Chains of Obsession - Chapter 6

 

Chapter 6: Reverse Cage

Darkness.

Stillness.

A muffled throb behind her eyes.

Aditi stirred, groggy, confused. Her body felt heavy, her wrists aching. She tried to lift her arms—but they wouldn’t move.

Metal clinked.

Chains.

She jolted upright—only to be yanked back by the restraints that bound her wrists and ankles to the posts of the same velvet-draped bed.

Her breath hitched.

The air smelled different. No longer filled with scented candles and fantasy—but something darker.

Power.

Control.

Him.

Then… the sound of slow, steady footsteps.

And his voice.

“Good morning, Aditi.”

She froze.

Aditya Rathore stood in the doorway, dressed in a crisp black shirt, sleeves rolled up, holding a glass of wine like it was the world’s most casual meeting.

He looked at her the way a lion might look at a wounded animal. Calm. Patient. But lethal.

“W-What… what is this?” she stammered, tugging at the chains. “Aditya, I—I didn’t mean to hurt you—”

He took a sip, walked closer, pulling a chair beside the bed, and sat.

“You didn’t hurt me,” he said, voice low and terrifyingly composed. “You just proved yourself.”

She blinked. “Wh…what?”

“I knew you were following me, Aditi. For months. The dropped keys, the fake chance encounters, the red dress at Vespera… even the graveyard visits. Did you really think I didn’t notice?”

Her heart stopped.

“But why… why didn’t you stop me?”

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

“Because I wanted to see how far you'd go. What you’d risk. What you’d sacrifice.”

“And now I know.”

Aditi’s lip quivered. “You let me kidnap you…?”

He smiled—dark, slow, venomous.

“You thought you were playing a game, Aditi. But you walked right into mine.”

---

The Predator Unmasked

Aditya stood and began slowly pacing.

“Do you know what obsession looks like from the other side? It’s not romantic. It’s not innocent. It’s dangerous. But it’s also… exciting.”

He turned to her, eyes gleaming.

“You broke every boundary. Crossed every line. Just to possess me.”

“And I let you.”

“Because now, I know something no one else in this world understands…”

He leaned down, whispering in her ear.

“You’re exactly like me.”

---

The New Game Begins

Aditi’s breath came in short, confused gasps.

“You don’t hate me?”

“Hate you?” he laughed, stepping back. “No, Aditi. I admire you. You’re the only person who’s ever had the audacity to come for me. To claim me.”

“That makes you mine.”

Her mind whirled. Was this real? A trap? A test?

He sat back down, tilting his head.

“So now, we’re going to play by my rules.”

She shook her head. “You’re not going to let me go, are you?”

He smiled.

“Let you go? Aditi… why would I ever release the only person who dared to steal me?”

He stood, stepping into the shadows.

“Rest now. You’ll need your strength. We have… a future to plan.”

And with that, the lights dimmed.

The door locked.

And Aditi, once the captor, now lay trembling in her velvet chains…

As the true monster quietly hummed her lullaby.