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A DEADLY MISTAKE

Author's POV:

DARK NIGHT

Aaradhya's heart pounded as she slipped through the penthouse doors.

She had waited for this moment-waited until the guards changed shifts, until the silence stretched too long, until she was sure he wasn't watching.

Her bare feet moved silently across the cold marble, pulse hammering as she reached the private elevator.

One button. One chance.

She pressed it.

The doors slid open.

Lucky her.

Her breath caught as she stepped inside. No alarms. No one stopped her.

Was it really this easy?

The elevator descended smoothly. Her escape was happening.

For the first time in days, she felt hope.

The moment the doors opened, she ran.

Through the dimly lit corridors, past the lobby-and then into the cold night air.

She didn't stop.

Not until she was deep in the city, weaving through dark streets, heart racing.

She was free.

Or so she thought.

A voice cut through the silence. Deep. Amused. Cruel.

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

Aaradhya skidded to a stop.

A group of men stood in the shadows, their eyes gleaming with interest.

A chill ran down her spine.

She had run straight into danger.

One of them stepped forward, smirking. "You're Rudra Rathore's little pet, aren't you?"

Her stomach twisted. No. No, this was worse than the penthouse.

She took a step back-but it was too late.

A rough hand grabbed her wrist, yanking her forward.

She gasped, struggling, but they were too strong.

"Tsk." The man holding her tilted his head. "I wonder how much he'd be willing to trade for you."

Panic clawed at her chest.

She had escaped one hell-only to land in another.

And this time?

She wasn't sure if Rudra would reach her in time.

A Monster Unleashed

Aaradhya's pulse thundered in her ears.

The man's grip was bruising, his smirk laced with amusement. Like he already knew she had nowhere to run.

"You thought you were free, didn't you?" he taunted, tilting his head. "Poor little thing."

Her stomach twisted. No. This couldn't be happening.

She yanked at her wrist, but the grip tightened. Another man chuckled darkly, stepping closer.

"You should've stayed in your golden cage," he mused. "Now you belong to us."

Aaradhya's breath hitched.

No. No, she didn't.

Panic clawed at her throat as she struggled harder. She had to get away. She couldn't let them take her.

Then-a sharp whistle.

The men stilled.

Her breath caught.

The air shifted.

A slow, deliberate pair of footsteps echoed in the alley.

And then-a voice, deep and lethal.

"Touch her again."

The grip on her wrist vanished instantly.

Aaradhya stumbled back, her body shaking as she turned.

Rudra.

His black suit was pristine, but there was a storm in his eyes.

Not anger. Not even rage.

Something far worse.

A promise of destruction.

One of the men chuckled nervously. "Rudra Rathore himself," he drawled. "Didn't think you'd show up so fast."

Rudra didn't answer.

Didn't move.

Didn't blink.

Then, in a blur of motion, he struck.

The first man barely had time to react before Rudra's fist collided with his face, a sickening crack filling the air.

Aaradhya gasped as the man hit the ground, unconscious before he even registered what happened.

The others lunged.

It was a mistake.

Rudra was faster.

More brutal.

He dodged a swing, grabbing the man's arm-twisting until a bone snapped.

A scream. A body falling.

Aaradhya couldn't breathe.

This wasn't a fight.

It was a massacre.

The last man tried to back away, hands raised. "It was just a joke, man-"

Rudra's gun was against his forehead before he could finish.

A deadly silence followed.

Aaradhya's blood ran cold.

The man whimpered. "D-Don't."

Rudra's finger tightened on the trigger.

He was going to do it. He was going to kill him.

And she-she had to stop him.

Without thinking, she moved.

Her trembling fingers wrapped around his wrist. Not forcefully. Not to pull him away.

Just enough to touch him.

To remind him she was still there.

Rudra's body tensed.

The gun didn't lower.

Aaradhya's throat tightened. "Please."

The word barely left her lips.

For a second, nothing happened.

Then-Rudra exhaled slowly.

But on the next moment rudra shot him.

"You kill him only because he touched me" she said while leaving his wrist.

"Yes I killed him because he dared to touch you and you're fu*king mine" he is growling in anger.

Aaradhya's knees nearly gave out.

She had seen him ruthless. She had seen him cruel.

But tonight?

Tonight, she had seen what he truly was.

A monster.

And the worst part?

That monster had just burned the world down for her.

The silence was suffocating.

Rudra didn't speak.

Didn't look at her.

Didn't acknowledge the way her fingers still trembled from where they had touched his wrist.

He simply turned away, adjusting his cuffs with unnerving calm.

Aaradhya's breath hitched as she stared at the bodies on the ground. Still. Unmoving. Broken.

She swallowed hard. What had she done?

She had wanted to escape.

And she had almost died for it.

Her body tensed as Rudra finally moved. Without a word, he grabbed her wrist-firm, unyielding, but not painful.

A claim.

A warning.

Then, in a voice colder than the night air, he said-"Let's go."

Aaradhya hesitated, but his grip didn't falter.

He wasn't asking.

With no other choice, she let him lead her away.

Inside the Car

The door shut with a quiet click.

The engine purred to life, and the city lights blurred past the tinted windows.

Aaradhya sat stiffly, staring at her lap.

The silence stretched.

She risked a glance at him.

He was too calm. Too quiet.

His fingers tapped idly against his thigh, his gaze fixed on the road ahead.

But his jaw? Tightly clenched.

His breathing? Controlled. Too controlled.

This wasn't anger.

This was rage buried under ice.

Her stomach twisted. She had never seen him like this.

She almost wanted him to snap, to yell, to do something. Because this silence was worse.

Finally, she whispered, "You killed them."

Rudra didn't react. Didn't even blink.

"They touched what's mine," he said simply. Like it was that easy. That final.

Aaradhya's fingers clenched. "I'm not yours."

That made him look at her.

Slowly, deliberately.

His gaze dragged over her, from the bruise forming on her wrist to the slight tremble in her breath.

Then, he smirked.

Not amused.

Not entertained.

But dark. Knowing.

He leaned in just enough that she could feel the heat of his presence.

"Then why," he murmured, voice like velvet over a blade, "did you stop me?"

Aaradhya inhaled sharply.

Her nails dug into her palms. Because I couldn't let you become a monster for me.

But she didn't say that.

She couldn't.

Because deep down, she wasn't sure if that was the truth anymore.

The Arrival-Back to the Cage

The penthouse doors shut behind them.

The storm had followed them inside.

Rudra stood by the entrance, fingers loosening his cufflinks with infuriating ease.

Aaradhya swallowed hard.

"Say it." His voice was low. Dangerous. A challenge.

Her brows furrowed. "Say what?"

Rudra took a slow step toward her. She held her ground.

"You ran." Another step. She stopped breathing.

"You almost got yourself killed." Another. Trapped.

And then-he was right in front of her.

The air was heavy, thick with something unspoken.

He tilted his head, watching her like she was something fragile. Like she had broken something inside him.

"Say you regret it."

Aaradhya's breath caught.

Because she did.

But not for the reason he wanted.

Not because she had failed.

But because-he had come for her.

Because-when she had been seconds from losing herself, she had reached for him.

And he had been there.

She hated it.

Hated that part of her hadn't wanted to let go.

But she wouldn't say it.

Wouldn't give him that.

So she did the only thing she could.

She lifted her chin, met his unreadable gaze, and whispered-

"No."

The air stilled.

His fingers twitched.

And then-he laughed.

Low. Amused. But not really amused at all.

Aaradhya's pulse slammed against her ribs.

She had just made a mistake.

His smirk faded, his voice dropping to something lethal.

"You want to be stubborn?"

Her throat tightened.

A warning.

Then-he reached for her.

Not rough. Not cruel. But with absolute possession.

And this time, she didn't know if she could stop him.

Aaradhya's breath hitched as Rudra's fingers wrapped around her wrist. Not harsh. Not cruel.

But unshakable.

Like no matter how much she fought, he wasn't letting go.

Her pulse hammered against her ribs. "Let me go."

Rudra exhaled sharply, his grip tightening just enough to make her still.

"You don't get to say that after tonight, gattina." His voice was deceptively calm, but there was something beneath it.

Something raw.

Something dangerous.

Aaradhya swallowed, her body stiff. "I didn't ask you to come for me."

Rudra stilled.

The room turned colder.

His fingers twitched against her skin-a silent warning.

A slow, bitter smirk tugged at his lips. "No," he murmured, tilting his head. "You didn't."

His gaze flickered over her, scanning every inch of her face. Not just looking. Studying. Memorizing.

Then-his grip loosened.

But he didn't step back.

Didn't release her.

He lifted her wrist, tracing the faint bruise left behind by the rival's hold. His touch was featherlight now.

And that? That was worse than his grip.

Because his touch didn't hurt-but it owned her anyway.

His voice dropped to a whisper, dark and silk-smooth. "Then tell me, Aaradhya."

His thumb brushed against the inside of her wrist, resting over her erratic pulse.

"Why did you reach for me?"

Her stomach twisted.

Her lips parted, but no words came.

Because she didn't have an answer.

Or maybe... she just didn't want to admit it.

Rudra's smirk faded. His jaw ticked. He saw it.

Saw the hesitation.

Saw the fear-not of him, but of herself.

Aaradhya forced herself to look away. "I-"

He released her.

She staggered back, inhaling sharply at the sudden loss of contact.

The air between them was charged, suffocating.

Rudra exhaled slowly, his smirk returning-but this time, it didn't reach his eyes.

"I should punish you." His voice was calm, too calm. "You disobeyed. You ran."

Aaradhya's breath hitched.

He wouldn't-

Would he?

He took a step forward, and instinctively, she took one back.

His gaze darkened. "Are you afraid now?"

Her spine straightened. No. She wouldn't let him win.

She lifted her chin. "I'm not afraid of you."

Rudra chuckled lowly. "Liar."

Before she could react, he moved.

Not to hurt her. Not to restrain her.

But to cage her in.

One hand on the wall beside her, blocking any escape.

His lips hovered just above her ear.

And then-he whispered the words that shattered her last defense.

"I don't need to punish you, Aaradhya."

"You already regret it."

Aaradhya's entire body stiffened.

Because he was right.

She had run. She had almost died.

And he had come for her.

Not because she asked. Not because she wanted him to.

But because he couldn't not come.

Her breath shuddered.

She didn't move.

Didn't fight.

And Rudra?

He didn't need to do anything else.

Because she had already lost.

Aaradhya's breath came in shallow, uneven waves.

She hated this. Hated how easily he unraveled her without ever laying a finger on her.

Her body was tense, her back pressed against the cold wall, but her mind? That was where the real war was happening.

Because Rudra was right.

She did regret it.

Not because she wanted to. But because she finally understood.

There was no escape.

Not from him.

Not from whatever this was.

Rudra's breath was warm against her skin, his body a wall of heat that refused to let her go.

His voice came slow, measured. Like he was savoring every second of her realization.

"Say it."

Aaradhya's fingers clenched into fists. "No."

His smirk deepened. Like he had expected that answer. Like he wanted her to resist.

Because it didn't matter.

He had already won.

Rudra exhaled, stepping back just enough to look her in the eyes. His gaze was unreadable now.

Not amusement.

Not even anger.

Just... something else.

Something darker.

"You still don't get it, do you?" he murmured.

Aaradhya swallowed, her throat tight.

Rudra tilted his head slightly, studying her like she was something fragile.

And then-his fingers curled around her wrist again.

Not forceful. But firm.

A claim.

A reminder.

A promise.

His voice dropped to a whisper, but it carried the weight of something far more dangerous.

"You can run. You can fight."

"But no one else will ever have you."

Her stomach twisted.

Not a threat. Not a warning.

A fact.

Aaradhya opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

Because deep down, a part of her knew it too.

He had found her. He had come for her.

And he always would.

Rudra exhaled sharply.

Then, with a final brush of his thumb against her pulse, he let her go.

Aaradhya staggered back.

Her skin burned where he had touched.

Her mind screamed at her to fight. To say something, to push him away.

But she didn't.

Because this was bigger than her now.

Rudra didn't smirk this time. Didn't taunt her.

He just watched.

And then-he left.

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving her standing there, breathless.

Trapped.

Not by him.

But by the truth.

Because he wasn't just her captor anymore.

He was her fate.

And she didn't know if she wanted to escape it anymore.

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Spoiler:-
Her nightmare about her past
Devil's comfort and past revelation

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