The city was alive with its usual morning rush. Cars sped past, honking impatiently, and hurried footsteps echoed against the pavement. Sanya moved through the crowd, her fingers gripping the strap of her bag tightly. A part of her wanted to turn back, to run far away, but she had made a choice.
She didn't take his car.
Aarush had ordered her to, like he ordered everything in her life, but she refused. She couldn't keep letting him dictate her every move.
She had fought for this job.
For this small piece of freedom.
And she wouldn't let him take it from her.
She swallowed the lump in her throat as she stepped into the office building. The air-conditioning hit her immediately, sending a chill down her spine. People were bustling about, murmuring in small clusters, exchanging pleasantries.
She should have felt comforted.
She should have felt safe.
But something was wrong.
She could feel it in the way people looked at her. The hesitant glances. The whispers that faded when she passed by.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Ignoring the tight knot in her stomach, she walked toward her desk, forcing herself to focus.
Then—
"Sanya?"
She turned at the sound of her manager's voice.
Mr. Carter stood near his office, his usually composed face clouded with something unreadable.
"Come with me," he said.
Her hands felt cold.
Still, she nodded, following him inside.
The door shut behind her with a quiet click.
Silence stretched between them.
Then he sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Sanya, I don't know how to say this..."
The knot in her stomach tightened.
"I'm sorry, but we have to let you go."
The words hit her like a punch to the gut.
"What?" she breathed.
He wouldn't meet her eyes. "It's not about your work. You're great at what you do. But..." He hesitated. "There's pressure from above."
Pressure.
She knew exactly what that meant.
Aarush.
A bitter laugh almost escaped her lips.
Of course, he did this.
Because he could.
Because she dared to make a choice without his permission.
Her hands curled into fists.
"This isn't fair," she whispered. "You know that."
Mr. Carter sighed again, his expression filled with regret. "I do. But my hands are tied."
She wanted to scream.
To demand how this was okay.
But what was the point?
Aarush had made his decision. And like always, the world bent to his will.
Her chest tightened as she turned on her heels and walked out.
Her legs felt numb as she made her way to her desk. She gathered her things in silence, ignoring the way people stole glances at her, pity written all over their faces.
She wouldn't break here.
Not in front of them.
Not in a place she had once thought could be hers.
She stepped out of the office, the air outside feeling heavier than before.
And then her phone buzzed.
She didn't need to look.
She knew who it was.
Aarush.
Her fingers tightened around the device.
She ignored the call.
Then another.
And another.
Her breathing grew uneven as she walked faster. She needed to get away. She didn't know where, but anywhere was better than going back to that house.
To him.
Her vision blurred as she turned a corner.
She hadn't realized she was crying.
She hated herself for it.
She hated that no matter how much he pushed her, no matter how much he broke her—
She still loved him.
And that was the cruelest part of all.
Sanya kept walking, the city's noise fading into the background. The weight of everything pressed down on her chest—her job, her stolen freedom, him.
Aarush's messages kept coming.
Answer me.
Where the hell are you?
Sanya.
She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the pain away. She didn't want to go back. She couldn't. Not after what he did.
He had ripped away the one thing she had left—her independence. He had taken her dreams, her choices, and now even her job, as if she were nothing more than a puppet in his hands.
But the cruelest part?
She still loved him.
Her love for him felt like a sickness, a poison she couldn't purge from her veins. No matter how much she tried to fight it, it was there, lingering beneath her pain, beneath her hatred for herself.
She had spent years looking at him with admiration, believing in the boy she had once known. But the man he had become? The one who crushed her beneath his control?
He was a stranger.
Her phone rang again.
She clenched her jaw and silenced it, shoving the device deep into her bag.
No more.
She wouldn't let him ruin her any further.
She kept walking, unsure where she was going, until her legs finally gave up. She found herself in a quiet part of the city, in front of a small café.
Her throat felt dry, her hands trembling.
She stepped inside, the warm scent of coffee wrapping around her. The place was nearly empty, save for a few people quietly working on their laptops.
She sank into a corner seat, dropping her bag onto the table.
She had nothing now.
No job. No home she wanted to return to.
Nothing but a heart that still ached for a man who despised her.
She let out a bitter laugh, wiping at the tears that wouldn't stop falling.
"Excuse me, miss?"
She looked up to find a waitress standing beside her, concern in her eyes. "Are you okay?"
Sanya forced a small nod. "Yeah, just... just a bad day."
The waitress hesitated before offering a kind smile. "Can I get you something? Maybe some tea?"
Tea.
Aarush used to tease her about her love for it. He'd always preferred coffee—bitter and strong—while she loved the comfort of tea, its warmth soothing in a way nothing else was.
She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Yeah. Tea would be nice."
The waitress nodded and walked away, leaving Sanya alone with her thoughts.
She traced circles on the wooden table, trying to figure out what to do next.
She couldn't go back to that house.
She wouldn't.
Even if it meant starting from nothing, she'd rather struggle on her own than be caged by him any longer.
But deep down, she knew it wouldn't be that easy.
Aarush wouldn't let her go.
He was relentless.
Possessive.
And she was still his wife.
A shiver ran down her spine as she stared at her phone, as if expecting it to ring again.
She didn't want to hear his voice.
Didn't want to feel the pull of him dragging her back into his world.
But as much as she tried to push him out of her mind, she knew one thing for certain.
Aarush Rathore wasn't the kind of man who accepted defiance.
And she had just made the biggest mistake of her life.
Sanya sat in the café for what felt like hours, her tea growing cold as she stared blankly at her phone. No more messages. No missed calls. The silence should have felt like relief, but instead, it left an uneasy weight in her chest.
Aarush wasn't the type to give up so easily.
She knew him well enough to know that.
The moment she had stepped out of his world, defying him, she had become something he had to control again.
She exhaled shakily, rubbing her temples.
What now?
She had no job. No plan. No place to go.
Her hands curled into fists. Think, Sanya.
She had enough savings to last for a few weeks, but after that? She needed another job. And fast.
Her phone vibrated suddenly, making her stomach lurch. But when she glanced at the screen, disappointment washed over her.
It wasn't him.
It was her landlord.
With a sinking heart, she read the message.
"Your rent was due today. If payment isn't made by tomorrow, I'll have to ask you to vacate the apartment."
Her breath caught in her throat.
Tomorrow.
Everything was crumbling around her, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
She pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes, trying to push back the panic.
She had options. She just had to find them.
Before she could think further, her phone vibrated again.
This time, it was him.
Aarush.
Her heart pounded as she stared at the screen. She hesitated, her finger hovering over the decline button.
She knew she shouldn't answer.
She couldn't.
But her resolve wavered.
The phone rang again. And again.
Then it stopped.
A few seconds later, a message popped up.
"Come back before I come find you."
Her stomach twisted.
This wasn't just anger. This was a warning.
She knew he would keep his word.
And yet… she couldn't go back.
She wouldn't.
She gritted her teeth, shoving her phone into her bag as she stood up. She had wasted enough time.
She needed to find a way out before he decided to drag her back himself.
***
It was nearly midnight when Sanya finally made her way back toward her apartment building.
Her feet ached from walking aimlessly around the city, but her mind still had no answers.
Every job she had called required experience she didn't have. The few that might have worked wouldn't pay enough to cover rent in time.
She felt trapped. Cornered.
And worst of all—alone.
She reached her building, rubbing her arms against the cold, when she suddenly noticed a black car parked across the street.
Her breath hitched.
It wasn't just any car.
She knew that car.
Aarush.
Her pulse pounded in her ears as she quickened her steps, hoping, praying that maybe he wasn't inside.
That maybe he wasn't waiting for her.
But as soon as she reached the entrance, a door slammed shut.
She froze.
Heavy footsteps echoed behind her.
Her fingers shook as she clutched the strap of her bag. Don't turn around. Keep walking. Just get inside—
"Sanya."
His voice sent a shiver down her spine. Deep, firm, laced with something dark beneath the surface.
She swallowed hard, squeezing her eyes shut for a second.
Then, slowly, she turned.
Aarush stood a few feet away, dressed in all black, his sharp features unreadable under the dim streetlights.
But his eyes—those cold, calculating eyes—pinned her in place.
She forced herself to stand tall, even when her body screamed to run.
"I'm not coming back," she said, her voice steadier than she felt.
His gaze darkened. "You don't get to decide that."
Her hands clenched at her sides. "I do. You don't own me, Aarush."
He stepped closer. Just one step, but it felt like a threat. "No?" His voice dropped lower. "Then why are you running from me?"
She exhaled shakily. "Because I know what you'll do if I don't."
A ghost of a smirk played at his lips. "Then you should have known better than to leave in the first place."
Her heart pounded. "I don't want your money. I don't want you."
His jaw ticked. "And I don't care what you want."
Her breath hitched.
His words stung more than they should have.
Because deep down, she had hoped—hoped that maybe some part of him still cared.
That maybe, just maybe, the boy she had once loved wasn't completely gone.
But she was wrong.
She forced herself to look him in the eye. "I'd rather struggle on my own than live like a prisoner in your house."
Aarush stared at her for a long moment, silent.
Then, with slow, deliberate steps, he closed the distance between them.
Sanya's breath caught as he stopped just inches away.
"You think you have a choice?" he murmured.
She did. She had to.
But before she could respond, his fingers wrapped around her wrist—not tight enough to hurt, but firm enough to tell her exactly how this night would end.
Her stomach twisted.
"Aarush—"
He didn't let her finish.
In one swift move, he pulled her forward, making her stumble into his chest.
And then—he turned, dragging her toward the car.
Panic surged through her veins.
"No—let me go!"
She struggled, but his grip didn't loosen.
"Sanya," he warned, his voice deadly calm.
She kicked at his shin, trying to break free. "You can't do this—"
But he only tightened his hold, shoving the car door open before forcing her inside.
Before she could move, he followed, slamming the door shut.
The locks clicked.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she turned to face him, her eyes burning with defiance.
"This isn't fair," she whispered. "You don't get to control my life."
Aarush leaned in slightly, his face unreadable. "Then you shouldn't have made me chase you."
Her throat tightened.
He wasn't going to let her go.
No matter how much she fought, no matter how much she wanted to escape—
Aarush Rathore would always pull her back.
The car ride was suffocating.
Sanya sat stiffly in her seat, her fingers clutching the fabric of her dress as she stared out the window. The city lights blurred past, but she couldn't focus. All she could feel was the suffocating presence of the man beside her.
Aarush hadn't spoken a word since forcing her into the car, but the silence was worse than anything he could have said. It wasn't just cold—it was venomous.
The car screeched to a halt in front of the penthouse.
Before she could reach for the door, he was already out, yanking it open and grabbing her wrist.
"Let go," she hissed, trying to wrench herself free.
He didn't. Instead, his grip tightened as he pulled her out, dragging her through the grand doors like she was nothing more than a prisoner being led to her cell.
By the time they reached the living room, she was trembling with fury.
Aarush shoved her away as if touching her burned him.
Her breath came in sharp bursts as she turned to glare at him. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
Aarush let out a cold laugh, his dark eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. "What's wrong with me?" He took a step closer, his towering figure casting a shadow over her. "You should have thought about that before ruining my life."
Sanya flinched.
"Everything I lost, everything that was taken from me—it all started because of you." His voice was eerily calm, but the hatred beneath it was unmistakable. "And you think you can just walk away?"
Her throat tightened, but she forced herself to stand her ground. "I didn't do anything to you, Aarush."
His eyes flashed.
In a blink, he grabbed her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "Didn't you?" His grip was harsh, his fingers pressing into her skin. "You destroyed my world, and you think you get to live yours in peace?"
She swallowed hard, hating how her heart pounded in his presence. "I don't want your money. I don't want anything from you."
Aarush smirked, his gaze dark with mockery. "Right. You don't want my money." His eyes flickered with something cruel. "But what exactly do you have without me?"
Her stomach twisted.
He leaned in, his breath fanning against her cheek. "No job."
She clenched her fists.
"No home."
Her breath hitched. How did he—?
"Nothing." His voice dropped lower, laced with quiet cruelty. "You're nothing without me, Sanya. And I will make sure you never forget that."
Her chest ached.
This wasn't just hatred.
This was destruction.
Aarush released her abruptly, shoving her back. "This is just the beginning." His voice was void of warmth. "You don't get to walk away from me, Sanya. Not now. Not ever."
Her legs felt weak, but she refused to crumble. "I hate you."
His lips curled into a smirk. "Good. Hate me all you want, but you'll still belong to me. And you will regret it Everyday.*"