The heavy click of the door lock seemed to echo endlessly in the silent, dimly lit master bedroom. Kritika stood rooted to the spot near the edge of the rose-petal-strewn bed, her breath hitching as Vedant unbuttoned his cuffs, rolling his sleeves up with slow, calculated precision. Every single step he took toward her felt heavy, purposeful, and thoroughly intimidating.

Kritika just froze in her place. Vedant’s continuous teasing about intimacy from the past up until now, his lingering stress on the word "punishment," and Priti’s playful yet loaded remarks from earlier were finally taking a heavy toll on her psyche. It was not that she wasn't attracted to him; she had fully accepted him as her husband It was also not as if she had been completely oblivious or unprepared for the reality of their wedding night; she had anticipated this. But now that the moment was actually unfolding right before her eyes, her mind went completely blank. A suffocating wave of nervousness kicked her hard, paralyzing her thoughts.