This morning felt different for Manyata.

This wasn't her home, nor did she know anyone here. Then again, to know someone, she would first have to see someone. Whatever the case, this was now her in-laws' house.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Manyata sat up and glanced at the clock. Although she belonged to a middle-class family, she had always been treated like a princess at home. Poor girl—she usually woke up at 8:00 a.m., so having breakfast ready on the table by then was never something she had to worry about.

When she looked at the clock, it was 7:50 a.m.

The moment she saw the time, she quickly got out of bed. She didn't have enough time to get ready properly, so she freshened up in a hurry and rushed downstairs to the dining room.

She had been told that she could have breakfast, lunch, or dinner whenever she wanted. But right now, food was the last thing on her mind. She had rushed downstairs in the hope that she might finally see another human being in this haunted mansion.

She wasn't expecting much, but there was no harm in trying.

Unfortunately, her attempt was in vain.

When she reached the dining table, breakfast had already been served for her. It consisted of bread with jam, fruit salad, and a glass of milk.

The moment she saw the breakfast, she frowned. And when she noticed the milk, she almost lost her temper.

She muttered angrily,

"Am I a little kid? Why is there a glass of milk? And does this even count as breakfast? If this is all I had to eat, then New Yo..."

She suddenly stopped herself.

After thinking for a moment, she picked up a banana from the fruit basket and ate it. Leaving everything else untouched, she went back upstairs.

Manyata didn't know how to wear a saree, but she didn't have any other choice. Somehow, she managed to get ready. Just as she had been instructed, she wore every symbol of a married woman.

It wasn't that she had accepted her fate.

Manyata was never someone who gave up easily. In a place where she didn't even know what was going on, there was no way she would let someone else control her life.

But before making any move, she first needed to understand what the person on the other side wanted from her.

That was the only reason she was following all the rules.

Just as the guidebook had stated, the room with the telephone unlocked at exactly 9:00 a.m.

Manyata picked up the receiver and found Shalini already on the line.

"Hello, dear. How are you? Is everything alright? If you can't handle it, you can still come back. We'll find another way," Shalini said in one breath.

The concern in her voice was unmistakable.

Manyata had been trying her best to stay strong, but the moment she heard Shalini's voice, she couldn't hold herself together any longer. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

Somehow composing herself, she quietly asked,

"How is Papa?"

From her voice and that one question, Shalini understood that Manyata wasn't going to tell her anything.

Taking a deep breath, she replied,

"A few hours after your farewell, some people came. By evening, they had taken your father to London. Your mother went with him. They'll reach there in a few hours, and his treatment will begin."

Hearing that filled Manyata with relief.

She had sacrificed everything for him. Knowing that he would finally receive proper treatment was all that mattered to her.

Closing her eyes, she whispered softly,

"Mr. X... whoever you are, at least now I know you're a man of your word. Thank you... for Papa's treatment."

Just then, Shalini's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Dear, are you alright? I know everything that happened was wrong. I've told you before, and I'm telling you again—if you ever feel like you can't do this anymore, just come back."

Only Manyata knew what she was going through.

Ever since she had arrived at the mansion, Shalini was the first person whose voice she had heard. She had become so lonely that she was desperate just to see another human being.

She wanted to tell Shalini everything that had been happening there.

But she couldn't.

She couldn't burden her with more worries.

As she was lost in thought, the call suddenly disconnected.

Manyata looked at the receiver and immediately tried calling Shalini back.

Unfortunately, the call wouldn't go through.

Then something suddenly struck her.

She quickly glanced at the clock.

It was 9:15 a.m.

Taking a deep breath, she muttered angrily,

"Mr. X, I'm not going to spare you."

Meanwhile, the man with the hazel-green eyes—the one Manyata called Mr. X—wore a victorious smile.

Back in her room, Manyata clenched her fists and said,

"I thought you were a good person, but you're a monster... a complete monster. If I don't trap you in your own rules, then my name isn't Manyata Ahuja."

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