Prologue

Pain.

Always.

Whenever he was around, I felt pain.

It came from anyone, in any form.

I was the lastborn child.

And I was going to be the first to die in my family.

Today could be my last day on this earth.

I was going to die.

He had found me.

He had come for me.

I was afraid-yes. The game of cat and mouse was about to end.

And no matter how hard I tried to win, to escape him... he always won.

He won me. Every time.

A shaky breath left me as car doors slammed outside the tin hut where I was hiding.

Several footsteps rushed toward me.

My doom was only minutes away.

I inhaled sharply, gripping the handle in my hand.

The door was kicked open beside me.

Goons, armed with guns, entered first.

Then, his shadow loomed.

My heart pounded.

And finally, he stepped inside.

The sunrays pouring in from behind him blinded me for a second.

I squinted, and our eyes locked.

My breath hitched.

"Jheel..."

I shivered, gulped, and forced myself to breathe.

He took a step toward me.

I stood on shaky legs. "Stop!"

He narrowed his eyes-but stopped, nonetheless.

I smiled, lifted the knife into the air, and drove it down toward myself with full force.

"Goodbye, Advait Thakre. Forever!"

"JHEEL! NO!"

My name was Jheel Kumari Thakre. And this was the story of my life becoming hell.