> “There was safety in the devil she knew.

But the real fear came from the one who wore his face.”

---

🌫️ Breathing in the Dark

Meher woke to a sound she couldn’t name.

A faint rustle.

A sharp exhale.

She sat up in bed — completely alone.

Veer wasn’t beside her.

The door to the bathroom was open.

Empty.

The hall light was off.

And then—

> She heard it.

Breathing.

Low. Steady. Not hers.

From inside the room.

Not outside it.

She didn’t scream.

Didn’t move.

Just slid her hand under the pillow slowly — only to find something already there.

Not her phone.

Not his tie.

But a mask.

White. Smooth. Emotionless.

And made to look exactly like Veer’s face.

---

⚰️ The Silence After

Veer came seconds later — dressed only in black pajama pants, hair tousled, eyes wild.

She dropped the mask on the floor.

He saw it.

And his fury lit the room like wildfire.

He didn’t ask questions.

Didn’t speak.

He lifted her into his arms, carried her to the red chamber, and locked the door behind them.

She clutched his shoulders, trembling.

“You said no one could get in,” she whispered.

“They didn’t get in,” he growled. “They’ve always been inside.”

---

🕯️ The Red Room Command

He set her down on the bed, untied her robe, leaving her bare before him.

Her skin flushed, but her eyes were shaken.

“I want to feel safe,” she whispered. “Right now.”

“Then obey.”

She nodded.

“Position three.”

Her legs moved instinctively — knees on the floor, hands behind her back, eyes lowered.

Her breath hitched as he circled her like a storm.

“I told you the moment you entered my world, you’d never be untouched again.”

His fingers lifted her chin.

“But if someone else lays a hand on you... I will make hell look merciful.”

---

🔥 The Punishment for Fear

That night, his dominance shifted into something darker.

Not just erotic.

Not just controlling.

But purging.

He made her strip in front of all four mirrors.

Then made her write "I belong to Veer" on her thigh in lipstick. Ten times. Each time closer to her core.

“You’ll never forget who protects you.”

He tied her hands behind her back and blindfolded her.

> Then took her.

Slowly.

From behind.

Each thrust deep.

Controlled.

Bruising with meaning.

“Say it.”

“I belong to you.”

“Say it louder.”

“I BELONG TO YOU!”

---

💔 The Breakdown

But afterward, when he untied her…

She didn’t curl into him like usual.

She crawled to the far end of the bed, wrapped the sheet around herself, and started to shake.

He approached slowly.

Kneeling.

“Meher…”

Her voice cracked.

“What if I love you, Veer?”

His breath stopped.

“What if… I’m falling, and you don’t know how to catch me?”

A long pause.

Then he pulled her into his lap.

“No,” he whispered. “I don’t catch people. I chain them.”

---

🥀 The Next Morning

She found another note.

This time it wasn’t under her pillow.

It was carved into her mirror.

With a blade.

> “He doesn’t chain you.

He cages you.

And I’m the key.”