Chapter 6
What he hadn’t expected—was for her to fight back harder.
And for the first time in his life, Hukum was losing control.
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The next morning, the air in the Rathore Mansion was tense.
Servants whispered behind their hands as Anvi walked into the dining hall, draped in a soft lavender saree, her chin lifted like a queen who hadn’t just been locked in a gilded cage.
She sat at the table—not beside Agastya, but at the farthest end.
The exact same way she had done before.
A challenge.
Agastya’s jaw ticked.
But he said nothing.
Instead, he poured himself a cup of black tea, his movements slow, deliberate. Testing her patience.
The moment he took a sip, she finally spoke.
"I want to go out."
Silence.
The entire room froze.
Agastya set his teacup down without a sound. Then, his dark eyes lifted, locking onto hers across the table.
"No."
Anvi’s fingers curled against the silk pleats of her saree. "I wasn’t asking."
A muscle in his jaw jumped.
Across the table, his mother watched with cold amusement.
Choti Maa gave Anvi a pleading look, as if silently begging her to back down.
But she wouldn’t. Not today.
Not after what he did.
She wanted air.
She wanted freedom.
She wanted to show him that she would never belong to him.
So she made her voice louder.
"I want to go out, Agastya."
His gaze darkened in warning.
"You are not leaving this house," he murmured, his voice soft but sharp enough to cut.
Anvi exhaled, leaning forward.
"Then I’ll leave without your permission."
The moment she said it—she knew she had made a mistake.
Because Agastya stilled.
The quiet in the room turned lethal.
Then, in a single motion, he stood.
Before she could react, he was already beside her, one hand gripping the armrest of her chair, caging her in.
His presence was a storm.
His voice, pure destruction.
"Try it, Pari." His lips barely moved as he spoke. "And see what happens."
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Anvi had expected him to punish her.
She had expected more restrictions, more cold, calculated control.
But she hadn’t expected him to break his own rules.
Later that evening, she sat by the window, watching the sunset, her heart still beating fast from their confrontation.
A soft knock on her door startled her.
Not a guard. Not a servant.
It was Choti Maa.
She stepped inside, holding a small silver tray of food.
Anvi frowned. "I’m not hungry."
Choti Maa hesitated before sighing. "He sent it for you."
Anvi’s breath caught.
"He?"
Devyani smiled knowingly. "Who else, beta?"
Anvi stiffened. Agastya.
For a moment, she was speechless.
He had never done anything like this before.
She looked down at the food—
A small bowl of dal, plain rice, a glass of water.
Simple. Easy to digest.
Then it clicked.
He had noticed.
She hadn’t eaten much since the engagement. She had barely touched her plate at breakfast.
And he had sent this… without saying a word.
Anvi’s heart stirred with something unfamiliar.
She swallowed hard. "Tell him I don’t need his concern."
Choti Maa laughed softly. "I think he already knows."
But later that night, as Anvi sat by her bed, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the emerald ring on her finger…
She ate.
Not because she was hungry.
But because a part of her wondered—
What other ways had Agastya been watching her?
And worse—why did it make her chest feel warm?