The silence in the car was almost unbearable. Meera sat with her hands clenched tightly in her lap, staring out of the window, trying to block out the chaos inside her head. The tension from her earlier encounter with Sandhya still burned inside her, and Shaurya's cold demeanor only fueled her frustration.

Shaurya's low, commanding voice shattered the silence. "Give me the card."

Meera froze, her heart pounding in her chest. She turned to him, clutching her bag tightly. "Shaurya, no," she whispered, desperation lacing her voice. "It's just a card. She's my friend. I don't have anyone else—"

"Give it to me," he interrupted, his tone cutting through her words like a blade. His fingers tapped the steering wheel impatiently, his eyes fixed on the road.

Tears threatened to spill as she pulled the card out of her bag. "Please, Shaurya. Don't do this."

He snatched it from her hand without sparing her a glance. For a moment, he looked at the card, his expression unreadable. Then, without hesitation, he ripped it in half.

"Shaurya!" Meera screamed, watching in horror as he tore it into smaller pieces, letting the fragments fall onto the floor of the car.

"Shaurya, stop!" she begged, tears streaming down her face.

He didn't stop. When he finished, he rolled down the window and threw the remnants into the wind.

"That's enough," he said coldly, his voice devoid of emotion.

Meera's chest heaved with anger and disbelief. "How could you? She's my only friend"

"She was," Shaurya said, his voice sharp and final.

The car screeched to a halt as Shaurya parked in their driveway. Meera sat frozen for a moment before she opened the door herself and ran inside their house.

"You have no right to do this, Shaurya!.... Now you are being brutal" she shouted, turning to face him.

Shaurya unbuckled his seatbelt, his expression darkening. "Lower your voice, Meera."

"No! I won't!" she snapped. "This is not fair. This is not done. You and every one is punishing me for something that I didn't do. Wh-"

His hand slammed against the dashboard, making her flinch. "That's enough," he growled.

"W-Why?" Meera shot back. "You keep asking me to be a g-good wi-wife. How c-can I wh-when y-you and this relationship is Su-suffocating me so much." Silence filled the car. Meera almost bit her inner cheek realising she said something that she wasn't supposed to.

His eyes darkened, and his lips curled into a cruel smirk. "Is that so?"

Before she could respond, he got out of the car and opened her door. "Inside. Now."

His grip on her wrist was firm but controlled. "Do not test me, Meera."

The moment they entered the house, Shaurya dragged her to their bedroom. She struggled against him, but he was stronger, his grip unyielding.

"S-Shaurya, let go!" she yelled, panic rising in her chest.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP" he snapped making her whimper, shoving her into the room. Before she could react, he slammed the door shut and locked it.

"Shaurya!" she screamed, banging on the door. "SHA-SHUARYA PLEASE! Let me out!"

But the only response was the sound of his footsteps retreating.

Even after almost half an hour when nobody opened the door, she walked over to the couch disappointed and cried her heart out till exhaustion took over her and she slept.

.
.

It was around midnight when Shaurya's car pulled into the driveway. The house, bathed in moonlight, stood eerily quiet. As he stepped inside, one of the servants emerged silently from the shadows and handed him a glass of water.

Shaurya shrugged off his coat, draping it over a chair before unbuttoning his cufflinks. Taking a slow sip, he gestured toward the servant. "Call everyone."

The servant nodded, disappearing into the dark hallways. Moments later, the remaining staff—the other two servants and two maids and few guards—gathered in the foyer, standing silently in his imposing presence.

Shaurya placed the empty glass on the side table, his sharp gaze sweeping over them. "I want no one to interact with her unless I say otherwise. No food unless she asks for it, no assistance unless it's an emergency. Is that clear?"

The staff nodded, their expressions carefully neutral, before dispersing quickly..

Shaurya walked up the staircase slowly, his footsteps echoing in the silent house. When he reached the master bedroom, he paused for a moment. His hand hovered over the door handle before turning it with deliberate slowness.

The room was steeped in darkness, the only light coming from the pale glow of the moon seeping through the curtains. His gaze immediately found Meera, curled up on the couch, her figure small and fragile.

She looked utterly defeated, her tear-stained face illuminated faintly by the moonlight. Even in sleep, her expression held traces of the pain she had felt, her breaths uneven, her fists clutching the edges of her dupatta as if it were her last shield of comfort.

Shaurya's lips curled into a dark smirk. Slowly, he crossed the room, his movements quiet but purposeful. He bent down and scooped her up into his arms, holding her bridal style.

Meera stirred slightly in her sleep, but exhaustion had rendered her too weak to wake. Shaurya carried her to the bed, laying her down gently. He brushed her hair away from her face, his thumb tracing the faint lines of dried tears on her cheeks.

Leaning closer, his voice was low, almost a whisper, but filled with a dark promise. "You said I'm suffocating you, didn't you?" He paused, his eyes cold, yet burning with an intense possessiveness. "I'll show you what suffocation feels like, Meera. I'll make sure you won't be able to breathe without me."

His words dripped with menace, his gaze lingering on her peaceful yet vulnerable face. Slowly, he stood up, straightening his shirt.

"You'll beg me to be with you," he murmured to himself, his smirk growing darker. "And when you do, I'll be the only one who can give you peace."

He stepped away from the bed, his shadow falling over her like an ominous cloud, before he turned and left the room, closing the door softly behind him. The darkness seemed to swallow her whole once again.

SHAURYA IS TWISTED AF 🙃

VIKRANT HAS A TOUGH COMPETITOR 🥶