She stood silently in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection as if it belonged to someone else. The bride looking back at her wore red and green wrapped in her cultural saree.But her eyes held no joy. Only fear. Only helplessness.

Her hands moved automatically, adjusting the pleats of her bridal lehenga, though they trembled so badly that the fabric slipped again and again from her grasp. Her breath felt stuck in her throat.

For the man she was about to marry, she had never imagined this fate. Not once had she thought her life would lead her here standing on the edge of a marriage that felt more like a prison sentence.

She raised her hand to her forehead and carefully placed the bindi. The red dot trembled along with her fingers.

She swallowed hard.

She had never believed she could be trapped this badly… in something so cruel, so suffocating.

Her heart pounded violently against her chest. Fear,raw and unfamiliar crawled through her veins. She had always been strong. Always fought back. But today, she felt powerless.

A truth.

A truth her adopted parents had hidden from her for years.

A truth about her existence… her past… her identity.

Everything was collapsing at once.

Today was the day she was marrying her nightmare.

Her bangles slipped onto her wrists with a soft clinking sound. As she wore them, her nails dug into her own skin, scratching unconsciously as panic overtook her. Her hands were trembling uncontrollably.

She was getting late.

The rituals were about to begin.

Her chest tightened as a horrifying realization struck her...she was in the wrong place. Every instinct inside her screamed that this was a mistake. A mistake she would regret for the rest of her life.

The man she was being forced to marry was perfect in the eyes of the world. Wealth beyond imagination. A face admired by many. Power that made people bow.

But his intentions…

They were dark. Possessive. Twisted.

A strange, suffocating feeling settled deep inside her soul.

“Where are you…?” she whispered, her voice breaking.

"I..i am getting married.... I thought... You..."

Her words faded into sobs as tears streamed endlessly down her cheeks.

Her father had forced this marriage upon her. She had run away years ago to escape them ..to escape this destiny. But he found her.

Kidnapped her.

Years of planning. Years of obsession. Years of waiting.

All for this moment.

What kind of madness was this?

She sat beneath the mandap beside her soon-to-be husband. Her body felt numb as rituals continued around her. Every mantra sounded distant, meaningless.

Her tears fell silently, soaking the fabric of her lehenga.

Her eyes were swollen, red, hollow , stripped of hope.

When the priest announced the pheres, her heart stopped.

Before she could react, her fiancé stood abruptly and grabbed her arm tightly. His grip was painful, unforgiving, as he pulled her to her feet.

She winced.

Her legs trembled as he forced her to walk beside him around the sacred fire.

The first phera was almost complete when..

BANG.

A loud gunshot ripped through the air.

Screams echoed.

The music stopped.

Time froze.

Everyone turned toward the gate.

The bullet had already found its target.

Her soon-to-be husband collapsed instantly, his body hitting the ground with a horrifying thud.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Her body flinched violently.

Fear consumed her completely.

Slowly, her gaze lifted toward the man standing at the entrance.

Dressed in a black coat over a crisp white shirt, he stood tall, intimidating, untouchable. A gun rested casually in his hand. He blew a puff of air over its barrel cold, arrogant, fearless.

As if killing meant nothing.

He began walking forward.

Each step echoed like thunder in the silent hall.

Behind him, hundreds of armed men followed—guns raised, eyes alert.

Mafia.

Her father gathered courage and stepped forward.

“Kaun ho tum?” he demanded shakily.

“Yeh tum kaise—”

Before he could finish, the man raised his gun and fired.

The bullet grazed her father’s arm.

Blood spilled instantly.

Her father collapsed to the floor, screaming in pain—then fell silent in terror.

No one dared to speak.

She stood frozen.

Her fiancé lay dead.

The sacred fire burned beside his lifeless body.

Her hands trembled violently.

Her knees felt weak.

Her eyes finally lifted toward the man who had destroyed everything.

"w..who are you?"she whispered, barely audible.

The man stopped in front of her.

Slowly, deliberately, he removed his mask.

The chandelier lights illuminated his face.

And in that moment—

Her soul shattered.

It was him.

Her bestfriend.

Her world spun violently.

He walked toward her, his steps slow but commanding. Each step carried weight, authority, certainty. When he reached her, he grabbed her hand firmly—possessively—and turned toward the priest.

She couldn’t breathe.

Shock paralyzed her completely.

She stared at his face, unable to process reality.

“A-Adhu… Adhushirt… you…?” she whispered, her voice shaking as her hand remained trapped in his grip.

He looked at her deeply.

His eyes softened but only for her.

Affection. Pain. Obsession. Possession.

All hidden beneath his calm exterior.

Her college memories flooded her mind the laughter, the trust, the bond she never questioned.

Suddenly, he pulled her toward him with such force that she crashed into his hard chest.

Her eyes shut instinctively.

The next second, she felt herself lifted off the ground.

He held her in his arms bridal style.

Gasps filled the hall.

The priest, trembling with fear, continued chanting mantras.

He completed the vows without hesitation.

She was weak. Bruised. Emotionally shattered. Her arms bore marks of force, her body shaking uncontrollably.

His jaw clenched tightly as he noticed her condition.

Anger burned in his eyes.

As soon as the pheres ended, he sat down with her..still holding her in his lap.

He took out a knife.

Without hesitation, he cut his thumb.

Blood dripped.

"khoon se bandha yeh rishta"he said firmly.

"Ab kabhi naahi tootega, HUKUM RANI SA. Ab hamesha ke liye app hamari ho chuki ho. Samjhi ap.. HUKUM" Before she could react, darkness consumed her.

Her body finally gave up.

She fainted.

Inside the car, she lay unconscious in his arms, wrapped in her Gujarati gharcholu bridal lehenga.

He looked down at her face.

His touch softened.

His thumb brushed away dried tears f

rom her cheeks.

His voice lowered.

"Bindani ho app ap meri"

"Pheli nazar me hi app hamari aur ham apke ho gaye the.. kuch salo ke liye akele kya choda apko... Rani sa...

Apne toh appna haal hi behal kar diya"