Forced to make me Hate You

The Devil’s Transaction

The ICU doors swung open, but the doctor’s face brought no relief. He looked at Aavya with a grim, professional distance.

"Mr Chaturvedi is stable for the moment, but it’s a fragile peace. He needs emergency surgery and a prolonged stay in the cardiac unit. If we don’t operate within the next few hours, he won’t make it through the night."

Aavya’s heart hammered against her ribs,

"Please, Doctor. Proceed. Do whatever it takes."

The doctor hesitated, pulling a clipboard forward. "The cost, including the procedure, the ICU recovery, and the specialised prescriptions, will be approximately twenty to twenty-five lakh rupees. We require a fifty per cent deposit before we can move him to the theatre."

Aavya’s world tilted. Beside her, Mahima let out a choked cry and collapsed into a nearby plastic chair, her face buried in her hands.

"Twenty-five lakhs?" Aavya whispered, the number feeling like a mountain she had to climb barefoot. She knelt beside her mother, clutching her cold hands. "Maa, look at me. It’s okay. We’ll sell the jewellery. We’ll find a way."

"The gold... It’s only worth four or five lakhs, Aavya," Mahima sobbed, her voice hollow.

"The house is already mortgaged to the hilt for your wedding. There is no one left to ask. We are at the end of the road."

Aavya felt a cold sweat break across her skin. She looked at Rohan, who was pale and clutching his sister's phone. She grabbed it, stepping into a quiet, shadowed corner of the waiting room.

She dialled the only number that could save her—Ajay Vardhan. She called once. Twice. Five times. The line went dead every time.

The man who had paid her to leave his son had finally washed his hands of her.

"He won't answer."

Aavya flinched, nearly dropping the phone. Vedant stood behind her, his silhouette tall and terrifying against the hospital's harsh white lights.

"There is no one in this world who can help you now, Aavya. Except me," he said, his voice a low, smooth vibration that made the hair on her arms stand up.

"You monster!" Aavya snapped, her grief exploding into rage.

She lunged forward, grabbing Vedant’s crisp, expensive collar with trembling hands. "It all happened because of you! My father is on his deathbed because of your petty revenge. And now you come here to play saviour?"

"How dare you blame me?" Vedant’s voice was like cracking ice.

He grabbed her wrists and jerked them off his shirt, the force making her stumble back several steps. "This isn't my fault, Aavya. It’s yours. You’re the one who started this war."

"If you hadn’t come to ruin my wedding..." Aavya’s voice was weak, yet cold.

"Why wouldn't I come? I told you your wedding would be unforgettable. I keep my word," Vedant said, stepping into her space until her back hit the sterile hospital wall. "I’m not like you—faking every promise, every kiss."

"I came here to help," he continued, his eyes scanning her pale face. "But your attitude says you’d rather watch him die." He turned to leave.

"Help? Really? And why do you want to show this kindness to me?" Aavya called out to his retreating back.

"I don’t need your help. I don’t need anything from the person who put us here!"

She slipped away before he could answer, her heart a jagged stone in her chest.

"This attitude... I hate it," Vedant muttered. He signalled to Vikram, who appeared instantly.

"Vikram," Vedant ordered, his jaw tightening.

"Tell the hospital: no deposit. I want her to pay the full twenty-five lakhs upfront before they touch him. And the wedding hall, the caterers, the decorators? Tell them I want their pending payments collected now."

"But sir... her father's life..." Vikram hesitated.

"The surgery will go on secretly," Vedant said, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper.

"But pressure Aavya for the money. She doesn't deserve my mercy yet. Close every door she tries to open."

Aavya started to try every single door to open. She called her boss, begging for a loan. "I'm sorry, Aavya," he said, sounding panicked. "I can't get involved in a Vardhan matter."

She called her mother’s catering customers, begging for advance payments. She sold her bridal gold and managed to scrape together seven lakh rupees.

"Aavya, where did you get this?" Mahima asked as Aavya rushed back to the hospital.

"Jewellery, Maa. And my job. I'm going to deposit it so they don't delay the surgery."

But she never reached the billing counter.

The wedding hall owner, the caterer, and a group of angry vendors blocked her path.

"Your father only paid half! We want our money now!" they shouted.

"Uncle, please! My father is dying!" Aavya sobbed, clutching the bag of cash. "Give me a week! I'll pay you everything!"

They didn't listen. In the chaos, they snatched the bag from her hands and marched out.

Aavya collapsed onto the floor, her fingers scraping the tiles where her father's hope had just vanished.

People watched, pitying her, but no one moved. No one came for help.

Broken and desperate, she fled to the small Durga temple nearby. It was empty. She rang the bell, the sound echoing like a scream.

"You’re a Goddess, right?" she cried, her hands joined in a frantic prayer. "You can do anything! Why are you letting this happen? My father is dying and I am failing him! Please, Maa... show me a way!"

"I told you before," a voice echoed through the temple bells. "No one will help you. Not even God."

Aavya opened her eyes. Vedant stood in the temple entrance, the smoke of the incense swirling around his dark silhouette.

"Then help me, Vedant," she whispered, turning to face him. "Save him."

Vedant looked at the statue of Durga, then back at Aavya. "I thought you didn't want help from your destroyer?"

"My destroyer left me with no choice," she confronted him, her voice hollow.

"I don’t give charity to cheaters, Aavya. I’m a businessman," Vedant said, leaning against a stone pillar. "I don't invest in broken things. I will save him only if you offer me something in return."

"Vedant, please!" Aavya lunged forward, her eyes streaming. "You are aware of my condition. I have nothing left to offer you. But I'll pay you back every rupee. I'll work for you for the rest of my life without taking a cent. Just save him!"

Vedant leaned in, his lips brushing the shell of her ear. "I don't want your money. I have billions. But you do have one thing left to offer."

"What?" she whispered, her heart stopping.

"I want to break the pride that allowed you to walk away from me," he murmured. "You want his life? Fine. I’ll save him. I'll clear every debt and hurdle in your path. But in exchange, you give me what I want."

He stepped back, locking his eyes onto hers.

"If I can then I'll surely give you whatever you want," Aavya said, her voice trembling. "Just tell me."

"Of course you can. After all, what I want is you, Aavya," Vedant spat out, his voice a possessive growl.

"What?" Aavya gasped, the air leaving her lungs.