Page 54 of Trapped By the Maharaja

Sanjana’s eyes fluttered open to darkness. Her head throbbed, her tongue felt heavy, and her arms ached as she shifted against the cold surface beneath her. The faint smell of rust and damp concrete filled her nostrils, sharp enough to make her stomach twist.

She blinked rapidly, her vision adjusting to the dim glow of a single flickering bulb hanging from the ceiling. The light cast long, uneven shadows across corrugated metal walls. An empty warehouse.

Her heart kicked painfully against her ribs.

The last thing she remembered was the warm chai Rajesh had handed her in the staff room. His steady voice, his polite smile. The dizziness that followed. The way her vision had blurred before everything went black.

Her fingers curled into fists. She whispered to herself, No… no, this can’t be real.

She turned her head, the movement slow, dragging against the pounding in her skull. A man’s figure stood a few feet away, partially lit by the bulb’s glow.

“Sanjana.”

Her breath caught at the sound of her name.

Footsteps came closer, and soon a familiar face came into focus.

Rajesh shifted uneasily, guilt written across his face. “Sanjana, I didn’t want to—” He broke off, running a trembling hand through his hair. “I just wanted you safe. Away from him.”

Her pulse hammered. “You drugged me,” she said in a hoarse voice.

Rajesh winced. “I’m sorry. But I had to do this, Sanjana. Ram Devara doesn’t care for you. He’s only using you for the royal title. I couldn’t stand by and watch him make you unhappy. I know you don’t love him. I’ve seen anger in your eyes when he’s next to you.”

Before she could respond, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the warehouse. She turned, and a cold prickle slid down her spine.

It was Rishan.

“Well, well,” Rishan drawled. “The Devara Maharani finally wakes.”

Sanjana forced herself upright against the wall, her body protesting. “What do you want?”

Rishan’s smirk widened. “You dead.”

Sanjana’s blood ran cold.

Rajesh stepped forward quickly, shock written on his face. “What? You said we were taking her away to keep her safe!”

Rishan chuckled darkly. “And you believed me. You’ll be the perfect scapegoat. The jealous lover who couldn’t have her. You’ll kill her, then yourself. Everyone will believe it.”

“No…” Rajesh’s voice cracked, his hands shaking in fear.

Sanjana’s heart pounded, but she kept her fear at bay. “Ram and the royal family will suspect you, Rishan. They’ll know who was behind—”

Rishan barked out a laugh. “It was Ram’s family who commanded me to help break you and Ram apart in college. The recent attacks and the plan to frame a fellow doctor for your death is also her idea.”

Sanjana’s heart pounded so loudly she thought her ribs would crack.

Suchitra Devi.

Rishan let out a sinister smile. “But her royal highness doesn’t quite understand one thing. She thinks once you’re gone, Ram will move on. That he’ll marry another bride, this time a royal princess and produce a pure-blooded royal heir, and all will be well in the Devara line.”

His gaze hardened with a satisfied smile. “But Ram won’t marry again. He loves you and wants only you as his wife. Which means, when you’re dead, the Devara title will pass…to me.”

Sanjana’s heart thudded sickly listening to Rishan’s words.

She knew she had to buy time. The Devara security would have conveyed to Ram that she didn’t show up at the end of her shift.

He must already be looking for her. “You’re wrong.

Ram doesn’t love me. He hates me because he still thinks I cheated on him with you.

He married me for revenge. Even if I die, he will marry again and produce an heir.

His family legacy is more important to him. ”

For the first time, Rishan’s smile wavered. There was a flicker of doubt in his eyes.