Unknown to him Niyati had been awake for a while watching him work. She remembered how much he had loved his job. It wasn't just work for him but it was a passion. He never shared with her his reasons for his obsession but she knew there was something that drove him. As she watched him work she wondered why he quit the job he loved so much.

The last thing Varun wanted to do was discuss his reasons for quitting the job he had loved so much. He thought he was being noble by choosing to uphold the law and help those who were less fortunate than him but all he had been doing was glamorizing the job he knew nothing about.

He had been lucky to have parents who were well off and willing to support his dreams but in the end those dreams turned into nightmares. Being a cop had cost him everything. All the sacrifices were worth nothing.

He shrugged his shoulders and took a deep breath, "Let's just say that being a cop wasn't at all like it was cracked up to be. I lost all passion for it after my partner was killed."

"I don't understand. You always wanted to be a cop, so what changed after Peter died?"

Varun kept his face away from her. He wouldn't be able to look her in the eye while talking about his partner's death. All the memories would come rushing to forth if he looked at her now.

"I found out that one of our own killed Peter because he was working with internal affairs to expose the corruptions that were happening in our department."

Niyati gasped and put her hand on his arm. She knew how devastating it must have been for him to find out that the job he worshipped so much was full of lies on top of finding out that his mentor was killed by one of his own colleagues.

"I am sorry you had to go through that?"

He finally turned towards her, "Yeah me too, more than you will ever know."

He wasn't just staying that because he had found out some hard truth about his profession. Not all cops were dirty but during the investigation he lost the one thing that had brought him peace. He had lost her because there were things he couldn't share with her about his work and also because of his guilt.

"Do you enjoy what you do now?" Her question brought him out of his reverie.

"It took me a while to let go of my dream and I stayed on the job even after I helped put the dirty cops away but it wasn't the same anymore. So many things happened after Peter was killed that I couldn't find the passion for the job anymore. I jumped at the chance of starting a private security firm when Shane offered it to me."

Niyati looked away from him. She wanted to know more but she did not want to hear about his marriage or his wife. Truth was she didn't want to know. If they started sharing their past then she would have to tell him the truth about why she left Baltimore. She could have stayed after their break up but she chose to put distance between them for a good reason. If she had stayed he would have never been free of her.

When she didn't say anything for a long time he took her chin and turned her towards him, "What else do you want to know?"

It was eerie how much he is able to read her. She shook her head in denial, "Nothing."

Again he was looking at her as if he knew exactly what she was thinking and his next words confirmed it.

"I won't push you for now but we are going to have a long talk after we find the person who is trying to hurt you."

"About that," She pulled away from him, "Do you know anything more regarding the accident?"

"Not yet, but we should know soon. I called Shane and told him to stop by as soon as he is free."

She nodded her head, I think I will go freshen up."

He didn't stop her.

Next time Niyati came out of her room was when she heard her doorbell and murmur of voices. She was relieved to see Shane in her living room.

"Hey beautiful, how are you feeling now?

She scowled at him, "So you finally have time for your best friend?"

"I always have time for you beautiful. I came, when you called, yesterday didn't I?" Shane hugged her to his side. He knew she wasn't really mad at him but probably feeling overwhelmed by close proximity to Varun.

As much as he wanted to help two of his closest friends get back together he felt that they needed to find their own way towards each other so he had stayed away the previous night.

Niyati hugged him back, "It's okay. Please tell me you found the person who caused the accident."

Varun should feel jealous of his friend but all he felt was envious of Shane. In fact he was glad that she had found a friend like Shane while she was all alone in New York. He wished he could be as casual with her as Shane. But then his feelings for her were not at all like a friend. He just hoped he is able to win her heart again and convince her that he too has changed since she walked out of his life.

"I am afraid we don't know who caused your accident but the police did find couple of fingerprints in the abandoned car. Let's hope something comes from that."

Shane took a seat on the couch ignoring the obvious tension between his two friends.

"Meanwhile we wait for him to make another move." She murmured under her breath as she took a seat across from Shane.

That was Varun's cue to leave. He could have told her what he and Shane had planned for her security but he felt it would be received better if it came from Shane. He knew she is not going to like the fact that he will practically be her shadow until they find the person who is trying to hurt her.

"Shane, I am going to run out to my apartment while you explain our plan to her." He grabbed his keys and left before Shane or Niyati could stop him.

After Varun left, Niyati turned to Shane and gave him a questioning look, "What plan?" When he didn't respond she narrowed her eyes at him, "Why do I get the feeling that I am not going to like your plan?"

Shane leaned forward, "It's actually not my plan but I think it's a good one until we catch this person who is after you."

She thought long and hard about the situation and knew she had no choice but to accept the help both Shane and Varun are offering her.

"What are you afraid of Niyati?"

He knew exactly what she is afraid of but he is going to pretend not to know. "I take it Varun went to his place to bring back his things so he could be my personal body guard."

When Shane nodded his head confirming what she has suspected she sighed, "You already know what scares me the most."

"Give him a chance, he might surprise you."

Easier said than done, lifetime of being alone and handling everything on her own made it hard for her to share her pain and sorrows with another person. More than anything she is afraid she is going to give in and fall for him again and if he breaks her heart again she is going to shatter.

Across the town...

A man with bulky built threw his cell phone across the room and gripped the leather chair behind his desk tightly. He breathed in and out to control his temper. It had been easy to fool the old lady for past few years to pad his bank accounts but things changed when she died and left her granddaughter in charge of the company.

He had tried his best to stall the audits of the books for the hotel he is currently managing for G&S Corporation but soon he is going to run out of time. His last meeting with Niyati had confirmed that there is no way to stop the changes that are coming and with those changes and the audits it will be soon obvious that he is been embezzling money from the company for years now.

The distraction tactics with the notes hadn't worked so he had hired someone to scare her but it's obvious that is not going to work. He had to step up the game or he will lose everything he has worked hard for all his life. He can't go to jail. There is only one thing left to do. It's time to stop scarring her and finish the job once and for all. He picked up the desk phone and contacted the person he had hired to frighten Niyati Gupta. 

***

A/N: Hello, everyone, here I am again with an update. I know most people are about to give up on this story but I assure you I am going to finish it. Just not have had time to write like I want to so it is slow going and I apologize for late updates. 

Hope you all enjoy this update, but I am sure next one will be much better.

Thank you all for reading and voting.