Advith closed his suitcase and texted his assistant about his whereabouts. It was at that time that his house-bell rang. He wondered who would come at this time to his home. He walked towards the door and looked through the peephole. It was his mother. He immediately opened the door and nearly scolded his mother.

"Amma! Why did you come this late at night? You should have called me!" He said, thinking for the safety of his mother. "Where is Achhan?" He asked.

"He is at home. I came alone. We...I wanted to talk to you." His mother said as she walked inside.

"It is not safe to be out so late, Amma! Call me next time and I will come to you." He said as he guided her to a chair.

Serving her water, he continued the conversation.

"What did you want to discuss?" He asked gently as he placed his suitcase near the door.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"Yes, Amma. I need to close a deal with my new business partner."

"Where are you going this time?" Her mother asked, with a sigh as she knew that her son was always on the move.

"Sikkim. I will stay there for 2 weeks."

"Okay! I have heard that it is a beautiful place." His mother said.

Advith chuckled and finally sat near his mother.

"You want to accompany me?" He asked.

"Maybe next time."

"Tell me whatever is bothering you, Amma." He said with a sigh. Although he knew that it must be something related to his father. Otherwise, his mother wouldn't arrive this late at his home.

"You know that your father is concerned about your marriage." His mother started slowly.

Advith was about to interrupt with an argumentative statement when his mother stopped him.

"First listen to me."

"Fine." He answered.

"Since you are not saying 'yes' to any girl recommended by your Acchan, he has finally told me just now that he would accept any girl you would want to marry." His mother smiled.

Advith stared at his mother for a while.

"You came to tell me this?" He asked.

"Aren't you happy about it? You can marry that girl you have been thinking about, now when your father has agreed. This is why I came so quickly to tell you the good news."

"Amma!" He sighed. He didn't know how he should say this to her.

"Wh...what happened? You don't want to marry that girl? Vidhushi right?" His mother asked, confused.

"I want to marry her desperately."

"Then? What is the problem? Is it her parents? We can go and talk to them, you know! I would convince her mother. Unless... she doesn't want to marry you!" His mother said, after all, women's consent in marriage was highly respected in Advith's family.

"She loves me too. It's just that... "

"What?"

"She is married."

"What?" Advith's mother almost shouted as she stood in shock. "You were having an immoral affair with a married girl?" Her mother couldn't believe it. His son was better than that!

"No, Amma! I mean, she got married a few days back."

"But, I don't understand. If she loves you and you love her, then why did she marry someone else? Was she forced by her parents?"

"Not her parents. She was forced by her fiance who is her husband now."

"But..."

"I know what you are thinking Amma. She married that man to save her loved ones' lives and because of her father's last wish."

"So, now? Now that she is married to someone else, you need to forget about her, right son!" His mother said, hoping that her son would agree to her. She didn't want her son to relent in the past...or go crazy for a girl, literally.

"No, Amma. I am going to get her back."

There was a full minute silence from his mother's side.

And then, he got slapped by his mother at the age when most men become fathers.

"Is this what we have been teaching you all these years? To go after a married woman?"

"You don't know the complete truth, Amma! She... She is not safe with her husband."

"So, you have decided to be her saviour and break their wedding and marry an already married woman! Have you gone crazy or what? Your father will skin you alive if he gets to know about it! In our family, we only marry once...once...man or woman...especially a woman." His mother was full-on shouting now.

"I don't give a damn to the traditions. I have had ENOUGH of these rules... rules that don't even make any sense. Now, I just want to follow my heart!" Advith retaliated.

"Then kill me before you even think of such a sin." His mother said as she walked to the kitchen and brought a knife dramatically. Advith ran to his mother and snatched the weapon carefully.

"Amma!" He could only exclaim.

"Kill me before you think about marrying that girl."

"Amma! Please don't do this to me. I can fight with everyone, even Acchan! But, not you. Please understand. I really love her."

"She is married, Advith! You must be ashamed of yourself. And, now, listen to me very carefully." His mother said in a serious tone. "If you will think about marrying that girl again, I will break all relations with you."

"Amma!" Advith whispered.

"I have always been silent with you. I have always supported you. But, this! This is beyond me.  Now, decide whether you want your mother in your life or that girl who is someone else's wife." His mother said and started walking towards the main door.

Advith immediately stopped her by hugging her from behind.

"I...I had always thought that no matter what, my Amma would always support me. And, if I have to choose between you and the world, I would always choose you, Amma. So, fine!" He said as he turned his mother around so that they face each other.

"You don't want me to marry her. Then, I won't. But, please let me protect her, at least. I...really love her. And I won't be able to live with the guilt that I couldn't do anything to save that one girl when I had all the power to."

"Advith, son! Every person has their own destiny. Let her face hers. You don't need to concern yourself with her life." His mother said, gently.

"I don't want her to live that destiny. Let me just reveal the truth to her, with evidence and then I will get out of her life, silently. I promise, Amma. Allow this one thing, please!"

"What truth?"

"I can't tell you that, Amma. It's just that her husband is not a good man. She is not safe with him."

"Okay then. I will give you 6 months then. After six months, you will not involve yourself with her life. And you will not marry her, even if she divorces her husband." Her mother said.

Advith nodded. He didn't need to promise his mother. Because he would keep the word that he has given to his mother.
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Vidhushi opened her eyes slowly as the sunlight filtering through the windows fell on her face.

"Oh shit! You scared me Kunal!" She exclaimed as she got startled.

Kunal smiled at her. He had been staring at her sleepy form for the past thirty minutes, waiting for her to wake up. Her nightdress had slid down and her cleavage was visible to his thirsty eyes. It was the first time for her to be so careless in from to him, unintentionally though.

"Why didn't you wake me up when you were up already." She mumbled as she attempted to wake up but he pushed her down by her waist.

"Someone is up for you too." He replied.

"What?" She asked confused and clearly not getting the double meaning.

He looked downwards and then towards her. She followed his gaze with a frown.

"I don't understand!" She said.

Kunal sighed and then pressed his lower body on her in an attempt to practically show his desire for her. She felt his hard member on her thighs.

Her eyes became the size of apples when she realised his meaning and intention. Immediately, she shot up from the bed.

"Yuck Kunal! You creep!" She scolded him for being so dirty-minded.

Kunal laughed at her innocence and sat on the bed.

"It's perfectly natural for a husband to be aroused if his wife shows her assets so openly." He commented.

"I did not show my...assets." She said and ran to the bathroom, knowing that her cheeks would be red by now.

"Let's have a shower together. We can explore other assets of each other. What's say, wifey?" He shouted from outside in an attempt to tease her more.

"Go away." She replied. A strange smile appeared on her face after seeing his playful nature today.
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It was a normal morning breakfast routine and everyone was assembled at the dining table. Thankfully for Vidhushi, Misha was absent. She was talking to another cousin of Kunal when she heard a hiss from Kunal. She looked at him to find that he had cut his thumb by knife while cutting an apple.

And it was not a normal cut. He had sliced it too deep which was visible from the amount of blood dripping on the plate below.

Vidhushi panicked and instantly stood to his aid.

"Oh my god, Kunal! Come with me." She gathered few tissue papers and pressed it on his thumb. Pulling him behind her, she took him to the kitchen.

"Who told you to cut the apples?" She scolded him out of concern as she washed the wound in the running water.

Kunal simply stared at her.

"Say something!" She finally looked at him.

"You look so beautiful when you are concerned about me." He threw a line again. Vidhushi rolled her eyes.

Taking out the first aid box from the lower cabinet, she made him sit on the nearest stool.

"Show the wound to the doctor once today, okay?" She informed him.

"I am fine, Vidhu. This is nothing compared to the wound I get in the business. Don't panic." He said as he eased the frown on her forehead. Vidhushi sighed.

"Promise me that you will visit the doc. The cut was from iron, Kunal. It can be highly infectious. Please?" She asked with genuine concern.

"Fine. But you will have to kiss me first." He playfully said.

"No thanks." She muttered and ran out of the kitchen. If she remained with him for long, he would have successfully managed to convince her. Were all husbands like this? She wondered.

Entering the dining room again, her heart cringed at the sight before her. Everyone was busy with their usual conversation and routine. It was as if nothing had happened a few minutes ago.

Vidhushi sat near her mother-in-law and noticed how she was still enhanced in a conversation with someone on phone; even after seeing that Kunal had hurt his finger. Even his father was casually talking to his younger brother. Not a single person cared!

This was the first time for Vidhushi to witness that what Kunal had told her earlier was indeed true. No one loved him in his family. No one knew what family love is here. And it was the environment in which Kunal had grown up.

"Vidhu, I am leaving. I'll call you later." Kunal called for her as he left for work. She only nodded in reply.

It was only natural for Kunal to not reciprocate love to his family members when he didn't receive any.

"Kunal hurt his finger." She told her mother-in-law when she had disengaged from her phone.

"Oh yes. I saw. I have asked the maid to throw away his plate." His mother replied.

The reply mustn't have shocked her, but it did. She nodded but her heart was furious. His mother didn't even ask if he was okay!

Did his parents behave in this way too when he was a child? She wondered because Kunal used to hurt himself a lot during their play-days.

Is this the reason why Kunal is, how he is! She whispered to herself as she walked back to her room.
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"You're not going to kill me today, right?" Vidhushi joked as Kunal took her somewhere after blindfolding her.

"Ha ha." He sarcastically replied.

"Tell me. Where are we going?" She asked.

"Just a little more. Careful!" He said as she stumbled over a stone on the pebble pathway.

"This is why you shouldn't have blindfolded me." She muttered as he continued to guide her.

"What is the fun otherwise." He chuckled.

Before she could reply, he stopped and removed the cloth from over her eyes.

She didn't need to adjust to the lighting because it was already evening.

"Kunal! This is...so cute!" She whispered as she saw the beautiful little cottage in front of her. It was decorated with fairy lights and a small picnic table was set in the garden space.

"Welcome to our home." He whispered near her ear. She turned around instantly in surprise.

"Our home?" She confirmed.

"Yes. I told you that we would be living alone. So, this is our home. And, we will move here whenever you would want to since you want to live for few more days with my family." He answered.

"Oh my god! This is a dream place, Kunal. Where is this place?" She asked.

"Far away from my family." He answered. She turned to look at him again. But this time, his answer hurt her. He didn't want to be close to his family! She didn't object though, after seeing today's event.

"And I have set up a small dinner for us here." He said with a smile to lighten her mood. She smiled back.

"I really hope there aren't any animals here, Kunal." She said as she took his arm and walked close to him.

"What is my gun for then?" He answered and she rolled her eyes. He was carrying his gun here too!

After sitting down on the carpet, she opened the boxes of the food that he had ordered. Everything was her favourite. Meanwhile, he opened the top two buttons of his shirt to be at ease.

Out of nowhere he brought a rose and tucked it carefully on her ear.

"You are being so romantic today!" She said as she took a fork and passed pasta for him to eat.

"You forgot again, right?" He asked with a smile. He knew that she would never remember their any anniversary.

"What? It's not your birthday, I know." She said as she stuffed her mouth as well with pasta.

"Today was the day when I first proposed to you." He mumbled as he traced his fingers on her bare arm.

Vidhushi choked on her food and laughed.

"Oh yea! I was in 10th standard then." She chuckled at the memory when he had asked her to be his girlfriend; more like ordered.

"This is why I am gifting you this house today. Will you make a home with me?" He asked in a serious tone to which she raised her brows.

"I married you, Kunal. Isn't that obvious now?" She said with a confused look.

Unlike other times, he didn't argue today or give any snarky reply. He simply lowered his head as if in deep thought. Vidhushi sighed as she saw his lowered gaze.

She shuffled closer to him and took his hands in his. His family might have kept him away from the feeling of 'love' throughout his life, but she wouldn't. She had been reflecting on this issue since morning. And it was the moment that she realised that she would give him a chance...she would give both of them an honest chance.

She will make him a better person, even if it takes forever. But, she will make him come out of the swamp of the mafia in which his father had thrown him since he was born.

"Yes, I will." She answered as he looked at her.

The brightness of the smile on his face was more than the fairy lights. He took the liberty of hugging her in delight. As they came out of the hug, he remained closer to her and their faces were inches apart.

She looked slowly at his lips and then his eyes as he did the same. However, today, it was she who took the initiative and placed her lips on his.

She would forget her past and will begin a new life with this man. She promised herself.

By the time she got back to her senses, he was already on top of her with her hairclip gone. She pushed him.

"I thought we were here for dinner." She said shyly as she took the fork again.

"Well, you turned me on. It was not planned." He mumbled as he opened another box.

"This is for you." He said as he passed her an envelope from his pants pocket.

"What's this?" She asked as she tore the edge of the paper.

"Our honeymoon destination." He said.

"Oh! I was wondering why you hadn't come up with this before. Anyway, where are we going?" She mumbled as she took out the flight tickets. He didn't reply. He let her see for herself.

"Oh my god! SIKKIM!" She said loudly as she jumped in joy.