Adolph
I swirled the glass in my hand, watching the amber liquid catch the dim light of the chandelier. Smooth. Rich. Strong. Just like the night. Just like the thrill coursing through my veins.
A smirk tugged at my lips as I took a slow sip.
She ran.
Of course, she did.
I knew she would.
She had been planning it all along, thinking she was being discreet, thinking she was being smart.
But I knew.
I knew before she did.
Knew from the way her eyes flicked too often toward the shadows outside.
Knew from the way she tensed when anyone spoke of the night.
Knew from the way her fingers twitched-restless, eager, desperate.
She wanted freedom.
I let her taste it.
I let her slip through the doors, barefoot, breathless, wild.
I let her believe she was escaping.
Because it was always more satisfying when they thought they had won-right before they realized they had never even played the game correctly.
I took another sip, letting the warmth spread down my throat, unbothered, unworried.
Her wedding dress must be torn by now.
Her feet, bruised from the sharp ground.
Her lungs, burning.
Her heart, hammering.
And yet she was still running.
Towards the very place I wanted her to go.
The mansion.
My mansion.
The one she foolishly thought was abandoned, empty, forgotten.
I exhaled slowly, setting the glass down on the table beside me.
She didn't know.
Didn't know the corridors twisted into a perfect, calculated maze.
Didn't know the rooms were identical on purpose.
Didn't know there was only one way out.
And I was standing right here.
The door to my study burst open, slamming against the wall.
Pranav.
His hair was a mess, his Pikachu slippers still on, his mouth open as if he had just run a marathon.
"She-she's running!" he gasped, wide-eyed, pointing towards the open doors. "Bro! She's gone! She freaking ran! And you're just sitting here drinking?! Are you crazy?! This is serious, she's actually-"
I picked up my glass again, rolling my wrist lazily, letting the silence stretch.
Pranav blinked. "Dude. Are you even listening?!"
A slow smirk curved my lips as I took another sip.
"Let her."
His jaw dropped. "Let her?! LET HER?! Adolph, have you lost your damn mind?! What if she actually-"
"She won't."
I placed the glass back down with a soft clink.
He blinked again, mouth opening and closing like a fish before he narrowed his eyes.
Something shifted in his face.
He was starting to get it.
"You... you planned this." His voice was quieter now. Suspicious.
I leaned back, my fingers tapping against the armrest. "No."
I tilted my head slightly, eyes gleaming.
"I controlled it."
Pranav shuddered. "Man, you are something else. Do you even love her, or is this just another one of your messed-up mafia games?"
I chuckled.
"Pranav." I stood, adjusting the cuffs of my rolled-up sleeves, feeling the stretch of my muscles. Feeling the anticipation.
Then, I turned my gaze to him.
Dark. Knowing. Unforgiving.
"It's not a game." I smirked, stepping forward.
"It's a punishment."
Pranav slowly sank onto the couch, his Pikachu slippers dangling off his feet as he stared at me like I had just lost my soul.
Or maybe like I never had one to begin with.
He ran a hand through his already-messy hair, exhaling sharply. "Dude, that's-" He paused, shaking his head. "That's insane. She's your freaking wife, not some toy."
I picked up my glass again, swirling the remaining whiskey before taking a slow sip.
"She's not my wife," I said, voice calm. "She's my possession."
Pranav's expression darkened. "That's twisted as hell."
I chuckled, the sound low and almost amused.
"I never claimed to be a saint, Pranav."
He stared at me for a long moment, as if trying to find some semblance of humanity in my face.
I let him look.
I let him search.
But there was nothing to find.
Because the truth was simple.
I didn't love her.
Love was gentle. Love was warm. Love was about giving.
I didn't give. I took.
I placed the glass down and met his gaze, unbothered, unwavering.
"I don't love her," I said, voice steady, certain.
Pranav swallowed.
I stepped closer, tilting my head slightly. "I'm obsessed with her."
A slow, knowing smirk curved my lips.
"There's a difference."
Pranav tensed. "You'd let her die, then?"
I exhaled through my nose, considering his words.
"If she dies?" I shrugged, slipping my hands into my pockets. "I wouldn't care."
Pranav's face twisted in shock, in disgust. "What the hell, man-"
"But," I continued, cutting him off, "I'd care about how she died."
He went silent.
Because he knew what that meant.
It wasn't about losing her. It wasn't about her life or death.
It was about control.
It was about power.
"She can run," I murmured, turning towards the balcony, my gaze drifting toward the dark horizon. Toward the mansion she foolishly thought was her escape.
"But she won't escape."
Pranav shook his head. "So what, this is just some sick game to you?"
I chuckled again.
"No." I turned back to him, my expression unreadable.
"It's a punishment for her."
Then, I smirked.
"And a game for me."
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Pranav
For a second-just a second-I thought maybe, deep down, Adolph actually loved her.
That this whole twisted obsession was just some messed-up version of love that he didn't know how to express.
But then he spoke.
"It's a punishment for her."
"And a game for me."
And I realized-no.
There was no love.
Adolph made that clear from the beginning.
I wasn't blind. I'd seen how he looked at her, how he watched her every move, how his fingers always hovered just inches from her skin as if he wanted to mark her without touching her.
I'd seen the way his eyes darkened when she fought him, when she defied him.
But that wasn't love.
That was ownership.
Possession.
Control.
And I?
I wasn't sure if I should be relieved or horrified.
Because if he had loved her, then maybe-just maybe-she had a chance.
A chance to soften him. To make him let her go.
But this?
This was worse.
Because love has limits.
Obsession doesn't.
I leaned back against the couch, running a hand through my hair. "You know this is insane, right?"
Adolph merely smirked, swirling his whiskey in that calm, calculated way that made my stomach twist.
"She's running," I said, watching his face. "And you're just sitting here drinking?"
He exhaled a slow, amused breath. "She's running exactly where I want her to run."
A shiver ran down my spine.
"She doesn't know," I muttered. "She thinks she's escaping."
He tilted his head. "Let her think that."
I swallowed. "And then what?"
Adolph chuckled, his voice smooth and dark. "Then I watch."
I clenched my jaw, shaking my head. "You're insane."
He leaned back, his gaze flickering to the night outside.
"No, Pranav." He took a slow sip of his drink, his voice as calm as ever.
"I'm patient."
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Adolph
It had been thirty minutes.
Enough time for her to think she had won.
Enough time for her heartbeat to slow, for the adrenaline to settle, for her to start believing she had actually escaped me.
I smirked, setting my glass down on the table with a quiet clink.
Pranav was still on the couch, watching me like I was a ticking bomb.
"You're going after her now, aren't you?" he muttered, not even bothering to phrase it as a question.
I stood up, rolling my sleeves higher, the veins in my forearms flexing.
Of course I was going after her.
The real question was-how long would I let her believe she was still free?
I grabbed my coat from the chair, slow and deliberate, enjoying the way Pranav exhaled like he was praying for her soul.
"She's probably still running," he tried again, as if I didn't already know.
I always knew where she was.
I could feel her.
Like a thread tied around my finger, leading me straight to her.
"She's reached the mansion." I buttoned my coat, my voice smooth, amused. "It took her longer than I expected. Guess she's still learning how to run."
Pranav rubbed his face, shaking his head. "This isn't normal, you know."
I smirked. "Neither am I."
I pulled out a cigarette, lighting it up as I walked toward the door.
Pranav didn't stop me.
Because he knew-
There was no stopping me.
I stepped out into the night, the cold air biting at my skin.
The abandoned mansion loomed in the distance.
Dark.
Silent.
A perfect place for her to hide.
A perfect place for me to hunt.
My pulse thrummed, excitement curling in my veins.
The chase was over.
Now?
Now it was time to play.
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