The wedding was over.
Just like that.
No happiness.
No smiles.
No memories worth keeping.
Only a bond she never chose.
The mansion was quieter now.
Guests had left. Lights had dimmed.
But inside Meher…
Everything was still screaming.
She stood in the middle of a large room.
Her room.
No—
his room.
Their room.
The bridal outfit felt heavier now.
Not because of its weight…
But because of what it meant.
Her hands trembled as she removed the jewelry one by one, placing it on the table with shaky fingers.
Each piece felt like a chain.
A reminder.
A mark.
"I didn't choose this…"
Her voice broke in the silence.
The door clicked open behind her.
She froze.
Her breath hitched.
She didn't need to turn around.
She knew.
Aarav.
The room shifted instantly.
The air grew heavier.
Colder.
He stepped inside slowly, closing the door behind him.
Click.
That sound again.
Like a lock.
Like no escape.
Meher turned around sharply.
"Don't come closer."
Her voice wasn't loud.
But it was firm.
He stopped.
Not because she had power over him—
But because he was watching her.
Carefully.
Her eyes were red.
Tired.
Broken.
But still…
defiant.
"I won't do this," she said, stepping back slightly. "Whatever you're expecting from me… it's not going to happen."
Silence.
Aarav tilted his head slightly, studying her.
"You think I brought you here for that?"
Her brows furrowed.
"What else would it be?" she snapped. "You forced me into marriage, dragged me here—what do you want now?"
A pause.
Then—
"You."
Her heart pounded again.
"Stop saying that like I'm some object!" she shouted. "I'm a person!"
"I know."
"Then act like it!" she fired back.
Something in his expression shifted.
Slightly.
Barely visible.
But real.
"I am."
She let out a bitter laugh.
"This? This is your version of respect?" she gestured around the room. "Kidnapping me? Forcing me into marriage? Controlling everything?"
He didn't react immediately.
Instead, he took a step forward.
She stepped back instantly.
"I said don't come closer!"
He stopped again.
That's when she noticed something strange.
He was stopping.
Every time she asked.
But that didn't make it better.
It made it more confusing.
"Relax," he said calmly.
"Don't tell me to relax!" she snapped. "You don't get to decide how I feel!"
Silence fell again.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
For a moment—
Neither of them spoke.
Then suddenly—
Meher walked past him toward the door.
"I'm leaving."
Her hand reached for the handle—
But before she could open it—
A hand slammed against the door above hers.
She gasped.
Aarav stood behind her now.
Close.
Too close.
Her heartbeat went wild.
"Move," she said, her voice trembling despite her effort.
"No."
Her fingers tightened around the handle.
"I'm not staying here."
"You are."
She turned around sharply, her back now pressed against the door.
"You can't keep me locked up like this!"
His face was inches away now.
His eyes dark.
Intense.
Unreadable.
"Watch me."
A chill ran down her spine.
For a second—
She forgot how to breathe.
But then—
Something inside her snapped.
"Why are you doing this?!" she cried, her voice breaking again. "You don't even know me! You don't love me!"
His jaw tightened.
"I never said I did."
That hurt more than she expected.
"Then what is this?" she whispered.
A long pause.
His eyes softened—
just a little.
So little she almost thought she imagined it.
"I don't know."
That answer shocked her.
"You don't know?" she repeated, confused.
"I saw you," he said quietly. "And something… changed."
Her breath caught.
"I don't understand it," he continued. "And I don't need to."
"That's not how feelings work!" she argued. "You don't just take someone because you feel something!"
"I do."
Silence.
Her eyes filled with tears again.
"You're destroying my life…"
For the first time—
Those words did something.
Aarav stepped back slightly.
Not fully.
But enough.
His hand dropped from the door.
"You're still here," he said quietly.
"What does that even mean?" she asked, frustrated and broken.
"It means I didn't destroy you."
She stared at him in disbelief.
"Not yet."
Her breath stopped.
The words weren't loud.
But they were heavy.
Dark.
Full of something she couldn't understand.
He turned away slightly, walking toward the window.
For a moment—
He didn't look like the powerful mafia king.
He looked…
conflicted.
"You can hate me," he said without turning.
"Fight me. Ignore me."
A pause.
"But you're not leaving."
Her hands clenched into fists.
"I'll find a way."
His lips curved slightly.
Not a smile.
Something darker.
"I'd like to see you try."
Silence filled the room again.
She didn't speak.
Didn't move.
And neither did he.
Two people.
Bound together.
Not by love.
Not by choice.
But by something far more dangerous.
Control.
Obsession.
And a connection neither of them understood yet.
As the night grew deeper—
Meher sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes empty.
While Aarav stood near the window…
Watching her reflection in the glass.
Not looking away.
Not even for a second.
Like she was the only thing that existed.
And somewhere in that silence—
Something had already begun.
Not love.
Not yet.
But something just as powerful.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Gyzz suggest me some suggestions so that I will make sure to make this book more interesting and powerful with the climax and the character of you like this story let me know it and I will make a lot of chapters and as I say I give bonus chapter to you on every Saturday so here your regular chapter and I will upload a bonus chapter today 🤍🌙✨