Dharini’s POV

I was hell nervous about this marriage.

And, on top of that, I was trapped in this heavy lehenga and under tons of makeup. Mihika had arranged for a beautician, but I had refused. I didn't want some random person touching my precious hair.

Now, some people might call it a special tantrum, but I was actually very particular about my hair. I didn't like too many people touching it, especially strangers. Only a very select few—people I was genuinely close to—were allowed anywhere near my hair.

Mihika was one of them.

Even Netra didn't get permission to touch my hair.

Anyway, Mihika had gotten me ready beautifully. She had done my hair and makeup so well that, I had to admit, I was looking pretty damn good.

But what was the point of looking pretty when this wasn't even my choice?

It wasn't my dream wedding.

It's not like I wanted some simple, ordinary man. Of course, I wanted a rich man—someone who could at least afford two maids because I really didn't like household work.

But I definitely hadn't wanted a businessman this rich.

I wanted someone successful but reasonably balanced, someone whose lifestyle could match mine. And yes, I wanted a little thrill in my marriage too.

Maybe I could get that in this marriage...

But not so much that I ended up becoming a pawn in someone else's game.

In short, I wanted to marry a rich man, but not ridiculously rich.

I wanted some thrill and drama in my marriage, but not enough to become the bali ka bakra—the sacrificial lamb.

I wanted to be the heroine of my own marriage, not some bechari dukhiyari abla ladki—a helpless, miserable woman waiting for everyone else to decide her fate.

But here I was.

And I was damn sure I was going to become exactly that.

Because opposing that huge family was one thing.

Opposing one man was already impossible.

So how the hell was I supposed to oppose an entire family if I disagreed with them?

And don't even get me started on family politics.

I didn't have even a pea-sized idea about how any of that worked.

Just then, my phone rang.

Of course.

Mr. CEO.

I picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Nervous?"

"A little," I admitted.

"Don't worry. I'm there for you."

"That's the main problem," I muttered.

"What?"

"Ahh... nothing."

He paused for a second before saying, "Shesh will come in ten minutes. Be ready, my soon-to-be wife."

I rolled my eyes and hung up.

Soon-to-be wife.

God.

That still sounded terrifying.

Just then, Netra came forward and placed the red chunari over my head.

I looked at myself in the mirror.

The red chunari completed the look, perfectly complementing my reddish-brown lehenga.

I actually looked like a bride.

A proper bride.

And yet, I couldn't feel excited.

"Just one thing is missing," Mihika suddenly said.

I looked at her.

"What?"

She gave me a mischievous smile, walked closer, and lightly tickled my waist.

I burst out laughing.

Then she said, "This."

My smile immediately disappeared.

She took my hand and pulled me toward the bed. I sat down beside her.

"See, I know this is a contract, and you're not ready for all of this," she said gently. "But you can treat it like a contract, okay? Just have some simple conversations with his family. Otherwise, we both know you won't even talk to strangers."

"We're not saying you have to become their family or anything," Netra added. "Just talk casually. It'll make your one-year life easier."

I nodded.

They had a point.

Because of my discomfort around strangers, I rarely spoke to people unless I had to. Even at the office, I had only two close friends—Netra and Nishant.

It wasn't that I didn't want to talk.

I just didn't like attracting attention.

And I definitely didn't like people knowing too much about me.

After some time, the doorbell rang.

I looked toward the door.

Shesh stood there.

"Ma'am, we're here to take you to the temple."

I took one last look at myself in the mirror.

A bride.

Today, I was actually going to get married.

I still wasn't ready.

Not even remotely.

But I nodded.

Mihika, Netra, and I walked out and got into the car.

As we drove away, I kept staring out of the window.

The familiar buildings slowly disappeared behind us.

The city began thinning out.

Trees replaced buildings, and the roads became quieter as we moved farther away from the city toward the temple.

Nobody spoke.

The car was unusually silent.

My mind, however, was anything but silent.

Tomorrow didn't exist anymore.

There was only today.

Today, I was going to become someone's wife.

Today, my life was about to change.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I barely noticed the car in front of us slowing down.

And then—

BOOM!

The sound exploded through the air.

My entire body jerked.

The car in front of us suddenly blasted.

"What the—?!"

Before I could even finish the sentence, our driver violently turned the steering wheel.

The car swerved off the road.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

"Mihika!"

"DHARU!"

The tyres screeched against the road.

Everything happened too fast.

The world tilted.

Trees rushed toward us.

I grabbed whatever I could reach, my fingers trembling as a terrifying realization hit me—

We're going to crash.

And then—

DHAAAD!

The car slammed into a tree.

Everything went black.

---

Author’s POV

For a few seconds, there was nothing.

No sound.

No movement.

Only silence.

Then, slowly, a faint ringing filled the air.

Smoke began to spread around the wrecked vehicle.

The windshield was shattered.

The driver's side was badly damaged.

And inside the car...

Dharini lay unconscious.

Her red chunari had slipped from her head and was tangled around her shoulder.

Mihika was slumped against the seat, while Netra struggled to move, groaning in pain.

Outside, the road was eerily quiet.

The vehicle that had exploded ahead of them was still burning in the distance.

But this wasn't an accident.

Someone had planned it.

Someone had been waiting for them.

And somewhere far away, the man who was supposed to marry Dharini today had no idea that his bride was lying unconscious on a deserted road.

Yet.

He was about to find out.

Kartavya’s POV

"What...?"

For a second, I couldn't even process what Shesh had just told me.

My fingers tightened around the steering wheel.

"Shesh, handle everything till I get there. Nothing should happen to her. Do you understand me?"

My voice came out colder than I felt.

But inside...

I was terrified.

After so many years, I was feeling an emotion I had buried so deep that I'd almost forgotten it existed.

Fear.

I had always believed I wasn't afraid of anything.

Not enemies.

Not death.

Not the risks that came with my world.

Nothing.

But now...

I was afraid.

Afraid that something could happen to her.

"No..." I whispered, shaking my head. "No. I won't let them."

My grip tightened around the steering wheel as I pressed harder on the accelerator.

I didn't care about the speed anymore.

I didn't care about anything.

There was only one thought running through my mind.

Dharini.

My Dhani.

"Just hold on," I muttered, my eyes fixed on the road ahead. "I'm coming."

For the first time in years, I wasn't racing toward an enemy.

I was racing against time.

Because somewhere ahead of me, the woman who had somehow become the most important person in my life was in danger.

And I was going to reach her.

No matter what.

.

.

The moment I reached the spot, I slammed the brakes and jumped out of the car.

My eyes immediately scanned the scene.

Shesh was fighting two men.

A few others were already lying unconscious on the ground, while some were injured and struggling to get back up.

And then I saw two men moving toward the car.

Her car.

They were trying to open the door.

My blood ran cold.

"Dhani..."

Rage surged through me.

I sprinted toward them.

Before the first man could even react, I caught his wrist, twisted his arm away from the door, and forced him back. I kicked the second man in the leg, sending him stumbling away from the car.

My eyes immediately went toward the window.

Dharini was there.

Unconscious.

My heart clenched.

"Dhani..."

A groan came from behind me.

I turned sharply.

Shesh.

One of the men had managed to hurt him.

Something inside me snapped.

I grabbed the nearest attacker and shoved him hard against the tree, then turned toward the other and struck him, forcing him backward.

I moved toward Shesh, taking down the remaining attackers one after another.

Years of training took over.

I didn't think.

I simply reacted.

One man lunged.

I dodged.

Another came from behind.

I turned and blocked him.

Then—

A metallic click.

I looked up.

One of them had a gun pointed directly at me.

My body reacted before my mind could.

I kicked his hand, sending the weapon skidding across the ground.

But before I could reach it, another man raised a heavy wooden rod behind Shesh.

He was about to bring it down on his head.

"SHESH!"

I lunged forward.

I grabbed the gun from the ground and fired.

BANG!

The shot echoed through the deserted road.

The man dropped the rod and collapsed.

For a moment, everything went silent.

Then—

A sharp shriek broke through the silence.

I froze.

Slowly, I turned.

Dharini was standing outside the car.

Her face was pale.

Her eyes were wide with shock.

Her gaze moved from the fallen man...

to the gun in my hand.

And then to me.

Our eyes met.

I could see the fear in hers.

And suddenly, the rage that had been burning through me disappeared.

All I could think about was one thing—

She had seen me shoot someone.

And judging by the way she was looking at me...

I didn't know what she was thinking anymore.

Dharini’s POV

My head was throbbing with pain, as if someone had smashed it against something.

I slowly opened my eyes.

For a few seconds, everything looked blurry.

I blinked several times, trying to understand where I was.

Then, suddenly, everything came rushing back.

The blast.

The car.

The crash.

"Mihika..."

I turned toward her.

She was lying beside me, completely unconscious.

"Mihika?"

I reached out and gently tapped her cheeks.

"Hey... Mihika. Wake up."

Nothing.

My heart started pounding.

"Please, wake up..."

I looked around frantically.

Netra was nowhere in sight.

Where was she?

What had happened to her?

I carefully climbed out of the damaged car, still holding my aching head.

That was when I heard it.

Groans.

Heavy footsteps.

And the unmistakable sounds of punches being thrown.

I froze.

Slowly, I moved toward the noise.

And then I saw him.

Mr. CEO.

Kartavya was down on one knee, a gun clenched in his hand.

It was pointed toward a man standing a few feet away.

My breath caught.

What was happening?

Before I could even process it, I noticed another man moving toward Shesh sir, gripping something in his hand.

Kartavya's eyes immediately snapped toward him.

"Shesh!"

The man raised his weapon.

And then—

BANG!

The gunshot shattered the silence.

I flinched violently.

The man stumbled and collapsed.

For a few seconds, I couldn't move.

I could only stare.

At the man on the ground.

At the gun in Kartavya's hand.

And then...

At him.

My heart was hammering against my chest.

I had never seen him like this before.

The man who usually irritated me with his calm arrogance was now standing in the middle of chaos, surrounded by injured men and shattered glass.

I shrieked and covered my mouth, staring at him in horror.

He noticed me.

Slowly, he stood up.

But my eyes remained fixed on the gun in his hand.

He started walking towards me.

One step.

Then another.

Instinctively, I stepped backward, my eyes never leaving the weapon. My heart was pounding so hard that I could barely hear anything else around me.

After a couple of steps, he stopped.

His gaze followed mine, and he finally understood what had frightened me.

The gun.

He looked at it for a moment before throwing it away.

Only then did I look into his eyes.

They were still filled with anger, but somehow, that didn't calm me.

I swallowed hard.

He started walking towards me again.

I took another step back.

Then another.

My breathing became uneven as the scene replayed in my mind—the gunshot, the man falling, the blood, and Kartavya standing there with the weapon in his hand.

He killed him.

The thought echoed inside my head.

I took a deep breath, trying desperately to steady myself.

No.

I couldn't do this.

I couldn't marry a man like him.

Not after seeing this.

I suddenly turned around and ran.

“Dhani! Stop!” I heard him call behind me.

But how could I?

How could I possibly stop?

I had just seen him kill someone with my own eyes.

And what guarantee did I have that one day, after our marriage, I wouldn't become the person standing on the other side of that gun?

My feet carried me deeper into the jungle as fear took over every rational thought.

No.

I can't.

I can't marry a killer.

And for the first time since this forced marriage had begun, I wasn't angry with Kartavya.

I was genuinely afraid of him.

I was running like a mad person through the jungle, not even knowing where I was going.

All I knew was that I had to get away from him.

Behind me, I could hear his footsteps.

“Dhani, stop!”

“Please, listen to me!”

But how could I?

How could I stop when every instinct inside me was screaming to run?

I kept running, my breath coming out in ragged gasps.

Then suddenly—

My sandal slipped on the loose sand.

“Ahh!”

I stumbled forward and fell hard.

My head struck a fallen tree trunk with a sickening thud.

For a moment, everything went blurry.

A sharp pain shot through my head, and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to breathe through it.

“Dhani!”

I heard his voice getting closer.

I looked back.

He was coming towards me without even stopping to catch his breath.

Panic surged through me again.

I forced myself up and started running.

One of my sandals had broken during the fall. I quickly kicked off the other one too.

I didn't care anymore.

I just ran.

Barefoot.

Through the rough forest floor.

“Stop, Dhani! Please! Just listen to me!” he called after me.

But I didn't stop.

I couldn't.

Then—

“Ahh!”

A sharp thorn pierced the sole of my foot.

I stumbled, biting down hard on my lip as tears sprang into my eyes.

My entire body was screaming at me to stop.

But fear was louder.

So I kept running.

Barefoot, bleeding, terrified...

Just to get away from the man I was supposed to marry.

Just then, my body started giving up.

My legs felt weak, my breathing became heavier, and every step felt like I was forcing myself to move.

Then I felt something warm trickling down my cheek.

I instinctively lifted my hand and touched it.

I looked at my fingers.

Red.

Blood.

My heart dropped.

I quickly touched the side of my head and realized the wound from when I had hit the tree trunk was bleeding—and it wasn't stopping.

Oh God...

My vision began to blur.

The trees around me started moving strangely, and tiny black dots appeared in front of my eyes.

I tried to keep running.

One step.

Another.

But my body wasn't listening anymore.

The dizziness grew stronger.

My knees buckled.

Everything around me slowly faded into darkness.

I was falling—

But before I could hit the ground, someone caught me.

One arm wrapped firmly around my waist while the other supported my neck.

And the last thing I felt before everything went completely black...

was the familiar warmth of his hands holding me.

.

.

.

I slowly opened my eyes and stared at the greyish ceiling above me. The moment I tried to turn my head, a sharp pain shot through my skull. I squeezed my eyes shut, and suddenly, everything from the jungle came rushing back—the gunshot, Kartavya, the blood, and me running away from him.

I sat up with a jerk and looked around. The room was enormous and luxurious. I had no idea where I was. My eyes fell on the mirror, and then I froze. Behind me was a huge photograph of Kartavya.

My breathing became uneven. The image of him holding that gun flashed before my eyes again. I couldn't stay there. I had to get out.

I checked the doors one after another. One led to a walk-in wardrobe, another to a different room, and the third opened towards the outside. I stepped out and heard voices.

Then I saw him.

Kartavya was sitting on the sofa, calmly drinking coffee.

My heart dropped.

I immediately stepped back into the room. I couldn't face him. Not after what I had seen.

I checked the remaining doors. One led to the bathroom, while the other opened onto a huge balcony. I looked down and saw a massive garden with flowers, trees and guards standing at a distance.

I have to escape.

I grabbed a bedsheet, tied it to the balcony railing and climbed down. It wasn't long enough, so I finally let go and landed on the soft grass.

I quickly looked around. Thankfully, none of the guards had noticed me.

I started walking through the huge garden, desperately searching for an exit. After what felt like forever, I finally spotted a tall boundary wall.

Hope flickered inside me.

I found a small stool and grabbed it. But the moment I turned around, my entire body froze.

A black panther was standing a few feet away.

Its green eyes were fixed on me.

I swallowed hard and slowly stepped backward.

The panther moved forward.

I moved back again.

Then suddenly, it lunged.

I ducked and threw the stool at it before running for my life.

I spotted a net lying nearby, grabbed it and threw it over the panther. For a moment, it got trapped.

I ran faster.

But then my foot twisted.

“Ahhhh!”

I fell hard onto the ground.

Pain shot through my ankle.

I turned around and saw the panther coming towards me again.

Slowly.

Step by step.

I crawled backward, tears filling my eyes.

“Please…”

It kept coming.

I had nowhere left to go.

The panther crouched.

My breathing stopped.

And then—

It jumped.

I screamed.

Everything went black.