CHAPTER 41（MAHI）
My head hurt.
Not a sharp pain.
A heavy one.
Like I had been asleep for too long and my body didn't want to wake up.
I tried to move my fingers first.
Slow.
Weak.
Then my eyes fluttered open.
The light above me felt too bright.
Too unfamiliar.
I blinked a few times.
The room slowly came into focus.
Not my room.
Not the hospital.
Somewhere else.
My breath caught slightly.
I tried to sit up, but my body felt heavy, like it didn't fully belong to me yet.
"W-where..." I whispered.
My voice was barely there.
My eyes moved around the room.
Cold walls.
A locked door.
A chair in the corner.
And then—
Two figures.
Standing not too far away.
My heartbeat immediately changed.
Faster.
Harder.
I squinted, trying to see them clearly.
And then it hit me.
Recognition.
Slow.
Unwanted.
My stomach dropped.
"Raj..." I whispered.
His name came out like something I didn't want to believe again.
He stepped forward slightly.
Smiling.
"Finally awake."
My hands tightened instinctively against the chair behind me.
No.
No, no, no.
My eyes shifted to the second figure.
A girl.
Kavya.
My breath got stuck.
For a second, I just stared at her.
Trying to understand.
Trying to find logic in this.
"Aryan..." I whispered before I could stop myself.
Raj's smile widened slightly at that.
"Of course," he said casually. "First name you think of."
My throat tightened.
I tried to move back, but my body still felt weak.
"What... what do you want from me?" I asked, voice shaking now.
Kavya tilted her head slightly.
"You," she said simply.
My stomach twisted.
I shook my head immediately.
"No..."
Raj walked a little closer now, slow steps.
"You were never supposed to be in his life like this," he said.
I stared at him, confused.
My mind was still trying to catch up.
My breathing became uneven.
"What are you talking about?"
Kavya crossed her arms.
"You made it harder for him to see clearly."
My chest tightened at her words.
No.
This wasn't real.
This couldn't be happening.
I looked down at my hands for a second, trying to steady myself.
Think, Mahi.
Think.
But my mind kept flashing only one thing.
Aryan.
The way he looked at me this morning.
The way he said he wasn't going anywhere.
My eyes burned slightly.
I swallowed hard.
"Let me go," I said, voice breaking a little but trying to stay firm.
Raj laughed softly.
"No."
Just that.
Simple.
Final.
My heart sank deeper.
I looked between them again.
And for the first time since waking up...
Real fear settled in properly.
Not confusion.
Not disbelief.
But the realization that I was trapped.
And I didn't know how long I had been here.
Or what they planned next.
All I knew was—
I needed Aryan.
And I had no way to reach him.
The silence after my thought felt heavier than anything else.
I needed Aryan.
And I had no way to reach him.
Raj's smile didn't fade.
If anything, it grew calmer... like he was enjoying every second of my discomfort.
He leaned forward slowly and sat right in front of me.
Too close.
My body instinctively tensed.
"Poor Mahi," he said softly.
I frowned immediately.
"Don't call me that."
He ignored it.
"You really thought you could just move on like that?"
His eyes locked onto mine.
"You thought marrying him would erase me?"
My stomach dropped slightly at his words.
I turned my face away.
"Whatever you're talking about... you're out of your mind," I said firmly.
But my voice wasn't as steady as I wanted it to be.
Raj chuckled.
Then he reached out.
His fingers touched my cheek.
A reflex took over instantly.
I jerked my face away.
Hard.
"Kya kar rahe ho?" I snapped.
His expression didn't change.
Just that same calm, unsettling smile.
"I won't let that happen," he said simply.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
"What?"
He leaned back slightly.
"You are mine, Mahi."
My breath caught.
The words hit wrong.
Too wrong.
Too heavy.
"I don't belong to anyone," I said quickly, anger mixing with fear now.
Raj tilted his head.
A little amused.
"Oh, but you do," he replied. "Whether you accept it or not."
My hands curled slightly.
I forced myself to sit straighter.
"No," I said more firmly this time. "I belong to myself."
For the first time, his smile faded just a fraction.
Kavya, standing behind him, looked at me quietly... like she was studying my reaction.
Raj stood up slowly.
Walked a step back.
Then his voice turned colder.
"You always had a habit of choosing the wrong people, Mahi."
My chest tightened.
"And now," he continued, "you chose the worst one."
My heart clenched instantly at the mention of Aryan.
My eyes snapped up.
"Don't talk about him."
That got his attention again.
A slow smile returned.
"See?" he said softly. "Even now... you defend him."
I stayed silent.
Because I could feel something shifting.
Something dangerous.
Raj looked at Kavya briefly, then back at me.
"You'll understand soon," he said. "Why I came back into your life."
My throat felt dry.
"And Aryan?" I asked quietly.
Raj paused.
That pause alone was enough to make my fear deepen.
Then he smiled again.
"Let him try."
I turned my eyes toward Kavya.
"So you are here."
My voice came out quieter than I expected.
She smiled.
Not warmly.
Not kindly.
Just... satisfied.
"You stole Aryan from me," she said simply.
Something inside me snapped instantly.
My hands curled into fists.
For a second, I wanted to stand up.
Walk over to her.
And slap that expression right off her face.
"You don't own him," I wanted to shout.
But I didn't.
I swallowed it back down.
Hard.
Because I understood something very clearly now.
This wasn't about winning arguments.
This was about survival.
And any wrong move...
Could make things worse.
I forced my breathing to stay steady.
My eyes flicked between both of them.
Raj.
Kavya.
Both watching me.
Waiting for a reaction.
I stayed silent.
Kavya tilted her head slightly, like she was expecting more from me.
I didn't give it.
Because if I did anything now...
They wouldn't hurt just me.
Aryan would be their target too.
And I couldn't risk that.
Not him.
Never him.
My throat tightened at the thought.
I know Raj.
I've known him long enough to understand one thing.
He is dangerous.
Unstable in his own calm way.
But I also know him.
He doesn't act without purpose.
He doesn't kill impulsively.
He breaks people first.
Slowly.
Mentally.
That's his game.
And that realization scared me more than anything else.
Because pain I could survive.
But being used against Aryan...
That was different.
I lifted my chin slightly, forcing my voice to stay controlled.
"I don't care what you think," I said quietly.
Raj's eyes narrowed a little, like he was studying me again.
Kavya's smile faded slightly.
I continued, even though my heart was racing.
"I don't belong to anyone," I said firmly. "And neither does Aryan."
A pause.
The air in the room shifted.
I could feel it.
I tightened my grip on the bed beneath me, grounding myself.
"Do whatever you want with me," I added, voice lower now.
"But don't drag him into your mess."
For a second...
No one spoke.
And in that silence...
I realized something.
I wasn't just scared anymore.
I was preparing myself.
For whatever came next.
Because Aryan would come.
I didn't know how.
I didn't know when.
But I knew him.
And I knew one thing for sure.
He wouldn't stop until he found me.
The silence didn't last long.
Raj's expression shifted.
Slowly.
Not loud anger.
Not sudden rage.
Something worse.
Cold disappointment.
Like I had failed some expectation he never told me about.
He took a step closer.
Then another.
Kavya stayed where she was, watching quietly now.
Raj stopped right in front of me.
His voice came out softer than before.
But heavier.
"You still don't understand, do you?"
I didn't answer.
I refused to give him that satisfaction.
His jaw tightened slightly.
"I didn't bring you here to argue," he said.
A pause.
Then—
"I brought you here to remember."
My chest tightened.
"Remember what?" I asked cautiously.
Raj crouched slightly so he was at my eye level.
That made it worse.
Because now I couldn't ignore him.
"You always had this habit," he said slowly. "Running away from things... pretending they don't exist."
My fingers curled tighter.
"I am not running from anything," I said firmly.
He smiled faintly.
"Even now," he said, "you're lying to yourself."
My breathing got uneven.
I tried to move back slightly, but there was nowhere to go.
The chair pressed behind me.
Walls on every side of my awareness.
Raj noticed.
Of course he did.
His eyes flickered with something sharp.
Then he stood up straight.
"I was being patient," he said quietly.
That tone made my stomach drop.
"But you're making it difficult."
Kavya finally spoke from behind him.
"She always does that."
Raj didn't look back.
His eyes stayed on me.
Then he reached into his pocket.
My heartbeat spiked instantly.
"What are you doing?" I asked quickly.
He didn't answer.
Instead, he pulled out a small device.
And pressed something.
A soft click sounded in the room.
I frowned.
Then I noticed it.
The door.
It locked from the outside.
My breath caught.
"No..." I whispered.
Raj tilted his head slightly.
"You won't leave this room unless I say so."
My eyes widened.
"You can't do that."
He smiled.
"I already did."
A pause.
Then he added, almost casually—
"And don't worry... I've made sure even if you scream... no one hears you."
My throat went dry.
That was the first time fear fully settled in my chest.
Not panic.
Not confusion.
Control.
He wasn't just keeping me here.
He was making sure I stayed here on his terms.
Raj stepped back slowly now.
Like he was satisfied with the change in the room.
"I told you," he said softly. "You'll understand eventually."
His eyes darkened slightly.
"And Aryan... he'll understand too."
My heart dropped at the mention of his name.
I straightened my posture as much as I could.
Even with fear crawling under my skin.
"I don't need to understand anything," I said firmly.
Raj paused.
I met his eyes.
"I just need to get out of here."
For the first time...
His smile disappeared completely.
The moment his smile disappeared...
The room felt colder.
Raj stared at me for a few seconds without blinking.
Like he was recalculating something inside his head.
Then he slowly exhaled.
A controlled breath.
Not anger.
Something more dangerous.
Disappointment mixed with obsession.
"You still think this is a choice," he said quietly.
I didn't answer.
Because my throat felt tight.
Kavya shifted slightly behind him, but said nothing this time.
Raj took a step closer again.
I flinched before I could stop myself.
That reaction made something flicker in his eyes.
Satisfaction.
"You see?" he said softly. "You still react to me."
My stomach twisted.
"No," I said immediately, forcing strength into my voice. "I react to anyone who traps me."
His gaze sharpened.
For a second, the air felt heavy.
Then—
A sudden laugh escaped him.
Low.
Unstable.
It filled the entire room.
It made my chest tighten instantly.
Not because it was loud.
Because it didn't feel normal.
Raj leaned in suddenly.
Too close.
So close I could feel his presence invading my space.
I turned my face away instantly.
But he followed.
His breath brushed near my ear.
"Don't worry, Mahi," he said softly.
My fingers dug into the chair beneath me.
"You won't be able to get out of here until I let you."
My heart pounded harder.
"And when I decide you're ready..."
A pause.
His voice dropped even lower.
"...then maybe I'll let you see your Aryan again."
My entire body went still at that.
Before I could react—
I felt it.
His lips on my cheek.
Light.
Deliberate.
Marking.
My breath caught instantly.
My stomach twisted violently.
Nausea rose so fast I had to bite my lip to stop myself from reacting.
No.
No, no, no.
My hands trembled slightly, but I forced them to stay still.
Because I knew.
If I reacted the way he wanted...
He would only get worse.
Raj pulled back slowly.
Watching me.
Waiting.
Like he was expecting fear.
Or breakdown.
Or tears.
I lifted my chin slightly instead.
Even though my insides were shaking.
"You're disgusting," I said quietly.
For a moment—
Silence.
His expression didn't change immediately.
Then something darker settled in his eyes.
Not rage.
Worse.
Interest.
Like my resistance was exactly what he wanted.
And that realization...
Made my fear deepen even more.