Simran

******

Ten minutes. Niti had been laughing nonstop for ten whole minutes, without catching a break even for a second. The people in the café were staring at us like we had lost our minds, throwing us strange looks, but neither of us cared. Her laughter was so contagious that I ended up giggling too while I narrated everything that happened in Kiaan's office. What she found most hilarious was that I had disguised myself as an old woman to visit him.

"You... you pretended to be his grandmother... wearing... that tee..."

"This tee is cute, isn't it?" I teased. She nodded, still laughing.

I still couldn't believe I had mortified my husband just an hour ago. It wasn't exactly something to boast about, but here we were, talking about Kiaan, who was far from a normal husband, and well, I wasn't exactly sane either.

"It is... Damn! You're incredible," she said, trying to control her laughter. Tears welled in her eyes from laughing so hard. She eventually calmed down but couldn't stop grinning.

"So, how did he react? Did he lose his temper?"

"He was not angry, but definitely vexed. He had no choice but to pretend I was his relative. You know, I even spanked him." I whispered the last part.

"What?" she shouted, drawing even more attention to our table.

I told her how I had smacked him with a stick, and even showed her the stick I had carried inside the café.

"I love how you're not going easy on him."

That was one more reason why I adored my best friend. She was always supportive, despite Kiaan being her friend, too.

"So, everything's fine between you two now? I mean, you are comfortable enough to pull such bizarre pranks on each other."

"No, these pranks are my revenge on him. I am punishing him for marrying me," I said, lifting the glass of water to take a sip. We had already finished lunch, and I had saved the story of Kiaan's office for later. If I had told her earlier, I knew neither of us would have been able to swallow a single bite.

"What's the plan then? Do you want him to beg for your forgiveness, and then you will let it go, or do you have something else in mind?"

"Niti, I can never forgive him. What he put me through isn't something that can be forgiven. I never could."

I could not place anyone above my morals. Even if I wanted to, there was one act he committed that could never be overlooked. It was a crime, not a mistake. How could I just erase it and move on? No one in their right mind would. He had willingly stained his hands with blood, and even now the memory of it sent shivers down my spine.

"But why? You know, you never really told me what made you despise him so much. Sure, he hurt you, and you burnt his car and all... but what exactly did he do that makes him beyond forgiveness? During the wedding, I didn't want to push you into sharing, but now I am worried. Tell me, what's wrong? Maybe I can help."

Niti's voice carried desperation, and honestly, I felt it was time to tell her everything, no matter how dark or complicated it was. I knew she wouldn't be able to fix it, but at least she might give me some clarity or a way forward.

"Fine... I wasn't planning to keep this from you any longer anyway," I admitted, before diving into the past.

"You remember I told you I confessed my feelings to Kiaan, three years ago."

"Yes..."

"So he called me to a restaurant that evening. At first, I thought he was finally going to reciprocate my feelings. That's what I believed, or maybe I was too blind, mistaking his courtesy for something more..."

The reel of memory flickered in black and white. It felt like a lifetime ago when I had bared my heart to a man for the very first and last time. That girl had been excited, hopeful, too optimistic. But her feelings had been crushed underfoot, as if they were worthless.

Niti waited patiently, though her eyes betrayed her anxiety. I didn't delay any longer.

"When I arrived, I saw him with Rhea."

"Rhea Khurana?"

I nodded.

"They were close. Too close. My gut screamed at me that something was wrong, but I ignored it and stepped forward, only to be left shattered. He kissed Rhea right in front of me."

My eyes blurred with tears at the memory of that evening. Three years had passed, yet the pain was still as raw as if it had happened yesterday.

"You know, Niti, he kissed her once he saw me there. He had called me to humiliate me. He just kept staring at me like... like..." I struggled to finish, "...as if I disgusted him. I..."

I stopped speaking and gulped down water to remove the lump lodging in my throat. I blinked away my tears, but I could do nothing for my heart, whose wounds were being ripped open one by one the more I talked about Kiaan and my past.

"Sim, I don't know what exactly you saw, but I am sure it was all Rhea's plan and not Kiaan's. Look, Rhea is a bitch. She came to my reception, and with one look, I could tell she wasn't someone nice. She even tried to humiliate Arjun in front of me. But I showed her where she really belongs. No one likes Rhea, certainly not Kiaan's friends."

Niti was surely trying to save my marriage. But there was nothing to be saved, because there was no foundation. I knew when Kiaan finally told me why he married me, it would only lead to another heartbreak, perhaps more gut-wrenching than the last one.

Rhea was surely not a good person, for I had encountered her personally, and we never saw eye to eye, but then she was perfect for Kiaan. She was mostly seen with him at parties and events, and he never seemed bothered by her presence.

"Sure, no one likes Rhea, but Kiaan did. Surely he had, or maybe still ha,s feelings for her. I just know one day she will come back, claim him like a prize, and he will..."

I could not articulate my fear of him leaving me for her. The feelings I had buried deep inside me, which had started resurfacing recently, were making me lose my mind. And it was all because Kiaan was not being himself and not trying to hurt me. I wasn't sure what game it was this time.

"Is that why you burnt his car?"

I shook my head. That was not the actual reason. I had collected whatever pride I had left and walked out of the restaurant with tears streaming down my face. But what coerced me into taking that step was something else.

"Rhea came to see me the next day. I was still in shock from Kiaan's humiliation, and Rhea struck harder where it hurt. She mocked me with her words and kept spewing nonsense, but I did not lose my dignity like her. I remained respectful. Every nerve in my body screamed to just slap her, but I maintained my calm."

"What more could have been expected from her? You should have told me sooner, Sim." Niti's eyes were glossy too, and she clasped my hand on the table.

"Don't put all the blame on her, Kiaan was equally responsible, in fact, more than her. Rhea was someone I did not know much about but him... we were not strangers, we knew each other. The least he could have done was be honest with me and tell me he did not have any feelings for me, but no, he decided to hurt me instead. You know he tried reaching me after that. He kept calling me consistently. For a while I ignored him, but then when I decided to put it to an end once and for all and picked up the call, you know what his first word was...."

Niti looked more worried now. My own heart was bleeding when I was reliving all those moments of hurt and humiliation.

"Rhea... Rhea was the first word." I sniffled, and Niti's grip on my hand tightened. She was trying to assure me she was there with me.

"I cut the call, Niti. And that was when I lost my cool and I put his car on fire."

"You did the right thing." Niti smiled gloomily, sharing my pain.

"You could have done worse, and I would still be saying the same," she added, causing a small, sad smile to appear on my face. But the smile did not last long, for I had reached the point where I had to tell her why I could not seem to actually forgive him. That thought of forgiveness conflicted with my moral,s and I was someone who always respected them, so how could I not this time as well.

Niti sensed the unspoken words behind my silence and said, "I can sense there is more. What did he do?"

I started unraveling everything then, about how he had made me lose my spot as a soloist, and the constant fights with him were not hidden from her. And then I started telling her the gruesome truth.

"After Mom died, he did something he should not have."

"What exactly did he do?" she asked in a gentle voice. I gulped before I finally said what I had seen him do three years ago.

"He killed someone... right in front of my eyes..."

Niti's face turned a shade dull. Shock was written all over her face. She sat there in shock, looking pale, words caught up in her throat, but nothing came out.

Thinking of that night when I witnessed that crime still made my blood run cold. Strangely, that incident never appeared in any of my nightmares, not even once. I knew if I did not start talking soon, I would never be able to speak about it again without feeling spooked and chilly. So I continued, "After Mom's death, some reporters were hell-bent on giving it an angle of my carelessness. One such reporter named Sunny Sharma even went to great lengths to find out that Mom and I had fought on the day of the accident, and he connected it with her death angle, making me look like a murderer in front of the world. He even made some of my pictures viral, which were indecent and morphed. He had the audacity to ruin my reputation boldly, and he even dared to visit Dad. I had seen him leaving his office, and he had bumped into me intentionally. He was surely after our family's reputation, perhaps planted by one of Dad's business rivals."

I took a moment to catch my breath and then resumed telling her everything, "That night I had a huge fight with Dad. Fights after Mom was gone had become a daily affair, but that night it was worse. Earlier, he used to blame me indirectly, but that night, he openly blamed me for killing Mom in front of the entire family." Tears stung my eyes, for being blamed for killing my own mother was the pain I knew I would never recover from.

I wiped my tears, controlling myself not to let out a sob, but my voice had grown heavy. No matter what, my voice did not go back to normal. I felt severe pain in my throat with each and every word I let out, but I did not stop either.

"I ran away from the house that night, to find some peace, some respite, some comfort—if any was there for me."

******

THE NIGHT OF THE INCIDENT

******

I ran towards the empty lane, crying hysterically.

He was kidding, right? He had to be.

How could he say that?

Was I nothing to him anymore?

Can an incident sever the bond we share since birth?

Was my mistake greater than our relationship?

I know I was accountable for what happened, but I never wanted it to happen. If I could go back in time, I would swap places with my mother. The sheer memory of her increased my pain tenfold.

I have been dying every day, night, every moment since that night. I wish I could just end this, everything, this excruciating agony running through my veins like fire, wish I could just kill myself and everything once and for all.

But I would not. I was raised a warrior, and I would not let anything bring me down the coffin, not until I fulfill her last wish.

My eyes became blurry, but I continued running ahead, not wanting to stop. My limbs were tired, but I did not stop. Though I could do nothing when I felt strain on my lungs, ropes strangling the organ. That's when I stopped. I looked up and above the stars.

"You cheated, Ma. You should not have left."

I had promised I would not cry, but I had been doing that a lot lately. In fact, it had become a daily affair, and tears, which used to be foreign to me, had become my close acquaintance.

'Look at the stars and you will find me looking out for you, honey.' She used to whisper that to me whenever I struggled sleeping alone. She would ask me to close my eyes and imagine a blue sky above me, and the brightest star watching me from above, and showering me with love, and that the brightest star was none other than her.

"You are not here. You will never be. You lie...lied to me." I cried standing there alone.

It was too dark, but I was familiar with the place. I knew a search party would be sent for me soon if I took my time, or maybe no one would. Maybe no one would care now if I don't go back. That thought shuddered me, but I pushed it far away, in the back of my mind, not letting it play with my head.

I stood there, trying to ease my arrayed thoughts, before I could go back. My family was already suffering; I did not want to give them another reason because of me. Wiping my tears with the back of my palm, I took a long, deep breath.

"You can do this, Simmy. Only you can do this."

I motivated myself and headed back, turning around. Once I took a few steps, I heard a thud sound. It sounded similar to a stack of heavy objects being thrown on the floor with force. Then followed a grunted sound, causing goosebumps to erupt. Chills ran down my spine with the realization I was not alone. I quickened my pace, ignoring whatever that was. But the more I tread back to my place, the sound similar to that escalated as if I was getting right into the same direction.

I stopped when I was certain the sound came from the direction that was the only way to my home. There was no way I could go run deep into the woods. Wrapping my hands around myself, trying to secure myself from the chilly cold weather I headed steadily but fastly, yet making sure I was not making any sound. I was going to lie low and head back home. That was the goal. With that same thought in my head, I kept moving and moving, despite the sounds growing louder along with someone's whimpering and mellowing in pain. I knew I was doing a cowardly job by not paying attention to whoever was in pain, but my intuition warned me, and I listened to it. But when a familiar vehicle came into my vicinity, my steps halted, as if they were commanded to. I knew who the black Porsche belonged to. Only one person was crazy enough to get his vehicle transported to every city or country he travelled to.

My entire body was on high alert, nerves frayed, something churning in my mind, and my heart thudded loudly, so much so that I could hear its beating like drum beats.

I should have run.

That was the most sane and logical thing to do. My mind kept screaming for me to keep going, but my body seemed hypnotized by the mere fact that he was nearby, maybe a few meters away, watching me. Besides, I was curious too. That man was responsible for more than one catastrophe in my life, ones I still hadn't recovered from and wasn't sure I ever would. He was going to take my soul from my body. At the very least, I deserved to be curious.

I heard whimpering now, alerting me more than ever. I didn't run. Instead, I decided to be a witness to whatever he was involved in, to hold something or anything against him.

With quiet steps, I walked toward the direction of the painful whimpers. Soon, a roofless cottage came into view. I kept moving forward, and when two figures appeared in my sight, I took refuge behind the gigantic trunk of a banyan tree to hide myself. A man with a lean figure was half-lying on the ground. His whimpers and pleas grew clearer now that I was closer. His face was covered in blood; there was a cut on his jaw, and his left forehead was swollen. He wore a white t-shirt with a blue pattern, now half-covered in blood.

It felt like my heart would explode in my chest with the force it kept beating. I felt dizzy witnessing all that blood, almost nauseous. I covered my mouth to stop myself from making any sound, pressing one of my palms against it.

I knew that man. He was the reporter behind those pictures that had gone viral. He was the one who had left Dad's office and accidentally bumped into me. His name was Sunny Sharma. All his earlier arrogance was gone, replaced by fear. And as much as I hated him, I did not want to see him in that gruesome state. A shadow fell where his body lay on the ground. Moonlight shone on the figure, reminding me that he was there too. He was a man so gorgeous that it was almost painful not to look at him, but his soul was so dark, black, and cold that even hell would seem brighter and warmer.

Kiaan Chauhan, the man who was hell-bent on making my life a living hell, and the man I hated with every cell in my body.

But the figure standing there was not the Kiaan I knew. It was someone else entirely. He didn't seem like the person who usually wore a sinister smile, watching as helpless Sunny pleaded. There were several cuts on Sunny's arms, and Kiaan held a knife coated in scarlet red liquid.

"Please..." Sunny had his hands clasped, pleading desperately to the monster.

"Let... let me go."

"I swear... I swear... I... I'll go away like I never existed."

"Of course, you will." Kiaan's chilly tone was more freezing than the cold temperatures of the city. He bent down to Sunny's level, grabbed his hair, and pulled him forward.

"But the one making your existence cease will be me," he stated.

With that, he pushed the knife deep into Sunny's heart, knocking the life out of his body. My wildly beating heart stopped, and there was this shrill tune in my ears so that I could hear nothing anymore.

Sunny's eyes bulged, and I saw him struggling, thrashing, and kicking his legs until his withering body gave up. The knife was still stuck in his heart like it was a brooch rather than an object that had taken his life.

I did not scream, actually, I could not scream. It would have been normal to scream in fear, to cry, but I didn't. Because around that devil, my body was never normal, always in a trance, like he had some kind of hold on me, like a magnetic power he used on me without even seeing me.

He was a beast, an evil darker than anything I had ever seen. And he did not stop there.

He didn't stop even when Sunny was thrashing and struggling; he didn't stop when Sunny's body went limp. He kept twisting the knife inside his heart and watched it like it gave him some kind of peace.

I was the sole witness, and I did nothing to stop him. My body couldn't move, and my soul kept shouting from inside to just escape. With every bit of strength I could muster at that moment, I took a step back, then another, and then another. I didn't breathe, didn't make a sound. I took just a few steps backward, only for a deadly calm voice to command, "Don't you dare."

I stopped. He knew I was there. He knew I was watching. He had known all along, yet nothing stopped him from ripping a soul out of someone.

The beast pulled the knife out of the dead man like it was some thorn and not an object that had just taken somebody's life. He rose to his feet and turned to me.

His eyes met mine, and there was nothing but darkness pooled in both of them.

He walked leisurely toward me, his shoulders not taut like before but relaxed, like he had just had a good breakfast. A slight smile played on his lips, but it did not reach his eyes. It was sinister, not playful. Suddenly, everything hit me with force, the realization of what more he was capable of, the fact that my fate was tied to him, and how merciless he was. My body now coiled with rage, and with every step he took toward me, I felt myself burning. My blank eyes were now filled with anger, and all I wanted was to grab that fucking knife and put it into his heart. But I was no beast. I was not heartless like him. I kept glaring at him, even when he was inches away from me.

If I hated him before, I abhor him now. His mere presence disgusted me. I was about to put more distance between us before he could catch up to me. As if he could read my thoughts, he took one large step, grabbed my arm, and pinned me to the hood of his car, causing me to yelp. He held my wrists above my head. That was when the speechless trance of my body broke.

He kept staring at me with his unreadable expression, and I was sure mine showed that I wanted to unalive him.

"Interesting," he murmured. His warm breath tickled my skin, and goosebumps appeared on my body.

Shit! Shit! Shit! My body had to stop reacting to that disgusting piece of shit.

"Let me go," I gritted my teeth.

His eyes darkened, as if I had committed a crime by uttering those words. I could see the darkest shade of night in those eyes, the one everyone is always scared of.

"You walk into my territory of your own will, but there is no escape until I say so, which will be never," he repeated his words from earlier. I tried pushing him away with my body, only for my efforts to fail.

"You are a beast."

"We agree on something, finally."

I continued my struggle, trying to liberate my hands from his iron grip, but it seemed like an impossible task.

"Tell me, sweetheart, did you like it?"

"Wa... what?"

"You liked it when I twisted that knife inside his heart, scratching every part of his dead heart."

His words knocked the breath out of me and shook me to the core. Not only was he evil, but he seemed a deranged evil.

"You are sick," I spat.

He was still unfazed. I felt something wet and cold on my cheek, and I didn't realize what it was until he brought the tip of it to my heart. I shivered at the contact my body had with that knife—his ultimate weapon of deadly crime.

"You look good, smeared in blood..." he whispered.

"Just like a forbidden sin..." I could feel the tip hurting me, causing me to wince.

Is he going to kill me?

Even when I could feel it might be my last day, I didn't show him fear, not at all.

"Fuck you."

"Not this soon, sweetheart." He smirked.

How could he do that? How could he act so nonchalantly after murdering someone in cold blood?

I struggled to free my hands, but the more I tried, the harsher his grip became. And when I stopped struggling, all of a sudden, he pulled the knife back. His body was a few meters away from me now. He left me to my own mercy, shocking me again with his move.

"RUN," he ordered coldly.

"Run as far as you can, don't look back. Maybe use those fucking invisible wings and fly away, firefly."

For a moment, I was surprised at him for giving me a free pass to freedom. But who was I kidding? He was a beast who functioned with no rules except his own. His next statement was proof of that.

"But remember, once you stop at your ultimate destination, you will find me waiting for you. You can never escape me."

I got up, like my body was a puppet at his command. I found my lost vigour and ran. I ran as fast as I could, away from him, hoping I would be able to seek refuge somewhere. Though I knew my fate was sealed the moment I decided to mess with him. And now he would come for me, to destroy me, to rip my soul out of me.

******

With that, I eventually let one person know what was stopping me from forgiving my husband. How could I forgive him for taking a life? We were humans who were taught to be compassionate, to empathize with others; we were not told to annihilate anyone just for fun.

That night, I witnessed the side of Kiaan Chauhan I never did again, his raw, beastly form.

Niti was quiet throughout, almost calm, as if contemplating something. And me? Well, even after letting it all out, I was nowhere close to feeling calm. I was hurt, in pain, and mostly angry. I was really, really indignant, so much so that I knew if I did not release my anger, I would burn in my own flames. My anger kept rising higher and higher, and I let it all out like I was lashing at someone.

"He did not care what would happen to him even once."

"He did not for once think he could go to jail?"

"How could he not think of anyone, his family, friends, me, before killing someone?"

"You know I still get scared when someone mentions a cop."

"Whenever I see him with a cop acquaintance, even with Jai, who is a cop himself, my heart beats skyward because it kills me to know he could be caught any day."

"I get scared, worrying what if someone comes looking for him, maybe Sunny's family or someone who also witnessed that incident like me, and I..."

"What if someone hurts him?"

I had let it all out. I did not even remember what I said, but I simply stated what was in my head. Niti suddenly got up from her seat and sat beside me. She hugged me, trying to comfort me. She stroked my head and patted my back gently.

"You have been so brave, Sim. I am really proud of you." Her words seemed to lift a burden I had been carrying without even noticing. She pulled back and then wiped my tears. After that, she handed me my half-emptied glass of water.

"Here, drink this." I emptied the glass, and then she took it from me and set it back. I had not noticed I was shivering until she started rubbing my palms.

"What are you scared of, Sim?" she asked me gently, just a general query.

"You know who I am scared of," I mumbled.

"No, I asked you what and not who."

"Stop talking like my husband in puzzles," I said to make the heavy environment a little light.

She smiled and then said, "Fine, let me be honest... no, not honest, brutally honest. For like five minutes straight you kept saying how you are worried and scared one day a cop would arrest your husband and hurt him. So I want to know, are you scared of him getting hurt, or is it the pain of separation that is eating you out?"

I narrated a whole gory incident of how my husband, who was by the way also her friend, had killed someone, and her take was that I was scared of him getting caught by the cops. Why?

"I did not say anything like that."

"Yes, you did, sweetie. For the past five minutes, all you have disclosed is the intensity of your fear; fear that is either stemming from the fact that someone will take him away from you or that someone will hurt him."

I sat there flabbergasted, speechless.

Did I really ramble that for five minutes?

Was I really scared of that?

Where are my morals now?

No, no, that's not possible. I could not have said that. That was my fear talking, that's it, and not the sane me. Sane Simran would never even think of that; speaking it was out of the question.

"Though I have figured out what you are actually scared of, how about you reflect and question yourself? Once you know the answer, which I feel you already do, but are not ready to accept, then voila, your enmity with Kiaan will end."

Why would she tell me to end my enmity with a murderer? What was going on in my best friend's head?

"Aren't you worried at all that your friend murdered someone? Or maybe you don't believe me at all," I said, curiosity lingering in every word.

"I trust you, Sim, but when it comes to people I care for, I have no morals. Hence, I don't mind if he killed someone."

At first, I was shocked, but then every individual is different, possessing different ethics, beliefs, and morals, and I respected that. She might be fine with having a murdered friend; I was not fine with having a killer husband.

"Maybe you don't, but I do. I will never accept him as my husband."

Suddenly, a sly smirk appeared on her face. She sat tall and proud and then asked me, "Since your morals are so high, you don't mind if he goes to jail at all?"

"No, he should definitely rot in jail for his crimes," I replied almost abruptly.

"Okay..." She fished out her phone from her bag and dialed someone's number. Before I could ask who she was calling, I heard her say, "Hello, Jai."

Wait! No, no, no. Jai was a cop. How could she betray Kiaan like that? She would not tell him, would she? I was still wondering about her next move, nerves frayed, when she said, "Actually, I wanted to report a crime..."

"Yeah, so, I want to report a mur..." Before she could finish, I grabbed the phone from her and hung up.

"Are you out of your mind? What are you doing?"

"Respecting my best friend's morals, of course. Why? Did I do something wrong?" she asked innocently, the sly smirk never leaving her face for even a second.

That was a harsh slap of realization for me. I was actually scared of someone finding out about that incident and reporting my husband to the cops. That's why all this time I had kept hold of his secret and did not confide in anyone. While I had pretended to wish for him to get caught by the cops, that was a hoax and never my true intention. I never wanted him to go to jail or to get hurt, but I kept feeding myself the lie that I wanted him to be punished.

He might be an unhinged beast, but I was no righteous woman either.

Was I a monster myself?

All this time, I never accepted this truth, and now, when Niti confronted me, I had no choice but to eventually give in to my true desire. Even after everything, I still had hope for us; I still carried the flames of undying feelings for him. He had even started to treat me the way I always wished him to. Not sure if his intentions were true or not, but my stupid heart had started to fall for him again.

"I am a terrible human, aren't I? I have no morals," I whispered.

Niti smiled as if what I was feeling was really normal.

"That's not true. We are humans, Sim; we tend to be selfish. Keeping your feelings above your morals does not make you a terrible human. I am not asking you to forgive him for the way he hurt you. I am simply making you address your truth, the feelings you keep hiding from even yourself."

"What should I do now?" I asked, confused and scared, for I could not see the path ahead at all. It was dark, way darker than it should have been.

"You are smarter than me. I am sure you will figure it out. In fact, you will have to figure it out. It's not a choice but a compulsion."

She was right. I had to do something, and at that point, I could only think of one thing.

Black magic.

Yes, that would give me all the answers I needed. I needed to do black magic on my husband because he would not talk before our reception, and I did not have the patience he needed.

After a while, we both headed out of the café. The weather had really deteriorated. Dark, monstrous clouds had covered the entire sky, hiding the brightness as if sucking the light from people's lives, too. Enzo was taking the car out of the parking lot while Niti was talking to Arjun over the phone. I was supposed to drop her off at her office and then head back home.

I looked up and despised those clouds eating the bright sky. I hated such weather; it always made me sick and gave me the worst nightmares. Besides, after letting out the heavy truth and feeling those raw emotions of pain, I was actually feeling dizzy now.

All of a sudden, the thunder roared, as if announcing its arrival to those who had missed it, and I jumped out of my skin in shock and fear. The weather began to terrify me, and I wanted to be back home as soon as possible. Ever since I was a kid, I had despised such days. While others enjoyed the rain, I used to hide under a blanket with my eyes shut tight and my ears covered.

Pacing here and there, tightening my hold around my arms, I waited for Enzo to bring the car fast. Then, at that very moment, I collided with someone.

"Shit, I am sorry," I instantly apologized. I knew it was my fault because I was far too distracted at that moment.

I looked up and found a man, over six feet tall, staring down at me with eyes full of remembrance. He held a poker face throughout, but something about him screamed power and comfort in a very strange way.

"Long time, no see, STAR," he murmured, almost in a daze.

STAR?

I had heard that name before. And his amber eyes looked too dangerous... and too familiar. I was almost in a daze myself, trying to recall where I had seen those eyes, that face, where I had heard that name.

But then I heard Niti calling me.

"Sim, let's go."

I turned to her and saw her waiting near the car.

"Yeah, coming," I replied.

I faced that almost-familiar stranger again and said, "I am not Star."

I turned back on my heels to walk away when he said, "Tara, wait!"

I froze.

If "Star" felt familiar, "Tara" felt like me. It was weird how a name I was never associated with made me feel like it belonged to me. My heartbeat quickened. My hands grew clammy and my mind turned foggy. I turned to him again, staring, and now I could see the pain hiding behind those cold eyes. The poker face was just for show, but that man seemed to be in pain.

Maybe I was thinking too much, I thought.

But then why did it feel like I was thinking right?

Suddenly, I felt a nudge on my shoulder, and I was back to normal. Niti was there, staring at me with concern.

"Simmy, I have been calling you consistently. Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, of course."

She stared ahead at that man, whose features hardened as if displeased by Niti's arrival.

"Who is he?" she asked skeptically, holding my hand in a protective gesture..

"I don't know. We just collided because of my mistake."

That man cleared his throat. Looking straight at me, he said, "Pardon me. I mistook you for someone else."

I gave him a curt nod, then Niti and I headed toward my car. Still, I kept turning around because I felt he was there. And he was. He hadn't moved. He stood watching me when I sat in the car, when it pulled forward, when we passed him, and even when we crossed him. He was still there.

******

Hi Lovelies,

I hope you all are doing well. 🤗

Now, you all know what was making Simran hate Kiaan? But then, she never hated him, she was just scared of losing him. 🥹

Tell me, if stuck in a simiar situation, what would you do? Choose your morals or your desire? 🤔

Who is this stranger now, calling Simran STAR? ⭐ 🤔

Our Nitya turned out to be a lifesaver, didn't she? 🥹

Do share your views about the chapter. It would mean a lot to me. ❤️

Thanks,

Shrishtee