Dedicated to souji28, enjoy:)

Riya.

"God's punishing me with the same fate to my son" Auntie Alice started trembling slightly. "but I couldn't tell anyone, I was so worried, I was helpless"

I hugged her close. "Shh... It's okay, you have to tell me what happened"

"Its...It's all fake, Julia didn't run away, she loved her family with her life" Auntie Alice said.

Okay, Riya, you need to be calm, let's hear this story.

"What really happened?" I asked.

"Grandpa..." Auntie Alice shivered. "They got married without grandpa's permission, grandpa was against it, but he had no way after the marriage so accepted them, or that's what everyone believed"

"It was when Nivin was 5 years old, James went to the USA for a month and the problem started. nobody knew there was something like that going on in the home"

"The day before she disappeared, she came to me, looking all broken down, she..she asked me to take care of Nivin, to look after him like my own" Auntie Alice looked at me with her teary eyes.

My heart is beating wildly now, I looked at her.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I had no idea" she shook her head. "I thought there's something wrong with her health, I was worried, then she told me she's going away and I might hear things about her disappearance she said I am not to speak about her to anyone" Auntie Alice started crying again.

"I told her to...to inform James, but she refused, said she has to do it or something bad will happen to Neev, she also made me promise that... I... I wouldn't talk about it to anyone else, she said I am a mom so I would know how she feels, she said she trust me to take care of Nivin"

I was shocked. From the time I first entered this house, I had been hearing about the cursed and betrayed Julia! I can't believe she was forced to run away for her family!

Grandpa!

I gritted my teeth, my heart is aching for the five-year-old who has been searching for his mom until he realised his mom's not going to come back.

He reminded me of myself...When I used to wait for my father to take me home!

"If only I had stopped her from leaving! if only I had convinced her to talk to James, nothing would've happened" Auntie Alice started to cry.

"That's not true, auntie,"  I said, patting her. "you were helpless too, you didn't stand a chance against grandpa"

"I was shocked when I hear the story that Julia ran away with James best friend, I couldn't do anything, there was even a letter from Julia, I couldn't stop anything that followed, two years after, James drank himself to death, I couldn't even tell him the truth" Auntie Alice sobbed.

"I...I really wanted to...but...I was a...coward, I was...worried that...he will...do the same..to me, grand..pa, to my family too.." she trembled.

"Every time I looked at Nivin, I felt guilty, I know it's all my fault he's all alone, I have tried my best in him, but he was cold and wanted to be left alone," Auntie Alice said.

"Then he started the war with grandpa and it was totally out of my control" she sobbed.

"But...what happened to his mom?" I asked slowly, my heart beating too fast.

"She...she's probably dead, I tried to find her in my own way, but it's a dead end everywhere, someone even brought me enough evidence that I now believe she's no more in this world," Auntie Alice said.

"And that's why I stopped Rohan, I told him everything, I even told him they might kill that girl if he ever go after her and that's what made him leave Naina!"

"Rohan knows about Neev's mom?" I asked, shocked again.

"Yes, when he was packing his bag to run away with Naina, I had to tell him, it was two years ago"

"And..he...Rohan said grandpa would never kill her, he couldn't believe it until grandpa threatened him with Naina's life" Auntie Alice told me.

I know what followed then! Rohan told us what happened! but he never mentioned anything about Nivin's mom!

"So Rohan knew about this all these time?" I asked robotically.

"Yes, when grandpa threatened him with Naina's life, he had no choice, but to leave her forever, he wanted to protect her but I think he realised it then, he believed me then"

I don't know what to do. I never thought a family can do this to each other!

I never expected this! Especially from Rohan! he was keeping this from Neev all these time!

Neev still thinks his mother abandoned him! he still thinks she ran away with his dad's best friend!

He was hurting all these time!

"All these time, and you never thought of telling Neev? he's been hating his mother for a long time now" I said, I can't accept it anymore.

"Rohan said the same thing, he wanted to tell Neev, he was going to, but I had to stop him"

"Why?" I looked at her.

"Because I couldn't keep my promise to Julia, I couldn't help Neev, he was depressed and broken, he acted strong outside, he thought everyone around him betrayed him, it was that time when Nirosha broke up with him too," Auntie Alice said. "It was not the right time, Nivin couldn't handle it then"

"After James's incident everything turned upside down, Even John...he thinks it's partly his fault that James drank himself to death, he regrets not trying to stop James's drinking habit, he doesn't even know the rest of the story and I am worried to tell him" she trembled.

"John uncle!?" I asked surprised.

"Yes, he was very ambitious and hard working before, but after James death, he refused CEO post because it belonged to James before, he started to work out of state and abroad, trying his maximum to stay away from the family" Auntie Alice said again.

That's why john uncle is out of place most of the time! he's working hard, but he refused the CEO position! Is he paying back James in his own way too?

Everything seemed to be more complicated than I thought!

"It's all my fault-" Auntie Alice said again and I took her hand.

"It's not," I said firmly. "So don't blame yourself," I told her.

"Mom, you are drunk" both of us were startled to hear Rohan's voice.

"Go back inside" he commanded, the old cheerful Rohan gone and the devil in him looked at us, much like Nivin's when he's angry.

"I think you are drunk too," I told him.

"Nothing I can't handle" he shrugged. "I will take her inside, wait for me here, we need to talk, Riya" he ordered again.

I shivered slightly when he took Auntie Alice, who was crying all the way, mumbling 'It's all my fault' along the way.

Rohan returned back. "What did mom tell you?"

"I think you know, Rohan"

"Don't go talking about it"

"I can't do that, you know that, we have to tell Neev," I said

"Do you know why Neev kept pushing me away? I mentioned his mom once, Riya, only once"

"That's not an excuse, he has the right to know! we have to te-"

"I was going to tell him, two years ago, as my mom said, it was not the right time, he was already hurt and broken, I couldn't do that to him, he would have completely lost it"

"You should have told him" I whispered.

"I told you Riya, I tried, I mentioned his mom's name once and next thing I know, he was racing blindly and met with an accident," Rohan said fiercely.

"His mom sacrificed her life for him Rohan, I think he needs to know," I said, my eyes burning.

"Riya, it's not the right time, I want to tell him too, but we have to endure it a bit more, I am thinking of some way"

"And I don't want to aggravate grandpa, Aunt Julia is a forbidden subject in our house, if Neev ever comes to know that his amma was threatened to go away, he will meet grandpa, and you can imagine what will happen, I just want to make sure he's ready to hear about this first"

"But Rohan-"

"Trust me Riya, once I asked grandpa why he had to do that to Julia and he was so mad, he even denied my accusation, he said Auntie Julia did run away with Anil ragunad, Uncle James's best friend," Rohan said

"He was lying! She personally came to see your mom, she said she's going away because she wants to protect Neev!" I said.

Rohan nodded. "I know, but grandpa will never admit it! do you know what he did to me then? he blackmailed me to accept Nivin's girlfriend, Nivin didn't even know Nirosha and her family agreed to the engagement with me! do you know how I felt then?" Rohan looked at me.

"Then everyone else knew about the engagement, nobody dared to tell Neev. when he knew about it, he didn't even confront me! he breaks all the ties, he didn't keep any contact and he let go of everyone, he thought everyone betrayed him" Rohan stopped.

"That's why you went abroad!" I said, now understanding it

"I wanted time to think, I wanted to clear some things too, I also wanted to give Neev his freedom"

"And you felt guilty" I added, he didn't deny it.

"I couldn't tell him that his 5 years of girlfriend agreed to marry me instead"

"Why would she do that to him!" I said angrily. I can't imagine how it must've hurt Nivin. It was always a betrayal for him, his mother, Nirosha, family!

"It was her dad's and grandpa's decision," Rohan said.

"She didn't fight much, did she," I said darkly.

"You know grandpa, he will get what he wanted"

I sighed.

Of course! it's grandpa again!

I thought about what Nirosha had done, about her meeting Naina as Rohan's fiancee. I know Rohan is not aware of that.

I closed my eyes tightly for a moment before turning to him.

No, I can't tell him that, it's not going to help Rohan now! besides, Neev said he will talk to Rohan about it.

"I couldn't do much for Neev then, except giving his freedom, so I made a deal with grandpa, I will go through all his condition and accept it, but only if he grand Nivin his freedom"

"Except grandpa wasn't planning for his freedom from first onwards, he always wanted to make Neev miserable," I said again. "he wants someone to blame for all his bad deeds and Nivin was there, an ideal scapegoat"

"What about Uncle James's best friend? the one who took Julia away?" I asked slowly.

"It is one of the things I want to know myself, I was searching for him for the past two years since I find out about Nivin's mom," Rohan said with fire in his eyes.

"I wanted to ask Anil Ragunad what he got for betraying his best friend, James and killing his best friend's wife, but I couldn't find him, he's hidden himself well and with grandpa helping him, it's not easy to find him" Rohan looked scary now.

"Do you think...Neev's mom.." I couldn't bring myself to say it.

"I don't have any evidence, but I think she's...she's no more, I searched for her, I can't find her" he stopped. "After he threatened me with Naina's life, I am sure grandpa and ragunad must've have done something to Auntie Julia!" Rohan looked really angry now.

"I wanted to drag him in front of Neev so that I will feel some justice for keeping this secret from him but obviously he must've changed names, went abroad or it can be anything, I hired the best detectives, I couldn't find him"

"It's not your fault, Rohan, but you have to realise keeping the truth from Neev will only make things worse for everyone," I said.

"Riya, I know it's all messed up now, but Nivin is my brother, I don't want to hurt him more, I am also planning to tell him everything, but I need some time"

"Not more than a week, Rohan," I said firmly. "Even if he will go mad at first, he will find solace in the fact that his mother did not abandon him like he thought all these years," I said.

"I just want to find the truth of what happened, the past two years I had been abroad, my men searched all the places but I couldn't find any trace of Auntie Julia"

"Do you think there is a chance for her to be alive -" I started hopefully, but he cut across me.

"I don't know if they buried her or if they destroyed her body too," he said and I shivered.

"I just want something of his mother's before I tell him Riya, I am still working on it" he looked at me again. "or Nivin will never believe it, I know him"

I know Rohan is right about that.

"Rita, I want you to keep out of these, you will get yourself in trouble"

"I can't do that," I said.

"Riya, it's for you, keep out of this" Rohan warned.

"I cant Rohan, I am already too deep in this," I said.

"Riya, it will be better if you go far away now, if you ever get caught by grandpa, it will be the end of you"

I looked at him. First Neev, then Sachin, Danny, now even Rohan is asking me to escape from grandpa.

I sighed.

"I can't go away, Rohan, I told you, I am already too deep in this"

"What's Neev to you?" his next question shocked me.

Silence filled the air as we stared at each other.

"I care about him," I said slowly.

I can't seem to go on each day without seeing him. I can't bear the pain of his suffering, I want to take that pain away. I want to console him, hug him close and tell him that he can trust me, that I am not going to betray him.

"Be very careful Riya, don't get involved more than you are now," Rohan warned me before he said a good night and walked away.

I was too far away to notice anything else. my heart is beating like crazy.

"Jeez! I am in big trouble" I whispered, now hitting my heart softly with my right hand.

I just realised that I am in love with Nivin Rosh freaking aldrick!

The cold-hearted beast plus my guardian angel, I am in love with him!

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Guys,

I know grandpa's and Auntie Alice's story about Julia does not fit. Grandpa really thinks Neev's mom ran away with Riya's dad, Anil Ragunad and he hates Riya because of it.

And Auntie Alice knew Julia didn't run away, Auntie Alice & Rohan really thinks Grandpa & Anil Ragunad is responsible for Julia's missing.

It's twisted, I know and of course, there's more to it, but it will be revealed slowly over the chapters!

Ha! I feel like I am making it more complicated by explaining it like this!

Anyways, do tell me if you are confused, and I promise, you will get a clear view from coming chapters.

So guys...vote comment & share.

Do tell me what you think!

Love you all...