Hey people!
So here I am! I really really hope you guys like this one because it is going to clear a lot of things. Tell me how you feel at the end or ping me up on Instagram because I am super nervous about messing things up. I'd be glad if you drop inline comments. Your chapter starts below mine starts when your comments start showering in. Don't hold yourself back today *cheeky smile*
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Author's POV
"One year or so is all I got with her, but her lingering presence in my heart is the only reason I am alive. Now she has confessed from her own mouth that no misunderstanding had defeated our love. The reason behind her leaving has to be something grave," he said as a dark look crossed his face. He craved his wife.
"God! She went through all this. I thought this foreign country had been cruel to her until she seized the throne, but her home doesn't sound warm either" Meeta closed her eyes, taking everything in. She was upset with God for making her go through so much, but now she was speechless. If the part of life she knew was painful, then getting betrayal from your loved ones was torturous. Her blood curdled and her heart constricted in her chest. Confusion swiveled in her head because Meera's reasons to leave him were absent.
"She needs to open up," Meeta said.
"I am ready to go on my knees if it makes her speak what's haunting her," Kabir said and Meeta knew a man like Kabir was a blessing.
"It's only the place that gave the scars that makes you relive the pain. The shell Meera has built around herself would break only if she is subjected to a harsh blow. She is too smart for her own good, so she wouldn't give in. I have no idea how to make her let you in," Meeta sighed. On hearing her, something hit like lightning in Kabir's chest. He reserved the thought for later as he spoke, "Let's focus on her health first"
Meeta nodded and detailed Kabir on Meera's condition. Kabir had something in his mind and he would convince his princess no matter what.
"Can you tell me whatever you know about her life over here? I know she would never tell me about the accident you talked about. I shared everything truthfully with you and now it's only fair if you do so too," Kabir said. He was dying to know about her scars, though he knew it would be difficult to handle himself after hearing it. Meeta wanted to deny it and tell him that it was Meera's story to tell, but she knew they had wasted enough time already. Kabir had enough questions to keep him awake at night and she could answer a few of them. Moreover, she didn't want Meera to stress at this point about revealing things to Kabir.
"When I first saw Meera, she was a mere patient to me. An accident case. One heavily rainy night, I and my husband were just about to close our little clinic when she had been rushed inside. A heavily pregnant lady who was involved in a car crash was in danger. My husband is a gynecologist. He treated her and it was one of the toughest cases of his life. The situation went to the extent where only one life could be saved. We belonged to India, so we understood her native language as she kept on yelling 'Chaand' like a prayer. As if her moon would shield her from the splitting pain" Meeta shuddered, remembering the night while Kabir made his heart of steel to listen further. His princess had called out to him and he wasn't there. Not only then, but she might have prayed for him to show up at so many weak moments, which he wanted to eliminate from her life, but her voice never reached him.
*********
"Avi wasn't a bit reluctant while treating her, ignoring the fact that it was an accident case or something. He couldn't just see her in pain seeing the innocence that radiated from her face. We searched around for any companion who knew her and could guide us about her medical records. There was nothing. We didn't even have a number to call and the man who had brought her to the hospital ran away as soon as he dropped her, afraid he would be dragged into the case too. He wasn't the one who caused it but for the sake of humanity, he had dropped her to the nearest clinic. In that state when we asked her whom to choose, she closed her eyes, muffled her scream, and let the tears flow down.
'Save my child. Call my husband Kabir Raichand' She couldn't speak further as she yelled in pain.
'78542123** is his contact number', she recalled the number by heart even in that state. We quickly noted it down. I was about to call you when she screamed, 'Don't call him yet. Do it once the operation is done. If...' she stammered. For a long, I had heard her yell as I assisted my husband, but for the first time she stammered as she said, 'If he refuses to...he refuses to accept then call Vikramjeet Maan, owner of Zeus taxi service, tell him to adopt my offspring. Don't tell my husband I died. He loves me. Tell him I ran away leaving the responsibility to him if he picks up the call'
It was getting difficult to breathe for her, and she fainted. I remember my throat was clogged with emotions and my eyes flowing looking at her. Those were very tough times. I don't know how God made the miracle happen, and we saved both of them. It was a complicated C-section delivery case. She had clearly told us to call you only when she died, but I couldn't hold myself back. Even god was by her side because my phone did not allow making international calls back then. We reached out to Vikramjeet Maan, and he was stressed and livid. He wanted to be there when she was being operated on. The day she opened her eyes, she asked for nothing but her child. She had gone crazy seeing the empty crib. As soon as the nurse entered with her precious, she smiled as if she had seen a shooting star in broad daylight. It was like she was seeing her prayers getting answered and destiny granting her wish for the first time in her life. She kissed her forehead and named her Kiyaara. Her precise words were 'my chaand's angel; Kiyaara'. We were perplexed about who her Chaand was, but a jubilant Vikram had told us about you. He was so happy that he distributed Ladoo (Indian sweets) made especially by his mother in the complete hospital. Kiyaara is his niece because he considers Meera his sister. It was difficult to control his energy as he roamed around telling everyone that his house was blessed with a fairy. Once when Kiyaara was fast asleep, Avi approached her for a regular check-up. After seeing she was fine, Avi had sat by her side and asked, 'How are you, little one?'
Meera knew he wasn't asking about her physical well-being but her mental health. I was standing by the door adoring them. My husband was a closed-off man, but for the first time, I had seen him starting a conversation. It was like he had got a little sister too.
'I feel like it's my last chance at happiness,' she said with a fond smile.
'Why? Why is there so much pain behind your smile?'
'A few days back at the accident, the woman driving the car was my friend. The one that crashed into mine. The woman sitting by my side had saved me by taking the impact and the man sitting with the woman in the opposite car had been trying too hard to make the woman stop from committing a sin losing his life in the process,'
'It's too confusing,'
'Because it is chaotic. Shelly ran a bakery with me. We handled it together, but she was the major investor. She was lured into the web of gambling by a rich man who wanted her to work for him for a reason. She fell straight into his trap and now we had nothing to keep the store running. The rich man owned the bakery in front of us and he had threatened us to close our shop as it was slowly gaining popularity. We were standing in his way of success. I had refused him to his face. He took it on his ego and decided the best revenge for wild girls was a wild night that tamed them. I loathed him and there was no way he could have me. I am pretty devoted to my man. Then he decided to target Shelly. She was a good friend. When she finally didn't have the money for renovation she sold me. She took the advance and fooled me into going to a place where that man wanted. I thrashed, yelled, and tried all I knew but I couldn't escape his clutches. He left me for a minute and I called the most powerful person I knew. I had to call for help from someone I would never have contacted otherwise. Antonio Clifford is my brother' she said and I couldn't control the gasp that escaped my mouth.
Her eyes lifted to me and she said, 'It's a very interesting tale. Come sit by my side,'
I couldn't believe she was reciting it so lightly as if it was not her reality. She felt as if she was destiny's favorite subject of mockery. I sat by her side and she continued.
'His men broke in and saved me. I took a promise from him that he wouldn't avenge anything because he wasn't actually my brother. I would do it myself. We never met. It was all on call. I got to know it was Shelly who had given my brother the address of the place because in a hurry I had given him the details that I worked at the bakery and I had no idea where I was. She apologized for putting me in danger, but her brother was in a coma and she needed the money. Now she could do nothing because the bakery was soon going to go away from her hands. She begged for help. I promised her before leaving that a part of my income would be hers because her bakery had been my refuge. Before my brother's men could follow me, I moved. I moved from that part of the city to central London. I knew I was hiding, but I didn't really want to be a burden. I started working as a waitress in a nearby lounge–"
'Don't tell me it was Red hue' Avi interrupted. It was the most dangerous one because, behind closed doors, the servers were trained brutally. She just gave a smile. They could beat people to death for one mistake.
'Why would I lie when my daughter is present in the room?' she asked, leaving us spellbound. Avi hugged her hard, and she patted his back.
'It's over. Then I refused to make friends and let people in. The restaurant didn't start paying immediately. I had no money, no place to go, but I had to exist. I was sitting on the pavement outside the restaurant, waiting for a chilly breeze to fly me away either to oblivion or to an unknown shelter. A man came for me as a blessing in disguise. Vikramjeet Maan. He wasn't a big businessman then. Just owned a taxi but he sat by me in the darkness. I don't know why but my condition pricked him badly. I wasn't a charity case to go with him but he told me he would charge rent. He told me he had seen me in India and I had organized his brother's wedding. I didn't even remember his face but I remembered his brother. He just couldn't let me be. He took me to his house and his family. I preferred staying in a small room built in the garage because his family was already staying there with great difficulty. His two-room apartment hardly fit the four people surviving in it. He, his wife, his son, and his mother. I would want to be anything but a disturbance to a kind man. He became my savior. He asked my story, but I refused to open up. I was working mostly during the day, but his mother relentlessly cared for me. She refused to leave me on my own. She pushed food down my throat and forced me to drink milk for the sake of Kiyaara. I guess I was God's favorite child because, in a foreign land, I had people who cared for me, even if I refused to acknowledge them. I moved out as soon as I could and I am pretty foolish. A chirpy girl and his elder brother befriended me as they worked along with me. They were the nicest people. The chirpy girl and my dear friend Abigail chose the accident day to match the same dress as me. Just like me, she had no idea that the man who was her elder brother and had started to share a similar bond with me was Shelly's boyfriend. Apparently, the rich man had made her believe that I had bailed out on her because, according to her, I worked in a well-paid restaurant, but the amount of money she received was too little and this is why her brother died. The man convinced her that I was trying to take revenge on her and hence I intentionally let her brother die. I was doing as much as I could. I was working for my Kiyaara and there was no way I would give my complete salary away. I had to ensure our survival, at least.
So she planned a beautiful way to teach me a lesson. An eye for an eye and a life for life. The perfect plan to kill my only dear one, i.e. my baby. So three nights back I got a call from Abigail's elder brother, George, warning us to not come out of the house for the day. We were having a girls' night at their place. George knew everything about her plan, but seemingly at the last moment, he couldn't see any harm reach me. His call was a little too late because we were already on our way to a nearby hospital, as I called in sick. The full-proof accident did take place, but Shelly's informant didn't tell her that the left side of the car where I was supposed to be seated and did not have an airbag was now occupied by Abigail. Abigail looked similar to me that night and a vengeful Shelly without caring about anyone's life banged into our car keeping the impact towards the left. Abigail pushed the steering towards the right and the left part of the car dashed inside while the right faced the least impact. I could see George trying to save us by taking the wheel from Shelly but he failed. His huge car zoomed past after crushing us and banged into a pole.
To their absolute bad luck, the gasoline tank of the car broke, and sparks from the pole inflamed it causing both of them to die. Despite the airbag, the front glass of the car fell on me and I lacked the energy to even look at the lady dead beside me. Yesterday at the hospital Vikram Bhai handed over Abigail's phone to me and seeing the last text from George I knew in this foul play of deceit she had intentionally ignored the message from her brother after knowing that we had left home to make me sit in the left if we were going to get out despite his warning. Their plan might have been a success only if Abigail had not switched places in the middle of the way. She chose me over her.
Her brother wasn't wrong to try and save her. He wanted us both safe but time wasn't in his favor. As I told you I am god's favorite child. In an accident involving four people, only one survived and that was me. Now I'd live with the burden of living a life someone else had the right to live. Abigail might be alive if not for her will to save me. George might be alive if we hadn't left home and I had borne the stomach ache quietly. Shelly's brother might have lived if I had maybe worked one job extra instead of sleeping for those five hours in a day.
I cannot even wish for their life because that meant losing mine. Most importantly losing my daughter's life. Despite being betrayed to this extent here I am opening my heart to strangers because Meera is a fool,' she completed making my eyes water. She wasn't crying, but I was sobbing. Sobbing so hard that it was difficult to breathe. What was even her age? She might be years younger than me but had faced all the cruelty the world has to offer. How could destiny be that cruel to a soft soul like her?
She has learned from the best teacher. Life itself and if she is cold, tough, rude, and ruthless, then I appreciate her for that.
Avi hugged her hard, and she cried on his shoulder. Since then, she has been our sister. We haven't seen her cry ever since that day. She didn't sit back and wait for some miracle to happen again because she was capable enough to fend for herself. She learned to code while caring for her daughter from Vikram's wife, Tara Vikramjeet Maan. She had given up her career to care for their son, but she could teach Meera well. Meera developed a simple software sitting at home that focused on healthcare. She had moved out from Vikram's place long before when she got a decent job, though none of us liked the dingy apartment of hers. Tara went to live with Meera for some time and taught her alongside. She coded the program, but Avi and I decided to be the mind behind the information because we were from the medical field. As the app grew, she negotiated a deal with a software company and sold it for a huge sum. She then invested the sum to start something of her own. When Kiyaara was two years old, Meera started MK Corporation, and she worked day and night to make it grow.
When she finally touched the sky of triumph, she decided to reveal herself, making people trace and approach her, especially the Cliffords. She has built everything on her own, starting from the palace she lives into the building that stands tall and proud in the name of the corporation. A salient part of her success was invested in our clinic and she transformed it into a multi-storeyed hospital. Avi refused to take a penny from her, but she was adamant. She said that it was the land where her daughter took birth and, at least for that sake, we should let her do what she wants. We knew she was doing it because she was grateful to us. She handed over the charge to us after renovating the hospital and set up a team to look into business operations. Since then Avi and I have put in our everything to make this work. Her journey has been tough being a single mom, as people were quick to judge. The world doesn't believe your words. You have to prove your worth, and she did just that. She ensured her daughter never faced a shortage of anything in life, even if she didn't get to have food twice a day. She gained everything, but we lost that smile to the world. We lost the girl who wore her heart on her sleeves. We don't want her old self back, but we want her real smile back."
*********
She finished and Kabir felt crushed under the weight of her miseries. He felt like someone had poured molten lava through his veins. His princess, the one he had pampered along with his family. The one who never walked barefoot on the cold floor because she got sick too soon was out there sitting on the pavement shivering in the cold. The one that was surrounded by a flock of people was alone. The one who didn't like to ask for help might have pleaded for mercy. The girl who had to munch on something every two hours just for fun survived on one meal a day. He was an absolute failure. He had used all his might to find her but he wished he had reached her sooner. He couldn't speak. Tears refused to leave his eyes because he was benumbed.
He quietly got up and walked away. He let the foreign air bemuse him with its ferociousness. He was depressed and lost but at least he had a roof above his head. He was on the edge of losing his life to a war against his heart, but at least he wasn't dying every minute to live. Something flashed in his head and the name of his savior rang in his ears. He quickly rushed back to Meeta's office and asked, "Do you know Mrs Shyla Maan?"
"Who doesn't know that sweet lady? She is Vikramjeet Maan's mother," Meeta said merrily and his world stopped. The ground beneath his feet slipped, and he felt like he wasn't breathing anymore. Here people were calling her heartless and she was finding a way to save him. He knew she had sent Shyla for him. Then she says they aren't meant to be. She always knew what was going on with him, but he didn't. She saved him from the clutches of desolation but he couldn't.
Where should he go now because his home hadn't left him worthy of the warmth it offered? Whose shoulder should he cry on for being isolated from the right to share her pain? She protected him like a blanket from the cold but didn't give him the right to be her umbrella in the rain. He craved to be her shade in the scorching heat.
His steps took him to his old apartment, and he closed himself in an empty room. He didn't cry because now was not the time. They both had suffered enough for a lifetime. Now was the time to move forward and live. Not just breathe. The day passed by as he kept staring into nothingness. He evaluated his options carefully because now he knew her reason to keep him away must be terrifying and hence he had to be prepared for anything. The instant reply from his mind was he was ready to take a rebirth to be with her so even if it took him any critical step to reach her he wouldn't bat an eyelash. He would give it all to have his woman in the end. The woman who never wanted to be a reason for his pain deserved the world. The woman who kept him above everything deserved to be a priority and he would make her his.
At night he entered, only to see her sitting in the hall working on her laptop. He knew she wouldn't admit it, but she was waiting for him. He reached her in a few long strides. His hand slammed her laptop shut, and he picked her up effortlessly. He walked towards their room and led her to the bed, despite her protest.
"I was working," she said.
"And I want us to work," he said, making her eyes go wide. What the hell did he mean? She questioned. He held her hands softly and said, "I swear I would never be able to get out of this web of guilt if not for our togetherness. We have had enough Meera. We have spoiled enough of our lives loving each other silently. I just want our relationship back, even if I have to trade my soul with the devil for it. I want my Meera back"
Seeing his grave tone, she knew something was eating him up. Her whole life she had suppressed her soul to see him happy, but seeing him so broken made tears gather in her eyes.
"I am still alive, Kabir. My operation is scheduled in the next three days and I want you to be ready for it"
"My princess is a warrior, and I know she would live through this as well. You have defeated fate, my love, and this minute disease can't make a difference. Give me the next three days at least. Let me love you," he requested. She wanted to say 'yes' for beyond a lifetime, but she didn't have the leverage.
"Three days to us," she agreed. He joined their forehead and said, "Ages to our love"
She was scared to the core that if she agreed to more than three days like he wanted, she would break whatever she had built after struggling so hard, so she kept mum. He sensed her fear and said, "After a month when I have you back all in good health, I want you to grant me a wish. For the sake of our love, will you?"
She wanted to refuse because she had read his eyes. She knew he was calling for destruction, but now she didn't want to be scared of embracing him anymore. Fear is a brutal weapon. It kills you more than death and she had died every minute praying for his safety.
"I am tired too, Kabir. I want to give in too but you are calling for destruction. Will you be able to face it?" she asked. She wanted to live this one chance she had. His heart throbbed in his head as he spoke, "If I get to have you with me, then I chose destruction over peace"
She smiled and said, "I'd have my bags packed because my daughter deserves a trip to the country that had sheltered me for years."
He shook his head because she always knew what he wanted. He wanted her to go back to India once with him. Either they could get their new start or they could fall apart. He would accompany her to the devil's den, but wouldn't let them part this time. That was an undeniable fact. She knew she was giving him a chance to crush her to pieces, but she was afraid of losing nothing if she had him in the end. She knew this time when she goes to that place she would either lose everything or gain everything back but the choice wouldn't be hers to make. It was never hers in the first place.
"Up for an ice cream day tomorrow?" he asked with a smile. She had given him three days and he would make the complete use of this opportunity. She didn't know if it was a moment of weakness or her craving heart that made her give in but she was ready yet again. After all, Meera is a fool who gets ready to risk her heart at the first chance she gets. She smiled gloomily at the thought.
"Don't make me fuck you senseless to get that thought out of your head. I would rather choose to let the world burn than let a flame touch your heart. Just trust me. Unlike last time," he mumbled the last words, but she heard. She knew he was talking about walking away quietly rather than rushing to his arms in the past, but she kept her lips sealed. He knew she had a reason, but he wanted her to trust him to deal with it.
"I have stopped eating sweets," she said. Once she was addicted to chocolates but when earning even one time's bread became hard she was forced to forget their taste. She had had a hard time putting behind her sweet habits to let budgets govern her strictly. She clearly remembered her hand lingering in her empty pocket to take out the non-existent sweet every time she felt low. She had learned to let all her favorites go. She neither loved any specific color nor any specific food. She couldn't afford the addiction once again in hopes that she always had someone to fulfill her demands. Not even herself. She had let bitterness replace her love for chocolates.
"Then it's time to bring sweetness back to your life. Be ready tomorrow morning," he ordered. He had already asked Meeta about the health-related precautions. She nodded. If not a lifetime, she could at least live another three years with the memories of the upcoming three days she consoled herself. Even if things went downhill, she would have enough memories to keep her going.
"Just trust me, we are destined to be and if not, we are together in this fight against destiny. You would never lose me. You never have, and you never will," he said, making all her senses come alive.
'Oh god! Did I really give him hope once again? Am I going in the wrong direction?' she asked herself, but his intoxicating breath falling on her face said otherwise.
"Office?" she asked. A meager attempt to do any sort of damage control.
"You have ditched it enough times for Chaand's angel. It's time you do it for Chaand's princess" he wanted her to do this for herself. He wanted her to take this leap of faith for them. She had the right to live a carefree life full of love and happiness and he was going to give her just that. He just wanted God to be in their corner this time and bless her with good health. He wanted to empty his share of wishes from the almighty to keep her safe and closer to his heart.
He left her room telling her that he was going to change and called a number.
"I am not done with Steve Smith yet. The punishment he faced isn't enough. I want you to hand over his custody to my men" he ordered coldly. It was time the rich man from the past knew he had eyed the wrong woman. He had eyed his woman and he wouldn't be spared alive. He would meet his end in the cruelest way possible for being responsible behind the tears of the lady he treasured as his soul. He would himself decide his fate.
Bigde Ameerzaade ko uski aukaat dikhane ka waqt aa gya hai (It was time to show the spoilt rich brat his true worth). He smirked. The empress had played her part and now it was time for the emperor to take over with the guarantee that he would make it anything but smooth. Now was the time for the demon to play cold.
Skeletons are out from the closet. Was life fair to her?
Do you think she should have made friends carefully?
Now you know why she is the way she is.
Anyone who needed a handkerchief?
What is Kabir up to?
Will they go to India? Will Meera survive the operation?
*Hi guys!*
So how was it?
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Who is your favorite character after this scene?
Who do you think is at fault?
Anything you hated?
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Anything shocking?
Who was a total sweetheart in the chapter?
Did Kabir actually fail as a husband?
Do they really have a chance?
Now I guess only one secret is left. I hope you guys liked the update. If you did then please comment and vote. You guys keep me going. Love you people so much! A huge thanks to all those who have given my work a chance. I am absolutely grateful.
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So time to play three questions again so guys pull up your socks and recall:
1. Name of wife of Vikramjeet Maan
2. What was Kiyaara's age when Meera opened the company?
3. Name of Meera's friend who saved her?
Hoping with my fingers crossed that you guys liked it. You guys are my source of motivation. Your love for my work just makes my day. Dil se likha hai aasha karte hai aapke dil tak pahunch gaya ho!!
~With love
~Ms. Bhatia