Chapter 20: CHAPTER 17: PUNISHMENT

Adolph

The basement is quiet except for her labored breathing. I watch her struggle against the chains, every movement a futile attempt at rebellion. It’s pathetic, really—how much fight she still has in her, despite everything. And yet, I can’t look away. She draws my attention like a moth to flame, even when she’s broken, even when she’s beneath me.

Her defiance used to amuse me. Now it fuels something darker, something I’m not sure I could stop if I wanted to.

“Why are you doing this?” she asks, her voice trembling. It’s a mix of anger and fear, the perfect combination.

I smirk, stepping closer, letting the sound of my boots echo in the small, damp room. “Why?” I echo, mocking her question. “I thought you’d figured that out by now, Neti. I’m doing this because I can. Because you deserve it.”

“I don’t even know what I did to you!” she snaps, and for a moment, I see the fire in her eyes. That same fire that used to make me want her. That same fire that now makes me want to crush her.

“You know exactly what you did,” I say, my voice calm, controlled. Her confusion only makes this more satisfying.

But then, as I watch her, an idea begins to form in my mind. Pranav’s voice echoes in my memory, mocking, taunting. “Bhabhi,” he used to call her, over and over.

Bhabhi: sister in law

It was a joke, a ridiculous jab at my temper whenever I looked at her for her too long.

The thought makes me smirk. I’ve taken her freedom, her dignity. But what if I took her completely? Made her mine in every way that mattered, made her wear my name for the world to see?

“You think you’ve won, don’t you?” she says, her voice sharp, cutting through my thoughts. “You think chaining me up makes you powerful?”

I laugh softly, stepping closer until I’m towering over her. “Won?” I repeat, amusement coloring my voice. “Oh, Neti, this isn’t about winning. It’s about owning.”

Her glare hardens, but I can see the flicker of unease in her eyes. She’s starting to understand, starting to see how deep this goes.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she demands, yanking at the chains like a child throwing a tantrum.

I lean down, close enough to feel the warmth of her breath on my skin. “It means,” I whisper, “that in one week, you’ll become my wife.”

The silence that follows is deafening. She stares at me like I’ve just spoken in another language.

“What?” she finally whispers, her voice barely audible.

“You heard me,” I say, straightening. “In seven days, you and I will be married. Legally. Publicly. Permanently.”

Her shock quickly turns to rage. “You’re insane!” she snaps. “I would rather die than marry you!”

I chuckle, low and dark. “Oh, Neti, I believe you. But this isn’t about what you want. It never has been.”

“Why would you even—” she begins, but I cut her off, my voice sharper now.

“Pranav,” I say simply, watching the confusion flicker across her face. “Do you know how many times I had to listen to him call you ‘bhabhi’? How many times he laughed, as if it were a joke, as if the very idea of you being mine was laughable? Well it means sister in law”

She doesn’t respond, and I take a step closer, letting my fingers trail along her jaw. “It got me thinking,” I continue, my voice softer now, almost tender. “Why shouldn’t you be mine? Why shouldn’t the world see exactly who you belong to?”

Her breath hitches, and I feel a rush of satisfaction. She’s afraid, but more than that—she’s trapped.

“I’ll never agree to this,” she says, her voice shaking but still defiant.

I smirk, tilting her chin up so she has no choice but to meet my eyes. “You will,” I say, my voice cold and certain. “Because if you don’t, the people you care about will suffer. One by one. And you know I’ll do it.”

Her silence is delicious, the way her lips part as she struggles for a response. I release her chin, stepping back and watching her with satisfaction.

“You have seven days,” I say, turning toward the door. “Seven days to prepare yourself. Or don’t—it won’t change a thing.”

As I leave the room, the sound of her chains rattling behind me, I can’t help but smile. She’ll fight, of course. She always does. But in the end, she’ll say yes. They always do.

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