Morning came quietly.
Too quietly.
Meher opened her eyes slowly, her body stiff from a night without sleep.
For a moment…
She forgot.
Forgot where she was.
Forgot what had happened.
But then—
Reality hit.
Hard.
The room.
The silence.
The weight on her chest.
"I have to get out of here," she whispered to herself.
This wasn't her life.
And she refused to accept it.
Her eyes moved toward the door.
Closed.
She stood up slowly, her mind already racing.
There had to be a way.
A weakness.
A mistake.
And then—
She noticed it.
The balcony door.
Slightly open.
Her heartbeat quickened.
"Maybe…"
Slowly… carefully… she walked toward it.
Every step cautious.
Every breath controlled.
She pushed the door open just enough to step outside.
Cool air hit her face.
Freedom.
So close.
She looked down.
Not too high.
Manageable.
"I can do this…"
Without thinking further—
She climbed over the railing.
And jumped.
A few minutes later—
She was running.
Barefoot.
Breath uneven.
Heart racing like it would explode.
"Just keep running… don't stop…" she whispered to herself.
The road ahead looked endless.
But she didn't care.
Anything was better than that place.
Than him.
For the first time since yesterday—
She felt hope.
Until—
A black car stopped in front of her.
Her steps halted instantly.
Her heart dropped.
"No…" she whispered.
The door opened.
Aarav stepped out.
Calm.
Composed.
Unshaken.
Like he had expected this.
Her anger returned instantly.
"You followed me?!" she snapped. "Are you insane?!"
He didn't answer.
He just walked toward her.
Slowly.
Her steps moved back.
"I'm not going back," she said firmly, even though her voice trembled.
He stopped in front of her.
Close.
Too close.
"I knew you'd try this."
Her jaw tightened.
"Then you should've stopped me."
"I wanted to see how far you'd go."
That sent a chill through her.
"You're playing with my life," she said.
His gaze darkened slightly.
"No."
A pause.
"I'm controlling it."
Her breath hitched.
Before she could react—
He grabbed her wrist.
Firm.
Not hurting.
But impossible to break free from.
"Let go!" she struggled.
"Punishment," he said quietly.
She froze.
"What…?"
"You tried to run."
Her heartbeat spiked again.
"What are you going to do?" she challenged, fear hidden behind anger.
For a second—
He just looked at her.
Then suddenly—
He pulled her closer.
She gasped.
His voice dropped low near her ear.
"Bhagna hai toh bhaag jao…"
A pause.
"…par yaad rakhna, duniya ke har raaste ka end mere paas aata hai."
(If you want to run, run… but remember, every road in this world ends with me.)
Her breath caught.
"You don't own me," she whispered.
His grip tightened slightly.
"Abhi nahi…"
A faint, dangerous smirk touched his lips.
"…par aadat bana dunga."
(Not yet… but I'll become your habit.)
Her heart raced uncontrollably.
This wasn't just fear anymore.
This was something else.
Something confusing.
Something dangerous.
"I hate you," she said, trying to pull away.
He didn't let go.
"Jitni nafrat karni hai kar lo…"
He leaned closer.
"…par ek din, isi nafrat mein tum mujhe dhoondhogi."
(Hate me as much as you want… but one day, you'll search for me in that same hatred.)
Silence.
Her resistance weakened for a second.
Just a second.
And he noticed.
Always noticed.
Without warning—
He picked her up.
"What are you doing?!" she gasped, struggling again.
"Taking you back."
"I won't stay there!"
He looked at her.
Calm.
Certain.
"You don't have a choice."
Back at the mansion—
She was placed gently on the bed.
Not thrown.
Not hurt.
That confused her more than anything.
She sat up quickly.
"Stay away from me!"
He didn't move closer.
Instead—
He removed his coat slowly, placing it aside.
"You jumped from the balcony," he said calmly. "You could've gotten hurt."
She stared at him in disbelief.
"That's what you're worried about?!"
"Yes."
Silence.
"You're unbelievable…" she whispered.
He stepped closer again.
This time—
She didn't move back.
Not because she trusted him.
But because she didn't understand him.
"Punishment isn't what you think," he said quietly.
Her brows furrowed.
"Then what is it?" she asked.
He looked at her—
Deep.
Intense.
"It's reminding you…"
A pause.
"…that you can't leave me."
Her heart skipped.
He lifted her chin slightly—
gentle.
But controlling.
"Samajh lo, Meher…"
His voice dropped again.
"…tumhari duniya ab main hoon."
(Understand this, Meher… your world is me now.)
Her eyes filled with tears again.
But this time—
They weren't just of fear.
They were confusion.
Conflict.
Something she didn't want to feel.
Because somewhere—
Deep down—
His words were starting to affect her.
And that scared her more than anything else.The room fell silent again.
Too silent.
Meher pulled her chin away from his grip, turning her face to the side.
"Stop saying things like that…" she whispered. "I'm not yours."
Aarav didn't react immediately.
Instead, he watched her.
Carefully.
Like he was memorizing every expression, every breath, every emotion she tried to hide.
"Phir bhi…" he said slowly.
"…tum meri hi rahogi."
(Still… you will be mine.)
Her chest tightened.
"Why me?" she asked again, her voice softer now, almost tired. "There are so many girls… why me?"
For the first time—
He didn't answer right away.
His gaze shifted slightly, like he was searching for something within himself.
Something he didn't fully understand.
"Because you weren't afraid."
Her eyes lifted to meet his.
"Everyone looks at me with fear," he continued quietly. "You didn't."
A pause.
"You argued… you smiled… like I didn't exist."
Something in his voice had changed.
Not softer.
But deeper.
"And I didn't like that," he admitted.
Her brows furrowed.
"That's not a reason to ruin someone's life."
His jaw tightened.
"I don't ruin things I want to keep."
Silence.
Her heart pounded again.
Not from fear this time.
But from the weight of his words.
"I'm not something you can keep," she said, her voice shaking.
Aarav stepped closer again.
Slow.
Deliberate.
"Dekhte hain…" he murmured.
"…kitni der tak tum khud ko mujhse door rakh paati ho."
(Let's see… how long you can keep yourself away from me.)
Her breath caught.
Because deep down—
She wasn't just scared of him anymore.
She was scared of herself.
.
.
.
.
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Here's your bonus chapter of this week
Hope you will like this chapter