The cooler months in Delhi brought shorter days and longer, chillier nights, creating the perfect atmosphere for the seniors’ escalating grip on Mia’s life. What had once begun as stolen moments in storerooms and risky public teases had now morphed into absolute, all-consuming ownership. The original blackmail video felt like a distant memory; their possessiveness had become the real chain that bound her. Alex, Jake, and Ryan could no longer tolerate the idea of Mia spending even casual time with anyone else—friends, classmates, or even her roommate. “Tu hamari hai,” they would growl whenever she mentioned any plans. “Kisi aur ke saath nahi jaayegi.” (You are ours. You won’t go with anyone else.)

They monitored her every move. A shared location-tracking app had been forced onto her phone weeks earlier. Random video calls checked in on her at odd hours, and surprise visits to her lectures allowed them to glare menacingly at anyone who sat too close. Mia’s world had shrunk to the three of them. Her days revolved around their commands, her body constantly primed and aching, and her mind increasingly addicted to the dark thrill of total submission.