The night stretched on, thick with unspoken tension. The room was cloaked in darkness, save for the faint glow of the dying oil lamps. Outside, the world celebrated their marriage with laughter and music, but inside this chamber, a battle was being waged—one of dominance, defiance, and an attraction so dangerous it could burn them both.

Aditi lay on her side, wrapped in the rich silk of her wedding lehenga, her bangles still adorning her wrists. She could hear Vikram’s slow, steady breathing from the other side of the bed. He had not touched her, not forced her compliance, and that—more than anything—unnerved her.