In the morning, when Ayana opened her eyes, she looked around and then her gaze fell on Abir, who was sleeping on the bed. Ayana thought to herself while looking at Abir's face, "I never imagined that so much pain could be hidden behind this cruel, dangerous, angry, and stern face. I've learned this only by observing Abir; any pain can change a person to such an extent." Saying this, Ayana took a deep breath, got up from the sofa, and went to the washroom. After a while, when Ayana came out of the washroom, she couldn't find Abir anywhere. Ayana shook her head and went into the closet room.
Abir was reading a file in his study room when his phone rang. He saw the name "Sagar" on the screen and answered the call.
Abir said, "Is there any special reason for calling so early?"
Sagar replied, "Why? Aren't you my brother? Can't I call you without a reason?"
Abir responded, "You're not even my stepbrother, so stop pretending to be my brother!"
Hearing Abir's words, Rohit clenched his fists in anger.
Abir continued, "Control your anger; you'll need it later. Now tell me why you called me?"
Sagar said, "I need your signature on a file. And tomorrow is Mom and Dad's anniversary, so we're having a party at home. They want you to come. That's all I wanted to say."
Abir put both his feet up on the table and said, "If you need my signature, you can come to the office. I'm not interested in attending any party."
Sagar insisted, "You have to come. I know you and Mom don't like each other, but you love Dad a little, right? So just come for him." With that, he hung up.
Abir placed the phone on the table and started thinking. Just then, Adil came over, approaching him.
Adil sat down at the table and said, "You should go to the party. I know you're upset with your dad, but you don't hate him! It would make him happy if you went."
Abir replied, "I don't want to go there."
Adil placed his hand on Abir's shoulder and said, "There are many old memories in 'Sejal Vilas'! You want to run away from them, but how long will you keep running? One day, you'll have to face everyone."
Before Abir could say anything, Adil spoke again, "I don't want to hear anything. You're going, and that's final!"
Abir stood up and said, "Okay, but only at your request." With that, Abir left, and Adil followed him.
Abir entered his room and, without noticing Ayana, headed toward the washroom. Ayana was in the kitchen making coffee. When she brought the coffee into the room and didn't see Abir, she went out to the balcony. There, Abir was taking a drag from his cigarette, staring ahead. Sensing Ayana's presence, Abir spoke without turning around, "I didn't ask you to bring coffee, so it seems you've taken a liking to nursing me, right?"
Ayana softly replied, "No, I was just—" Before she could finish, Abir abruptly turned around.
Seeing Abir's face, Ayana's eyes widened in shock because Abir's eyes were bloodshot, and anger was clearly visible on his face.
Abir took two steps toward Ayana, grabbed her, and pulled her into the room, taking the coffee mug from her hand and placing it on the nearby table.
Abir pushed Ayana onto the bed and started unbuttoning his shirt. Seeing this, Ayana was terrified and pleaded, "No, please no, I'm sorry; I won't do anything again. Please let me go."
Abir came down on Ayana and said, "Be quiet! You should not make a sound from your mouth! Understood?" Then he began to remove Ayana's clothes one by one.
Ayana covered her mouth and began to sob quietly; she couldn't even cry openly because of Abir. Tears continuously streamed down her face.
Seeing Ayana's tears, an evil smile crept onto Abir's face as he busied himself with her body.
After a while, Ayana could no longer hold back and let out a loud scream.
Hearing Ayana scream, Abir lifted his head, looked at her face, and slapped her hard. He said, "Didn't I tell you that you shouldn't make a sound from your mouth?"
Hearing this, Ayana put her hand over her mouth again and tried to control her tears.
About two hours later, Abir separated from Ayana and stood up from the bed, putting on his clothes.
Ayana was still covering her mouth, crying uncontrollably, unable to stop her tears.
After putting on his clothes, Abir looked at Ayana and sat down beside her on the bed. He grabbed a handful of her hair, lifting her face up so that it tilted slightly upwards.
Looking into her eyes, Abir said, "If you know this is your life now, then why don't you just accept all this? And by now, you should be used to enduring pain, right? After all, you've been here for a year. Whether you're used to it or not, you're only my 'mistress,' right?" With that, a crooked smile appeared on Abir's face.
Upon hearing Abir call her a mistress, Ayana felt numb. His words were tearing her apart inside. Helplessly, she could only stare at Abir, but she didn't utter a single word.
Abir released her and stood up from the bed, saying, "This will be your identity: Ayana Mehra. You will only be known as Abir Rajvansh's 'mistress,' you are my mistress who entertains me every day." With that, Abir left the room.
Ayana continued to cry on the bed. Abir's words were breaking her from within! After a while, Ayana managed to pull herself together and began to put on her clothes.
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