Chapter 31

Forbidden, Yet Chosen

In the quiet of her room, sat near the window, fingers resting lightly on her growing belly, mind lost somewhere between past and present.

Her heart felt… lighter.

And that scared her.

Because she knew — once upon a time — loving was unthinkable.

He was her husband’s rival.
A man she was never meant to even look at twice.
A presence that once symbolized distance and conflict.

He was forbidden.

And yet… here she was.

Smiling at the thought of him asking for a cheek kiss.
Feeling warmth remembering how he held her in the morning.
Noticing how her breath softened when he was near.

“When did this happen?” she whispered to herself.

She hadn’t planned it. She hadn’t invited it.

It simply happened.

Her heart didn’t ask for permission. It didn’t wait for logic. It chose.

Loving him wasn’t a decision.

It became a destiny.

She leaned back slightly, closing her eyes.

He was guarded. Layered with pain, pride, fear. A man who had built walls so high that even he couldn’t see beyond them.

If she wanted him fully… she would have to remove those layers slowly.

And that process would hurt.

Because guarded men don’t open easily.
And when they do, they bleed honestly.

But he had already shown her glimpses — in small gestures, in silent care, in the way he watched over her without announcing it.

He was trying.

Slowly.

And she was willing to wait.

Her thoughts drifted to .

There was no guilt now — only gratitude.

“Your memories are with me,” she murmured softly. “But my heart… it has accepted him.”

There was no betrayal in her acceptance. Only truth.

She believed Akash, wherever he was, would understand that life had moved her forward, not away.

She wasn’t replacing the past.

She was embracing the present.

Her hand gently traced the mangalsutra around her neck.

For the first time, it didn’t feel like protection.

It felt like belonging.

She smiled faintly.

She wasn’t forcing love.

She was allowing it.

And somewhere deep inside, she knew —

He would love her too.

Maybe not loudly.

Maybe not immediately.

But deeply.

One line:
Woh mere liye mana tha… par wahi meri zindagi ban gaya.
Usse chaahna mera gunaah nahi… meri kismat tha.