The Softer Devraj

Chapter 11: No Strings, Just Heat

They were chaos wrapped in charm and temptation, two people who found excitement in the unpredictable.

Every time they met, sparks flew not the gentle kind, but the kind that could set everything around them ablaze.

They didn't plan their moments.

 They didn't promise each other anything.

A stolen glance could turn into a heated kiss, an argument into a night that neither wanted to end.

They lived for that rush, that heartbeat that spiked whenever they crossed a line they swore they wouldn't.

Ruhi didn't want love she wanted freedom, and with Arnav, she found it in the most dangerous way.

Arnav didn't believe in forever, he believed in now, in the pulse of the moment, in the way she looked at him like she dared him to lose control.

Together, they were wild.

Reckless. 

Addictive.

The kind of chemistry that didn't need labels or definitions.

They weren't falling for each other they were falling into each other.

Every encounter, every touch, every breath was a chase for thrill, not affection.

They knew it might end in flames and maybe that's what made it so intoxicating.

Because for Arnav and Ruhi, it was never about love.

It was about the fire and the thrill of letting it burn.

It was 3 a.m. when Arnav's car pulled away, leaving Ruhi standing in the silence of her narrow lane.
The glow from his headlights faded, and all that remained was the quiet hum of a life she never belonged to.

She unlocked the front door, stepping into the dimly lit living room the familiar smell of stale air and anger waiting for her.

Her brother sat there, half-drunk on frustration, eyes bloodshot and sharp.

"You finally decided to come home?" His tone dripped with venom. "Or were you planning to move in with your boss now?"

Ruhi froze, jaw tightening. "Not tonight, Bhai."

"Not tonight?" He stood up, voice rising. 

"You come home at three in the morning and tell me not tonight? You think I don't know what you've been doing? keeping your boss happy in bed for money?"

She laughed dry, humorless, the kind that cut more than it soothed.

"Oh please, you only see what you want to see."

"I see enough!" he snapped, pointing at her like she was something filthy. 

"You think that rich man actually cares about you? He'll throw you away the second he's bored. But you'll never learn, will you? Always running behind money, behind men who look at you like you're nothing!"

Ruhi's face hardened, the pain behind her eyes turning sharp.

"You talk like you know me," she said quietly, "but all you've ever known is how to blame me for breathing wrong."

For a long moment, Ruhi just stood there still, breathing hard, her hands trembling at her sides. Then her voice broke through the tension, low and bitter.

"You know what, Bhai?" she said quietly, eyes glistening. 

"Maybe that's why I can't love anyone anymore."

He frowned, confused, but she kept going the words spilling out like a truth she'd buried too long.

"Because of you and Dad... all I ever learned was that affection comes with conditions. That no matter what I do, it'll never be enough. You made me believe love was just another trap something that hurts, humiliates, and takes more than it gives."

Her breath trembled, anger and sorrow twisting together.

"So yeah," she whispered, 

"maybe now all I see is the surface money, attention, distraction anything that doesn't ask for trust. Because trusting someone?" 

She gave a bitter laugh. "You taught me exactly what that costs."

The room went still. Her brother didn't move, didn't speak.
And for the first time, Ruhi wasn't angry — she was empty.

She turned away before he could see the tears she refused to shed.

"You and Dad broke the part of me that could love," she said softly. 

"So don't stand there and pretend to care about what's left."

Then she walked toward her room, closing the door behind her with quiet finality.
On the other side of it, she sank to the floor, her body shaking with a grief she'd never let herself feel before.

She lay there staring at the ceiling, her mind an echo of everything she'd just heard.

Love the word itself felt foreign now, something that belonged to another version of her, a softer girl who still believed people meant what they said.

That girl was gone.

That's why she could never love anymore, she thought bitterly.

All she saw now were distractions dressed as affection, attention mistaken for care, money disguised as safety.

Nothing real. Nothing lasting.

Maybe she was with him for his money.
At least, that's what people would say what they'd always said.

And maybe they weren't entirely wrong.

All her exes had been rich polished, charming, powerful.

Men who looked at her like she was something to conquer, not someone to understand.

And she had let them. Every single time.

Because money made things easier.

Money meant control her control.

It meant she could leave before they did, walk away before the humiliation came.

She'd learned long ago that affection fades, but power?
Power keeps you standing.

That's why she could never love anymore.
All she saw now were distractions, attention, and comfort wrapped in luxury.
Nothing more. Nothing less.

So what if Arnav Devraj was just another rich man on that list?
At least with him, she didn't have to pretend.
At least with him, she could burn freely no promises, no apologies.

For now, his attention was enough.

Because when it came to love, Ruhi Singh had already stopped believing in forever.

Author's Note:

Some childhood wounds never truly heal they just learn to hide behind smiles, sarcasm, and strength. Not everyone who pushes love away is heartless some are just too broken to risk feeling that pain again. 💔

Let's hit 270 votes and 90 comments to unlock the next chapter. Your love truly keeps me going! 💌 Thank you for being here, for reading, and for feeling with me 🖤