Dedicated

"Aairah..." His voice was softer than she had ever heard before, but it held no comfort.

She didn't respond, her gaze fixed on the delicate mehndi designs on her hands-the ones that had been drawn for a wedding she had never wanted.

Zayyan took a step closer. "Say something."

Aairah let out a humorless laugh, shaking her head. "What do you want me to say, Zayyan? Congratulations?" She finally turned to face him, and for the first time, he saw the raw pain in her eyes. "You won."

Zayyan flinched as if her words physically struck him. "I didn't want it to happen like this."

"But you still let it happen." Her voice was barely above a whisper, yet it carried the weight of all the dreams that had just been shattered.

He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, his usual arrogance replaced by something she had never seen before-guilt. Regret.

"I didn't have a choice," he admitted, but even as he said it, he knew it was a lie. He always had a choice.

Aairah scoffed, standing up abruptly. "No. I didn't have a choice. You did. And you chose to ruin my life for your obsession."

Zayyan took another step forward, but she moved back instantly, creating an invisible barrier between them. His heart clenched at the way she recoiled from him, as if his presence alone suffocated her.

"Aairah, please..." He exhaled, his voice unsteady. "Give me a chance to fix this."

She let out a shaky breath, her eyes glossy but fierce. "It's too late, Zayyan. You can't fix something that's already broken."

For the first time in his life, Zayyan Mirza-the man who always got what he wanted-felt completely and utterly powerless.

And the worst part?

He had no one to blame but himself.

Now, they're tied together in a bond neither of them wanted. One craves freedom. The other demands obedience.

What happens when fire is forced to live with ice?