CHAPTER 4
Shaurya sat by the pool, lost in thought. He was thinking about his life. Hisdad never like him and always compared him with his first wife's son and asked him to become like him. His dad always loathes him, for being careless, for not joining the office, for partying. His mother favors her step son more than him as she belongs to a poor family and his dad marries her for taking care of his son and she doesn't want to anger her husband , she always asked him to not fight with Rakesh, be obedient with him and listen to his dad and Rakesh . She never took a stand for her son, when her husband was sending him to the hostel as a punishment for the crime he never did.
He stayed five years in the hostel and nobody come to meet him as his father strictly ordered his mother not to meet him and as usual, she couldn't disobey her husband.
Tears started forming in his eyes as he remembered the days he spent alone and lonely in the hostel. He recalled how jealous he felt watching other children go home for holidays while he remained behind, serving his dad's so-called punishment. After returning home upon completing school, he was a changed man. He stopped talking to his parents; the only person he spoke to in the house was Jasmine, his nanny and a long-serving member of the Rawat household who treated him like her own son. When he started college, he avoided girls, but Tina approached him. At first, he ignored her like he did with many other girls who approached him for his looks and money.
Tina was different; she confessed her love to him, but he immediately rejected her. She was stubborn and didn't lose hope after his refusal. One day, her friends called him and informed him that she had attempted suicide and was admitted to City Hospital. He rushed there and felt guilty seeing her on a hospital bed. When she opened her eyes, she again confessed her love, and finally, he decided to accept her proposal, giving love a chance. But he forgot that he wasn't made for love. Everything she did was fake – her suicide, her care, her love confession – all part of a plan to trap him. When she introduced him to his family, she met Rakesh, and behind his back, they started dating. He snapped out of his trance when the phone rang. Seeing his mother's name on the screen,
he ignored the call and switched it off. Even though Tina was his girlfriend, nobody stood by his side when Tina and Rakesh decided to get married. Everyone supported them.
He muttered to himself, "I'm not made for love. Every girl on this earth is a gold digger, and she's no exception. I should stay away from her." With a heavy sigh, he made his way to his room, but the sound of her loud sobs stopped him in his tracks. He never understand whyhe felt a strange surge of emotion whenever he saw her cry.
Composing himself, he turned the doorknob and entered the room, finding her in tears.
"Get ready, we're going back," he announced sternly, locking eyes with her. As he turned to leave, he warned her in dangerous tone," And listen carefully, if you breathe a word about our fake marriage to anyone, I'll destroy you. Understand?"
Prisha remained silent, her gaze fixed on the floor. His frustration mounting, he raised his voice, "Do you understand?" Hearing his voice, she trembled in fear. She nodded, after that they made their way to the car.
Arriving home, Prisha found her mother and Tina chatting over tea. Putting on a fake smile, she exclaimed, "Mom, look who's here? Tina Rawat!" Rushing to her mother, she embraced her tightly, unable to control her tears.
Concerned, her mother asked, "What's wrong, darling? Why are you crying?" Wiping her tears, Prisha replied, "It's just... I've missed you so much. It's been three days since I've seen you, so I'm feeling emotional. Nothing to worry about."
Relieved, her mother hugged her tightly. Meanwhile, Tina scoffed, "Prisha, you're such a crybaby. When I met mom after my marriage, I didn't react like this. Stop acting like a child and grow up." Prisha's felt bad at the taunt.
"Okay, I am going to prepare lunch for you. By the way,how is your friend?" Her mother asked, looking at her.
Confused at first, Prisha quickly recalled the lie she had told her mother at Shaurya's behest. "Yes, Mom, she's fine," she replied, feeling bad for lying to her mother.It was the first time she had lied to her mother because of him. Taking a deep breath, she headed to the kitchen to assist her mother.
Night,
Prisha was lying on her bed, staring at the cieling, tears were continuously streaming down her face as she recalled the dreadful days spent with Shaurya.
She took a deep breath, with determination, she whispered to herself, "He's a closed chapter now. Forget the past; focus on the present. Prisha, you have to be strong for your mom."