Aanya's breath trembled as the rain continued to fall, mixing with the fear running through her veins.
She stared at him.
Those eyes… they weren't angry.
They were calm. Too calm.
"Please," she whispered, taking another step back. "I don't know you."
Aarav's lips curved slightly, not a smile — something darker.
"You will," he replied.
Before she could react, his hand wrapped around her wrist — firm, warm, unescapable.
Her heart skipped.
"Let me go!" she cried, trying to pull away.
He didn't tighten his grip.
He didn't need to.
"You're shaking," he said quietly. "Stop running. No one's chasing you anymore."
She looked up at him, confused. "How do you know?"
"Because," he leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper,
"I am the only danger you should be afraid of."
Thunder roared above them.
He opened the car door and gently pushed her inside — not roughly, not kindly.
Possessively.
As the door shut, Aanya felt it.
The moment her life slipped out of her control.
The car started moving.
She hugged herself, staring at the stranger sitting beside her — calm, powerful, unreadable.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked, her voice barely audible.
He looked at her then. Truly looked.
"To a place," he said slowly,
"where you won't ever need to run again."
Her chest tightened.
And somewhere deep inside her heart, a terrifying thought formed—
What if she didn't want to escape him?