Aryan's Lethal Obsession

Adah

Since the day I met Aryan, I lost count of the times I woke up foggy or disoriented, questioning myself where I was and when the memory returned, sitting up with a jolt.

If not him, his memory has haunted me since that fateful night I sealed my fate. Whenever I thought he would spare me, he returned with the intensity of vengeance. As if I did a sin by crossing his path, for which I deserve to pay the price.

I remained in my place, too frightened to shift lest I anger the dogs sitting near the door, watching me.

"You don't like the food?" my eyes shifted momentarily to Aryan before falling back on the dog in vigilance.

"Can you please take them away?" I whispered, terrified to even raise my voice above a certain decibel.

"You didn't give me a reason to trust you. Lylah and Hunter will be watching over you," he replied.

"I w-won't," I shook my head only to hear him sigh, "Eat your food, Adah."

"Will I be caged like this forever?" my eyes lowered.

Dressed in a royal blue saree—once my favorite color, now nothing but a painful reminder of how my life was not mine—I clutched his name around my neck. As he said, by morning, the closet was filled with clothes varying from saree to dresses that I had never seen in my life. Each clad in a protective sheet with brand names that were difficult for me even to pronounce.

"You are free to roam around. The only condition is that Lylah and Hunter will be there with you," he said, and the rustling beside me told me he had put down his phone.

There was another maid, waiting aside, who helped me dress when I woke up in the morning. I couldn't make myself look at her after what had happened in the closet. She was showing me my new clothes and opened a drawer only to turn red seeing the thin piece of cloth in the name of lingerie. I can't even imagine how anyone will wear them; some couldn't even be considered clothing. A piece of lace glued to strings.

Neither the clothes nor the jewelry delighted me. The only reason I made an effort to walk into the closet was to find my nightwear. Having spent a few days with him, I dreaded if he would make me wear those obscene satin slips. I was stunned to find his t-shirts taking up the space.

"Adah," I was brought out of my thoughts when Aryan called.

"I have to leave now. But I want you to finish your food. After that, you can do whatever you want. The maid here will take you anywhere you want."

I nodded. Please leave me alone.

A gasp escaped me when he grabbed my jaw and turned my face to him. "And I want you to look at me when I talk. Understood?"

"Y-Yes."

My lower lips trembled, recollecting how I was back to zero. The entire time I spent on that island was just an illusion, a pretense he very skillfully played at. He wants nothing but to owe me, and my hunch about him playing gentle to get into my pants was correct. I should have listened to my instinct instead of focussing on that nagging voice trying to decipher the human behind him.

I blinked rapidly when his gaze turned darker, staring at my lips. He frowned, murmuring, "I want you, Adah, and that's why I'm giving you time to come to me willingly. Don't make me force you anymore."

I opened my mouth, but what could I say? I can't willingly submit to him, nor can I answer him with a simple yes or no. If he forces me, I know I can't even retaliate, but going to him on my own, makes my skin crawl in disgust. How can I when he is the reason behind my misery? When he shot at my father and disgraced him in front of the world. The daughter inside me would rather let him rape me than go to his bed and please him.

I swallowed hard when he leaned down to kiss me. I would have shut my eyes if not for him to sigh and place his forehead against mine.

"You don't know how difficult it is for me. You look......beautiful," he whispered, sliding his hand inside my hair.

My heart beat rapidly in anticipation. Before he could lose control, his phone buzzed, and he traced his nose over mine before pulling away. I let out the breath I was holding when he stood up, answering the call, "I'm on my way, Ahaad."

A lone tear finally escaped, and I closed my eyes.

"If crying would solve the problems, then every woman in this world would have been the happiest."

My eyes snapped open when I heard the maid say. I forgot someone else was in the room with the dense silence around me. I looked at the girl again, and she stared ahead at the dogs.

"Tears are for those who already gave up in life. If you really want to take control of your destiny, you need to be strong," she said, meeting my eyes.

"I..did.." indignation seeping into me. She didn't even know how much I had tried to escape his clutches.

She glanced at the dog and continued, "Amma asked me to tell you everything will be already. But looking at you cowering in fear, I don't think you even want to hold on to hope. You are too weak."

I raised and glared at her through tears, "You don't even know me. You don't know how m—"

"Do you know how orphaned girls survive in this world? Without a mother teaching them to protect themself from men's lust or father's protective shield?"

I was harshly cut in, and what she said wasn't even wrong. At every step, I had my parents to support me. What about people who don't have parents at all?

"If I was fortunate enough to have parents, I wouldn't have cried in self-pity and instead fought for them. We all know you were brought here by force, but if I were you, I would have played smartly instead of crying. My parents deserve that much for all the love they showered on me."

Her words knocked out my breath, and I stared at her with a new perspective.

"What's your name?" I asked, even though the dogs were on their paws, yawning; I'm not stupid to not know they were vigilant.

"Simrah. And if you want to complain about me, you are free to do that. I know I have crossed the line for which I will either be fired or tortured, but I can't really understand you. Amma was worried about you, and since she is not allowed near you, she requested me to take care of you, to help you. But you look like you already gave up and don't want to get out of here."

"Have you been chased by a ruthless man who killed without batting his eyes and then got caged by him, Simrah?" I felt anger at her judgment about me.

"Chase...caged...groped...almost raped, yes, I have. I was alone and had to learn early to fight for survival," her stare didn't waver, as if she was talking about the weather. And it was then I noticed her empty eyes.

"And what would you do if you were in my situation?" I whispered.

"Give him the taste of his own medicine."