The grip of Abir's hand on Arisa's wrist was turning her skin blue with pain. Before her, Aryan lay writhing in agony, his chains clinking. The blade in Arisa's hand caught the moonlight, shimmering with a lethal glint. Abir's warm breath against her neck felt like a toxic hallucination.
"What's wrong, Arisa?" Abir whispered, his voice dangerously calm. "Why is your hand shaking? You chose my world. Prove that you've abandoned these weak ties. Just one cut... just a small mark."
Arisa looked at Aryan. Tears and blood were streaming down his face. He shook his head, begging her not to, though no words could escape his parched throat. Suddenly, Arisa's mind felt like it was exploding with a thousand volts of electricity. In one swift motion, she yanked her hand away from Abir's grip.
But she didn't strike Aryan. Instead, she slammed the blade into her own left palm.
A spray of blood splattered across Abir's pristine white shirt. Abir froze in shock. He quickly grabbed her wounded hand.
"What have you done, Arisa? Are you insane?"
"Yes!" Arisa screamed, her voice cracking. "I am insane! You wanted blood, and I gave it to you. But this isn't my brother's blood—it's the blood of the Arisa who started to love you. If you want to kill my brother, you'll have to kill me first!"
A strange transformation came over Abir's eyes. His demonic hatred seemed to melt into a profound, haunting emotion. He brought her bleeding hand to his lips. It was hard to tell if his eyes held tears or a dark thirst.
"You shed your own blood for me?" Abir murmured. "I wanted you to be cruel, but you've forced me to surrender to your love."
Abir signaled his men. They untied Aryan and tossed him aside like a ragdoll. In one motion, Abir scooped Arisa up into his arms.
"You won today, Arisa," Abir hissed, his voice trembling with an obsessive intensity. "But remember, with this blood, you have bound yourself to me forever. From now on, every drop of your blood belongs to me."
As Abir carried her out of the room, leaving a broken Aryan behind, Arisa didn't know if she had saved herself or drowned deeper into Abir's darkness. But one thing was clear—after this sacrifice, Abir Khan would become even more dangerous.
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