Author pvo///

As Avani's eyes opened, her vision slowly cleared. She looked around the room and realized that she wasn’t at the penthouse; she was back at the mansion.

The memory of the previous night came rushing back, flooding her mind with vivid images. One by one, the events replayed in her head, each memory sharper than the last. Tears began streaming down her cheeks, overwhelming, what had happened in the past few days came crashing down.

She hugged herself tightly, trying to calm down. Wiping her tears away with trembling hands, she whispered to herself, trying to muster the courage to endure, "Only six months... just six months."

She realized she was wearing a hoodie. As the familiar scent of it hit her, her heart sank. She instantly knew who it belonged to.

A knock at the door startled her, snapping her out of her thoughts. Her heart raced as she wondered who it could be. She attempted to get up but was met with a sharp pain between her legs. More tears welled up in her eyes the way he had taken her relentlessly until she lost all sense of time and consciousness.

With great difficulty, she stood and opened the door. The hoodie was large enough to cover her. A maid stood outside.

“The boss has asked you to come downstairs,” the maid informed her.

Avani’s stomach churned. She wondered why he had summoned her after the previous day’s incident. She had no intention of facing him.

Dragging her aching body, Avani entered the bathroom. She washed her face, she didn’t have the strength to change her clothes. She tied her hair in a clip, slipped on her pants, and left the hoodie on.

As she made her way downstairs, the maid informed her, “The boss is at the dining table.”

Avani took a deep breath to calm herself, her fear evident in the trembling of her hands. When she reached the dining table, she saw his back turned toward her.

She stood beside him. The moment she stopped, he turned to look at her. Their eyes met, and a shiver ran down her spine.

In one swift motion, he grabbed her hand and pulled her onto his lap. Pain shot through her body, and a small scream escaped her lips at the sudden move.

Her eyes locked with his, and she noticed a sly smirk playing on his lips, his gaze fixed intently on her.

She tried to get up but he held her tightly he put his head on her neck his warm lips touched her skin and goosebump script on her skin.

“I think you’ve learned your lesson from the last incident,” he said, his voice sending a shiver down her spine.

His piercing gaze locked onto hers as he added, “Never. Ever. Disobey me.”

Avani’s fear intensified as she lowered her eyes, too terrified to meet his. Just then, a maid entered the room with a tray of food. Avani instinctively tried to get up, but his grip tightened around her, keeping her in place.

The maid placed the food on the table and left quietly. Avani’s eyes fell on the dishes filled with fried vegetables that looked bland and unappetizing. She gulped nervously, dreading the thought of eating them.

He picked up a piece of the vegetables and held it out to her, his intense gaze demanding compliance.

“Open,” he ordered, his voice commanding and unwavering.

Hesitantly, she opened her mouth, swallowing the food with great difficulty. She wanted to tell him that she could feed herself, but the courage to speak up eluded her.

He alternated between taking a bite himself and feeding her, his eyes never leaving her face. Avani struggled to swallow the tasteless food, her discomfort growing with every moment.

“I... I am full,” Avani whispered, she tried to push herself away from him.

“Did I ask if you were full?” he said in a low, dangerous tone, holding another piece of food in front of her lips.

Avani flinched but opened her mouth reluctantly, swallowing the bite with difficulty.

Her gaze dropped to her lap, her hands clenched into fists as she tried to hide her trembling.

He picked up another piece and brought it to her lips, his fingers grazing her trembling chin. Avani hesitated, her heart pounding in her chest. She forced herself to obey.

As soon as Vrishabh placed the spoon down, Avani let out a small, shaky breath of relief.

"Abhishek will drop you at college from today onwards," he announced casually, not even glancing up.

Avani’s heart sank. She already felt suffocated under Vrishabh’s constant shadow, and now his watchful eyes would follow her to college, too.

“I can manage,” she whispered hesitantly, hoping he wouldn’t notice the slight tremble in her voice.

His sharp, unrelenting gaze snapped to her, making her regret speaking at all. “You don’t get to decide what you can manage.”

As he walked away, she let out a shaky breath, her mind racing. Why was he doing this? Why was he involving himself in her life like this?

When it was time to leave, Abhishek stood by the car. His expression was unreadable, professional.

Avani climbed into the back seat, clutching her bag tightly. Abhishek slid into the driver’s seat and started the car without a word.

The drive to college was silent, save for the hum of the engine. Avani kept her gaze fixed out the window, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling gnawing at her.

As they reached the college gates, Abhishek parked the car and turned to look at her. "I'll wait here until your classes are over," he said, his tone flat but firm.

Avani’s throat tightened. The thought of having him there.

“Okay,” she mumbled, stepping out of the car.

As she walked toward the campus, her heart felt heavy. A constant reminder that her life was no longer her own.

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As Avani stepped out of her class, she noticed the odd silence around her. No one was whispering about the incident. The teachers seemed to be giving her extra attention, and her classmates were deliberately avoiding eye contact or any interaction with her and Arjun hasn’t come today.  Is he okay?

As she walked toward the parking lot, a faint, pitiful sound reached her ears. It was faint, almost like a whimper, a sound of pain, raw and heartbreaking. She stopped, looking around, but saw no one.

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