The room was too quiet.
Silk sheets. Candlelight. Crimson rose petals scattered like spilled blood. It was every girl's dream painted in nightmare colors.
Ananya sat at the edge of the bed in a heavy red bridal saree, her back straight, eyes empty. Her wrists still bore the red marks where Rael had gripped her too tightly during the ritual.
She hadn't screamed. Hadn't cried. Not even once.
But inside, she was burning.
---
Rael entered the room hours later. Dressed in black, his eyes darker still. He moved like a shadow, silent and sure, as if he already owned the space — and her.
He locked the door.
She didn't move.
He didn't speak for a moment. Just stood there, watching her, taking in the image of his stolen bride. The tension between them buzzed — heavy, suffocating.
"You haven't run," he said finally.
She met his gaze. "There's nowhere to run to."
He stepped forward. "Then you've accepted it."
"No," she said. "I'm studying you. Every word. Every weakness. You sleep next to a snake now, Rael. One bite from me, and you'll never breathe again."
He exhaled a soft laugh, but it wasn't amusement — it was awe.
"That's why I chose you," he whispered. "Because even when caged, you bare your fangs."
He reached for her cheek. She didn't flinch — but her entire body tensed like drawn wire.
"I can be gentle," he said.
She leaned in slightly, her voice like poison-laced silk. "But you won't."
He paused, hand hovering near her face, fingers twitching like he ached to touch her. Then, slowly, he pulled away.
"I'll wait," he murmured. "But not forever."
---
He lay down beside her that night — fully clothed — keeping a deliberate distance. Not out of respect. Out of calculation.
He wanted her to choose him. He wanted her to need him.
But Ananya's silence wasn't surrender. It was war.
She stared at the ceiling, listening to his breath slow. She could feel the heat of his presence beside her, the way his body thrummed with restraint.
And beneath her rage, a darker truth pulsed: part of her still felt drawn to the fire.
But fire devours. And Ananya Verma had no intention of being consumed.
She would stay. She would smile. And then she would destroy him.
From the inside out.
---