Chapter 26 — A Cage Draped in Gold
Chapter 26 — A Cage Draped in Gold
The house buzzed with whispers of celebration, but Vedika felt none of it.
The walls around her shimmered with silk drapes and marigold garlands. Artisans moved in and out of her mother’s small home with lists and samples, wedding planners treating her like the bride she was meant to be. Jewelry boxes lay open on the coffee table — gold and rubies, green bangles with intricate filigree, anklets with tiny bells — all symbols of festivity.
But to Vedika, they were shackles.
She sat silently as a makeup artist placed a tiara-like maang tikka on her head, testing looks for the pre-wedding function. The mirror reflected a girl who looked like her — same eyes, same lips — but nothing like her. This girl was hollow. Controlled.
A puppet in bridal silks.
From behind, her mother beamed with joy, mistaking her stillness for nerves. “You’ll look like a goddess, beta,” Shanta said, touching her shoulder gently.
Vedika gave a tight smile. Her voice died in her throat.
Kabir walked in with a box of sweets, smiling brightly until he saw her face. “Di?” he asked, stepping closer. “Don’t you like the lehenga?”
“I love it,” she lied, brushing her fingers over the red velvet skirt.
What else could she say? That she was about to marry a man who had kidnapped her? That she was being forced into this celebration of her own captivity? That her freedom was bartered in silence to keep them — her mother, her brother — safe?
No. That would break them. And so, she smiled.
Across the city, in a mansion perched like a crown atop the hills, Abhimaan watched.
He stood before a rack of hand-stitched sherwanis imported from Italy, his jaw taut with hunger that no victory could satisfy.
He had seen her in that red lehenga.
Seen her eyes, dead and resigned.
And yet… she hadn’t tried to run again.
A part of him knew why. She wasn’t staying for him. She was staying for them — her family.
But that didn’t matter.
She was staying.
His.
Soon, the world would see it. Their names bound together, their souls tethered by vows — whether she meant them or not.
Raghav, his youngest brother, entered the room and threw himself into a chair with a smirk. “So, finally the lion has caught his prey,” he teased.
Abhimaan’s eyes flicked to him coldly.
“She is not prey.”
Raghav snorted. “You kidnapped her, bhai. That’s textbook obsession.”
“She’s mine,” Abhimaan replied flatly. “That’s all there is to it.”
Raghav raised his hands in surrender. “Fine, fine. But the way you’re handling this? It’s a little scary.”
“I don’t care what you think,” Abhimaan said, turning back to the mirror. “She’ll be my wife. And I’ll make sure she never even dreams of leaving again.”
Back at Vedika’s home, the intrusion deepened.
Abhimaan’s staff came in with more boxes, designers trailing behind them. They spoke to her like she was already part of their household. No one asked her opinion. They just showed, told, dressed, arranged.
Even her mother had begun to warm to the idea.
“He’s not so bad, beta,” Shanta whispered one evening while oiling Vedika’s hair. “He has influence, power… and he clearly cares for you.”
Vedika shut her eyes.
Cares.
They didn’t know the truth. The bruises beneath her calm. The panic beneath her pulse.
Each day, Abhimaan’s shadow loomed larger. Calls from him were now hourly. His messages were relentless. His security men followed her everywhere — even when she stepped out to buy vegetables with Kabir.
She couldn’t even breathe without him knowing.
Once, she dared to snap at a bridal assistant. Within twenty minutes, Abhimaan was at her doorstep, calm but cold.
“Is something wrong?” he asked, leaning against the doorframe.
“No,” she whispered.
He had leaned in, hand brushing her cheek. “Remember, Vedika. You’re mine now. No tantrums. Just obedience.”
And she had nodded. Because Kabir had come running into the room right after, laughing about a game. Because she couldn’t afford defiance.
Not again.
The engagement ceremony arrived.
It was a grand, artificial spectacle hosted at a luxury hotel booked entirely by Abhimaan.
Guests in glittering outfits walked among fountains of champagne. Cameras flashed. Reporters whispered about the Rathod empire gaining a queen.
Vedika sat beside him in a pale gold sari, a diamond necklace heavy around her throat.
He held her hand for the photos.
She tried not to flinch.
He leaned in, whispering, “Smile wider. Or do you want me to remind you what’s at stake?”
She did.
The photos were perfect.
Later that night, when they returned to the hotel suite where her family was temporarily housed, Abhimaan pulled her aside. His grip bruised her arm.
“I gave you everything, Vedika. Now I want your complete surrender.”
She didn’t respond.
He tilted her chin. “In three days, you will walk down that aisle with a smile on your lips and devotion in your eyes. If you don’t…”
He didn’t finish the sentence.
He didn’t need to.
She knew.
The night before the wedding, Vedika sat on the rooftop.
Alone.
Tears streamed silently down her cheeks as she stared at the moon. Somewhere far away, children were sleeping, dreams untainted. Somewhere, there were people who still believed in love.
She used to be one of them.
But now she was in a gilded cage, every bar forged from fear.
She touched the mangalsutra that Abhimaan had personally chosen for her.
It felt like a noose.
Meanwhile, in his mansion, Abhimaan stood in front of a wall-sized photograph of her.
It was from her college graduation. She was smiling genuinely in that photo, radiant and free.
He touched the glass.
“You’ll smile for me like that again,” he said softly.
“I’ll make sure of it.”
Then he turned to Aadesh, standing silently by the door.
“Double the guards. I don’t want her running before tomorrow.”
The day of the wedding arrived.
Bells rang.
Garlands were strung across the gate of the Sharma household. The neighborhood gathered to celebrate the girl from their colony marrying one of the richest men in the state.
Vedika sat like a porcelain doll on the stage, mehendi deep on her hands, her lips painted a soft rose.
Inside, she was breaking.
Outside, she was perfect.
Abhimaan arrived like royalty. On a white horse. Surrounded by dancers and musicians. Fireworks lit up the sky as he walked up to her, took her hand, and whispered, “You belong to me now. Forever.”
Vedika looked into his eyes and saw nothing but darkness.
And she smiled.
Because there was no other choice.