Chapter 11: Two Years Ago
345 Words
Tia’s POV – Flashback: Mumbai
---
The city never slept.
Neither did he.
Back then, I thought that was exciting. Dangerous in a way I could handle.
I didn’t know I was walking into a cage disguised as love.
His name was Riyan.
And at first… he was everything I thought I wanted.
Sharp jaw. Fast mouth. A little reckless. Wild s*x. Promises at 2 a.m. that felt like truth when whispered against my skin.
He paid for dinners, wrapped his hand around mine in front of crowds, told me I was his “lucky charm.”
And I believed him.
Until he changed.
It started small.
Questions that felt like concern.
“Who were you with?”
“Why didn’t you answer my call?”
“Why is your shirt that low?”
Then came the rules.
No male friends.
No parties without him.
No saying no.
If I laughed too loud, he’d go quiet.
If I smiled at a waiter, he’d squeeze my thigh under the table. Too hard.
I didn’t realize I was being erased until there was nothing left to defend.
Then the night that broke me—
He found a message on my phone. An old friend. Just “hope you’re doing okay.”
He didn’t speak.
Not right away.
Just smashed my phone on the floor. Dragged me into the bedroom. Locked the door.
“Say you love me,” he growled, hand clenched in my hair.
I said it.
Again and again.
He still shoved me to the bed, still ripped my shirt, still pressed me down until I couldn’t breathe—
And when I finally screamed?
He laughed.
“You think anyone would believe you?” he said. “You’re the slut who moaned for me five times last night.”
That night, I didn’t cry. I packed.
I walked out with shaking legs and no plan.
I left Mumbai with one suitcase, a fractured heart, and a body that flinched at every kind touch.
And I never looked back.
Until now.
Until Micky.
Until that text.
- Writer
