Ashriti's POV
It didn't happen suddenly.
That's the worst part.
It happened slowly.
So slowly I didn't even notice when "Can you help me?" turned into—
"I need it by tonight."
The first few times, he still explained.
Now, he didn't bother.
"Send it."
"Bring it."
"I'm waiting."
No reason.
No details.
Just expectation.
And I stopped asking.
Because every time I asked—
His tone changed.
"Why do you question me?"
"You don't trust me?"
"You're becoming difficult."
So I learned.
Silence is safer.
Agreement is warmer.
Obedience is rewarded.
He would come close after I handed him the money.
Wrap his arms around me.
Kiss my forehead.
Sometimes my lips.
Sometimes whisper against my ear—
"That's my girl."
Those three words erased every doubt.
He created a rhythm.
Distance.
Then affection.
Coldness.
Then passion.
Silence.
Then "I love you."
I never knew which version of him I would get.
And that unpredictability made me crave him more.
Some days he wouldn't reply for hours.
Some days he would call me five times just to ask where I was.
"Who are you with?"
"Send me your location."
"I don't like you talking to other boys."
He hated even hearing Adray's name.
And I had already lost Adray anyway.
There was no one left.
Just him.
He started asking more frequently.
Two lakhs. One lakh. Five lakhs again.
Sometimes he said it was for business.
Sometimes for investment.
Sometimes he didn't say anything at all.
And deep inside—
I knew.
It wasn't clean.
It wasn't right.
There were whispers about satta.
About drinking.
About debts.
But I never asked.
Because knowing would mean deciding.
And I didn't want to decide.
Love and obsession are small words.
What I felt for him didn't fit into language.
It was hunger.
Dependence.
Fear of losing.
Addiction.
He would hold my face and say,
"One day I'll marry you."
My heart would stop.
"You'll always be mine."
"Yes," I'd whisper.
"And I'll always be by your side."
Even if it's for money.
Even if it's fake.
Even if it's built on lies.
As long as he stays—
That's enough.
That's what I told myself.
I don't even refuse anymore.
I don't negotiate.
I don't hesitate.
I just give.
Because giving keeps him soft.
Giving keeps him close.
Giving keeps him saying "I love you."
And maybe—
Maybe if I give enough—
He'll choose me over everything else.
What I don't realize—
Is that every time I give,
I disappear a little more.
And one day,
When I have nothing left to offer—
I won't know who I am without him.