Kartik was feeling restless, and he didn't know why ? He was pacing back and forth in the living room. His heart was racing and he felt anxious, worried, restless, scared.... He didn't know what he was feeling, but these feelings were troubling him ever since he had woken up in the morning.

Maybe it was due to the fact that he was going to meet Kairav's mother. But even then, he shouldn't have felt this restless, the way he was feeling it now. He just had to go with Lisa, meet Kairav's mother, explain her everything, apologise and had to come back, that's it. Then why was he feeling this anxious ? He hadn't felt this restless since that fateful night, the day Naira had died. These were the same feelings he had felt five years ago, on that cursed day.

From morning Kartik felt that something was going to happen today, something unexpected, something drastic which was going to change his life. He didn't know how, but whatever was going to happen today, was going to be life altering.

He came out of his thoughts when he heard the door bell ring. He quickly opened the door. It was Lisa.

Lisa :- Hi kartik.

Kartik :- hi.

Lisa :- so ready ??

Kartik :- yeah.

Lisa :- then come on, let's go to the hospital.

Kartik :- Lisa, ek min.

Lisa : :- yeah ?

Kartik :- kya pehle hum Kairav ke yahan chal sakte hai ?

Lisa :- Kartik.......

Kartik :- Lisa please, it's not like ki I am saying ki hum hospital nahi chalenge, wahan bhi chalenge but pehle Kairav ke yahan chalte hai.

Lisa :- Kartik, tumne baat maani thi na ki pehle hospital chalenge, uske baad Kairav ke yaha.

Kartik :- haa, but ek baar meri baat suno.

Lisa :- okay, kaho.

Kartik :- main isliye keh raha hoon because we have no idea ki hospital mein kitna time lagega, i mean agar zayada rush hua, toh Hummein time bahut lag jayega, aur phir unke ghar pe late jaana shayad unko bhi ajeeb Lage.

Lisa :- Kartik, that's stu-

Kartik :- and, the biggest advantage is ki iss time Kairav school mein hoga, toh uski mom se baat karne mein koi problem nahi hogi, we can meet her easily, because I know ki agar main tab unke samne aaon jab Kairav ghar pe ho, toh vo hamari baat sunenge bhi nahi.

Lisa looked at Kartik for a moment, while the first reason was completed stupid, she couldn't deny the second reason. It had merit. She knew how protective Kairav's mother was of Kairav and introducing her and Kartik wasn't going to be easy.

Lisa :- thik hai.

Kartik :- thank you Lisa.

Lisa :- par uske baad we are going to the hospital, main tab kuch nahi sunungi.

Kartik :- aur main tab kuch nahi bolunga.

Lisa nodded. Both of them got in Kartik's car and reached Kairav place. They went inside the house. As soon as they entered the house, Kartik's restlessness increased. He didn't know why but his heart was pounding against his chest, for a moment it felt like it was going to come out.

The house was the same as before, but this time Kartik felt that something had changed, he felt a strange pull, which he hadn't felt when he had come here with Kairav, and he knew that this strange pull was not because of Kairav but rather someone else.

Lisa :- Kartik, vo shayad piche garden mein hogi, tum ruko, main usey bula kar laati hoon.

Lisa went from there, and if possible Kartik heart started beating even more fast. He didn't know what was happening. Kartik sat down on the sofa and stared at the table.

Kartik thoughts:- God, ye kya ho raha hai mughe, inti bechaini kyun ? Itna Darr kyun lag raha hai ? Itni ghabrahat kyun ho rahi hai ? Aisa kya hai yahan par jo mughe itna jyada Bechain kar raha hai.....

Kartik came out of his thoughts when he heard someone entering the house. It was Lisa and Kairav's mother.

Lisa :- Kartik, ye hai Kairav ki mom, and tina ye hai vo Kairav ke fake papa.

Kartik got up and looked at Kairav's mother.

Kartik froze.

His body stiffened, his eyes became wide, as Kartik looked at the woman who was standing in front of him.

It was Naira. His Naira.

She was standing in front of him. For a moment his mind shut down, it couldn't comprehend the situation. Kartik didn't know when he moved but a moment later he was standing in front of her.

Kartik kept staring at her, not even blinking as he looked at her. It was a dream, it had to be a dream. Slowly Kartik brought his hand up and touched her face.

The moment Kartik felt her warmth against his hand, he knew it wasn't a dream. His Naira was alive, and she was standing in front of him. Pure happiness burst in his heart, as he kept looking at her. His heart, his soul, screamed with joy, as Kartik looked at the woman in front of him, who was his soul, his happiness, his everything.

Kartik hugged her, tightly. His mind rejoiced when he felt the same warmth he so loved. The warmth which for he had craved for the past five years.

Kartik pulled back and again looked at her, reminding himself that she was here, standing in front of him.

Kartik cupped her face with both his hands.

Kartik :- Tum Zinda ho......?!!

Naira just nodded.

Kartik :- main...... Main..... Tum sach mein Zinda hoon....... Meri Naira Zinda hai, meri Naira..........

Kartik hugged her again, he couldn't even form words in his mouth, because of the joy, the happiness he was feeling. Tears were rolling down his cheeks. Tears of happiness. Of elation, of joy.

Kartik pulled back.

Kartik :- tumhe..... Shayad pata nahi hai, par ye paanch saal...... Maine......Paanch saal.......

Kartik kissed her. From her right cheek to her right temple to her forehead then to her left temple to her left cheek. He peppered her face with kisses. He was too emotional as he kept kissing every inch of her face.

Kartik hugged her again. He held her tightly in his arms.

Kartik :- I love you Naira, I Love you so much.

Kartik pulled back and cupped her face.

Kartik :- mughe pata tha ki tum Zinda ho...... sab bolte rahe ki tum chali gayi, par main...... main jaanta tha..... mera mann hamesha se kehta tha ki tum Zinda ho. Aur dekha..... main sahi tha, tum ho, tum sach mein ho.

Kartik hugged her again. She was actually here, in front of him. Not a dream, not an illusion, but his real Naira was here. Kartik pulled back.

Kartik :- sorry Naira. Main jaanta hoon ki tum bahut naraz ho mujhse..... Maine kaam hi aisa kiya hai na...... But I promise ki...... Aaj ke baad dobara aisi galti kabhi nahi hogi...... Hamre beech mein aise koi baat nahi hogi..... Main dobara aisa kuch nahi hone dunga. I promise..... Main jaanta hoon..... Tum bahut naraz ho na mujhse...... Par tumne mughe maaf kar diya na....... Haina...?? Bolo na Naira..... Maaf kar dogi na tum mughe.... ?

Kartik eyes fell on Lisa who was staring at him in shock.

Kartik :- Lisa, ye Naira hai. My wife..... Meri Naira. Main tumhe bataya tha na, par tumhe kaisa pata hoga.. ye meri Naira hai. Meri biwi.... Thank you Lisa.... Thank you so much...... Tum mughe Kairav ki mom se milane layi aur...........

Kartik's mind suddenly halted.

Wait..... Wait. Kairav's mother. Kairav's mother. Kairav's mother.

Suddenly flashback started running in Kartik's mind. Lisa telling him about Kairav's mother being a single mom, never talking about her husband, always changing the topic of her husband. The house decorated just like how Naira would have done. Lisa calling her as Tina, the alternate name which Naira had in rishikesh, when she had run away from home and most importantly Kairav, a name which they both had decided to keep if they had a son.

Kartik slowly looked at Naira, but this time his face was devoid of the happiness, of any emotion which he had just a felt a moment ago. Kartik slowly started walking back while still watching naira. She was alive this whole time and she didn't come back. She hadn't lost her memory, she was perfectly fine. Then why ????

Kartik :- tum..... Tum Zinda thi.... Toh vaapas kyun nahi aayi...... Paanch saal Naira..... Paanch saal, main tadapta raha.... Har pal Marta raha...... Khud ko saza deta raha..... Ye soch kar ki meri wajah se tum hamesha ke liye ye duniya se dur chali gayi..... Ki meri wajah se...... Meri Naira iss duniya se...... Vo sab..... Sab juth tha....... Kyu Naira...... Kyu kiya tumne aisa.....

Kartik felt rage, hot unadulterated anger. He was suffocating. He needed to get out of there. He slowly turned around and ran. He sat in his car and reached his house. He ran inside his house and locked the door.

Kartik fell on his knees. For a brief moment, he felt happy when he realised that he was a father, he had a child. He couldn't help but smile when he thought of Kairav.

But that moment vanished as soon as it came. Five years. He had missed five years of his son's life. Memories of past ran in his mind. Especially of that cursed day. Of everyone, who had tried to convince him to move on, to accept the fact that Naira was dead. And he had wished everyday for them to be wrong but now when his wish had finally come true, why wasn't he happy?!!

Kartik felt pain, like his heart had been cut into pieces by a red hot burning knife. He started hyperventilating. This pain was way worse then the pain he had felt when naira had died. No. Not died. Faked her death. But why ?

Kartik knew what he had done was wrong, he shouldn't have asked that question in the first place itself, but for that did he deserve to suffer all these five years?? He had blamed himself for Naira*s death, not just of Naira's but of his child as well.

Kartik got up and ran to the kitchen and opened a drawer and found whiskey in it. It was of David's but kartik didn't care. He took it out and started drinking from the bottle itself. The liquid burned his throat raw as it went down. For a moment a memory flashed in his mind, of Naira asking him to promise to never drink.

No. His consciousness screamed at him. Today he was going to drink and what promise!!! She doesn't have any right when she herself broke so many promises. Kartik took a big chug again, but nothing seemed to dull the pain. He drank again and again and again. But nothing happened. He didn't even realise he was crying badly. Tears were continuosly rolling down his cheeks.

5 years of anguish, 5 years of suffering, 5 years of pain. But that was nothing compared to the way he was feeling right now. In a moment his world had resolved and then shattered once again.

Kartik took a knife from the counter and cut his hand. Not just once, but multiple times. But that didn't seem to do anything, blood was flowing rapidly from his arm but he didn't care. He threw the knife at the wall.

Kartik came in the living hall, and let out a scream of pain, rage, hurt. He started punching the walls as hard as he could. His knuckles became bloodied but he didn't stop.

Kartik started destroying everything he could see, he punched the mirrors, his alredy bleeding hands started bleeding even more. Kartik destroyed everything in the hall, from furniture to lamps to table, everything. But his pain didn't seem to lessen.

Why ? Why ? One question and for that such a punishment. Living alone, missing his son's childhood, his consciousness blaming him for everything, everyday, every second, always telling him, that he was responsible for Naira's death, for his child's death but at the end, it all turned out to be a lie.

Kartik felt a stinging sensation at his abdomen. Kartik looked down at it to see that it was bleeding. The stitches from last night had opened up. Kartik felt dizzy, the whole world was spinning, he fell down on the broken glassware in front of him, many of them peirced his skin causing the beeding to increase.

Kartik's body and mind slowly became numb to the pain, to every feeling a person could feel. He was lying in a pool of his own blood, with just one question in his mind.

Why ? Why did Naira do this ? If she wanted to leave, she could have left him without faking her own death, but why this ? Why did she leave him to suffer for five years to the point of insanity ?

Kartik felt light, as his eyes became heavy, slowly and slowly his mind shut down and Kartik fell unconscious. 

A/N :- So guys, how was it. Please vote and tell me in the comments.

One thing I never understood was that Naira could have gone to Naksh, but faking her death was too much.