Days turned into weeks, and Isha's life only grew worse after that day. The day she had made her husband revoke a punishment for the first time in his life. She had been happy. She had managed to save her mother-in-law. For a brief moment, she had believed that despite putting her hand into a lion's mouth, she had escaped unscathed. She couldn't have been more wrong.

Three days later... on the last evening of her punishment... Abhyansh summoned her to his office. There wasn't an ounce of strength left in her body. Still, she gathered herself and walked towards his office, assuming he needed a glass of water or his evening coffee. The moment she stepped inside, she froze. The office looked as though a tornado had swept through it. Files lay scattered across the floor. Books had been pulled from their shelves. Everything was in complete disarray. And there sat the BEAST... reclining in his throne-like chair, leisurely sipping his whiskey.

Without sparing her a glance, he ordered her to clean the entire office. The room was enormous. Large enough to accommodate hundreds of people. Every file. Every book. Every shelf. Everything had to be put back in its place. Without a word, she began cleaning.

She had barely finished a quarter of the office when darkness engulfed her vision. She collapsed unconscious. For the past three days, she hadn't eaten a single morsel. Yet she had continued working relentlessly—at the office during the day and at the palace until late at night. 

She could have eaten at work. She didn't know whether her husband would ever find out. But she would have known. She had promised to endure the punishment. She could never bring herself to deceive anyone... least of all herself. Fortunately, for all three days, Avyan had picked her up from the main road every evening, sparing her the fifteen-kilometre walk back to the palace. He knew that after starving for three days, walking such a distance could easily make her collapse. He couldn't allow that.

The courage she had shown in standing against the BEAST for his mother's sake had erased every trace of resentment he once held towards her. That day, he had realized she was the kindest woman he had ever known. From then on, he had quietly resolved to help her in every way he could. Though he rarely spoke to her, his respect for his sister-in-law reflected in his actions. And Isha was grateful for every one of them.

Abhyansh knew exactly what his younger brother was doing. Yet he chose to overlook it. He didn't want her to break all at once. He wanted to shatter her... piece by piece.

What he didn't know... was that one day, he himself would struggle to gather those broken pieces back together. Seeing her unconscious, Abhyansh walked over to her. He picked up a bucket filled with water... and emptied it over her. She jolted awake.

"Clean the rest..." His voice was as cold as ice. "...and then die for today." The sheer disgust in his tone sent shivers through her. "You'll get your death too... in installments. I'll make you die every single day."

Hot tears streamed down her cheeks. Drenched from head to toe, humiliation burned far deeper than the icy water. The hatred dripping from every word made her question her very existence. There wasn't enough strength left in her body to stand. Yet... she forced herself to. For one fleeting moment... she wished she could simply die. Just so she would never have to endure any of this again. 

The thought horrified her. She immediately rebuked herself. She wasn't someone who gave up. She had survived years of torture at the hands of her uncle and aunt, yet never once had death crossed her mind.

But in less than six months... Abhyansh Singh Ranawat had planted that very thought within her. And in that moment... for the first time in her life... Isha hated someone. She was a soul that had never known hatred. She hadn't even believed herself capable of disliking another person. Hatred had always seemed impossible to her. Until Abhyansh Singh Ranawat.

After finishing the rest of the office, she somehow dragged herself back to her room. She changed her clothes... and collapsed unconscious the moment she lay down.

Early the next morning, Amrita prepared a meal and took it upstairs for her daughter-in-law. She gently tried to wake her. There was no response. Panic gripped her. She sprinkled a little water on Isha's face. Still... nothing.

"Doctor!"

Amrita screamed. Abhyansh, who had been working out in the gym, walked into the room with unhurried steps.

"Abhyansh... son... she isn't waking up. I think she's unconscious. Please call the doctor... please..."

Amrita pleaded desperately. His eyes shifted to the glass of water in his mother's hand.

"I even tried sprinkling water, but—"

Before she could finish, Abhyansh snatched the glass from her hand... and threw the entire glass of water onto Isha's face. She woke with a violent jerk.

"If you ever find her unconscious again..." He gestured towards the empty glass before tossing it aside. "...which you will, quite frequently from now on..." his voice remained indifferent. "...do this. Don't scream and disturb me."

With that... he walked away.

Amrita looked at Isha, gently took the napkin and lovingly wiped her face.

"When he was in my womb, he would never stop kicking me. Every single kick filled me with joy because it reminded me that my son was growing inside me. Not once did those kicks hurt me, even though they caused me physical pain." She paused, her voice trembling. "But today... every time he kicks my heart, it hurts far more than death ever could."

With trembling hands, Amrita picked up the plate of food. Her heart shattered every time she saw her son treat Isha harshly.

"Ma..." Isha called weakly, gently holding her mother-in-law's hands as if trying to comfort her instead.

"Have your food first," Amrita said softly before feeding her daughter-in-law.

Too weak to argue, Isha quietly finished her meal. After resting for half an hour, she resumed her daily chores.

----------

After breakfast, Isha got ready for work and walked towards the palace gates. She waited for Avyan for nearly ten minutes. He didn't come. She thought of calling him but stopped herself.

He must be busy.

Perhaps he wasn't going to the office today. With that thought, she started walking.

"Wait!" Avyan's voice came from behind.

She turned around to find him jogging towards her. He still didn't know how to address her. His brother had forbidden him from calling her Bhabhi Sa, while Mrs. Ranawat sounded far too formal.

"You okay, Avyan?" Isha asked with a faint smile. "I thought you weren't going to the office today. Why are you running?"

The smile touched her lips... but never reached her eyes. Her husband's cruelty... the hatred she felt for someone for the first time in her life had slowly begun dimming the light within her. She could feel her cheerful soul fading away. And she didn't want that.

"I came because of you. You're getting late, and I saw you walking away. Come on, let's leave. We can talk in the car," Avyan said politely.

He wasn't someone who spoke much. Yet seeing his usually cheerful sister-in-law looking so lifeless had unsettled him. She had always smiled despite everything she endured. Seeing that smile disappear... didn't sit right with him.

Both of them settled into the car, and Avyan drove out of the palace.

"You can call me Isha, Avyan," she said softly.

She had noticed that he had simply called out Wait. She understood the unspoken dilemma behind it.

"No." The answer came instantly. "You're my sister-in-law."

A small smile curved Isha's lips.

"But you can't call me that either... can you?" Avyan silently shook his head. "Then just call me Isha. I don't mind."

"I can't do that either." He smiled awkwardly. "And Mrs. Ranawat sounds far too formal. I don't think I want to be that formal with you." He glanced at her briefly. "You feel like family."

For the first time that day... Isha smiled wholeheartedly. Avyan found himself smiling too.

"I feel the same," she said quietly. "After Ma... you're my favourite person in this house."

He returned her smile. At that moment, Avyan made up his mind. Whether his brother accepted her or not was his decision. If Abhyansh refused to acknowledge her as his wife, Avyan wouldn't go against him by calling her Bhabhi Sa. But nothing stopped him from accepting her as family. That much... he could do.

After a brief silence, he spoke again.

"Why aren't you your usual self today?"

Isha shook her head with a faint smile.

"Nothing... just tired."

"Tired physically..." He looked at her with quiet concern. "...or mentally?"

"Physical exhaustion has never been strong enough to break my spirit, Avyan." Her gaze drifted towards the passing scenery outside the window. "I've always fought through it. But for the first time... yesterday... I felt like I was losing."

The quiet pain in her voice tightened something inside him. He wanted to ask more. But he knew she wouldn't say another word.

"You won't." His voice was calm yet certain. "You won't lose. You'll fight through this. I know you will."

A genuine smile bloomed across her face. He was right. She couldn't lose. She had to fight. Fight for her life. Fight for her happiness. Fight for the life she had always dreamed of. She had to make her parents... and her brother... proud.

Her smile faded.

Brother...

A quiet sigh escaped her lips. He had hurt her more deeply than anyone else. Six months had passed. Not once... had he called her.

Avyan dropped her at the office and, before leaving, reminded her to smile like she always did.

Their first real conversation left a warmth in Isha's heart. He hadn't spoken much. Yet in those few words, he had made sure she felt seen. And that meant more to her than he would ever know. The love her mother-in-law showered on her... and the quiet care her brother-in-law had begun showing her... gave her the strength to stand against Abhyansh Singh Ranawat. Not by fighting the BEAST himself... but by refusing to let the pain he inflicted destroy her.

She shook her head, smiled to herself, and walked inside, determined not to let his cruelty steal her smile. She had no idea... how badly she was about to fail.

A month passed. With each passing day, Abhyansh's punishments grew harsher. Isha believed he was punishing her for making him revoke his decision that day. She couldn't have been more wrong. He was punishing himself. Punishing the part of his heart that had dared to admire her smile. He wanted to prove—to himself more than anyone else—that her pain meant nothing to him. That her tears couldn't shake him. That he could erase her smile forever. 

And to say he was succeeding... would be an understatement. 

Day by day, Isha became more mechanical. She obeyed every one of his commands without question, almost as though her mind had forgotten how to think for itself. She still smiled. She still spoke to her mother-in-law with the same warmth as before. But deep inside... Isha knew she was losing herself. 

And Avyan saw it too. He tried, time and again, to bring back the cheerful woman she once was. It was as though she had drifted too far away. Nothing seemed capable of reaching her anymore.

---------

One evening, Abhyansh returned from the office, finished his coffee, walked into his study, and resumed work.

"Hukum... Mr. Rajput is here to meet you," a servant informed respectfully.

"I'm in no mood to meet Kailash Rajput. Tell him to get out."

The roar echoed across the room.

"Hukum... maafi..." the servant stammered, his legs trembling. "It's... Ranveer Rajput."

A slow smirk tugged at Abhyansh's lips. Ranveer Rajput. That man intrigued him more than anyone else. He was perhaps the only person who could meet Abhyansh Singh Ranawat's gaze without lowering his own. Abhyansh enjoyed that... though he never let it show.

"Let him in."

The servant silently thanked God. His king was in an unusually good mood today. Abhyansh had tried countless times to make Ranveer lower his head. The man never had. Even when Abhyansh had stood moments away from killing Kailash Rajput... Ranveer hadn't yielded.

Instead, he had argued with him logically, looking straight into his eyes. There was something about that unshakable confidence... something Abhyansh respected. It was the only reason Kailash Rajput was still alive. Because Abhyansh had given his word to Ranveer. Ranveer walked into the study. But unlike every previous meeting... there was no confidence in his eyes today.

Only exhaustion. Only pain. His eyes were bloodshot, as though sleep had abandoned him for weeks. And it had. The thought of his sister had never left him. As far as he knew... she was alive. But she was with the BEAST. And that was enough to rob him of every peaceful night's sleep. He hadn't been able to leave London either.

Not until he rescued Vikram—his best friend and business partner—from the men Kailash had sent after him. The moment Vikram was safe and Kailash's men had been arrested by the UK police, Ranveer boarded the first flight to India. Before leaving, he made sure Vikram was secure... and ensured no lawyer agreed to represent those men before his return to London with his sister. Straight from the airport... he came to the Ranawat Palace.

"Rajput..." Abhyansh greeted him in his usual steely tone. "Welcome."

Ranveer caught the faint smirk hidden beneath that emotionless face.

Perhaps he was the only man alive capable of reading the expressions of the Royal BEAST.

"Mr. Ranawat... no games." Ranveer's voice remained firm. "I came here to meet my sister. Call her. I want to see her right now."

"Sister?" Abhyansh leaned back slightly. "Oh... the girl your father offered to me as bait." A cold smile appeared. "And failed miserably."

Ranveer's jaw tightened. The vulnerability that flickered across his face didn't escape Abhyansh's notice.

"You didn't do anything inappropriate with her..." His voice faltered for the first time. "...did you?"

Abhyansh didn't answer. He was enjoying the conversation far too much. After a long time... someone was speaking to him without trembling.

"Mr. Ranawat." Ranveer's voice hardened again. "Call my sister."

"Bring her here." Abhyansh ordered the servant who had just entered with another cup of coffee.

The servant immediately understood whom the king meant. Abhyansh never addressed Isha by name. Nor did he call her Mrs. Ranawat. Certainly never... his queen.

Ranveer hated the way Abhyansh had referred to her. Just... her.

As though she were beneath even the dignity of a name. As though she was a particle of dust.

----------

The servant informed Isha. As always, she quietly made her way towards her husband's study. Her heart pounded violently inside her chest. No matter how many times she entered that room... the fear never lessened.

"Ma... Maharaj... you called for me?" She asked with her head bowed.

"Ishu..." Ranveer was already on his feet.

The moment she heard her brother's voice... her head snapped up. Their eyes met. Tears instantly filled hers. But almost immediately... she looked away.

Her gaze shifted towards her husband. And just like that... the emotions disappeared. The lifeless, expressionless mask returned to her face. She lowered her head once again... silently waiting for her husband's next command.

Ranveer stood frozen. This wasn't the reunion he had imagined. He had expected his little sister to throw herself into his arms... to beat him for disappearing... to cry... to yell... to refuse to speak to him out of anger. Anything but this.

The girl standing before him looked like a lifeless shell. She had grown frighteningly thin. The sparkle that once filled her eyes had vanished. Even her body looked too weak to stand for long. Unable to stop himself, Ranveer rushed towards her and pulled her into a tight embrace. His eyes burned with tears. Somehow... he forced them back.

Across the room, Abhyansh watched the scene with mild surprise. He had never imagined Ranveer to be an emotional man. Even when his father had stood inches away from his sword, Ranveer had argued with remarkable composure. Yet... this man was breaking down over his cousin sister? Interesting... Isha didn't return the embrace.

She simply stood there. Motionless. Expressionless. Only a single traitorous tear escaped the corner of her right eye. She wiped it away before anyone else could notice. Anyone except... Abhyansh. When Ranveer realized she wasn't hugging him back, he slowly pulled away.

He cupped her cheeks, trying to make her look at him. But her eyes remained fixed... on Abhyansh's feet.

"Ishu..." His voice trembled. "Ishu... please talk to me. I know you're angry. I'm angry with you too. I begged you not to do this... then why did you? Ishu..." He gently shook her. "Talk to me, bacha. Don't be like this. My Ishu can never stay angry with her Bhayyu. Ishu..."

She didn't react. Not even once. Her eyes remained fixed on the floor before Abhyansh.

"Isha..." Ranveer's panic deepened. "You're scaring me, bacha."

Holding her shoulders, he shook her a little harder. Still... nothing.

"I'm impressed." Abhyansh's cold voice sliced through the silence. "You truly are an obedient slave." Only then did he look at Isha. "You may speak to your brother."

Ranveer turned towards him in disbelief.

"Sl... slave?" 

The word barely left his lips.

"Yes." Abhyansh's expression remained unreadable. "She is my slave, Rajput."

Ranveer slowly looked back at his sister.

"Ishu..." His hands trembled as they cupped her face again. "What is he talking about? What's happening? Please... Talk to me."

Only after receiving her husband's permission did Isha raise her eyes towards her brother. Calmly... she removed his hands from her cheeks. Then took a step back. Her face remained completely devoid of emotion.

"Ishu..." Confusion slowly gave way to fear. "What the hell has happened to you? Why are you behaving like this?"

She wanted to answer. She wanted to ask him why. Why he had abandoned her. Why he hadn't come. Why he hadn't once checked whether she was alive or dead after knowing the kind of man Abhyansh Singh Ranawat was. 

Even if he had believed she willingly accepted this marriage... shouldn't he have come to stop it? Shouldn't he have tried? Perhaps... if her brother had stood beside her... none of this would have happened. The wound he had left behind... had never truly healed.

"Ranawat!" Ranveer finally turned towards Abhyansh. "What did you do to my Ishu?" His voice thundered through the study.

Isha's eyes widened. She knew her brother feared no one. But even she hadn't imagined he would challenge the Royal BEAST to his face. Panic flickered through her. She couldn't let him continue.

Abhyansh could do anything to him.

"Maharaj..." She bowed her head. "What shall I bring for your guest?"

Her voice was robotic. Almost mechanical. Ranveer stared at her as though she had lost her mind.

"Coffee."

A faint smirk appeared on Abhyansh's lips. Ranveer's love for his sister had genuinely surprised him. And he found himself thoroughly enjoying the unfolding drama. Isha gave a small nod and quietly left the room. The moment the door closed behind her, Ranveer marched towards Abhyansh.

"What have you done to my sister? Why is she behaving like this? And what do you mean she's your slave? She's your wife, isn't she? You married her."

Question after question poured out of him.

"Respect, Rajput." Abhyansh's voice turned glacial. "Learn to show me respect." His eyes locked onto Ranveer's. "Unless... you want me to torture your sister even more than I already do."

The colour drained from Ranveer's face.

"You..." His voice cracked. "You torture her?"

His mind replayed everything he had seen. Her frail body. The bruises covering her hands. The emptiness in her eyes. It all pointed to one horrifying truth.

"It was you..." His breathing grew uneven. "You did all this to her."

For a moment, he felt as though the ground beneath him had disappeared. His little sister... the person he loved more than anyone else in the world... had been enduring this all alone. He had wanted to stop the wedding. But when Isha had insisted... he had convinced himself she was at least walking towards freedom. He had believed that despite Abhyansh's ruthless reputation, the man would respect the sanctity of marriage.

After all... she would become his queen. What Ranveer didn't know... was that Abhyansh had married Isha for one reason alone. Revenge.

"Please..." For the first time since entering the palace... Ranveer pleaded. "Let her go. Please. Don't do this to my sister."

Abhyansh looked at the man standing before him. His greatest rival. Reduced to begging. For his sister. For the first time... Abhyansh truly understood the depth of Ranveer Rajput's love for her. And instead of moving him... it awakened something else. He wanted to test that love.

"Mm... I can't." Abhyansh leaned back leisurely. "And you know very well that you're incapable of freeing her from my clutches." A cruel smirk tugged at his lips. "But... If you want me to treat her a little better... go down on your knees and beg for it, Rajput. Perhaps... I'll grant your wish."

Abhyansh already knew the answer. Ranveer Rajput would never kneel. His pride was everything to him. Unlike Kailash Rajput, Ranveer was a true Rajput. A man who would rather die than bow his head before anyone. Still... Abhyansh couldn't resist testing his luck. Making Ranveer Rajput kneel before him had become a lifelong obsession.

To his utter surprise... Ranveer slowly went down on one knee. Then... both knees.

"Please..." His voice cracked. "Don't hurt my Ishu."

The plea had barely left his lips when the sound of clinking cups echoed through the room. A sharp hiss of pain followed. Both of them turned. Isha stood at the entrance with the serving trolley. The sight before her had made her lose her footing. Her proud brother... the man who had never bowed before anyone was on his knees. Begging. For her.

The trolley lurched violently. Scalding hot coffee spilled over her hand. The porcelain cups rattled against one another. Yet... she steadied the trolley... and quietly wheeled it inside.

Ranveer immediately got to his feet and rushed towards her.

"Ishu!" 

Seeing the angry burn spreading across her hand, he instinctively reached for it. She gently pulled it away. Her eyes lowered... to Abhyansh's feet.

"I'm sorry, Maharaj." She apologized softly.

Her hand burned unbearably. Yet she didn't dare tend to it without his permission.

"Hm."

The indifferent hum was all she received.

"Shall I pour coffee for both of you?"

She remained bowed.

"Ishu..." Ranveer looked at her burnt hand in disbelief. "It's badly burnt. Please... let me treat it. Ishu... don't do this."

She remained silent. When he tried to take her hand again, she quietly pulled it back.

"Isha!" He almost shouted.

She flinched... but didn't look at him. Ranveer slowly turned towards Abhyansh. Understanding the pattern at last... he swallowed his pride once again.

"Mr. Ranawat..." His voice softened. "Please ask her to get the burn treated. Please."

"Get it treated." Abhyansh granted permission without even looking at her.

Isha nodded obediently. Only then did Ranveer rush towards the travel bag he had brought from London. He quickly pulled out a first-aid kit. Along with a tube of toothpaste. He gently applied the toothpaste over the fresh burn to cool it before carefully dressing the wound.

Throughout it all... Isha never once looked at him.

"Ishu..." His voice broke. "Talk to me, bacha."

Again... and again... he pleaded. Not a single word escaped her lips. Abhyansh watched everything unfold in silence. He hadn't expected this. Ranveer had abandoned even his pride for his sister. Yet the very sister for whom he had begged wouldn't even acknowledge him. Once her hand had been dressed, Isha quietly poured coffee into two cups.

She placed the black coffee before her husband exactly the way he preferred it. Then she served the second cup to Ranveer. He looked at it for a long moment.

"So..." A painful smile crossed his face. "You want to pretend you don't even remember how I drink my coffee now?"

Isha instinctively looked towards her husband's feet. Seeking permission. Abhyansh understood immediately.

"You may speak."

Ranveer's eyes filled with tears. His proud little sister... who had always valued her dignity above everything else... who had endured every hardship with her spirit intact... was now asking permission... just to speak.

After receiving it... Isha finally turned towards her brother.

A small, painfully polite smile appeared on her lips.

Then she spoke.

"How would you like your coffee, sir?"

For a moment... Ranveer forgot how to breathe.

"Ishu..." His voice turned hoarse. "I know something terrible has happened. Something that made you treat me like a stranger. I'll find out the truth. And when I do... I'll come back for you."

"How would you like your coffee, sir?"

She repeated in the same emotionless, robotic tone. Ignoring every word he had spoken.

Something inside Ranveer snapped.

"Ishu..." His voice rose. "Leave this place right now. If you stay another minute..." He shut his eyes tightly. "I might kill you... and then kill myself afterwards. Leave."

Understanding the storm raging inside him... Abhyansh ordered Isha to leave. She silently nodded... and walked out. The moment she reached her room, she locked the doo and broke down.

"Why, Bhai...?" She screamed sobbing uncontrollably. "Why did you leave your Ishu all alone when she needed you the most? You killed your Ishu."

She cried until there were no tears left to shed.

Precap - Ranveer gets to know what his father did to make Isha talk to him that way...

NOTE - For more updates, reach me on Instagram.

My Instagram handle - sam.murty.writes