Vaishali's POV –

The room was finally quiet.

Too quiet after everything.

The engagement... the smiles... the warmth...
It all still felt unreal.

I sat on the edge of the bed, slowly removing my jewelry, my fingers still slightly trembling.

For a moment... I allowed myself to breathe.

Maybe... things were going to be okay.

Maybe...

Buzz.

My phone lit up beside me.

An unknown number.

I frowned.

For a second, I ignored it.

Then it buzzed again.

Something about it felt... wrong.

Slowly... hesitantly...
I picked it up.

Opened the message.

And the moment I read it...

My blood ran cold.

"Hello, my little lotus."

The phone slipped slightly in my hand.

No.

No... no... no...

My breathing stopped.

That name.

That voice behind those words...

It dragged me back.

Dark rooms.
Locked doors.
Whispers I could never escape.

Another message came.

"Missed me?"

My hands started shaking violently.

Tears blurred my vision.

"Don't make a mistake, Vaishali."
"You don't belong there."
"Cancel the marriage."

My chest tightened.

Air.

I couldn't breathe.

"Or I'll come take you back myself."

A silent scream got stuck in my throat.

"No..." I whispered.

My fingers fumbled.

I switched off the phone instantly.

Threw it into the drawer.

Shut it hard.

As if that could shut him out too.

But it didn't.

Because he was already inside my head.

My breathing turned uneven.

Fast. Shallow. Broken.

"I can't... I can't..." I whispered.

My body started trembling uncontrollably.

The walls felt like they were closing in.

The room wasn't safe anymore.

Nothing was.

Rudraksh's POV –

I opened the door without knocking.

She never locked it.

And I didn't wait.

"I need to tell you..."

I stopped.

She was standing in the middle of the room.

Frozen.

Sweating.

Even with the AC on full.

Her breathing...

Wrong.Too fast.
Too broken.

My expression changed instantly.

"Vaishali."

No response.

Her eyes were wide.

But she wasn't seeing me.

She was somewhere else.

Damn it.

I stepped closer.

"Vaishali."

Still nothing.

I reached for her...

She jerked back.

Hard.

Like my touch burned her.

That was enough.

Panic attack.

My jaw tightened.

I moved faster this time, holding her shoulders firmly.

"Look at me."

Her head shook.

"No... no... no..."

Her breaths were turning worse.

Her body shaking.

Losing control.

I had seen this before.

But not like this.

Not this intense.

"Breathe," I said, voice low but firm.

She couldn't.

Her fingers clutched at her dress.

Desperate.

Like she was drowning.

Think.

I needed to ground her.

Now.

My hand moved to her waist.

Bare skin.Warm.Shaking.

I slowly ran my thumb across it.

Steady.Repetitive.

A physical anchor.

Her body reacted.

A slight pause.

A break in the panic.

Her breath hitched differently this time.

Not just fear.

Something shifted.

But it wasn't enough.

She was still slipping.

I didn't think.

Didn't plan.

Didn't hesitate.

I pulled her closer...and kissed her.

Hard.Not gentle.Not soft.

A shock.A command.

A force that dragged her back.

For a second...She froze.
Completely.

Her body stilled in my arms.

Her breathing broke...

Then restarted.

Different.Slower.Real.

I didn't move away immediately.

I waited.

Felt her.

Made sure she was here.

Not there.

Not in whatever nightmare she was trapped in.

When I finally pulled back...

Her eyes met mine.

Wide.Shaken.
But present.

"Breathe," I said again.

This time...she did.

A shaky inhale.

Then another.

And another.

Her fingers slowly clenched my shirt.

Holding on.

Not pushing away.

That was all I needed.

Vaishali's POV –

My mind was blank.

Completely blank.

All I could feel was...

Him.
His presence.
His hand still at my waist.
His breath close.

My heartbeat slowly calming.

The panic... fading.

Piece by piece.

I didn't even realize when I held onto his shirt.

Tightly.

Like I needed him to stay.

Like I couldn't go back there again.

My lips still tingled.

My thoughts couldn't catch up.

"What happened?" he asked quietly.

I froze.

The message.The voice.The threat.

Fear crawled back instantly.

But this time...

I pushed it down.

"I..." my voice trembled, "nothing... I just felt..."

I couldn't say it.

Couldn't tell him.

Not yet.

His eyes didn't leave mine.

He knew.

He always knew when I was hiding something.

But this time...

He didn't push.

His grip on my waist tightened slightly.

Grounding.

"You're safe," he said.

Firm.

Certain.

Unbreakable.

And for the first time since that message...I wanted to believe it.

Rudraksh's POV –

She was hiding something.

I could see it.

Feel it.

The fear wasn't random.

It was triggered.

By something.

Or someone.

My gaze darkened slightly.

Who?

My hand moved from her waist... to her chin.

Lifting her face just enough.

"Whatever it is," I said quietly,
"it won't reach you here."

Her fingers tightened on my shirt.

Not resisting.Holding.Good.

But inside...

Something else had already started.

Cold.Controlled.Dangerous.

Because someone...

Had just crossed a line they shouldn't have.

Somewhere...

A phone lit up again.

No reply.

No response.

A slow smile appeared in the dark.

"Scared already?"

A pause.

Then a whisper...

"Good."