Page 62 of Entangled Vows (Destined Diaries #2)

A heavy, stale, almost smoky odour clung to the interior, making her want to puke. She reached for the window switch, but nothing happened. She tried again. The glass didn’t move.

“Karan, the car window’s stuck,” she told him, frowning.

“Oh, yeah. That window’s been acting weird lately. I keep forgetting to fix it,” he replied casually, sliding into the driver’s seat and starting the car.

That made her pause. Now that she saw him up close, she felt uneasy.

His shirt was wrinkled, his hair a little messier than usual, and he looked at her with a weird smile, his eyes carrying an odd glint.

She even noticed a slight tremble in his hands as he gripped the steering wheel. Was he okay? Was he unwell?

“Karan, are you feeling alright? Your hands are shaking,” she asked, worried.

“I’m absolutely fine. Don’t worry,” he chuckled.

Mahika nodded, but the silence that followed felt awkward. She scrambled for something to say. “So… how’s Priya?”

“She’s fine.”

“I never knew you guys were into each other. Even in college, I never had an inkling.”

“We never liked each other back then.” His tone was irritated, and Mahika wondered why.

“Oh. I thought she would be with you today.”

“She’s busy.” His eyes stayed fixed on the road.

“Oh, okay. Are things serious between you two?”

“Not exactly.” His answer was cold as he exhaled.

Mahika rambled on nervously, “Really? I thought you guys were pretty serious from what I saw at the night of my wedding reception. I mean, it’s none of my business, but that’s just what I thought.

Anyway, now we can stay in touch, you know?

And maybe someday we all can go on a holiday together. You know, as couples—”

“Will you shut the fuck up for a minute and stop asking me about Priya?” he burst out suddenly.

Mahika jolted at the harsh pitch of his voice. His face was twisted in anger, and she had no idea what she’d said to make him snap. She opened her mouth to apologise, but instead reached for the window switch again.

Karan shot her a sharp look. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“Karan, chill, okay? I’m just trying to roll this window down. The smell in here is making me nauseous. Can you at least open yours?”

“I don’t like keeping the windows open,” he replied, his voice flat and robotic.

Mahika frowned, baffled by his curt tone. She tried the switch again, but the glass stayed stuck. What was his problem?

Her heart began to race as the car rolled forward, the familiar roads passing by in silence. Neither of them spoke. Shit! She suddenly remembered she hadn’t told Vikram she was out. This detour wasn’t planned, and she didn’t want him to worry.

She pulled out her phone and opened Vikram’s last message. He’d said he would be late and asked her to head home with Max. She began typing a reply, but before she could finish, Karan leaned over, snatched the phone from her hand, and switched it off.

“Karan! What are you doing?” she shrieked, disbelief lacing her voice.

“You’re with me now, Mahika. No phones when we’re together. That’s rude.”

“What? Are you joking? That’s not funny. Give it back.”

“I’m not your driver, Mahika. Don’t sit there texting your lover boy while I’m driving,” he snapped venomously.

Mahika froze. What the hell? Why was he acting this weird?

The car veered left, making her gasp. “Watch out, will you? Fine! I won’t use it now if that’s what you want.” Fear slithered through her veins as she raised her voice.

He stayed silent, dropped her phone into the door slot by his side, and kept his eyes fixed on the road.

“Karan, give me my phone back. I said I won’t use it.”

“I heard you. And you’re not getting it until we reach our destination.”

Her stomach knotted. She turned towards the window and noticed they had already passed the Mall Road. The last turn for the café was behind them.

“Where are you going? This isn’t the way to the market square.” Her voice wavered as panic edged in, though she tried to stay brave.

“It’s a shortcut to a new place I know,” he replied with eerie calm.

“I don’t want to go anywhere else. Just turn the car.”

Her unease sharpened into dread. This wasn’t what she’d envisioned when she got in the car with him. His tone was clipped, his voice different, his hands were trembling, and he had that strange look in his eyes that felt all wrong.

Was he high? The thought screeched through her brain, and nausea churned in her stomach.

“Karan, I don’t think we should go anywhere right now. I’m not feeling well.” Mahika tried to keep her tone normal, hoping he’d just turn back.

“You’ll like where we’re going.”

His voice carried no warmth. It was flat, detached. The chill of it seeped into her skin and made her stomach twist. She forced herself to keep her eyes on the dashboard, but the silence inside the car was eerie. She needed to get out.

“You’re not listening. Please stop the car. I don’t have time to go anywhere else. I just want to go home.” Her voice cracked on the last words, trembling with an unnamed fear.

“You can’t always say that.” His voice snapped into a shout, echoing too loudly in the confined space.

She flinched, her heart hammering. And then, just as suddenly, he let out a chuckle that didn’t sound normal.

“Sorry, my doll. That came out wrong. You know how much I care, right? I just… I can’t stand the idea of you leaving me. Ever.”

Fuck. The words were wrong. Too wrong. They slithered into her ears and froze her spine.

“Karan, what…W-why are you doing this?”

“I’m just correcting the mistakes of the past.” His reply was stiff.

She swallowed hard. This was going downhill too fast.

“Where are we really going?” she asked slowly, her voice careful, deliberate.

He didn’t answer right away. The silence stretched until her pulse throbbed in her temples. Then, without looking at her, he said, “Somewhere you can think clearly. Somewhere you can correct all your mistakes.”

Her blood ran cold. “What are you talking about? I want to go home. Just listen to me. Please.”

He laughed, the sound low and creepy. Mahika’s chest tightened, and she turned to the window. The familiar bustle of the city had disappeared. The road was deserted now, hemmed by towering trees that cast jagged shadows across the path. It felt like something straight out of a nightmare.

Her fingers dug into her seat. “Karan, I need you to stop the car. Now.”

“You don’t need anything except my company. You were always mine, Mahika.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Panic sharpened her words.

“You. Were. Mine.” He spat each word like a verdict. “Everyone saw it back in college. Only you never realised it. You forgot.”

“No.” Her voice cracked. “We were never like that, and you know it.”

“Yes, we were.” Karan’s words were slow, like a predator circling its prey. “You were too na?ve to understand. But now… now you’ll admit it. Your love belongs to me, my doll.”

“What about Priya?” she whispered.

A low, sinister laugh rumbled from him. “Priya? She meant nothing. She was a fleeting distraction… just someone to amuse myself with until I found you again.”

Mahika’s chest constricted. Her breath hitched, disbelief and shock twisting inside her.

“Don’t tell me you’re jealous,” he murmured, his voice sharp as a blade. “No one… no one can take your place in my life. Just as no one can ever take mine in yours.” His gaze locked onto hers, and what she saw in it made her insides shake in pure terror.

Her hands were clammy. A paralysing realisation crept into her bones that this wasn’t a mere misunderstanding. He really was crazy, delusional. He was mentally unstable. The boy she’d once trusted was gone.

How had she missed the signs? She cursed herself for getting into this car, for mistaking familiarity for safety.

Her hand inched towards the door handle, then froze when the smell inside the car hit her again. It was rancid now, sharp and rotten, coiling through her nostrils until she gagged. The air felt thick, suffocating, impossible to escape.

“This stench. It’s making me want to puke. I don’t feel good at all,” she muttered, nausea clawing at her throat. Her palms flew to her mouth as she shuddered, slick with cold sweat, fighting the urge to vomit on the car floor.

“Stop making such a big deal about it. It’s just some old takeout containers and a few beer cans,” he said dismissively, as though her revulsion were absurd.

She twisted in her seat, and her eyes widened.

The backseat was a disaster. A pile of crumpled clothes spilled out of an open bag, half-eaten food sat in greasy containers, and empty beer cans rolled around like they belonged there.

A thin layer of dried food crusted a part of the car floor, and a mouldy, half-eaten sandwich was squished under a bundle of papers.

It was garbage. Literal garbage.

What the hell? Was he living out of his car?

Her pulse thundered in her ears as her eyes met his for a fraction of a second. That crooked smile on his face was so calm, so psychotic that it told her everything she needed to know.

This wasn’t anger. It wasn’t confusion.

This was a living nightmare, and she couldn’t wrap her head around how the fuck she’d landed in this situation again. She was in real danger.

A knot of dread coiled in her stomach. And then it struck her.

She was pregnant.

This wasn’t just about her anymore. For the first time in her life, Mahika understood the meaning of pure, unfiltered fear.

If something happened to her now, it wouldn’t just end her. It would end the tiny life growing inside her. Her baby. The thought cut through her panic like a bolt of lightning.

She instinctively wrapped her arms around her stomach, as if she could shield the baby from the world, from him, from everything.

Terror surged up her spine, but something stronger rose with it.

It was a fierce, protective, motherly instinct.

She couldn’t afford to panic. Not now. She had to stay alive. She had to get out.