After dropping Madhi in the school, Sumedh and Mallika reached the avenue in different cars, as they didn't want anyone to witness them together.
There was a grand welcome for the guests and Chief guests.
Mallika felt shy, as the girls dressed up like angels showered flowers over her when she walked over the red carpet. Her eyes searched for Sumedh though she knew that they couldn't be together personally until they go back home.
"Mam, he is Mr Parvesh Mishra, famous Indian author, known as Pearl Soul." Her eyes widened involuntarily, as she heard the name when Sumedh's P.A. introduced her to the Chief guest.
She couldn't believe her ears. She was hearing this name nearly after six years.
"Hello, dear!" The voice, which was once could solve all her pain and miseries. Tears slid down her eyes, as soon as she heard his voice.
She turned to him in a swift motion, as an ocean of tears clouded her eyes. Her lips twitched wide. She didn't know whether she was smiling or crying, but she was indeed happy.
Whereas the face of the man opposite to her reflected disgust. Pure disgust!
She took a step forward, opening her hands a little wide, but stopped eventually, seeing him moving away.
Her smiling face dropped dead, turning to pure confusion and ultimate realisation.
"H...Hello, S...Sir!" She muttered with difficulty, sensing the girl's curious eyes on them and excused himself, before getting down the stage when Sumedh walked up.
Seeing her teary gaze, he didn't mind the thousands of people gathered there and ran behind her. She ran straight to the restroom there, weeping aloud, making his heart skip a beat.
He stopped on his steps, realising it was a restroom and waited outside impatiently. Lots of people looked at him weirdly, seeing him walking to and fro furiously.
It wasn't the thing, he was supposed to happen during her big day. He wished the world to recognise her talent and celebrate her.
But what happened to her suddenly?
"Mallika!" He shouted, losing his patience, audible to her, who was crying against the restroom wall.
She jerked out from her world of sorrow and realised what she had just done. She could feel the worry and sorrow in his voice though he shouted.
Quickly washing away her tears, she rushed outside and smiled at him, facading her pain. Without wasting any moment, he took her in his embrace and rubbed her back.
"Are you okay?" He kissed her forehead, parting away from her to which she nods her head, looking around nervously.
"Come, let's go." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and took her inside ignoring all those intriguing gazes.
Nothing mattered to him when it comes to his love. He decided and wished to be with Mallika whatever the situation was. He was scared to lose her once again.
He made her sit on the stage and sat next to her. The hall went silent as everyone settled on their place after the round of gossips about Sumedh and Mallika.
Sumedh looked at his P.A. whose gaze was on them as if it got struck.
"Is there anything written on my face?!" He shouted, making her flinch.
She rushed down the stage, making sure of other announcements. Mallika sighed and held his hand, squeezing it, assuring him that she was okay.
He held it back silently without any reaction, as he knew that she wasn't okay.
"It was my mistake that my Jaan had cried today. I shouldn't have invited him as chief guest. He didn't deserve my angel. He will pay for it. He will pay for making my baby cry." Sumedh had an oath inside his heart, trying his best to avoid the disgusting gaze that man threw on their intertwined fingers.
The launch party went silently unlike expectation. Though media persons praised Mallika, knowing that she was Penguin, they eventually questioned her proximity with Sumedh, which pissed him off.
"We got to know that you become father, Mr Raichand. But it seems like you were happier for this launch party than became a father. Should we take this as commercial or forbidden personal?" Reporter gaze held a smirk towards Mallika, making her shift uncomfortably in her place.
All their effort to keep their relationship hidden from the public had been ruined just because of this launch party.
Mallika excused himself and left from there, as teardrops ready to trespass her eyelids.
It was the last thing, she would like to hear in front of her father, who was already seeing her as if she was drainage.
"Are you happy now?" The hate-filled voice echoed the parking lot, as she held the bonnet of her car for support.
"Are you happy now after making me ashame of your shameful act of being in a relationship with a married person just for money?!" She closed her eyes tightly, as venom passed through her ears.
"I had brought up you with a lot of love and dreams to see you at peak. But you became a prostitute for a married man and standing here to ruin my glory!" She broke down, hearing those words.
She fell on her knees, as the mere thought of people's thinking about her as a prostitute to her love pierced her heart. Above all, her father was yet the same in not trusting his daughter and hurt her more than hating her.
"How could you act so naturally as if you are his wife? Did you think that just the sindhoor in your hair partition will make you pure and innocent soul?" The man chuckled and taunted her, "Or did you feel ashame to roam around as whore, so that you applied that sacred thing in your filthy hairline?"
Her tiny palms covered her face, as she cried hard than ever. She longed to be in Sumedh's embrace away from this all. But now once again her heart became guilty that due to her, he had to face this venom society.
She was shattered into million pieces, which could never be joint, as the person, whom she considered as her first hero had judged her more disgustingly than ever.
"I couldn't believe that you are yet alive only to defame me!" He shouted, unaware of the fact that he had crossed all the limits to be forgiven by his daughter.
She had an urge to bang herself somewhere and did bang her hand on the bonnet of the car harshly, crying wildly.
~~~
Quite a boring chapter, but needed one.
One question to you all.
What would you do, if you were in Mallika's place?