The grandeur of Prem Mansion never comforted Preety.
It stood like a castle, rich, vast, and cold. Walls laced with luxury, rooms echoing silence, and corridors haunted by shadows of secrets. She had once thought she would inherit this kingdom. , she knew she was merely another pawn on her father's chessboard.
As her heels clicked softly against the marbled floor, she couldn't help but feel the weight of invisible eyes. Maids bowed as she passed. Guards looked away. No one asked why she was back so soon. Perhaps no one dared.
She had just placed her overnight bag on the bed in her old room when she heard her father's voice.
Low. Urgent. Cautious.
She stopped mid-motion and stepped closer to the half-open door that led to the hallway.
The voice came from the study.
Preety pressed her back against the wall and strained her ears.
"…No, she doesn't leave the fort. Do you understand?" Prem Choudhary was saying on the phone.
A pause.
"Give her everything she asks for. Clothes. Books. Even her physical desire. But don't let her cross the main gate."
Another pause.
"No contact with anyone outside. Especially not with Preety."
Preety's heart skipped a beat.
She pushed closer, every word digging deeper into her spine.
"I don't care what she threatens," her father continued. "That girl was the biggest mistake. She has to stay in Rajasthan. That fort is secure, my men are loyal. I've paid enough to keep her shut up and safe."
Safe?
Or silenced?
Preety's fists clenched.
Tina.
Her girlfriend. Her first love. Her only truth in a world full of lies. They had met in college, stolen kisses behind closed doors, made promises beneath starry nights. When Preety had told her family about Tina, all hell had broken loose.
Her father had threatened to disown her. Her mother had cried for weeks. And Preety, caught between love and loyalty, had chosen to remain silent. But Tina hadn't. She had tried to confront them, demand respect, and fight for what they had.
She could barely breathe. Her chest heaved with a storm of emotions, rage, heartbreak, disbelief.
Preety stepped back, quietly, slowly, her mind whirring like a turbine. As soon as she reached her room, she shut the door and collapsed on the bed.
Tears filled her eyes, but she didn't let them fall.
Instead, she opened her laptop, typing furiously.
She began searching for forts in Rajasthan, especially the ones privately owned or under limited access. There were too many. She tried narrowing it down.
Fortresses with restricted civilian entry. Sites not marked on tourist maps. Estates owned by businessmen affiliated with Prem Choudhary.
Her fingers trembled.
Every minute, she saw Tina's face flash in her mind, the way she smiled shyly, the way she said "I love you" as if it was the most dangerous thing in the world.
And now Tina was locked up… because of that love.
She couldn't let it go on.
She would go to Rajasthan.
She would find her.
She would bring her back.
Even if it meant going against her father.
Even if it meant sacrificing everything.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Prem Choudhary ended the call and looked out the window.
The sky was darkening, clouds gathering above the estate like witnesses to his sins.
He knew Preety was back.
He didn't trust her silence.
He would have to act fast.