The door slammed shut behind her.

Aanya’s breath hitched as the echo bounced off the marble walls. She turned around swiftly, but it was too late. Riyaan stood there, leaning against the locked door, watching her like a predator cornering its prey.

“I told you not to test my patience,” he said, voice calm—too calm.

Her fists clenched. “You had no right to do what you did tonight.”

“No right?” He stepped forward, slowly, his gaze never leaving hers. “You're my wife, Aanya. I have every right.”

She flinched at the word. Wife. It still felt foreign—like a label she never agreed to wear.

“This isn’t marriage, Riyaan. This is a prison,” she snapped, taking a shaky step back. “You didn’t ask. You decided. Like I was something to be acquired, signed, and sealed.”

Riyaan laughed—cold, bitter. “If I waited for you to agree, you’d never be mine.”

“I was never yours to begin with.”

That hit a nerve. The softness in his expression vanished. His eyes darkened as he approached her. She turned, trying to escape, but his hand caught her wrist and pinned her to the wall before she could even cry out.

His touch wasn’t violent—but it wasn’t gentle either.

"You think I care about right or wrong, Aanya?” he whispered, so close his breath fanned her cheek. “I warned you before. You belong to me. That’s not changing.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She wouldn’t give him that. Not now.

“You can’t force love,” she whispered.

“I don’t want your love,” he said, and yet the way he looked at her contradicted his words. “I want you. And I always get what I want.”

Silence wrapped around them like a noose. Her heartbeat thundered in her chest, matching the war inside her—rage, fear… and something she didn’t want to name. Something dangerously close to understanding.

He loosened his grip and stepped back, letting the silence settle. “You hate me now,” he said quietly, “but one day, you’ll understand why I did it.”

Aanya’s voice cracked. “I already understand. You’re broken.”

Riyaan's expression didn’t change—but his jaw twitched. “Then maybe it takes someone just as broken to fix what’s left of me.”

She stared at him, her pulse slowing. Her pain was real. His obsession was real. And somewhere between them, something terrifying had started to bloom.

A connection she didn’t want.
A war she never chose.
But one she couldn’t walk away from.

And in the depths of her mind, a thought clawed its way up—one she hadn’t allowed herself to feel until now.

What if this isn’t about love at all?
What if this is revenge wrapped in roses?

Author’s Note

Thank you for reading the Prologue.

This is just a glimpse into the emotional storm that’s about to hit Aanya’s world. A story of obsession, betrayal, dark secrets, and a love that was never supposed to bloom. The chapters ahead will take you on a journey of twisted fate, stolen choices, and the battle between desire and destruction.

I hope you’re ready for everything that’s coming — the slow burn, the heartbreak, the fire.

Love & drama always,
—The Author