Her Nightmare

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P A R I N I D H I

"Daydreaming, my love?" A cold voice whispered in my ear, the warm tickle of his breath sending a shiver down my spine.

I stirred slowly, a small smile playing on my lips as I remained half-asleep, unaware of where I was or whose voice it was.

But the next moment, reality hit me like a tidal wave.

The scorching pain of hot iron grazing my skin jolted me awake, a scream tearing from my throat. "Ah!" I cried out, clutching my burning hand as tears stung my eyes.

I straightened abruptly, realizing I had dozed off while leaning against the kitchen counter.

Through tear-filled eyes, I looked ahead. Standing there, as if he owned my suffering, was the reason for all my pain.

My husband.
My nightmare.
Devansh Agnihotri.

In the twenty days since our marriage, he hadn't missed a single chance to remind me that he could, and would, dismantle my life piece by piece.

Every day with him made me believe death would be kinder than this existence. And he made sure that belief seeped into every corner of my soul.

"Are you hurt, wifey?" His voice dripped with mockery as he stepped closer, his cold eyes locking with mine.

For a fleeting second, I thought I saw something softer in his gaze, and it confused me.

Devansh, with softness for me? The thought was almost laughable.

His stare lingered on me, as if he'd forgotten why he was here or why he'd burned my hand in the first place.

I felt suffocated under the weight of his gaze. Lowering my eyes, I whispered through clenched teeth, "No, sir."

I bit the inside of my cheek, swallowing every ounce of anger and pain. Losing control wasn't an option.

Devansh said nothing. He turned and walked away, his silence more suffocating than his words.

The moment he left, I released the breath I hadn't realized I was holding. It felt as though the air in the room had been sucked out while he was there.

All I wanted was to escape his presence, to run far away from this hell. But I couldn't—not yet. Not until I had the proof I needed to save my brother.

Tears streamed down my face as my brother's image flashed before my eyes. I missed him. I missed my mother. I missed home.

I wanted to curl into their arms and pretend this nightmare wasn't real. But it was. And I couldn't stop now, not when my family's future was on the line.

"No," I whispered to myself, wiping my tears. Crying would only earn me another punishment.

Devansh despised tears.

The last time, my punishment had been to sit in his study for an hour, enduring his cold presence and mocking silence.

This time, I feared it could be worse.

I was enduring all of this for my brother. His life was on the line, and I had made a deal with Devansh to save him.

The price was my freedom, my happiness—my marriage. If I broke the deal or violated any of his rules, my family would be destroyed.

Standing in the kitchen, I felt trapped, paralyzed by the thought of facing him again.

It was Sunday—a day that should have offered peace. Instead, it brought the constant threat of Devansh, who sat in the living room, working as if he hadn't just torn me apart moments ago.