The scream inside Rehan burst out like a volcano. Covering his face with both hands, he smashed his head against the floor like a madman. Even the stone walls of the cell seemed to tremble from the sound of his sobbing.
Rehan (screaming):
"Why? Why didn't I close my eyes? Why didn't I die before this? God—why did You keep me alive just to show me this hell? My own sister… like this… right in front of my eyes!"
He yanked violently at the chains, tearing the skin of his wrists until blood began to drip. But the pain in his chest was a thousand times worse than the physical agony. What greater curse could there be for a brother than knowing his sister had endured four months beneath that devil's feet just to save him—and now everything had ended before his very eyes?
He tried to crawl toward Laboni, but the chains held him back.
Rehan:
"Apu, forgive me! I couldn't protect you. What kind of brother am I? That beast… with you… right in front of me! Why didn't I go blind at that moment?"
Laboni lay motionless. Hearing Rehan's cries, a single tear slipped from the corner of her eye. She stretched out her hand, trying to touch one of Rehan's fingers. That faint touch carried the weight of a long, silent sigh.
In a barely audible voice, Laboni said,
"Rehan… you're alive. That is my victory. He broke my body, but he wanted to kill me through you. Don't cry… his destruction is already written in this humiliation of mine."
Rehan stopped crying. The sound of his sobs died abruptly. His wet eyes fixed on the blue belt mark around Laboni's neck. In that instant, the tears in his eyes turned blood-red. A fierce hatred and thirst for revenge replaced his grief.
Rehan (in a terrifyingly calm voice):
"I saw it… because nature wanted me to remember. What I saw today, Apu—I will erase it with Henry's blood. He destroyed you. Now I'll show him the road to hell."
Hearing Laboni's words, Rehan felt as if the ground vanished beneath him. His cries ceased, but his chest split open with shock and humiliation. Laboni somehow steadied herself and stood up. Her clothes were torn, bruises darkened her eyes, yet there was a strange, frightening stillness in her gaze.
Looking at Rehan, Laboni said coldly,
"Stop, Rehan. Not another word. You talk about revenge—against whom? Against my husband?"
Rehan couldn't believe his ears.
"Husband? Apu, what are you saying? That devil destroyed you and you—"
Laboni cut him off.
"He engaged me, Rehan. Legally or illegally, in these four months he has claimed me. Do you want your sister to be a widow? Do you want me to be alone again?"
Rehan shook his head like a madman.
"No! This can't be! He tortured you, he ruined our lives—and you accept him as your husband?"
Laboni didn't answer. She walked toward the door without looking back even once. Standing at the threshold, she said in a demonic calm voice,
"What you saw—that much was your share. Don't push this further."
Rehan collapsed against the chains inside the cell. Tears poured from his eyes as he screamed,
"Apu! Come back! You can't do this! Apu!"
But Laboni had already disappeared into the darkness of the corridor. The soft chime of her silver anklet was no longer music—it lashed Rehan's ears like a whip. Why did she do this? Did she truly fall in love with Henry, or was she creating a far darker blueprint while wearing the title of "wife"?
Rehan remained alone in the darkness. He didn't know that as Laboni walked down the corridor, she was digging her nails into her own palm until blood seeped out.
When Laboni returned to Henry's private chamber, he was lounging on the sofa, smoking an expensive cigar. His uniform was slightly disheveled, sweat glistening on his forehead. Seeing her, he smiled through the smoke.
Crushing the cigar into the ashtray, Henry stood and walked toward her slowly. He grabbed her chin, forcing her face up, and stared straight into her eyes.
Henry (mocking):
"Bravo! What a performance, Doctor. I heard everything standing behind the door. Quite the drama. So tell me—why did you suddenly call this hell of yours an 'engagement'? Do you really want me as your husband, or was that little lie just to calm your mad brother?"
Laboni remained silent, standing like stone. Henry tugged the blue belt at her neck with his fingers.
Henry:
"Listen, Laboni. Whatever you tell Rehan, you and I both know the truth. You're not mine—you're just a toy for my desire. Tomorrow morning, when your brother sees you serving me, he'll finally understand how low his precious sister has fallen."
Laboni looked into Henry's eyes and smiled—a strange, mysterious smile. Calmly, she said,
"You're right, Mr. Henry. Life itself is a performance. I calmed him so he wouldn't smash his own head and die. If he isn't alive, who will take revenge on you? And me? I'm becoming just like that blue belt in your hand—training myself to be the noose around your neck."
Henry froze for a moment. There was a chill in her voice that made him shudder—but then he burst into loud laughter and yanked her toward him.
Henry:
"Noose? You? You're not even worthy of the dust under my feet. Go—lie down on your bed. Tomorrow at dawn you'll dress again, because from tomorrow onward you'll serve me every day in front of your brother."
As Laboni left the room, she thought,
"The engagement will happen tomorrow, Henry—but not with a ring… with poison."
Just as she reached the door, Henry's heavy, harsh voice thundered through the room.
"Stop."
Her feet felt glued to the floor. Without turning back, she stood still. Henry walked up behind her; she could feel his heat, his breath, the familiar stench of sweat.
Placing a hand on her shoulder, he whispered,
"The performance is over—but the payment is still due. You thought calling me 'husband' would free you? You've only invited more danger. From now on, you'll stay in front of my eyes twenty-four hours a day."
Grabbing her hair, he turned her to face him.
"Go. Bring that blue ribbon from my dressing table. You'll tie it under my collar yourself. Tonight you'll stay here—by my feet. I want you to feel every moment who you belong to."
Laboni stared at him like a statue. No tears—only deep darkness in her eyes. She understood now: Henry would never allow her even a moment of mental peace.
Laboni (calmly):
"I'll bring it, sir. Completing your attire is my duty now."
As she went to fetch the ribbon, Henry stood before the large mirror, adjusting his uniform and laughing—convinced he had completely broken her. He didn't notice that when Laboni picked up the ribbon, her other hand lingered for a few seconds on a sharp paperweight lying on the dressing table.
The atmosphere changed abruptly. Before Laboni could return, the door opened and four women entered. Their clothes and heavy makeup made it clear—they were not ordinary prisoners. Henry had brought them for his own amusement. A party was about to begin inside the prison.
The women laughed and mocked when they saw Laboni. Music players and liquor bottles filled the room with the stench of cheap perfume and alcohol.
Henry (grinning):
"See, Laboni? Tonight you won't work alone. Special party for my friends. Since you called yourself my 'wife,' you'll serve the drinks and entertain everyone. Let them see where the DIG's favorite doctor stands."
One woman traced her hand over Laboni's torn clothes mockingly.
"Oh my! Look at the doctor now. Prison parties are fun, aren't they, sister?"
Laughter erupted.
Henry gestured for Laboni to come closer.
"Why are you standing there? Go—prepare the drinks. And remember, no one should be dissatisfied. If your brother hears this laughter, he'll know how 'happy' you are here."
Laboni stood frozen. The women danced, Henry drank. The blue ribbon remained crumpled in her fist. She understood—this was not just physical humiliation, but public, social destruction.
And yet—this was the opportunity she had been waiting for.
Amid the chaos, the guards' attention would be weaker. Perhaps she could send a message through one of the women—or finish what she had planned.
Calmly, she said,
"Fine. I'll do as you say."
Henry smiled, half-pleased, half-suspicious.
Laboni moved like a robot, filling glass after glass. One woman pinched her mockingly. Laboni didn't react.
She handed the first glass to Henry. Her fingers brushed his—ice cold.
As laughter echoed through the corridor, Laboni began shaping her final plan. When the intoxication peaked, when Henry lost control—that would be the moment.
From the corridor, one could see Laboni moving among the guests with drinks, Henry watching her with satisfaction. But in the shadows, Laboni searched for a chance—perhaps a shard of glass, perhaps the drawer key in Henry's pocket.
The night had begun.The Empress of a Dark Prison
Henry sat leaning back on the sofa, heavily intoxicated. Dismissing one of the girls, he held out a glass toward Laboni. His eyes were blurred, and his voice was thick with inebriation.
Henry: "Hey, Doctor! Why is this glass empty? Go, make me another glass of my special drink. Tonight is going to be very long!"
Laboni took the glass with a steady hand. When she returned, an almost supernatural transformation had come over her face. She stood very close to him. As Henry reached out to take the glass, Laboni suddenly tilted it on purpose. The entire drink splashed over Henry's expensive uniform and chest.
Henry gasped, about to shout, but Laboni didn't give him the chance. She burst into a fit of laughter—a sound no one had ever heard from her before. It wasn't a laugh of fear, but of a strange, chilling madness. Henry and the girls stared at her in shock. Suddenly turning grave, Laboni stared directly into Henry's eyes and began speaking in the precise, sharp tongue of a scientist:
Laboni: (Rapidly and piercingly) "Do you know, Henry Saheb? When the human Amygdala is stimulated by extreme hatred instead of extreme fear, the secretion of Norepinephrine reaches such a level that the person no longer feels physical pain. The toxic environment you've kept me in for four months has destroyed my cellular respiration. But today? Today, this 'drink' was enough to alter the pH balance of your blood."
Henry was stunned. Laboni continued, "You think you've established dominance? You are merely a biological parasite. And to a scientist, a parasite belongs in the laboratory dustbin. This body of yours is now nothing more than a mass of necrotic tissue."
Henry: (Stammering) "What... what nonsense are you babbling?"
Laboni smiled mysteriously. Picking up a shard of the broken glass, she touched the blue belt around Henry's neck and whispered, "Science says every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Tonight, the reaction to every one of your demonic actions begins."
The Evolution of the Prey
This sudden change paralyzed Henry. Laboni reached out and snatched the expensive cigar from between his fingers. Before he could utter a word, she pressed the cigar to her own lips. Taking a deep drag, she blew a cloud of smoke directly into Henry's face.
Laboni: (Exhaling smoke) "Do you know, Henry Saheb? When nicotine and carbon monoxide enter the blood through the alveoli, it creates a temporary state of euphoria. Today, I am the catalyst. Four months you kept me underground; today I've broken through. That drink you had? I mixed in a neuromuscular blocker. Don't your legs feel heavy? Are your motor neurons working?"
Panic set in as Henry's legs went numb. He slumped back. Laboni crushed the cigar out on her palm and leaned into him. "Now we will party, Henry. But this isn't your party; it's the final exam of my four months of agony."
The girls fled the room in terror. Laboni walked calmly to the door and bolted it from the inside. They were now alone.
The Dissection
Henry's body was nearly paralyzed. Laboni walked back and suddenly sat on his lap. She gripped his collar and tie firmly.
Laboni: (Hissing through clenched teeth) "What happened, Saheb? Where is your power? Does your tie feel tight? This is the noose of your karma. You said you'd finish me in front of my brother? Tonight, I will stand you before your own sins. This sweat on your brow is diaphoresis—the cold sweat before death."
She began tearing the buttons off his shirt, her nails digging deep scratches into his skin. "Tonight, there is no party, Henry. Only a dissection. I want to see how much black blood is in your heart."
The Antidote and the Trap
Laboni thought she had won, but Henry managed to reach into his pocket and plunge an antidote injection into his thigh. Within seconds, his circulation surged. He shoved Laboni off him. Laboni didn't fight back; she moved to the sofa and sat down calmly, picking up an apple.
Henry: (Panting) "You bitch! You thought lab chemicals would kill me? I am the King of this jail!"
Laboni: (Coolly) "Excellent metabolism! Sit down, Saheb, you're panting. Your heart rate is dangerously high. You're the King? But when a King loses to a Queen's intellect, he becomes a mere pawn. I've already disconnected the intercoms. You have no help coming."
The Paradox of Love and Hate
Henry's rage suddenly morphed back into obsession. Her defiance made him even more crazed. He knelt before her and buried his face in her neck.
Henry: (Whispering) "You are a witch, Laboni... but you are my addiction. I love you... I can't let you go."
In a shocking twist, the four months of trauma created a warped bond. Laboni's eyes welled up. She ran her fingers through his hair. "Love is a strange thing, Henry. It makes a man so helpless." Then, she leaned down and kissed his forehead.
Laboni: "I love you too, Henry..."
While they remained in this dark embrace, Rehan was screaming in his cell, sensing the ultimate betrayal. "Sister! Don't do it!" But his cries were drowned out by the music in Henry's room.
The Final Sacrifice
The next morning, Henry sat at his desk, signing a file to transfer Rehan to a brutal, distant prison. Laboni stood by, dressed in new clothes, her face a mask of sorrow. As she watched Rehan being loaded into a van, her heart shattered. "God, what have I done?" she thought. "I fell in love with the enemy of the person I came to save."
Seeing her tears, the monster in Henry wavered. He suddenly shouted, "Stop! Don't take him!"
Henry signed a release form. Rehan was set free. As Rehan walked toward the gate, he looked back at the balcony. He saw Laboni standing there, held in Henry's arms. He realized his sister had traded her soul to the devil to buy his freedom.
Rehan walked out into the free world, while Laboni remained behind—in a prison of her own making. She was no longer Dr. Laboni; she was the Empress of Henry's dark love, sitting on a throne built of bloodstains and tears.