Nandini's POV "Do you like it, little bird?" Hukum asked softly. Heat rushed to my cheeks. I couldn't even look at him. The mere fact that I was sitting so close to him made my heart race uncontrollably. This was wrong. So wrong. He was the mighty Rajvanshi heir. The man everyone feared. And I... I was nothing more than a servant's daughter. Someone who never belonged in his world. Someone who should never have been here. A lump formed in my throat as tears blurred my vision. Without thinking, I pushed against his chest and quickly tried to move away. I needed distance. I needed to breathe. But before I could take even a single step, his hand wrapped around my wrist. With one pull, I was back beside him. My breath caught. "We're not done yet, wifey." The word hit me harder than it should have. Wifey. My stomach twisted painfully. I shook my head. "I'm not your wife." My voice came out weaker than I intended. "That marriage..." I swallowed. "It was a mistake." For a moment, silence filled the room. Dangerous silence. The kind that made my heart pound harder. Slowly, Hukum stood. His dark eyes locked onto mine. Unblinking. Unreadable. And then— A small smile appeared on his lips. The kind of smile that sent chills down my spine. "A mistake?" he repeated quietly. He took a step toward me. Then another. And another. Until my back hit the wall. Nowhere left to run. Nowhere left to hide. His gaze dropped briefly to the mangalsutra resting against my throat before returning to my eyes. And what he said next made the blood drain from my face. "Then tell me, little bird..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out something. Something that should not have existed. Something that could destroy everything I believed. "If our marriage was a mistake..." His fingers tightened around it. "Then why do I have this?" --- To be continued... 🔥