Zoya was in two mindsets, a part of her knew Aditya wasn't lying, that anyone in his shoes would have killed someone who hurt the one they loved, yet she also knew he had crossed the line. Placing her hand on his cheek she cleared her throat "Stand up" looking up at him as he did she sighed "Uncuff me" the second he did she shoved him back and ran for her life, bumping into Dr Rowlan she held her breath

"You okay Zoya"?

"Yes, yes i'm fine, I just, uh, need to get to the toilet" she gave him a fake smile

"Ah, I see, okay see you" slumping he walked on "Hey Aditya"

He nodded "Come here" he pointed to Carlos "Choked on his own sick" he shrugged

"Accident"?

"Absolutely not" winking he laughed "A promise is a promise"

Martin nodded "Thank you son, you'll never know how much this means to me" squeezing his shoulder he sighed loudly

Not sure how to respond he just became still "You would have made an amazing father, i'm sorry Lara missed out"

He smiled softly "I have Zoya, I have you"

Unable to stand beside him without getting too close he sat down, Aditya never had an ideal father figure and if there was anything he knew in that moment it was that if he had met Dr Rowlan earlier on, then maybe he'd be half the man he was, maybe he'd have grown up with a dad "I showed Zoya the body"

"Too far" he sat beside him "She'll be scared, you've got to think before you do before you lose her"

If it had been anyone else telling him what to do, they would have paid a price. But, this was a man he had come to respect, his Zoya would not be his Zoya if Dr Rowlan didn't exist. "I get caught up in the moment"

"I know, but she doesn't get it, could you imagine being grabbed by someone you didn't know while they told you they were your wife"?

"I wouldn't believe it"

"Exactly, step in her shoes son and you'll see a whole new world hm" his eyes were glassy as he looked over at Carlos' body

"I want to ask you something, whatever you answer i'll believe you and won't ask again, if you say yes I know you had a good reason" he waited for him to turn his head "Did you kill Zoya's parents"?

"Zoya never had parents, she does now" standing up he nodded "See ya"

[~~~]

Flipping the page of her textbook she hung her head and reached out her hand for another doughnut only to feel long fingers wrap around her wrist, looking up she jumped "Mr Hooda, what are you doing here"?

"May I"? He nodded his head to the last doughnut, when she said yes she had been expecting him to release her hand, instead he yanked her up and ran his tounge over her index finger, sucking the sugar from it then moving onto her thumb

"What, what are you doing"? Before she could pull away he wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her, tounge delving into her mouth, lips caressing hers

"Hm, these do taste good, best i've ever had" looking down at her a smirk filled his lips as her hands splayed on his chest, one hand moving to run through his hair, moving towards her neck he chuckled when she sighed, hair shaking as she rolled her eyes back

"I, I have to ask" she spoke slightly breathlessly "Do you only want me because I look like your wife"?

"I want you because you are my wife" bending to kiss her again he frowned when she pulled away

"Mr Hooda, no, no" shaking her head she held him back before she lost control with him once again, something she seemed to be doing more often then she liked to admit "You only want me because of who you think I am, you wouldn't want me otherwise, please just leave" Zoya felt tears brim her eyes "I can't do this, please"

"Zoya, believe it or not you are my wife, don't punish me because you don't believe me" Aditya gripped her chin so she couldn't look away "You are my Zoya, I feel it here" he placed her shaking hand atop his chest "And I know somewhere you feel it too, that's why you want me, you want me as much as I want you" grazing his teeth against her earlobe he whispered "Don't run from me Zoya, embrace this, I can't lose you again, every time you walk out of that door I can't help but think you won't walk back in, because im not there to protect you I can't sleep, just let me keep you safe, don't make me force you" the way his eyes settled to a fiery brown tinted with orange made her breath hitch

"F-force me"? Wide eyed she looked up at him

"Not like that, never like that baby" kissing her forehead he felt her shudder against him

"Did you just call me, I, this is wrong, you killed my friend and I-"

"Somewhere you trust me, you know i'd never do it without good reason, in your heart you know Zoya, allow this, allow yourself to live, I know you, I know what you want and what you need, you really think anyone else can take care of you like I can"? He scoffed "No one else could ever satisfy you like I can, why turn away from that"? Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear he let go of her chin "I know how you work, where else are you going to find a man who will push you like I do, see you like I do, pleasure you like I do, you need a man Zoya, not a boy, you need a man who can handle you when you're shouting and drinking stupid amounts of alcohol, when you're crying and you need comfort and reassurance, when you're jealous and you say things you don't mean, when you laugh and smile, when you need a release" tightening his hold on her upper arms she gasped "You were made just for me, no one is ever going to make you as happy as I can"

Zoya lifted her hands to his shoulders "No, we can't do this" trying to ignore the way he continuously pressed kisses against her skin and the way his hands ran over her body she squeezed her eyes tightly "Stop, we, oh" biting her lip she squealed when he lifted her into his arms and placed her on the desk "What are you doing, Aditya we have to-" gulping she allowed herself to be immersed in how good it felt to have him kiss down her chest and the way the heat of his body radiated onto hers made her hairs stand on edge, lying back she moaned loudly while grabbing the back of his hair "Oh we really shouldn't be doing this, I i'm not ready for anything, I just"

Aditya pulled back, heated gaze still upon her "It's okay if you're not ready yet" sitting her up he watched her do her shirt buttons back up again "One day"

"Because I said no, will you, uh, will you search for it elsewhere"? Timidly she looked up, face still flushed from their encounter

"No, you're the one I want, I have an acquired taste now, no other woman does it for me, you on the other hand" looking her up and down he waggled his brows flirtatiously

"Right um, god I don't know what's gotten into me, you're a murderer and I just can't" shaking her head she jumped down "You killed my friend, you want me only because I look like your damn-"

"Careful" he warned "I don't take too nicely to anyone speaking about her wrong"

"Sorry, I just, this is wrong, all of it is and it can't happen again, whatever it is, is over" walking to the door she held it open "I'd like you to leave please"

"If you do this Zoya, if you send me away now then that's it, don't cry when I treat you how I treat everyone else"

"Im sorry Mr Hooda, but I stand by my decision, you killed a man, innocent or not you could have spoke to me first but no, you just drag me to see his dead body, you keep pushing to the edge and you have no idea how or when to stop and i'm done, I truly am because one of these days I fear there will be someone on that sofa that didn't deserve to die, a person's life isn't in your hands, you aren't a god and even if you were i'd still say no, we cannot choose who dies and who lives, that's a power we don't deserve, Carlos may not have been the best man, but I knew about the burning, I didn't know about Lara or any other victims but I was trying to help him, just like i'm trying to help you, the only difference here is that he was actually trying, maybe it wouldn't have lasted but that doesn't matter, when you take a life to get revenge you are tainting yourself with the same dirt that layers their skin, you aren't winning Mr Hooda, all you're doing is setting the match as even and when you make that decision to kill, you cross the line, then what's the difference between you and Carlos, it isn't that I don't believe you Aditya, it's that you broke my trust in you, all you ever had to do was be honest" she looked down "And if you had been honest, I would have had your back Aditya, I would have ensured that you weren't a suspect, you know why"?

"Why"?

"Because if you treated me as an equal I would have known for sure that Carlos did bad, I would have known the lengths you'll go to, to keep the ones you love safe and no I wouldn't have agreed but i'd feel lucky to know a man as loyal to you, but you aren't loyal Mr Hooda, you're just a man who believes he is above everyone else and that's how I know this won't last, because i'm just a means to an end, you'll get bored because I will never be equal to you"

Laughing darkly he stepped toward the door "You're wrong you know, I agree you aren't my equal, it's because I hold you to a higher standard than me, you are above me, that's what you don't get, yes i'm a man better than many people but i'm not better than you, but don't worry" he raised his hands "I got it, message is clear, goodbye Zoya Siddiqui" kissing her cheek he walked away