AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I stared at my hands unseeingly.
“I have blood on my hands, Dheer,” I wailed. “It’s never going to come off no matter how much I wash my hands because I can’t bring that man back to life. His blood is going to stain my hands forever.”
Dheer gripped my shoulders and turned me around to face the huge mirror above the sink.
“Look at me, Diya,” he growled, and I forced myself to meet his eyes.
“You’re not a murderer. You killed a man in self-defence. You didn’t even know what you were doing. You were just trying to protect yourself and killed him by accident. That was on him. He shouldn’t have tried to grab you,” he declared.
“But I did kill him, and I can never forget it,” I whispered, feeling sick.
“You shouldn’t forget it. Because it is a testament to your strength that you defended yourself successfully. You’re not a killer, nor are you a victim. You’re a survivor. A fighter,” he said harshly.
When I made no move to wash my blood-stained hands, Dheer turned on the faucets, took my hands, and held them under the water. I stared at our reflection in the mirror as he soaped my hands and scrubbed them gently.
I could feel his strong, muscular body against mine and resisted the desire to collapse into his strength. His warm breath tickled the skin below my ears as he leaned forward to rinse my hands. It sent tingles down my spine and I shuddered in response.
Dheer froze and met my eyes in the mirror, his eyes reflecting the need in mine. I wondered if that was a trick of the light, but then, his fingers curled into mine and I knew it was real. He nuzzled the side of my neck and I tilted my head to give him better access. His warm breath skated over my skin, making me shudder again. He took one step closer, enclosing me in the heat of his body. His arms tightened around me and I was shivering uncontrollably again. Not with shock, though. With desire.
This was Dheer. The only man who could affect me like this. And then I froze as I remembered that it was Dheer. The man who had betrayed me, who had broken my heart.
I forced myself to go still and unwound my hands from his.
“Thank you for your help, Your Highness. But I can take it from here,” I said firmly.
CHAPTER 6
DHEER
What the hell was I thinking? As usual, when I was around Diya, I was rendered almost incapable of thinking straight, I realised.
She was in shock and injured, and all I could think about was that I wanted to turn her around and kiss her. If I could, I’d make sweet love to her right there on the bathroom counter. No wonder the locals called me a beast. The beast of Trikhera. I might have earned that name through my actions after my father died, but for the first time, I felt I deserved it.
I rinsed my hands and stepped away from Diya.
“There are clean towels in that closet, and someone will bring you a change of clothes from Isha’s closet. Take your time and come down when you’re ready,” I said as politely as I’d talk to a stranger.
Diya shook her head.
“Can you call me a car, please? I’d like to return home right away,” she replied, wiping her hands on a towel.
And just like that, my politeness flew out of the window.
“Are you out of your mind? Ayush Goel just tried to kill you. You can’t leave until I sort this out,” I thundered.
Diya crossed her arms over her chest angrily.
“There’s nothing to sort out, Dheer. And even if there is, you won’t be the one doing it. I’m going to return home, and tomorrow, my father and I will visit Trikhera police station and file an FIR against Ayush.”
I raised an eyebrow, knowing fully well that the sardonic gesture would only infuriate her further.
“And what do you plan to say in the FIR?” I asked.
“I’ll say that he killed a woman in front of me.”
“What woman? What was her name?”
“Well, I don’t exactly know that. It all happened so fast that I didn’t get a chance to hear her name,” she said defensively.
