Inside, the farmhouse smelled faintly of old wood and cinnamon — like a place heavy with memories. Candles flickered in scattered corners, casting warm shadows along the walls. A fire crackled in the hearth.
No music. Just silence.
Kavi stood still, heart thudding — BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Kiaan didn't speak. Neither did Kavi.
Seconds passed. Maybe minutes.
Then Kiaan's voice, low and hoarse:
"I thought about this moment every day for years. And I still don't know where to begin."
Kavi swallowed. His voice caught. His hands curled into fists at his sides — like he was holding back a storm.
"Why?" he finally asked, sharp and broken. "Why did you leave me like that?"
Kiaan's jaw tensed. His gaze dropped.
"Because I thought it was the only way to protect you."
Kavi laughed — bitter, wounded.
"Protect me? From what? From you?"
"No," Kiaan whispered, stepping closer. "From the world."
Their eyes met and in that breathless second, the silence between them screamed.
"You don't disappear and call it protection," Kavi said, voice cracking. "You don't ghost me, break me… and then act like it was noble."
Kiaan looked at him — really looked — like he was seeing Kavi for the first time again.
"I got a message that night," he said quietly. "An anonymous number. They sent a video… of us. One of the nights we were together."
Kavi's expression shifted, falling.
"They said if I didn't leave you, they'd leak it. Our names. Our faces. Our bodies. All over the internet.
They said they'd ruin us. Not just me. Us."
Kavi's breath hitched.
"And you didn't think to tell me?" he asked, his voice suddenly cold.
"You were asleep," Kiaan whispered. "You looked peaceful. I panicked. I didn't want you to live your life under a shadow I created."
"So instead, you let me leave me for good 3 years in confusion and heartbreak?" Kavi snapped. "You didn't even trust me enough to let me decide. You just… decided for me."
"I thought I was doing the right thing!" Kiaan's voice cracked, anguish twisting through his face.
"No. You were being a coward."
Kavi turned away, biting the inside of his cheek, holding back tears that stung with betrayal.
"I've spent years trying to unlove you," he said bitterly. "I let myself hate you. I tried dating. I tried breathing without you.
I lied — to my friends, to myself — every single day.
You took away my voice when you left."
Kiaan's shoulders sagged.
"I know," he said softly. "And I've punished myself for it every day since."
Then Kiaan stepped forward, slow and careful, until he was just a breath away. He reached out, brushing his fingers against Kavi's wrist.
Kavi didn't move. Didn't pull away.
"I don't expect forgiveness," Kiaan said, his voice a fragile thread. "But I need you to know… I never stopped loving you. Not for a single day."
Kavi closed his eyes, and a tear slipped down.
"Why now?" he whispered. "Why are you telling me this now?"
Kiaan inhaled shakily.
"Because I'm being forced to marry your sister. And it's killing me.
Every moment I pretend I don't love you… it's like dying slowly.
I needed to see you — even if it's the last time."
Kavi opened his eyes, throat burning.
"So if it weren't for your engagement to my sister, you'd have never come back?" Kavi asked, his voice shaking. "It's obvious you never loved me. Not really. You toyed with my feelings. I hate you, Kiaan. I hate you for everything you made me go through."
Tears streamed down his cheeks, unrelenting.
Kiaan looked at him, stricken. Kavi looked so fragile, so broken. He had imagined the betrayal might've hurt—but he hadn't realized just how deeply he'd shattered him. The weight of it hit harder now, seeing it in Kavi's trembling hands, in the cracks in his voice.
Then, softly—almost desperately—he said,
"Let's run away."
Kavi blinked, tears clinging to his lashes.
"What?"
"We run away," Kiaan said, gripping his hands. "We leave the madness behind — the families, the expectations, all of it. Just you and me. We find our peace."
Kavi stared at him like he'd spoken a foreign language.
Then, he laughed not from humor, but disbelief.
"We run?" he echoed, voice rising. "Run away and what, break my sister's heart? Destroy my family's trust?"
Kiaan's lips parted, but Kavi kept going, voice shaking.
"This might be easy for you. You're used to making decisions in the dark and walking away like it costs nothing.
But it's not easy for me. I love my sister. I cherish my family. They've stood by me even when I didn't deserve it."
He stepped back, eyes blazing.
"I've been hurting for years because of you. But through all of it, I could never bring myself to hurt Riya. Never."
Kiaan's jaw clenched. His eyes dropped, thick with guilt.
"I didn't mean—"
"You didn't think," Kavi cut in sharply. "You never think about the cost of your choices."
He shook his head, stepping farther away, finality in his voice.
"You can afford to throw people away, Kiaan. I can't."
Kavi's hand was already on the door when Kiaan moved.