Sensitive content ahead. Reader's discretion is advised.

*****

Nitya

The room where I am in is dark, save for the faint sliver of moonlight filtering through a small window high above me.

My arms ache as they are bound by a chain to the wall, causing every movement to send a fresh wave of pain through my body. Even my feet throb due to the tight shackles placed around the ankles of my both feet.

Exhaustion pulls at my mind, but fear keeps me awake. I pull at the chain again, hoping it'll break, but it doesn't. The only thing it does is make me hiss in pain due to the spikes on it slicing the skin over my wrists.

I don't know how long I have been here. How many hours or even days have passed since Uday dragged me to this place.

Not only me, but Bhaiyya too. He is not in this room, but I know Uday has kept him captive too.

Another wave of pain passes through me as I realize how badly he beat Bhaiyya when he tried to fight him and his men. I also had tried to fight after Bhaiyya became unconscious, but I was no match for Uday. Not only did he keep slapping me till my whole face throbbed with pain, he also threatened to shoot Bhaiyya if I didn't stop shouting and fighting him.

That was when I had stopped, not wanting to my brother to get killed. And he dragged me to his car with his men carrying Bhaiyya's unconscious body to the other car.

I kept shouting and telling him to get Bhaiyya to the hospital, but he only laughed, saying that nothing will happen to Bhaiyya as long as I remained with him as his prisoner.

"Is someone there? Please, help me. Please," I shout, hoping someone will listen to my cry for help.

I have been doing this countless times since Uday left after tying me to this room, but no one has come to help yet.

Also, I have not heard any noise from outside yet, which has made me realize that he has brought me someplace where no one comes and goes.

I wonder where he has kept Yash bhaiyya. I feel he is not here because I have not heard his voice too. If Bhaiyya had heard me cry for help, he would have definitely answered.

Suddenly, the door of the room opens, causing a jolt of fear to pass through me.

My heart races, and I instinctively try to back away, but the chain holds me in place.

"I had told you not to scream, hadn't I?"

Uday's voice causes my fear to rise and I try to scoot farther away as he steps inside the room.

"Let me go," I scream, my voice raw with terror. "Why are you doing this to me?"

He drags a chair across the floor—the screeching sound echoing in the room—and sits down right in front of me.

"How can I let you go after all the hard work I did to get you here?" He asks, a smirk playing on his lips as he rakes his eyes over me.

I squeeze my eyes shut and turn my head to the side. My heart pounding with fear and hatred for him and my hands itching to get freed so I could cover my body from him. Even though I am fully clothed, his vile gaze makes me feel naked.

"Why are you doing this?" I ask, my voice trembling. "What do you want from me?"

He chuckles, then leans forward to clutch my jaw and turn me to face him. "Open your eyes, Nitya."

I keep my eyes shut, but when he tightens his grip over my jaw, I whimper in pain and open my eyes.

"Always look at me when I am in front of you," he says, his breath fanning over my face, making me feel disgusted by it as well as by his touch. "And to answer your question. I want you, Nitya. All of you."

I shudder, my skin crawling as I hear him. "I'll never be yours. Never."

His expression darkens and he leaves my face to roughly clutch my hair. "You'll soon be mine. Very soon."

Yanking my head up, he leans even closer and licks the tears off my face.

"NOOOO," I shout, struggling to free myself from his grip, but being unable to do it. "DON'T TOUCH ME. LEAVE ME."

He leaves me and leans back on his chair. "Ok. I won't touch you," he says. "Because no matter what you think of me, I am still a decent person and I still want to do right by you. That's why, I'll wait until our marriage. But once you become my wife, I'll claim your body as mine. I'll take it all, Nitya. I'll devour every inch of you."

The room spins as I process his words. "Yo-you can't marry me. I... I am already ma-married."

He laughs in such a menacing way that it sends chills down my spine. "That can be easily rectified," he tells me. "After all, you know Pratham doesn't love you and doesn't give two hoots about you. That was why you left him, isn't it? Because you found out he loves Sandhya and not you?"

"Ho-how did you know?" I ask, shocked.

"I know everything, Nitya," he replies, terrifying me.

"You father had come to your husband's house in the morning," he continues. "Do you know how Pratham reacted when he found out you and your brother are missing?" He shakes his head, letting out a chuckle. "He told your father not to bother him about it because you are no longer his responsibility."

"You are lying," I counter, unable to believe what he said.

I know Prathamji. He can't be that heartless. Even if he doesn't love me, he'll at least worry about me after finding out I have been missing.

Uday stands up, towering over me, his expression smug. "I'm not lying, Nitya. In fact, right after you left, when Devika aunty started discussing yours and Pratham's divorce, he readily agreed for it. He said he no longer wanted to be bound into the marriage he never wanted in the first place."

At his words, a wave of pain clenches my heart. I don't want to believe him, but....

But what, Nitya? You know Prathamji, right? He must be searching for you now after finding out you have been missing. He will find you soon. My heart tries to reassure me.

Are you really sure about it? My mind counters. After all, he had told you that you being or not being with him doesn't matter to him. So, why would he care about you missing? Why would he search for you after finally getting rid of you?

"If you don't believe me, I'll bring the divorce papers to you soon," Udayji says, interrupting the battle between my heart and my mind. "You will sign those divorce papers if you want to save your brother's life. After that, you'll also write a letter to your parents, saying that you and Yash are safe and will be returning home in a few days. Once they believe it and once you are divorced, I'll marry you and take you and your brother back. Then, your brother will go to his house and you'll come to mine. You'll be mine—mind, body, and soul. Especially the body."

His eyes again rake over me as he says that and I again feel the urge to cover myself from his heinous gaze.

"I'll never be yours. Never. Never. Never. Never," I keep chanting, feeling bile rise within me at the thought of being his.

"You are really lucky that I am a decent man." He sneers at me. "If I wasn't, I would have ripped your clothes and would have taken you right here, right now, repeatedly, until you completely submitted to me."

Hearing him, I freeze in fear. "Please, let me go. Please."

"I'll take you out myself, Nitya," he tells me. "After marrying you, I'll take you to meet your parents one last time before taking you to my house. Because, after you get there, you'll remain inside your whole life. You see, I don't like it when others even eye my possessions. That's why, I like to keep them locked."

Saying that, he crouches in front of me and pats my cheek. And when I try to evade his touch, he slaps me so harshly that I taste blood and also feel it dripping through a corner of my mouth.

"I am your reality now," he says, his voice severe. "It will be better for you if you start embracing it rather than trying to run from it."

He then stands up and leaves the room, the door slamming shut behind him.

"Help, please. Somebody help me. Get me out of here." My body shakes as I cry due to the horror of my situation closing in around me.