"Where is it?" he asked, his voice low and venomous.

"Where is what?" Vani feigned innocence, though the slight tremor in her voice betrayed her unease.

"You know what I mean," Rudra's voice dropped even further, each word pronounced with cold fury. "The ring. My ring. The one you swore to wear when you accepted this engagement. Where. Is. It?"

She scoffed, her lips curling in mock amusement. "You mean the forced engagement?"

That was a mistake.

Rudra's nostrils flared, his jaw tightening as he closed the remaining distance between them in a heartbeat. His hand darted out, grabbing her waist with an iron grip that made her gasp.

"There's nothing forced about this anymore," he spat, his voice laced with venom. "You said yes. You wore the ring. And whether you like it or not, I am your fiancé."

Vani tried to step back, but his grip was unyielding. "Let me go, Rudra!" she snapped, her tone sharper now.

Instead, Rudra grabbed her bag from the floor, yanking it open. Clothes and toiletries spilled onto the hardwood floor, and with a metallic clink, the ring tumbled out.

"There it is," Rudra said, his voice deceptively calm. He crouched to pick it up, the cold metal glinting between his fingers as he stood. His eyes, dark and stormy, bore into hers. "You thought you could just take this off and walk away? Like none of this happened? Like I don't exist?"

"It's my life, Rudra!" Vani shouted, her frustration spilling over. "You can force me into this engagement, but you can't control me. You can't make me—"

Her words were cut short as his hand grabbed her hair in a painful fist and then slamming her into the wall beside her, the sound reverberating through the room. Vani whimpered but refused to cower.

"You are mine," Rudra hissed, his face mere inches from hers. He grabbed her left hand, his grip tight enough to make her wince. "This finger belongs to me. This hand belongs to me. You belong to me."

Before she could pull away, he shoved the ring back onto her finger, twisting it until it bit into her skin.

"Don't you ever take it off again," he growled. "You can hate me, scream at me, fight me—but you will wear this ring. You will remember that you're mine."

Vani yanked her hand free, her chest heaving with anger. "You think this ring means anything to me? You think your threats will make me obedient?" Her voice trembled with fury, her defiance burning brighter than her fear. "You'll never have me, Rudra—not in the way you want."

Rudra's eyes darkened, his smirk fading into something cruel. "You think I care about your consent, Vani?" he said, his voice a chilling whisper. "I don't need your permission to own you. You gave yourself to me the moment you accepted this engagement."

Her voice rose, laced with raw emotion. "You forced me!"

"And I'll do it again," he screamed making her heart pound crazily. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Because no one will have you but me. Do you understand? No one else. Ever."

Vani's eyes brimmed with unshed tears, her voice cracking. "You're insane."

His lips curled into a twisted smile. "If insanity is what it takes to keep you, then so be it. YOU ARE NOT LEAVING ME"

Vani pushed him with all the strength she had. her heart racing. "I told you I'd marry you, Rudra. I gave you my commitment. But that doesn't mean I'll give up my dreams or my ambition."

He tilted his head, his lips curling into a mocking smile. "Dreams? Sweetheart, you're about to marry me, the most powerful man in this state. What more could you possibly need? Running around in some job, chasing approvals from people who don't matter? That's beneath you—and me."

"Beneath me?" Vani's voice rose, her anger breaking through. "What's beneath me is giving up on myself just to fit into your expectations! I'm not running away, Rudra. I told you I'll marry you. But I won't leave my dreams behind for anyone—not even you."

His jaw tightened at her defiance. He took a step closer, towering over her. "You're talking to me, your future husband, as if you've forgotten every ounce of respect your mother taught you. Oh wait, she isn't here to see how ungrateful her daughter has become, is she?"

The words were like a knife slicing through her heart. Vani's voice trembled as she replied, "Don't bring my mother into this. You have no right—"

"Oh, but I do," he interrupted, his tone dripping with malice. "Because it's her memory you're tarnishing with this shameless behavior. Imagine her disappointment if she saw you today, defying the man who's offering you a life most women only dream of."

Vani's hands balled into fists, her nails digging into her palms. She stepped closer to him, meeting his cold gaze. "My mother would be proud to see me stand up for myself, to see me fight for what I believe in. And I'll keep fighting, Rudra. I won't let you turn me into a fucking puppet. "

For a moment, there was silence. Then Rudra's expression shifted—his mockery replaced by a chilling calm. Without a word, he turned to her bed as he took her phone and laptop away.

"What the hell are you doing?" Vani demanded, panic flaring in her chest.

He faced her, his voice cold and final. "If you won't listen to me willingly, then I'll make you listen. You're not leaving, not even this damn house until you understand your place."

"You can't do this!" she shouted, her voice cracked with anger. "This is not how you treat someone you're supposed to marry!"

Rudra stepped closer, his presence suffocating. "You want freedom, Vani? Then prove you deserve it. Until then, this is your world—this room, this house, me. The sooner you accept it, the easier it'll be for you."

The tense air between them crackled as Vani stared at Rudra, her chest heaving with anger. She was about to lash out when his hand shot out, gripping her jaw with bruising force. Her words caught in her throat as his other hand twisted her wrist behind her back.

The sharp jolt of pain made her tear up, but she refused to let him see her cry. She clenched her teeth, swallowing the scream that threatened to escape.

"You listen to me, my dearest fiancée," Rudra hissed, his tone laced with venom as his face loomed inches from hers. "I'm not locking the door. But if you so much as think of stepping out of this house without my permission, I'll hurt your family in ways you can't even imagine."

Vani's glare burned through her pain as he continued, his voice low and chilling. "I'll start with your dear uncle. He's so devoted to you, isn't he? Let's see how far his loyalty takes him when I ruin his life. Then maybe your aunt will beg me to stop. Or should I start with Riti? A little pressure on her marriage and—oh, wait, she's pregnant, isn't she? That makes things even more... delicate. What if she is being accused of being a characterless woman. You know it would take me just a couple of minutes to convince everyone that the child she is carrying is of another man and not my brother "

A tear slipped down Vani's cheek, but her eyes remained defiant, glaring daggers into his cold, smirking face.

Rudra loosened his grip just enough for her to breathe, though the pain lingered like a warning. "You're smart, sweetheart. You understand what I'm capable of. And if you care about your family even half as much as you pretend to, you'll stay exactly where I want you to."

With that, he released her jaw and shoved her away with a jerk. Vani stumbled but caught herself, her body trembling with a mixture of fear and fury.

"Go ahead, glare at me all you want," he said, smirking as he straightened his sleeves. "That fire in your eyes is quite becoming, but it won't change anything. You're mine, Vani. Remember that."

Without another word, he turned on his heel and strode out of the room, leaving her standing there, her wrist throbbing and her chest tight with suppressed rage.

The slam of the door reverberated through the house, but this time it wasn't the sound of it locking that haunted her. It was his words, each one a chain tightening around her and her family.

Vani clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. She refused to let him see her crumble. If he thought he could break her, he was wrong. She wasn't going to let him win. Not now. Not ever.

What do you think gonna happen now??