the captive heart

THE MISTAKE

The night was silent, the only sound the faint hum of a distant city. Aarav Malhotra sat in the driver’s seat of his black SUV, his eyes fixed on the apartment building across the street. He had done this a thousand times before—watched, waited, planned every move with precision. But tonight, something felt different, though he couldn’t quite place why.

The target was supposed to be a rich, spoiled girl, the daughter of a politician who had crossed the wrong people. She was an easy mark, someone who would be missed but not beyond ransom. But when the door of the building opened and a young woman stepped out, his breath caught in his throat.This girl wasn’t what he expected. She walked with a confidence that belied her age, her head held high as if she had the world at her feet. There was something about her that made Aarav hesitate, just for a second. But he couldn’t afford hesitation. He had a job to do.

Siya Sharma didn’t notice the black SUV parked across the street. She was lost in her thoughts, thinking about her upcoming exams and the latest gossip from her friends. The world was full of possibilities, and she was ready to seize them all.But her world changed in an instant. One moment she was walking, the next she was being pulled into a dark, confined space. Her scream was cut off by a hand over her mouth, and then everything went black.When Siya woke up, she found herself in a dimly lit room, her hands bound and her heart racing. Panic set in as she realized she had been kidnapped. But who would want to kidnap her? She was just an ordinary girl with no enemies, no dark secrets.Across the room, Aarav watched her with unreadable eyes. She wasn’t the girl he was supposed to take, but now that she was here, something inside him refused to let her go. His life was a web of lies and danger, and bringing her into it was a mistake—a mistake he wasn’t sure he wanted to correct.

As days passed, the tension between them grew. Siya tried to escape, but Aarav was always one step ahead. She hated him for taking her, for keeping her locked away, but she couldn’t deny the strange pull she felt towards him. He was a mystery, and against her better judgment, she wanted to understand him.Aarav was falling for her, but he knew it was wrong. His world was no place for a girl like Siya. Yet, every time he thought about letting her go, the thought of losing her was unbearable. She had become more than just a captive—she had become the one person who made him feel alive.

As the lines between captor and captive blur, Siya and Aarav must confront their feelings and the harsh realities of the world around them. Will their love survive the darkness, or will it be consumed by it?