why the hell did you agree to this, Aryan? Who is she to you? Is she threatening you? Does she want money? We can pay her off. But not with your life. Not with our life.”

She dropped to her knees in front of me, her voice cracking as tears spilled down her cheeks. She clutched my hands, pressing them against her face. “I love you. Please don’t do this.”

My heart shattered.

I had never seen Ira like this. She looked so vulnerable, so raw. She’d always been strong, and stoic. And now she was sobbing into my lap like a girl who had lost her whole world. Because she had. And I was the one who tore it from her.

“I’m sorry, Ira,” I murmured, rubbing my temple as a sharp pain pulsed in my head. “She, Avni agreed to drop the charges only if I married her. You know how much I love my uniform. I can’t lose it.”

She let out a soft, broken laugh through her tears. “And what about me?”

She collapsed against me, pressing her head into my lap. I felt her pain like a knife in my gut. “I should’ve never thrown that bachelorette party,” she cried. “I should’ve never made you drink. I should’ve asked my brother to drop you home. If I had done just one thing differently, we would still be together.”

“We will be together,” I whispered, leaning back and clenching my jaw. “Just give me a few months. Let me fix this.”

“How?” she whispered, lifting her head, her eyes searching mine.

“If she’s coming into my life on her own terms,” I said coldly, “then she’ll leave on my terms. I’ll make her leave. Just believe in me.”

I pulled her into my lap and cradled her face in my hands, wiping away her tears with my thumb. “Do you trust me, Ira?”

“I believe you,” she said, resting her forehead against mine. “I love you…”