The oil lamp sputtered one last time before dying, leaving the room in a thick, suffocating darkness illuminated only by the jagged flashes of lightning outside. In the sudden shadows, every sense was heightened—the smell of Shivom’s salt-and-sawdust musk, the sound of Payal’s frantic, shallow breathing, and the sheer, overwhelming heat of their bodies.

Shivom’s dominance was total. He pulled Payal to the very edge of the bed, her legs draped over his broad shoulders, exposing her completely to the humid night air.