The Gilded Cage

The mansion gleamed under the pale glow of moonlight. Chandeliers sparkled like frozen stars, the marble floors reflected perfection, and the garden shimmered with dew. To outsiders, it was the dream home of a girl born into wealth. But inside, it was a prison—a gilded cage for Aanya.

Rivan’s footsteps echoed down the corridor. Each step was measured, controlled. Each glance he cast at her was a chain she could feel tightening around her heart.

“Tum kahan ja rahi ho?” [Where are you going?] His voice was soft, almost tender, but the weight behind it made her skin crawl.

Aanya froze. “Bas… thodi hawa lene.” [Just… getting some fresh air.]

Rivan’s eyes narrowed. “Hawa lene ke liye tumhe mujhe bataana zaroori hai.” [You think you can just get fresh air without telling me?] He stepped closer. “Yaad rakho, Aanya… tumhare bina meri duniya adhoori hai.” [Remember, Aanya… my world is incomplete without you.]

Her chest tightened. She recalled her mother’s soft voice from her childhood, whispering in a tiny sunlit room:

"Beta… agar kabhi tumhe koi control karne ki koshish kare, ya tumhe dar lage… yaad rakhna, tum apni zindagi khud jee sakte ho." [Child… if anyone ever tries to control you, or if you ever feel fear… remember, you can live your life on your own.]

Her mother had died when she was three. Her father disappeared under mysterious circumstances soon after. Aanya grew up in foster homes—cold rooms, strangers who didn’t care, nights where she cried herself to sleep with no one to hold her. That emptiness made her strong, yes, but it also made her vulnerable to someone like Rivan, who saw her need for love and twisted it into control.

Tonight, the front gate was unlocked. Rivan had gone out—a rare mistake. Aanya’s breath caught. “Ab bas… bas yaha se bhaag jaaungi.” [Enough… I will run away from here now.]

She slipped into the shadows, her small bag clutched tightly. Her footsteps were silent on the driveway, but every sound—the rustle of leaves, the distant hum of traffic—felt amplified. She kept telling herself:

"Mujhe jeena hai… bas jeena hai." [I want to live… I just want to live.]

Flashbacks collided with reality. Rivan’s grip on her arms, his whispering threats, the nights spent hiding in corners of the mansion… fear still clung to her. Yet there was a flicker of hope. For the first time in years, she felt the intoxicating taste of freedom.

The city awaited her—vast, indifferent, and dangerous. But she had no choice. She had to move, to run, to live.

As she darted through shadowed streets, rain began to fall, cold and stinging. She pulled her thin jacket tighter and whispered into the night:

"Pehli baar… pehli baar lagta hai ki main apni zindagi khud jee sakti hoon." [For the first time… it feels like I can live my life on my own.]

Somewhere above, the moonlight watched, silent and unjudging. And then, she vanished into the night, leaving behind the cage that had defined her life for far too long.

Aanya has escaped, but the city is full of unknown dangers. Will she survive the streets alone, or will Rivan’s relentless obsession catch up to her faster than she can run?

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