The proposal

The room fell completely silent. Arjun peeked out from behind Priya's shoulder, his kohl-lined eyes wide with shock. A second lifeline? Was it possible they could escape Vikram?

"I don't want your help," Priya said, though her voice wavered slightly.

"I will pay off your entire home loan today," Rohan stated flatly. "Three crore rupees, transferred directly to your bank in ten minutes. I will pay off your luxury cars. And I will give Arjun a monthly household allowance of two lakh rupees for the rest of his life."

Arjun gasped. That was enough money to live in absolute luxury. He wouldn't have to change. He could keep his home. He could keep his sarees, his makeup, his padding. He could stay exactly as he was, doing his chores in peace. It was a perfect dream.

"Why?" Priya asked, her eyes narrowing with deep suspicion. "You don't do charity, Rohan. What do you want in return? You don't want Arjun. You are not gay."

"You are very smart, Priya. No, I have no interest in men in sarees," Rohan said, glancing dismissively at Arjun. Then, his cold, dark eyes locked entirely onto Priya. "I want you."

Priya froze.

"Five years ago, you walked out of my company," Rohan said, his voice dropping into a dark, threatening growl. "You were too proud. Too independent. Too commanding. You refused to bow your head to me. I have always hated that about you. I have always wanted to break that fire inside you."

Rohan took a slow step closer to Priya. "Here are my exact terms. I pay off all the debts. Arjun stays here, in this massive house. He lives like a queen, fully funded, doing his chores, wearing his heavy jewelry, keeping his long hair and feminine life forever. He will be perfectly safe."

Rohan pointed his cane directly at Priya's chest. "But you, Priya, will pack one small bag today. You will come and live in my penthouse. You will quit the corporate world forever. You will drop your proud, commanding attitude entirely. You will become my completely obedient servant."

Priya's mouth fell open in pure horror.

"You will wear the clothes I tell you to wear," Rohan continued, a cruel smile forming. "You will kneel when I tell you to kneel. You will serve my guests. You will give up all your power and control to me. I will be your total master."

"No!" Arjun screamed, stepping out from behind Priya, his block heels stomping on the marble. His protective instincts as a loving spouse broke through his deep fear. "She is a proud, independent woman! You can't do that to her! You will crush her soul!"

Rohan laughed, a cold, empty sound. "That is exactly the point, Arjun. I want to crush her soul. And just like Vikram's rule for you... if Priya comes with me, you two can never touch each other romantically again. I demand complete, exclusive ownership of her body and her mind."

Rohan looked at the large grandfather clock in the corner of the room. It was 8:00 AM.

"Vikram will be here in two hours," Rohan said smoothly, turning towards the front door. "If you want my deal, Priya, be outside my penthouse at 9:30 AM with your bag. If you do not show up, I will assume you decided to give Arjun over to Vikram's twisted control instead."

Rohan opened the front door and walked out into the morning sun, leaving the door wide open behind him.

Inside the living room, the silence was totally deafening.

The chaos was now absolute. They were standing in the middle of a burning room, and they only had one parachute.

Priya stared out the open door, her face pale. She was a natural leader. Her entire identity, her pride, and her sanity were built on being independent, taking charge, and protecting the husband she loved. To submit to Rohan—a cruel, toxic man—would completely destroy who she was on the inside. It would be mental torture every single day.

Arjun stared at his reflection in the dark glass of the television screen. He looked at his red saree, his huge padding, his heavy makeup, and his beautiful jewelry. To go to Vikram meant surrendering his body to a cruel man, suffering the psychological abuse of a stalker, and losing his physical autonomy.

But if they said no to both men, they would lose everything, and Arjun would have to become a man again, which would kill him.

They had exactly two hours left.

To save their financial lives, one of them had to surrender completely to a monster.

Priya slowly turned to look at Arjun. Arjun slowly turned to look at Priya. Tears streamed down both of their faces. They were deeply, madly in love. And now, they had to choose which one of them was going to sacrifice their entire soul to save the other.