Her heart stopped beating for a second when she saw him with a girl in his bike in a very intimating position. She had no idea, What to do? She knew to expect him to love her like before was total foolishness. She should be happy that he finally moved on in his life but why the hell it's aching her this much. Just Tears crossed her eyes blurring her from seeing everything beyond. 

"What happened, Ani? Are you fine?" - Atharv questioned when her toes went numb running after him. It was the most terrible moment in her life. She never imagined her life will become this much worse. She thought, whatever happens, Her dadi will stand next to her as support but From the start of her life, she had been living the life of lies. Everything is a lie. She was not just a burden for her dad but for everyone. She questioned her, why she even live in this world. Being betrayed by everyone and unknowingly hurting the one who truly loved her. She closed her palms and shut her eyes tightly when her mind imagined the moment after her father falsely accused shivaay of rapping her. Her legs gave up, she thuds in the road when she was about to fall, Atharv held her. 

He must have gone minding his own business, But he was after her and now supporting her when she completely broke without any hope. Not only, Anika, Even Atharv saw him with some other woman, Rather being relaxed or happy, He felt her pain. Without even consulting her, He held her dragging her arm and proceed his way towards the car which was parked in the cafe. Anika couldn't even process what was going around her, She felt weak, completely weak. He made her sit in one of the stairs. 

"Ani... Come, I will take you back home..." - He said, But rather responding tears crossed her eyes and blurred the vision. He kneeled down opposite to her, Seeing her crying helplessly, Tears welled up in his eyes. 

"Ani... This is reality... You have to accept this, He moved on, It has been ten years..." - He said while cupping her face. But she didn't stop crying. 

"I... I am happy..."- She spelt while crying while taking off his hands from her face.

"What?" - He asked her confusingly. She came back to her senses and wiped off her tears. 

"I am happy that he moved on in his life... why he has to get punished for my mistakes? He deserves a better life... And I deserve this punishment for a lifetime..." - Anika said and stood up from her seat, Even though she was weak she decided to go home on her own. On the other hand, Atharv was confused. But he couldn't able to see her in that broken state.

"Anika... Let me drop you..." - He called her, She stopped walking and turned back to him. 

"For the last time?" - He asked her, This time she couldn't able to deny him. She got inside his car and the car started to move to take the longest route to her house. She didn't complain. She needed this peaceful place desperately. 

"I know you don't want to say anything to me, But don't be like this, I know you're hurt but this pain, this betrayal is not for a lifetime... Remember, Your fiance told this to you hours before breaking this marriage..." - Atharv said while breaking the silence in the air. But his words made her chuckle. He was confused. 

"I am twenty-eight years old, Till now, The pain you mentioned as temporary was the only company in these years..." - She said while looking at him. 

"I am cursed, Nobody in the world other than him understands my pain. And now, I have lost the last hope too..." - She added while looking aside. 

"I am feeling like a dumbo, I have been there with you, But still, I couldn't able to gain your trust..." - He busted off along with the tears. Anika turned her face towards him. 

"What i didn't do, ani? To win you? To win your trust? But still, I am the loser here..." - He asked her. Anika have no answers to his questions. 

"Not as a boyfriend, Not as a fiance, At least, You could have treated me as your friend?" - Athrav asked her. She was perplexed.

"I concerned about you, Atharv... That's why I told you everything about me, about him..." - Anika replied back in a low tone. 

"No, You didn't... Still, You're a puzzle to me..." - He replied to her. Anika knew, He desperately wanted to know everything, Even Anika have no hesitations to tell him everything. But she had no energy left in her to tell him. 

"I met him in the hospital for the first time, After ten long years, I have no idea about him, But he provoked the buried feelings for him in my heart by narrating our story to me. He referred me as his angel..." - She laughed thinking about the past. She started to tell him everything from the start, How her life changed in the span of 12 hours, How she got a spark of him when she went back to her school after ten long years. He stopped the car and listened to her. 

He thought Shivay was the invader in their life but after she narrated the whole story to him, he felt like an invader in their life. He thought if he didn't come between them, there will be a chance of seeing them together happily now. He felt her pain, But he didn't show them on his face thinking that will make her feel that he's feeling pity for her. But he couldn't able to control his tears when she cried helplessly when she told him about her father's fake allegations on him. He held her palms tightly. But she didn't stop crying. He pulled her towards him and hugged her tightly. She cried helplessly on his shoulder. 

"Anika, Relax... Everything will become fine, I promise..." - He consoled her, Even he had no idea how everything will become fine. She stopped crying and broke the hug. 

"Are you fine?" - He asked her while wiping off her tears with his thumb. She nodded. 

"My mom used to say, Nothing is permanent in this life, Including the miseries and pain... So, Don't loose your faith..." - He said while making her looking at him. Even though she lost every hope, She nodded yes for his happiness. Atharv started to drive back to her house, He stopped his car nearer to the gate. When anika was about to emerge out, He held her palm and made her sit back in the seat. 

"You forgot something..." - He said and took the ring from his pocket. She was shocked. 

"I told you..." - She started but he stopped her from saying anything further. 

"Let me say, First..." - He said and took her right hand rather than her left hand. She was confused. 

"From now on, This ring will stay as a symbol for our friendship... I want to friend you for life... Will you accept the proposal of being your friend for a lifetime?" - He asked her, She chuckled at the very next second. 

"I promise, I will never try to slip the ring in your left ring finger when you give your right ring finger..." - He said. This time, She felt his real feelings for him, He was not doing everything just because he's feeling pity for her. But she sensed some truthness in his words which provoked her to accept his proposal of being her friend for the lifetime. She allowed him to slip the ring on her right ring finger and register their friendship. 

"From this spot, I am your friend... Remember that..." - He said. 

"No more tears..." - He kissed her forehead. She passed a weak smile when she got down from his car. She waved him bye with the same smile in her face. The smile faded away from her face when he went back. She stood before the gate. By then, She remembers the words of the advocate. If anything happens to her, Her whole property goes to the trust which helps the orphan students studies. 

Atharv stopped the car before the hospital where Anika got admitted when she was injured. He had no idea what he was doing, But he listened to his heart which provokes him to do so. 

"Hi, I am Atharv Singhania... I am here to meet, Dr Shivaay Singh Oberoi... Is he available?"- He asked the attendee. 

"Doctor relieved from the hospital before three weeks, We heard he went out of the station..."  - That attendee said, He expected this answer from her. 

"Oh, Actually, He attended my friend, Can you give this envelope to him, If he ever turns back?" - He asked while taking something from his blazer. She looked at him with her pity eyes. He noticed that.

"I will give his address, Leave it in his house... We have no idea, when will he come back..." - Attende said, He felt proud when his plan finally worked. 

"Thank you so much..." - He said and noted his address in his phone. 

******

"Have you seen her going with that person?" - Shivaay asked his cafe friend who informed shivaay about her arrival in the cafe.

"Yes, Bhai... He takes her back, But..." - His friend stopped. 

"But??" - Shivaay asked him. 

"She cried a lot, Bhai..." - He said, Mere imagining her position, Provoked the tears in his eyes. 

"Don't worry, He was there with her, Right... She will become alright..."  - Shivaay replied controlling his tears. 

"Bhai... I have no idea, Why are you doing this?" - His friend asked him. 

"Because I love her... I want a perfect life for her..." - He thought but he didn't say anything from his mouth to him. 

"Everything has a reason behind, I am leaving the city permanently tomorrow... Come to my house tomorrow morning... Remember, You have to drop me..." - Shivaay said holding all his emotions in his chest. By then, His doorbell rang. He confusingly opened the door. His heartbeat skipped for a second when he found Atharv in his doorstep.

*****

She had no idea from when she started to live in the fake identity of the strongest lady in this world and can withstand any situation when she stood before the same point where that stranger pushed off her the cliff.  She thought She can withstand anything but she was wrong. She looked down at the rivers, Yamuna and Ganga. She could able to see the river clearly even though fog and darkness blocked the vision. Over that time, She thought, Why didn't she die at the first attempt and for the first she felt thankful for the person who pushed her off from the cliff. There were no fears, There were no second thoughts, She decided. 

Even she ends her life, She ends it for good. Her entire property will go to the kids who belong to her kind, One difference, They never get betrayed in their life because of the fake relations. But at that point, she never felt any sort of anger for anyone. Not even her father. She felt like getting relieved from all the sort of pain in her life. She felt like she was getting ready to fly from this fake world. She closed her eyes, This time she remembered the day before ten years when she decided to end her life. She felt the same feel. 

She was standing in the top of a ten stocks building and thought each and every moment of her past with him, Tears provoked her eyes when she chose his life over their love when her father asked her to choose and her daadu stayed still without any emotions. He even betrayed her by choosing his son over her. He put a rape case before him and made her support her father. But it was never a case. She sensed everything, The betrayal in his eyes when she supported her father instead of him. She died at that spot. She never even cared to say goodbye to her daadu and dadi when her father takes her back to Mumbai. But she couldn't able to survive. Each and every second went like an eternity. At last, She decided. 

"I am sorry for whatever i did... I will always love you..." - She said after closing her eyes. Without even her knowledge, She said the same in reality, She set free of all the controls over her body and she could feel her whole body moving downwards. By then she felt a strong hand holding her wrist and pulled her to him. Before she could open her eyes, She felt a tight slap on her face. Tears welled up in her eyes when she felt who it was. 

*******