"", I shouldn't really be saying this, but honestly, our dad kind of deserved to die. It was for the best that he's gone. You don't know the extent of damage he caused, ruining so many lives," Arya shared with Vivek, her emotions heavy on her chest as tears filled her eyes and her voice broke. Despite the painful words, she acknowledged deep down that her father had it coming.

Vivek's been giving Arya the cold shoulder since the wedding day because he's pissed that his plan to have Shreyansh killed by Arya didn't work out. He's frustrated with himself and Arya for not pulling it off. He hoped Arya could do the job since he can't harm Shreyansh himself, but Shreyansh survived, driving him crazy. Vivek's ignoring Arya to show his anger and planned to use her again, but it all blew up when Shreyansh spilled the truth to Arya, and now she's siding with Shreyansh, making Vivek even more furious.

"This bitch is also of no use now, it seems she has gone mad in love with the bastard" he graoned glaring at her

" how can you be so sure about that? Maybe Shreyansh is just trying to deceive you with his words. Why would you even consider such things about Papa?" Vivek repeated the words to Arya, hoping to stir her up against Shreyansh once more in order to manipulate her against him.

\"Arya glanced at her brother and shook her head

" 'At first I thought Shreyansh was lying and manipulating me against Papa, but I saw the evidence and met the people and families, including the girls whose lives were shattered because of our dad,""' her voice cracked. She took a deep breath before continuing,

" 'Dad used to kidnap young girls, drug them, and sell them. He was also involved in many illegal businesses,'""she said as a tear escaped her eye." 'Dad deserves death"",' she let out. 'How does that bastard know the whole truth?' Vivek wondered.

'Does he know anything about me? No matter how hard I try, I don't think I can turn her against him anymore. She completely trusts that bastard now, and I doubt I'll ever be able to change that.'\"""

Vivek suddenly started to act, fake tears filling his eyes as he looked at Arya. Holding her hands, he insisted

", 'I swear Arya, believe me, I had no idea about any of this. I was completely clueless about Papa's business. If what you're saying is true, I am truly disgusted by our father"".' His eyes glistened with fake tears, but they touched Arya's heart. Arya gripped her brother's hand and reassured him,

" 'I trust you, why are you saying this? I have complete faith in you. I know you would never support Papa in such matters"" As she spoke, a sly smile crossed his lips, and he embraced her, expressing,

"'Thank you, baby sister, for trusting me"".' They shared a warm hug, and Arya, overwhelmed with emotion, pleaded

" 'Please don't be mad at me, bhaii. I can't stand it when you're upset with me. I feel so lonely .""'

" I'm sorry for getting mad at you. The distance between us was all because of a misunderstanding. I thought you  accepted Shreyansh even though he killed our father. But Shreyansh did the right thing. Our father deserved to die. 'I'm sorry,' he said with fake tears, making her heart melt.

Arya was really happy because  she never received her father's love ; it was only Vivek who treated her like a father and a brother.

" , let's go outside and grab some ice cream," Arya suggested as she saw Ashvi approaching. She got up from the sofa and hugged her, asking,

"How's it going?" Ashvi, with a smile,   arya inquired,

"I'm good, how about you? How's married life treating you?" Ashvi  aske to Arya  , arya glanced at Vivek, who was engrossed in his phone, then turned back to Ashvi and replied,

"Things aren't going well right now. I made a big mistake, one that I might not even deserve forgiveness for, but I'm trying to make things right." Arya replied with sad smile

Ashvi, with a serious tone, asked, "What mistake?" Arya sighed,

"Oh, it's a long story. I'll tell you when I have time. Let's go grab some ice cream now. I convinced  brother that the three of us should go out together today after a long time," Arya said as she pulled Ashvi and Vivek along with her...

Yuvan and Shreyansh were on their way back from the office when Shreyansh's car broke down. So, they ended up stuck in traffic while heading home. Yuvan was glancing around, and then he spotted Vivek and Ashvi looking very content together. He couldn't see Arya because she was blocked by another woman, but he couldn't take his eyes off Ashvi and Vivek. Witnessing them being so close made his heart ache, especially when Vivek kissed Ashvi's forehead. Yuvan felt a surge of pain, his grip on the steering wheel tightening.

"  'She seems happy with him,' Shreyansh commented as they both watched. Yuvan didn't respond, just gazed ahead until the traffic cleared, and then he drove away with Shreyansh....

"You should forget her and move on " Yuvaan heard Shreyansh words which were making his heart bleed

How can he forget the girl with whom he fell in love at first sight? He cannot forget Ashvi and neither can he move on from her  in his life....

"Who are you packing this ice cream for?" Ashvi asked Arya when she saw her holding the parcels.

"I packed it for Prisha and Yuvaan. They both love ice cream so much," Arya replied.

"Yuvaan's favorite is strawberry flavor and Prisha's favorite is mint chocolate chip," Arya added with a smile.

"Oh, and for your husband and in-laws?"

"My husband doesn't like ice cream, and I'm not taking it for my mom and dad because the weather is cold and their health isn't good. When I go, I'll take their favorite fruits, mango and lychee," Arya explained. Ashvi nodded in understanding.

"But Ashvi sensed some sadness on Arya's face, so she tried to cheer her up by saying, "Whatever problems you're facing in your married life will end soon. Just don't lose hope, take care of yourself, and your new family.

"Arya flashed a smile and told her dear bestie, ", take care of yourself and remember that you can always share your problems with me. We're good friends first, even before being Nanad bhabhi ." Just then, Vivek approached them and said,

"Let's go."

Arya insisted, "You guys go on, I can walk back home as it's close by."

Vivek paused, thought for a moment, and replied, "Let us drop you."

Arya declined, "No, I'll manage on my own, you two head back home, don't worry."

"Alright," Vivek said. He gestured to Ashvi to go with him, and they departed. Arya bid them farewell with a "Bye" and left as well."

Her eyes were watery as she gazed at the moon, reminiscing about her parents. There was no sparkle in her eyes, no dreams, no hopes.

'I miss you, mom and dad,' she muttered, a tear trailing down her cheek.

Lost in her thoughts, she suddenly felt arms wrapping around her, and she immediately recognized Vivek, whose touch now felt like a painful reminder of her own body...

'Did you miss me, babe?' he asked, burying his face in her neck.

'Just end it, Vivek. I can't endure this anymore. I'd rather you take my life now than make me suffer every moment,' she cried, feeling broken by the man who had shattered her from within.

',Soon I will fulfill this wish of yours, but let me be satisfied with you"' he whispered, his lips grazing her bare shoulder.

'I want to see my parents. Please, let me see them,"' she pleaded clutching her saree

"" I'll  let you meet them  but for now, let me  focus on my main work and keep the chitchat to a minimum," he said as he unwrapped her saree and swiftly moved her onto the bed.

She shut her eyes to avoid witnessing what was about to happen next, feeling completely powerless knowing that she couldn't do anything as long as her parents were under his control. Her attempt to escape before had cost her brother's life, and she couldn't bear the thought of endangering her parents by trying again. As he stripped both of them naked and began tormenting her, tears streamed down her face while he expressed pleasure.

_______________________

"She was looking so happy with him " Yuvaan thought grazing at moon from his room window

"Lost in thoughts of Ashvi, he couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart when he saw her with Vivek. Trying to forget her was tough, his heart just wouldn't let go. As he gazed at the moon, tears filled his eyes. The pain in his heart was indescribable. Memories flooded back - like the time he secretly snapped a photo of Ashvi at a college party. She looked stunning in her pink saree. He couldn't resist trying to capture her beauty. Always eager to catch a glimpse of her, he'd arrive early at college just to see her. Sometimes he'd make up excuses just to spend time talking to her, like a child seeking attention. Chuckling at these memories, he wiped away his tears, closed the window, and sat on the bed.

______________

, Arya noticed that the ice cream she got for Yuvan was still untouched in the fridge, while Prisha had already eaten hers. Feeling a bit bummed about it, she then spotted Shreyansh walking towards the kitchen. Observer of his actions, she saw him grabbing a plate to serve food. Curious, Arya questioned,

" 'Who are you taking food to?'"

Shreyansh, concentrating on his task, responded, "'For Yuvan, he didn't have his dinner""

.' Arya, intrigued, watched him before getting an idea. She grabbed a bowl and placed Yuvan's untouched ice cream in it. 'I went out and got ice cream for Yuvan and Prisha. Prisha already ate hers, but Yuvan hasn't touched his yet.

"Could you take it to his room and feed it to him, please?"' Arya asked, passing the bowl to Shreyansh...

" you can give it to him yourself" Shreyansh said and about to leave

"If I give it to him, he won't even eat it" Arya replied making him stop

"

Shreyansh headed to Yuvan's room and noticed the door was open, so he went inside and found Yuvan sitting on his bed. When Yuvan heard the door opening, he turned around and saw his brother standing there.

"What, you here?" Yuvan got up and walked towards Shreyansh with a smile.

"Why can't I be here?" Shreyansh asked, causing Yuvan to shake his head.

"No, that's not what I meant," Yuvan clarified.

"Come, sit. I brought food for you. Eat, you missed dinner downstairs," Shreyansh said as he settled on the bed.

"I'm not hungry, bhai," Yuvan replied, making Shreyansh glare at him.

"Shreyansh's intimidating look made him hush, and he quickly went to the bathroom to wash his hands. After a few minutes, he returned and sat beside him.

"Did you eat?" he asked Shreyansh.

"Yeah," Shreyansh nodded...

Yuvaan was happily digging into his food while Shreyansh kept a close eye on him to ensure he was eating properly. Suddenly, Yuvaan exclaimed,"" 'Strawberry ice cream!'""" as he dug into the delicious treat. He eagerly took a spoonful of ice cream and brought it to his mouth. Shreyansh couldn't help but smile at Yuvaan's excitement for the ice cream.

  'Did you bring this for me?'"" Yuvaan asked as he savored a spoon of the sweet treat. Shreyansh shook his head and replied,

" 'Arya brought it.'"" When Yuvaan heard Arya's name, he stopped eating his ice cream and pushed the bowl away.

"'I'm done,"' he declared, ready to go wash his hands. Shreyansh intervened, holding his hand to stop him and said,.

" 'Finish your ice cream first.""

' Yuvaan insisted he didn't want to eat anymore "  I   am done " 

, expressing his anger towards Arya. Shreyansh advised him,

" 'I know you're upset with Arya, but don't take it out on the poor ice cream. Finish it quickly."' His authoritative tone made Yuvaan reluctantly comply, making Shreyansh grin. Yuvaan settled back down and resumed eating his ice cream, finally satisfied."

" 'Yuvaan ",' Shreyansh called out.

" huhhh " Yuvaan look at his brother

"In the situation with Arya, it's between me and her. I don't want you to be mad at her or disrespect her because she is older than you in age and in  relationship," Shreyansh explained.

Yuvaan took a deep breath and assured him, "I never disrespect her."

But Shreyansh urged, "I know, but I want you to treat her like your sister-in-law."

"I can't. I hate her and can't forget what she did to you. We almost lost you, bhai, because of her," Yuvaan said emotionally.

"She is my wife, Yuvaan," Shreyansh stated firmly.

"That's why she's still alive until now," Yuvaan whispered to himself.

"What did you say?" Shreyansh asked, unable to hear Yuvaan's words clearly.

"Nothing," Yuvaan replied as he picked up the plate and left the room.

___________

Shreyansh walks into his room and sees Arya messing with his files on the table. He gets super mad because it's an important file for a meeting tomorrow.

" Arya """ He yells at her, making her flinch. As he approaches her, she turns pale with a scared expression, and she visibly swallows when she sees his angry eyes.

"'What the hell are you doing?""' he asks. But then he notices that water has spilled on the papers, erasing the letters. Shreyansh looks at Arya with intense anger, causing her to tremble.

"'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to""",' she apologizes. Shreyansh is consumed with anger. He hates how quickly he loses his temper, leading him to ruin things. Even now, he can't control his anger, so he grabs Arya's hands and pushes her against the wall.

"'I'm sorry, please"",' she requests.

"why are you always getting on my case? It seems like you actually get a kick out of bothering me and causing trouble for me. What's up with testing my patience like this? Don't push me to the point where I have to retaliate, because you won't be able to handle my anger and the pain I might cause,” he vented in frustration, gripping her arms tightly.

", I accidentally spilled water on these papers," she said apologetically, trying to break free from his hold.

"Don't play these games with me, I know you do it on purpose just to mess up my meetings," Shreyansh said, not fully realizing what he was saying in his anger.

"You've got it all wrong, Shreyansh. I would never do something like that to deliberately cause trouble for you," Arya tried to explain to him

" You are doing these acts just to bother me,  because I dislike you," Shreyansh exclaimed.

"No, you've got it twisted, I don't hate you now. I'm really sorry for anything I did to hurt you. I promise you, I had no idea about my father's actions, and I didn't purposely ruin those papers," she pleaded, hoping he would trust her words....

."Listen Arya, I trusted you and loved you with all my heart, but I've seen what you've done. I won't ever trust you again or be able to love you." Shreyansh said, his hand around her waist, pinning her hands above her head.

"You might be wondering  thenwhy I married you. I want you to suffer and regret every moment you spent with me." Shreyansh said as he released her hand and picked up his papers.

"I'm sorry Shreyansh, please give me a chance," she pleaded, but he ignored her and headed to his secret room. Arya watched him vanish from sight as Shreyansh locked the door behind him and resumed his work. Meanwhile, Arya stood there with regretful eyes before suddenly falling to the floor...

" Please forgive me just give me a chance " She begged and long tears escaped from her eyes

Regret was eating her up from inside. Yuvaan's words were echoing in her ears that if something really had happened to Shreyansh that day, she would probably never have been able to forgive herself.

___________________

Next day

Trisha is keeping an eye on the office gate, eagerly waiting for Vihaan to show up. She's feeling really anxious after he turned down her love. She's just dying to find out why he rejected her. Is there another person in his life, or is there some other reason? She attempted to talk to him yesterday, but he brushed her off. Today, she's determined to get some answers and has her eyes glued to the gate, hoping to spot Vihaan coming.

" 'I'm getting all the answers today,' " she silently vowed. When Vihaan arrived at the office, he had a stern expression on his face, scanning all the employees who were greeting him. Their eyes met for a moment, and then Vihaan quickly looked away, heading towards his cabin...

"Trisha gets up from her chair and heads towards his cabin. When she reaches the door, she takes a deep breath and knocks. Upon hearing him say

" 'come in,'" she goes inside to find Vihaan without his coat, engrossed in work on his laptop.

" 'I need to talk to you,"' she says. Vihaan is surprised to see her and pauses his work to look at her.

"'There's nothing to discuss between us. I've already given you my answer. Please understand,' ""he requests

". 'Can you at least give me a reason for rejecting me? Are you in love with someone else or do you think I'm not good enough for you?' ""she asks nervously. Upon hearing her, he stands up and approaches her, causing her to step back.

""Please, you don't need to know all the details of my life or whether I'm with someone or not, but just know that you deserve someone better than me in the future. Please forget about me," he requested.

"I can't," she said with so much love and emotion, lowering her lashes. "I can't forget you, Vihaan. I only love you and will only love you," she expressed.

"Listening to her words, Vihaan started to get a little angry. He was quite irritated, wondering why she couldn't grasp what he was trying to say. He didn't say anything and turned his face away, about to return to his chair. However, before he could leave, Trisha grabbed his shirt from his shoulder, pulling him towards her so hard that his shirt tore from his shoulder

"You can't ignore me..." her words hung in her throat as she realized what she had done.

____

To be continued...

Well, tell me, do you liking the changes in the book?