She swallowed hard, blinking into the darkness and wondering how to explain it to him.
"I love him," she said quietly. "You wouldn't understand. Just let me be with him, Aaru. Don't make trouble for us."
The lights came back on again and she glanced at him to find him scowling at her, the expression in his eyes hard and uncompromising. "Do you really think that I'm just going to sit back and watch the woman I married carry on with another man?" he asked in a cutting tone. "Jasmine, I live in Italy. That is where you're going to live as well after Zoya's wedding."
"No." She sat up and frowned at him. "I want to stay here," she insisted. "Just let me stay here, please. I can't leave him, Armaan."
He gave her an incredulous look and sat up as well. "You're unbelievable," he said. "He's married, Jas, and so are you now. You have to end this thing with him. I won't allow it."
Jasmine felt the blood drain from her face. "Don't do this," she pleaded tremulously. "He trusted me to make this work. I know it's wrong but...all I want is to see him every day. I'll be discreet. I won't disrespect you. I really love him, Armaan."
Armaan moved suddenly, making her gasp as he gripped her bare arms and pulled her to him.
"There's a teeny tiny problem," he rasped, his mouth only inches from hers, his breath hot on her face. "I love you too and I don't want you to even think about him much less be around him. You have become everything to me, Jasmine and I'm not going to let him take you away from me."
Jasmine gaped at him, completely stunned by his declaration of love. When had this happened? There was no way he could be in love with her. "But...I thought...that you...just wanted to have sex with me," she said lamely.
He let her go and shook his head. "The day after Zoya's wedding, I'm going back," he told her determinedly. "And you are coming with me."
He turned away from her and went back to sleep then, leaving her sitting there shell-shocked.
****
Always Second
18
Zoya's elopement was an absolute success. Armaan found a way to bribe the actual groom into not showing up for his own wedding and Rizwaan was the one who sat in his place wearing a headdress that kept his face hidden the entire time. They did have a small, intimate ceremony later though in order to make it all official. It caused a huge scandal in Amira but Armaan only had his sister's happiness in mind so he was more than willing to take the fall for it. Jasmine helped by witnessing during their legal ceremony and wished her friend all the happiness in the world.
Somehow, Hamza found out about the fact that it was Armaan who had helped Zoya run away with a guy who had not been intended as their family's son-in-law and that made him even angrier than he already was at Jasmine.
She knew she had a lot of fixing to do and she started out by making it clear to Armaan that there was no way she was going back to Italy with him and he could not force her to do so. Armaan was upset about it and responded by punching the wall in his bedroom and then refusing to put some ice on his injury. He did leave for Italy the next day, claiming he had some things to take care of and warning her to behave. Jasmine was glad to see him leave.
Several days passed but they were not enough to make Hamza forgive Jasmine. Every night, she went to bed waiting for him to call or text but it never happened and she ended up crying herself to sleep. During the day, she busied herself with typing her story. But there were hollows under her eyes and she was starting to lose weight. Zulekha made attempts to cheer her up but without Hamza, Jasmine felt like a zombie, just going through the motions of daily life.
When she could not take it any longer, she watched for Alisha to leave the house and it happened on a Friday. Jasmine heard her saying that she was going to visit her mother for lunch and when Alisha left, she made her way to Hamza's suite of rooms, undetected by the servants. It was killing her, his ignorance. She had to make him talk to her or lose her mind.
He opened the door when she knocked and she was dismayed to see that he did not smile upon seeing her.
"I have to talk to you," she pleaded wearily. Hamza looked as though he was not going to let her in for a moment but then he sighed and stepped aside.
She entered his living room and he stood there with his arms folded, regarding her expectantly.
"Are you still mad at me?" she asked softly, wanting to go to him but afraid that he would reject her again.
He shook his head grimly. "Why should I be?" he questioned dryly as though nothing had happened.
Jasmine bit her lip and frowned in distress. "I didn't expect Armaan to go back on his word. I'll apologise a hundred times, Hamza. I'll do whatever you want but please, please don't ignore me like this."
She started crying and he grimaced. "Jasmine, you know how much I hate tears."
She wiped her cheeks even as her lips trembled. "And you know how empty I feel without you," she whispered painfully. "I need you. I need your love."
Finally, he sighed and then put an arm around her and she buried her face in his chest, clutching at his shirt.
"Jasmine, I'm not angry with you. I know you'd never go behind my
