Veins of Elysium: The Ruined Soul

Chapter~18 | Endless Prison

BAANI'S P.O.V

It's been three days now, and I'm still chained up in this hellhole. A lady in her forties comes by three times a day to bring me food, but I refuse to touch it. I refuse to give Aryaman any reason to think he's won. I'm not going to eat his food and give him an excuse to say, "You ate my food, so now you have to marry me." He's a complete jerk, and he'll use any excuse to get me to say "yes." What he did to me three days ago is still burned into my mind, and I'll never forget it.

The way he yanked me off the bed and threw me onto the floor was brutal. But it wasn't just the pain; it was what he did next. He forced me into a kneeling position, making me bend my back and bow my head. He pressed all his weight onto my shoulders, and no matter how hard I tried to push him off, he didn't budge. Then he started demeaning me, throwing around every nasty, degrading word he could think of. Who does he think he is? How could he accuse me of begging for this humiliation?

I can't forgive him for what he did. He made me feel so degraded, his cruel words shaking me to my core. My whole body was trembling, my lips quivering. I felt so vulnerable and disgusted. He was tearing down my defenses, stripping me of my dignity. And he was succeeding.

But then, something strange happened. When he pulled me to my feet and gently wiped my tears away, my heartbeat skipped a beat. His touch felt almost tender-his fingers on my cheeks, his hands fixing my messed-up hair-it was weirdly soothing. The smell of him, woody and smoky, was intoxicating. For a moment, all my anger seemed to vanish.

But when he started apologizing, saying he didn't want to hurt me, I snapped back to reality. Oh, now he feels guilty? Where was this regret when he was forcing me to kneel and throwing insults at me? He thinks a few words of remorse will make me forget everything and agree to marry him? Not a chance. I'm not about to fall for his bullshit and say, "Oh, Aryaman, don't feel bad. Let's get married. I'll be your wife, Mrs. Baani Malhotra." No way.

My stomach is growling loudly now. I've been surviving on just water for three days, and I'm starting to feel weak. My head is pounding, and I feel like I might pass out any minute. So, I've decided to just go to sleep. It's the best way to escape this dizziness and hunger.

I was about to settle down for some much-needed sleep when I heard the door creak open. In walked Mr. Aryaman Malhotra, my personal nightmare. He'd been barging into this room for the past three days, asking me if I'd made up my mind about signing those damned papers. Then he'd start his relentless babble, threatening me with his usual nonsense. After his speeches, he'd always wait for me to respond, and as usual, I'd ignore him. Then, he'd slam the door behind him and lock it.

I was relieved that he hadn't tried to force me or touch me like he had on that dreadful day. But now, on the fourth day of being locked in this room, I was losing my patience. I was so fed up that it was hard to contain my anger. It infuriated me that he couldn't see I'd never sign those papers, that I despised him and didn't want to see his disgusting face again. Why couldn't he just unlock the chain and let me go? Why did he insist on torturing me?

When he walked into the room, I turned my back to him, pretending to be engrossed in sleep. I closed my eyes tightly, trying to block out his presence, but his aura made me feel uneasy. I peeked through my lashes to see what he was doing. He was heading toward a wall shelf. My curiosity piqued as he pressed something on the shelf. To my astonishment, the shelf tilted away, revealing a TV that had been hidden behind it. I stared in disbelief-I had no idea there was a TV concealed there.

His eyes flicked in my direction, and I quickly shut my eyes again, burying my face deeper into the blanket. I heard him walk closer, his footsteps coming to a halt right by the bed. I felt the bed shift as he sat down next to me, the weight of his presence a tangible reminder of his dominance. He yanked the blanket off me and threw it to the empty side of the bed.