ADVIKA'S POV
I couldn't stay still anymore.
Time had stopped making sense here days melting into nights, nights into silence. I didn't know how long I'd been trapped in this room, counting breaths instead of hours, fear instead of minutes.
My chest felt tight.Then my eyes went to the door. I don't know why. Instinct, maybe. Or desperation.
I stood up slowly, my legs weak as if they might betray me, and crossed the room. Every step felt unreal, like I was walking through a dream I didn't trust.
I wrapped my fingers around the handle.
And turned it.
It moved.
For half a second, my brain refused to believe it.
Unlocked.
My breath hitched sharply.
Unlocked.
A rush of happiness slammed into me so hard it almost hurt. My lips trembled, my eyes stung, and for the first time since I was dragged into this place, hope crashed through me like a storm.
He forgot. Or maybe
No. I didn't allow myself to think. Thinking about wasted time.
I pulled the door open just enough to peek outside.
The corridor stretched long and empty, lights dim, walls unfamiliar. Silence hung thick, but it wasn't the suffocating silence of my room this one felt like a possibility.
Freedom.
My heart pounded so loudly I was terrified it would give me away.
I stepped out.
The door clicked softly behind me, and that sound nearly stopped my heart. I froze, holding my breath, listening.
Nothing.
No footsteps. No voices.
I swallowed hard and moved forward, barefoot, careful, every sense on high alert. The floor was cold beneath my feet, grounding me, reminding me this was real.
I didn't know where I was going. I didn't know which way led out.
But I knew one thing with terrifying clarity If I didn't try now, I might never get another chance.
I pressed my back against the wall, choosing a direction at random, and started walking.
Slowly. Quietly.
Praying with every step that luck just this once would be on my side.
Because if he found me before I found the exit...
I didn't finish the thought.I couldn't afford it.
I started running.
Bare feet slapped against the cold marble floor as panic took over my body. My heart hammered so loudly it felt like it would burst out of my chest. I didn't think. I didn't plan. I just ran down the corridor, past doors I didn't recognize, chasing the fragile hope that freedom might actually be possible.
My breath burned. My vision blurred.
And then I crashed into something hard.
Strong.
Unmoving.
The impact knocked the air out of my lungs, and I staggered back, almost losing my balance. Before I could even look up, I knew.
That presence.
That stillness.
Slowly, dread curling in my stomach, I lifted my eyes.
It was him.
Aviraj.
He stood there like he'd been waiting the entire time calm, composed, not even surprised. His hands were in his pockets, posture relaxed, as if my escape attempt was nothing more than an expected inconvenience.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
The silence was terrifying.
"So," he said finally, voice low and even, "you decided to run."
My throat tightened. I took an instinctive step back, but the wall behind me stole whatever space I thought I had. My pulse raced, fear crashing into desperation.
"It was unlocked," I blurted out, my voice shaking despite my effort to sound brave. "I thought.."
"That's the problem," he interrupted quietly. "You think."
His eyes dropped briefly to my bare feet, then back to my face not with anger, but with something colder. Calculation.
"the door was open and I could escape right?" He continued calmly. " but remember every time you go against me . You always got punishment "
My breath hitched.That's when it sank in.This wasn't a mistake.It was a test.
"You wanted to see how far I'd go," I whispered, more to myself than to him.A slow, dangerous smile curved his lips.
"No," he said. "I wanted to see how far you would." He took a step forward.
I flinched not because he touched me, but because the air itself felt heavier, tighter, like the walls were closing in.
"You've just confirmed something for me, Advika," he said softly.
"Hope makes people reckless."
My hands clenched into fists at my sides. Fear was screaming at me to break, to beg but something else rose with it. Anger. Pride. Survival.
"I don't belong here," I said, my voice trembling but firm. "You can't keep me locked up forever."
He leaned down slightly, eyes level with mine.
"Forever?" he repeated."No. Just long enough."
I swallowed hard.
"For what?" I asked.
His gaze darkened not with rage, but with certainty.
"For you to understand," he said quietly, "that every door in this house opens because I allow it."
He straightened and gestured down the corridor.
"Go back to your room and wait for me."
I hesitated just for a second.
His voice dropped, dangerous now.
"That wasn't a request."
My chest felt tight as I turned slowly, humiliation and fear twisting together but beneath it all, something stubborn stayed alive.
Because even as I walked back...
I knew one thing.This wasn't the end of my escape.It was only the first failed attempt.
returned to my room and sank onto the bed, my body still shaking from what had just happened. Time passed painfully slow, every second stretching like a punishment. I didn't know how long I sat there before the sound of the door broke the silence.
He had come.
He appeared suddenly, his shadow falling over me. Before I could react, his hands gripped my arms with iron strength, yanking me off the bed.
I struggled, but his grip was unyielding, dragging me down the corridor toward the bathroom. My heart raced, panic flaring with every step.
The walls seemed to close in around me, echoing with my rapid breaths and the sound of his heavy footsteps.
He yanked me into the shower area, the harsh tiles biting into my bare feet. He didn't turn the water on yet.
He shoved me against the wall, his eyes dark and commanding, and hissed, "Stay here."
I froze, chest pounding, every muscle tense, trapped between fear and the urge to bolt. The metallic echo of the bathroom seemed to mock my panic, every second a countdown I couldn't control.
He disappeared from the bathroom, leaving me trembling against the slick tiles, every nerve on edge. Minutes crawled by like hours, the silence pressing down on me. Then he returned, slow, deliberate, and in his hand gleamed a cold pair of handcuffs. My breath hitched.
My instincts screamed to run, but there was nowhere to go. He smirked, the glint of metal in his hand making it clear he intended to make me stay exactly where he wanted me.
He came back to me and in seconds he removed my whole clothes. I was naked in front of him again i tried to hide myself with my hands but he didn't let me do that .
"No, no, please don't! I won't...." My words cut off as his large hand shot out, snapping the cuffs around my wrists and fixing me to the ceiling.
His cold smirk met my terrified eyes. "I warned you," he said, each word sharp, "when you cross the line, you pay. Now, endure it."
With a sudden movement, he turned on the shower, and the water slammed into me like shards of ice. My skin screamed under the freezing torrent, every nerve on fire, but the cuffs kept me suspended and helpless.
My teeth chattered uncontrollably, shivers running through me, but he simply watched, calm and commanding, letting the cold remind me who was in control.