The road was deserted, and the car was speeding wildly.

 The road was deserted, and the car was speeding wildly. Ishal's breath caught in her throat; she squeezed her eyes shut in fear.

"Slow down the car! Rohan, I have no desire to die with you!" she screamed.

Rohan let out a maniacal laugh. Holding the steering wheel with one hand, he grabbed Ishal around the waist with the other and yanked her onto his lap in one swift motion.

"Don't be afraid, Ishal. Rohan Shah... everyone has to die one day," he said, looking at her.

"Stop this madness! If you want to die, go ahead and die—why are you dragging me along?" Ishal snapped angrily.

"You won't let me live, and living without you is unacceptable to me. So come on! Let's die together today. History will remember that two lovers perished together and became immortal," he said in his frenzy.

Leaning down, he began kissing her face intensely.

In that very moment, the car lost balance and crashed full force into a tree by the roadside.

Stumbling, Rohan opened the door and pulled Ishal out.

As soon as she stepped out, her fear instantly turned into intense anger.

"Have you gone mad? We could have died just now!" she screamed, pounding her fists on his chest.

Rohan gripped both her hands and pushed her back, pinning her against the car's hood.

At that exact moment, the sky split open, and torrential rain began to pour.

In seconds, both were drenched.

"Yes! You've driven me mad," Rohan growled, his lips inches from hers.

He looked at her.

"Your hatred, your rebellion—it has brought me to a point where I no longer care about my own life."

As he leaned in to kiss her lips, Ishal grabbed his collar with all her strength, shook him, and shouted,

"Do you think I'm your property? I would rather die than ever accept your love!"

Rohan furrowed his brow and stared at her—she was flushed red with rage.

"I hate you..."

"Shh, should I get it stamped on paper? 'I hate you'?" he said mockingly, placing a finger on her lips.

He stepped away and began inspecting the car.

"Where's your phone?" Rohan asked.

"I... I forgot it at home," Ishal replied, lowering her eyes in embarrassment.

"Mashallah! We were already convinced of your intelligence; today we got the proof. In this wilderness, shall we send messages via pigeons now?"

Rohan took a deep breath and curved his lips into a sarcastic smile.

"Rohan! Please, let's get out of here quickly—I'm scared," Ishal said in a trembling voice, glancing at the spreading darkness.

The girl who had been a lioness just hours ago was now shrinking in fear at the shadows of the night.

Rohan looked her up and down, shrugged, and said,

"Oh? Scared now? But you were so brave when you left the haveli alone? Didn't this darkness and danger cross your mind then?"

Rohan taunted.

"Rohan! For God's sake, stop mocking like a woman right now—I'm terrified," she said irritably, instinctively moving closer to him.

He took her with him and had only walked a few steps when a wooden hut appeared behind the bushes ahead.

He headed toward the hut.

@@@@

As soon as they entered, Rohan lit a fire with damp wood. Smoke danced in the air, and the cold was piercing to the bones.

Rohan took off his soaked shirt and tossed it aside, then sat in front of the fire.

"Come here... near the fire, or you'll freeze," Rohan called to her.

Ishal was huddled in a corner.

"I don't want to come near you—I'm fine," she said, though she was shivering badly.

"Put your ego aside for a little while," Rohan said calmly, looking at the stubborn girl sitting across from him.

"I'd rather freeze to death in this cold than accept your favor," Ishal said through chattering teeth.

"If you have a death wish, just tell me—I'll fulfill it with my own hands. But as long as you're alive, you're bound to me."

Rohan shot her a sharp glance, then in two strides reached her, grabbed her arm, pulled her up, and sat her right in front of the fire.

"Rohan! What is this rudeness? Let me go!" she screamed in anger.

"This stubbornness of yours will kill you one day," Rohan said, removing her soaked dupatta from her body.

Ishal's heart pounded wildly.

Rohan enveloped her in his embrace. The heat from his bare chest burned against her face.

He lifted her chin with his finger. He came so close that their noses almost touched.

"You've fought enough... now be quiet," Rohan said, his eyes sharp as he looked at her.

"Move away, Rohan Shah—there's plenty of space; no need to sit on my head," Ishal interrupted sharply.

Rohan let out a loud laugh and forcibly sat pressed against her.

"There's plenty of space, but my wife is sitting right here, isn't she?" Rohan said with a smile, looking at her.

"You're so bad," Ishal murmured softly.

"And you're so adorable," Rohan said, brushing his lips against her hair.

He lay half-reclined on the floor.

"You can come closer—I'm your husband and your only support right now. Drop the stubbornness and come to me," he said, looking at her with loving eyes.

"Never," Ishal replied defiantly.

"Oh? So you plan to spend the night stubbornly on this cold floor?" Rohan teased, pinching her cheek playfully.

Then suddenly, he fell silent and began looking around.

"By the way, do you know what locals say about old, isolated places like this?" Rohan said, deliberately making his voice heavy and mysterious.

"Wh-what do they say?" Ishal asked, startled.

"They say restless souls who found no peace in life take shelter here. Listen—that whistling sound in the wind... it's not just the wind. Sometimes they cry the same way."

Just as Rohan finished, a loud crash echoed outside as if a tree had fallen.

"Rohan, don't joke," her voice trembled.

"Rohan Shah doesn't joke. Earlier, when I went out to gather wood, I felt like someone was watching me from afar—in white clothes, feet not touching the ground."

Rohan spun another made-up tale and watched Ishal's terrified face with half-closed eyes.

At the loud thunderclap, she jumped up and, like a frightened child, rushed to Rohan and clung to him.

"Rohan! Please... I'm scared alone over there," she said, gripping his arm tightly, her head buried in his broad chest.

Rohan's heart wanted to burst into laughter, but he controlled himself.

"You took refuge in my chest out of fear of ghosts—but what about me, jaanam?" he whispered shamelessly in her ear.

"You... you were scaring me on purpose, weren't you?" she changed the subject.

"How dare I? Now stay quietly right here, or 'they' are waiting for you outside," he teased, scaring her more.

Ishal gave up any further argument. Instead, she curled up even closer, melting into his embrace.

"With me here, no ghost or spirit would dare scare my wife. Ishu, you're needlessly afraid of these imaginary horrors—when in reality, there's no greater danger in this entire universe for me than you."

A smile spread across Rohan's lips.

"Me? I seem like a danger to you?" Ishal lifted her head from his chest and glared at him.

"Yes... that beautiful danger who has destroyed Rohan Shah's peace, rest, everything," Rohan said, gazing deep into her eyes while wrapping a strand of her hair around his finger.

"Now sleep... before my intentions change," he said, inhaling the fragrance of her hair deeply and closing his eyes...