Hello my buttercups..Thank you so much for reading this book. Love you all. Happy reading 🤍__________________________

[A glimpse of the Mall scene..]

“Aiyoo Murugan, this girl na—” I said, trying to match my pace with hers.

“Ishani, stop it yaar. How fast are you walking? Walk slowly, bro, I’m also with you,” I added in a fake, dramatic crying voice.

She stopped suddenly and turned back toward me. Looking straight at my face, she said, “You na, Niharika. First you made me crazy by forcing me to watch your SRK movie, and now when I’m finally going to take the tickets, you’re walking like a turtle.”

I looked at her with my puppy eyes and said softly, “Okay, sorry na. Now I’ll walk fast. Let’s go—we have to see that movie.”

We both went to the ticket counter.

“Two tickets for SRK’s new movie,” we said.

The man behind the counter looked at us like we were two foolish girls and replied, “Sorry, the hall is full. You’ll have to wait a few hours for the next show.”

We looked at each other.

Ishani shot me a sharp glare and said, “I’ll kill you, Niharika. Walk more slowly now. Go on, go and see your SRK movie. You have to go to the hospital after four hours, and all the rooms are full. Now we have to wait three hours. I told you we should come early, but you said, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll get tickets.’”

I looked at her guiltily and said, “Sorry na baba now Don’t shout. I really didn’t think the hall would be full.”

She looked at me and said a little loudly, “Oh really? You’re the craziest SRK fan, and you didn’t know that on the first day of the movie you have to come early?”

I sighed and replied, “Okay, sorry, Miss Ishani. From now on, I’ll never do this again. And don’t worry—we’ll come tomorrow and watch the movie. We’ll book the seats quickly.”

She stared at me in shock. “Are you really sure you won’t watch the first-day show of an SRK movie?”

I looked at her with a sad smile. “Yeah. I don’t have any other choice. Patients are also important. I have to check two ladies today. Before everything, my responsibility matters.”

She nodded slowly. “Okay.”

“Now let’s eat something from the food court,” I said.

She nodded again.

As we were walking, Ishani suddenly stopped me. “Wait a minute here. I’ll come back from the restroom.”

I nodded, and she walked away.

I stood there, waiting.

Suddenly—

A gunshot echoed through the entire mall.

People started screaming and running everywhere.

My body panicked, and my hands began to shake.

Then my mind screamed—Ishani.

She was in the restroom.

“I have to go to her,” I whispered.

I tried to move forward, but people were running wildly, pushing and crashing into me. The pressure knocked me to the floor.

I tried to stand, but the crowd was too heavy.

I closed my eyes tightly and gripped my ears.

Please stop… please…

The past started flooding my mind.

Suddenly—

Everything went silent.

No screams

No footsteps.

Nothing.

I slowly opened my eyes.

The floor was empty.

The mall was silent.

I stood up shakily and looked around. No one was there.

I started searching for Ishani.

Then—

A sudden voice brushed past my ear.

I turned toward the sound.

A man came running straight toward me, dressed in a black T-shirt, a black leather jacket, and black pants. His entire face was covered with a black mask. Behind him, some policeman chased him with a gun.

My body froze.

I wanted to run—but before I could—

The masked man grabbed my wrist tightly.

My whole body shivered.

He pulled me back against him and pressed a gun to my head.

My mind went blank.

His left arm wrapped around my neck with a harsh grip, cutting off my breath.

“Move back,” he said coldly to the police, “or I’ll kill this girl.”

His voice was deep, husky, and terrifying. It scratched my mind like poison.

I couldn’t breathe properly.

I grabbed his arm with both hands, trying to loosen his grip, but the leather jacket made it impossible.

He leaned closer to my ear and whispered, “Move one inch, and I’ll put a bullet in your head.”

Tears slipped from my eyes.

My vision blurred as coughing escaped my lips.

He tightened his hold and shouted towards the police, he pulled the trigger slightly, “Move back, or I’ll kill her. I’m not lying. If you want a demo, tell me.”

I coughed desperately. “P-p-please… l-l-leave me… m-my n-neck…”

An old police officer raised his hand and shouted, “Everyone, move back. We’re backing off now. Leave the girl.”

A cruel laugh echoed near my ear.

“Don’t try to act smart in front of me,” the masked man said to the police coldly.

Tightening his grip, he dragged me backward with him.

Suddenly, he forcefully tightened his arm around my neck.

My eyes went wide.

I knew they were turning red from the pain as tears continued slipping down my cheeks. The pressure was so intense that my face arched helplessly toward his chest.

And then—

My hazel eyes met his.

Grey.

Cold.

Dangerously deep.

His eyes were filled with darkness, as if he carried the shadows of the entire world within them. They didn’t tremble. They didn’t hesitate. They studied me—slowly, thoroughly—like he had already decided my fate.

There was a faint glint of light in them, but no shame, no hesitation in his cruelty.

Only control.

My breath hitched as he stepped into the elevator, dragging me along with him. His grip never loosened—not even for a second.

The elevator doors began to close.

The last thing I saw before they shut was his grey gaze still locked onto mine—dark, unreadable, and terrifyingly calm.

Ding.

The elevator doors slid closed, sealing me alone with him.

My eyes started to blur as I desperately tried to pry his hand away from my neck. I coughed violently, my chest burning as air struggled to return to my lungs.

Then, suddenly—

He released me.

The abrupt loss of pressure made me stumble, my body shaking as I gasped for breath. Before I could even process it, his hand grabbed me again—not at my throat this time.

With one sharp movement, he turned me toward him.

I was forced to face him directly.

Straight.

Helpless.

My breath came out in broken gasps as his grey eyes locked onto mine, unreadable and cold, leaving me standing there—exposed under his gaze.

*********************************

[The desert scene..]

I was standing in the middle of a desert field. There was darkness all around..

My body trembled, but I didn’t lose my courage—not even one percent.

I looked at him while he sat on his horse, circling around me slowly. He laughed cruelly, and that laugh echoed inside my head.

Then he spoke in his deep, dangerous voice, laughing mockingly,

“Ab batao, Mrs. Niharika Singh Shekhawat… ab darr lag raha hai ya nahi?”

[“Now tell me, Mrs. Niharika Singh Shekhawat… are you scared now, or not?”]

I held onto every bit of my courage and replied angrily,

“Not even one percent, Divyansh Singh Shekhawat. Mujhe toh balki hassi aa rahi hai.”

[“Not even one percent, Divyansh Singh Shekhawat. In fact, I feel like laughing.”]

I stared straight at him and continued,

“You’re the man who claims that he is danger itself, and now you’re trying to scare your own wife? Maybe the world is scared of you—but not me. Not at any cost. The day I married you, all my fear burned in that ‘agni kund’[Sacred Fire Altar].”

I lifted my chin slightly.

“And see now, I’ve put you in a position where you’re trying to scare me. How funny is that? I mean, Mr. Divyansh Singh Shekhawat—the supreme commander of Jodhpur—the man who carries hell in his heart—is trying to scare his wife.”

I smiled bitterly.

“And guess why? Because your ego isn’t satisfied. Because your wife is not like others who get scared of you. So your ego gets shattered. Am I right?”

Suddenly, he stopped his horse.

The black horse was almost invisible in the night—only its presence could be felt.

He jumped down.

I gulped tightly, gathering all my courage. No matter how much I told myself that I wasn’t scared, my soul knew how badly I was scared of him. But I didn’t want to show it.

He slowly started moving toward me.

I didn’t move even one inch backward.

I kept looking straight at him—at his grey eyes, which looked terrifying at that moment.

He came closer.

Just one step of distance remained between us.

Then he moved his knife toward me and stopped it under my chin. He lifted my chin upward with the knife, forcing my glare to match his.

I gulped, but I didn’t lose my strength.

My eyes tried to numb, but I didn’t give them that authority.

He spoke in his dark, cold, husky voice, staring directly into my eyes,

“This courage… this fucking courage in you, Güzel Bela (My beautiful trouble). I’ve met millions of people in my life.”

As he spoke, he moved the knife along my jaw, slowly sliding it upward over my cheek. I felt the cold metal against my skin, but it didn’t hurt.

“But I’ve never met a person like you,” he continued, “who just fucking matches my fucking audacity.”

His eyes dropped to my lips for a brief moment.

“I really love this spicy mouth.”

Suddenly, he leaned closer, his face near my ear, and whispered in his deep voice. His cold breath touched my shoulder, sending a slow shiver through my body.

“I’m fucking waiting to taste every inch of you,” he said softly. “But the fucking problem is—I don’t want to ruin you, Güzel Bela.”

He paused for a second.

“And I’m not interested in these things until you make me do them.”

His voice turned darker.

“That’s why I’m saying—stop touching my nerves. If you keep touching them, you’ll really forget your identity.”

He pulled his face back slightly, his eyes burning into mine.

“And that won’t give you a great result. Then you’ll start fucking hating me more and more...”

“From the tips of my toe nails to the roots of my hair.”

A cruel smirk spread across his lips.

“I’m a whole fucking devil,” he said coldly. “The devil who ruins you… who shatters your beautiful world.”

He took a deep breath, then pulled his face back to its place, still looking straight into my eyes.

“So

Stay far away from me,” he finished. “Be scared of me. Because that’s the only way to escape me.”

__________________________

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