"Everyone thought she needed protection from him but no one noticed he needed protection from the way she looked at another man."

---

You were an elegant woman, polished, graceful, the kind who looked like she’d already buried three husbands with a soft smile.

Once, you owned a makeup empire with your name etched in gold until the fall. A fall so sudden your own family handed the entire company to the most “suitable” man to fix it.

Anirudh Oberoi, now Your husband.

A man who traveled more than he breathed, who signed papers across oceans, who was gone so often the walls of your house forgot his footsteps. He took control of your company “for your own good” but all you heard was betrayal.

So when you overheard a meeting, "Don’t worry. Once she’s out of the way, I’ll fix the company myself."

You panicked thinking he's planning to kill you and hired a bodyguard.

A quiet shadow, Rudra Ranawat, who called you “ma’am” with a voice like warmth wrapped in steel. He stayed close. Too close. Touching your back to guide you. Brushing your hand when passing something. And it made you feel safe. Protected. Wanted.

But it also felt… hollow.

Every kiss he pressed to your wrist, every lingering moment it calmed your fear but never touched your soul.

Months passed with your husband’s absence stretching like another continent between you.

You told yourself you hated him. That you wished he’d never return.

Then one evening when you came back from a meeting, your bodyguard walking behind you too close, reality shifted.

There your husband was, On the couch like it's a normal another day at the mansion.

No suitcase. No rushed departure. His voice steady, "I’ll be working from here. No more travelling."

You froze. Furious. Unprepared.

His gaze dropped to the bodyguard at your side, standing a little too close…

He simply tilted his head, studing the man beside you. His voice Calm. Deep. Quietly dangerous.

"You seem to have company… always."

He knew everything from the start.