(🚨 Long chapter ahead 🚨)

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Yuvaan's POV

I knew she was not right in the head, if she was, she wouldn't have brought me with her when she was given a chance to have a solo trip. And everyone called me insane - they should meet my wife for a change.

But she smiled, and it wasn't just a mere smile; her brown orbs twinkled and face glowed when she told me to pack my bags for our honeymoon. For a minute, I froze and couldn't believe my eyes, but when I saw something that reminded me of myself, a spark passed through my body.

She was not what she showed others; she was hiding something deep down in her soul, and for the first time, I got a glimpse of her real self. The way she looked at me with no fear and commanded me - I can't express how it felt.

Saying it was awesome would be an understatement; it was something else entirely.

And yesterday, I got to dig more into what the real deal Reyna Bakshi was. I wouldn't lie, she had intrigued me ever since she came in my life, but my revenge wouldn't let me see her as any different from what her father was.

I got aware of her parents abandoning her weeks ago when I noticed that she never called her parents and only talked to her friends and brother. She never once went out to meet anyone and stayed at home only.

Actually, I had a upper hand and could have tortured her without keeping her in my house, but I didn't know why I was still keeping her with me. My thoughts were jumbled up, and it hadn't left my notice that my nerves went haywire more whenever she was around.

If it continued like this, I would lose all of my sanity and drop back into the soulless pit which Mom worked so hard to get me out from. I deserved the beating; I knew I was being unreasonable by comparing Reyna with her parents, but I had no excuse to tell Mom.

She warned me that she would never talk to me if I troubled my wife again and would work on the divorce. Moreover, she told Reyna about Tamannah too. I was angry at her for revealing my past like that, but there was no use mulling over spilt milk.

But why was Mom getting involved in my matter? I was not a kid anymore, so why did she still treat me like one?

And as for Kitten, she could have the divorce if she wanted; it wasn't like I couldn't accomplish my goal if she wasn't married to me. Her dad was the main culprit, and he would pay for what he did, and I would take every return for the amount of innocent blood he shed.

I knew Reyna was blameless, that girl didn't even know the B of business, but I wouldn't apologize for what I did to her. I was angry and add it to my other issues.

I can't take it if someone outsmarts me every time, which she was doing very efficiently and quietly.

Ring! Ring!

I picked up the call after seeing Reyna's caller ID flash on my mobile screen.

"Want to come to the beach?" she asked.

"What exactly are you upto, Kitten?"

"Coming or not?"

I sighed. "I am coming."

She cut the call, and after a few seconds, there was a knock on my door. I opened it, and my eyes widened when I saw her dressed in a navy blue floor length sundress. She had left her long hair loose and kept her face devoid of any make-up.

(Reyna's outfit👆)

Well, there wasn't anything different to see, but her dress... It was translucent! It was the first time I was seeing her wear something showing skin even if it was not properly visible.

"You are staring too much," she commented.

"My will." I shrugged my shoulders.

She raised one of her eyebrows and turned on her heels. I quickly grabbed my laptop case and wallet and followed her. After walking for a few minutes, we reached a wide sandy beach with a few visitors roaming around: some were playing volleyball while some were enjoying the water sports.

I also wanted to play, but I had some work to take care of. I agreed to come with Reyna, but I still had a lot of emails to reply and deals to finalize.

"Take care of these," she said and handed me her purse and phone.

I looked at her in confusion. "What the hell-"

Before I could complete my dialogue, she took out her sandals and ran towards the sea like a madman. I stared at her in wonder as she jumped in the glistening water and swam like a professional.

After observing her and making sure that she wouldn't drown herself, I went to a nearby hotel and made myself comfortable on a chair under an oversized umbrella. I spread my laptop on the table and began my work.

In between, I kept my eyes on Reyna who was now playing with some kids of other people. I averted my eyes and started typing the business proposal for one of my Australian clients.

I typed the header and moved on to the first line. I looked up and noticed that Reyna was gone. I ran my eyes all over the beach and was about to get up when I saw her head appear out of the water to go back in again.

When did she start swimming again?

I shook my head and continued typing. I was at the end of completing my first sentence when I saw a shadow appear over me. I glanced up and saw my wife looking for her mobile phone.

She was totally covered in sand, and her hair were sticking in all places, just like her gown. I narrowed my eyes at the guys who were busy ogling at her, and they looked away. Reyna clicked a few pictures of herself and then zoomed off towards the ocean.

After having a nice time splashing water all over, she joined the people who were playing volleyball. She was acting like she never got to play when she was a kid and as if it was her last day on earth.

I turned back to my laptop; I was getting distracted unnecessarily - I didn't need to keep an eye on her. She was a grown-up woman, and if anything happened to her, only she would be responsible for it.

I typed the next line, realising that the rest of the thirty pages were still left. I pursed my lips and after a lot of contemplation, decided to turn my back towards the sea so I would be able to concentrate fully.

Ring!

"Hey, bro," I greeted Shaurya after picking his call.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"Busy with work," I grumbled.

"And Reyna?"

Why was he concerned about her?

"I don't know. Why should I care what she is doing or not?"

"Okay... just make sure she doesn't get hurt, or Aunty will chop off your head," he advised.

"Whatever. Leave her topic, she is busy playing. Why did you call?"

"Didn't you just say you didn't know what she was doing?" he questioned suspiciously.

"Stop playing lawyer with me and tell me if Mom made you call me or not," I complained.

"Chill, bro. I called to ask if you completed the proposal or not; tomorrow is the last day, remember?"

I looked at the one and a half written lines on my laptop. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Reyna get smashed by the volleyball.

What an idiot! Didn't she even know how to play?

"Yuvi, I asked you something," Shaurya said in a serious tone.

"What?" I asked and burst out laughing when the volleyball hit her for the third time, and she landed on the ground.

But instead of crying and fussing, she got up and continued playing with a huge grin. She was so lost in it that she didn't even notice that her hands were bruised.

"Yuvaan!" Shaurya's voice boomed in my ears.

"What is it?" I yelled back and tore my eyes away from Reyna.

"Asshole, I called your name five times! What the hell are you busy with exactly?" he enquired.

"Nothing, and don't worry, I will get the proposal written in a flash."

"How much have you written?"

"Two sentences," I lied.

There was silence on the other end before Shaurya burst out on me and began scolding me for procrastinating. I tried to make him understand, but he kept barking at me. Sometimes, I wondered if he worked for me or if it was the other way around.

After getting a long ass lecture, I hung up the call and let out a huge breath. I shot a glance at Kitten who was running around and building sand castles while laughing to herself.

She was so weird!

If I kept staring at her, I wouldn't be able to get my work done at all. I decided to return to my room and warned Reyna not to cause any trouble. She ignored me and rolled in the sand, her dress riding up her legs.

I rolled my eyes and pulled it down, but she swatted my hand away. I glared at her, and she looked at me as if I was assaulting her. She told me to not touch her, for which I pushed her on her sand castle, ruining her artwork completely.

She huffed, and I left her to sulk alone after throwing her phone at her. I felt her murderous glare on me till the time I got out of her sight. I relaxed once I got in my room, and finally got my documentation completed.

There was no problem with my work efficiency; it was Reyna who was distracting me. I shouldn't have come with her.

Then why did you, Yuvaan? It wasn't like she forced you, just like you do everytime. Even Mom trusts her, then why are you still making her suffer? You want revenge for those farmers, right? Then take it from her father who is the actual culprit, why are you punishing her?

When you went through the same situation, shouldn't you sympathize with her? Didn't you see how happy she looked knowing that she wouldn't have to suffer because of you anymore? She will divorce you, Yuvaan and live happily. She will leave you too, and she wouldn't be the one to be blamed for anything.

It is only you... just like he left you, your friends left you, but wait... did you ever have friends to begin with? Oops, sorry, touched the wrong nerve. But... what about the love of your life - the girl who you thought would fight the whole world for you?

She left you, Yuvaan. Left you~ What the fuck were you thinking while begging her to stay? You knew she would run away like a scaredy cat and still you spilled all of your secrets to her. And see what she did - she abandoned you, just like your father did.

He never loved you, she never loved you... Do you really think Mom loves you too? She doesn't; she is forced to stay by a monster like you because she knows you can't take care of yourself. For how long are you going to keep her chained to your pathetic self?

Why don't you just go and kill yourself? Don't you think it will be better if someone like you just died? The world will be a better place, I can guarantee. What is the use of all this money and fame when you know you are going to die alone?

What are you waiting for? Get up! There is a huge ocean in front of you; no one will notice if you just dived in and never came back. Do a favour and vanish for once and for all. Something which you should have done way back, but you still have time.

Go, go, the sea is calling you. Be a good boy, Yuvi. No one will notice your gone existence and don't worry about Mom. She is strong; she will handle it. And as for Reyna...

I picked up the laptop to throw it on the wall but stopped in time. My breathing became laboured, and after putting my electronic device back on the bed, I hurriedly searched for my medicines.

I gulped down the whole bottle and took deep breaths to calm myself. My mind was still jittering with that annoying voice which was telling me to commit suicide.

I took out my fidget spinner and stood near the huge glass window which offered a great view of the turquoise water reflecting the drowning sun on its surface.

I didn't notice when the time passed by so fast; I left the beach five hours ago. I checked if my wife was back or not - she wasn't. But instead of panicking, I went back to the spot where I had left her. And... she wasn't there.

Just great.

I called her and got no response. I decided to take a walk on the beach, glancing around for any sign of her. I should have been worried if she got kidnapped or something, but I wasn't.

I trolled while admiring the scenery, and soon, a familiar figure caught my eye. I stopped and observed it from the distance. Reyna was lying on her stomach near the shore. Water was splashing over her body, covering her with sand and seashells with every wave.

Anyone would think it was a dead body; she wasn't moving at all.

I walked towards her and sat down in front of her. I put my arms on my knees and saw the sun dipping half over the horizon, casting orange hue over Reyna who was looking at it with half closed eyes.

I put my fingers near her nose and retreated it after confirming that she was still alive. She moved her head a little and hit me with her knee. I raised my eyebrows at her, and she hit me again.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I questioned.

"Checking if you were real or not," she answered.

I shot her a flat look, but she didn't react. She just kept staring at me without blinking.

"Kitten, you must hate me, right?" I asked as I picked out a small seashell out of her hair. "Of course you do."

"I don't think I have the right to hate someone," she stated plainly.

"If you were given a second chance‌, will you marry me again?" I fixed her with my stare.

"I will have to; we are bound for seven lives now."

"Do you really believe all of that?" I rolled my eyes.

"No."

"What the-"

"Haha! You are so gullible, Yuvaan, you believe everything I say. You shouldn't trust someone so easily," she said and began laughing.

"I don't trust you; you should have realised that by now," I retorted.

"Is that so? Then why am I still alive? I know you can easily kill me and my family without any problem and won't even have to go to jail. Why haven't you killed me yet?"

I ignored her queries and observed her face, half of it was buried in the sand. I removed the wet hair strands from her forehead and dusted off the sand particles under her right eye.

"What is the meaning of life for you, Kitten?" I questioned.

"Hell," she responded instantly.

"Death?"

"Peace."

"If I killed you‌, will you be in peace then? What about your brother who loves you so much?"

"He doesn't need me anymore; he has his girlfriend. Moreover, it will save everyone a lot of time if I just died - you can also be free."

"Will you take me with you after you die?" I looked at her expectedly.

"Depends on you. If you want to come, you will have to die too." She smiled.

"That sounds like a better option than living with this messed up mind of mine."

"If you are messed up, then what am I?"

I darted my eyes all over her and picked her up after a few minutes. She closed her eyes completely but kept giggling like a child. I took her to my room and called a female employee to help her in getting her clothes changed.

Reyna was half-asleep, so she put up a tantrum when that employee touched her, and I didn't know how she did it, but she got changed by herself in the washroom. I had to get her out when I saw her sleeping on the floor.

Instead of putting her in her own room, I laid her on my bed, but she kept turning on her stomach. No matter how much I tried, she would always flip on her tummy. I gave up and plopped down on her right side after grabbing my laptop.

My phone rang after a few seconds of me settling in, and it was my best friend again. And just like earlier, he began scolding me but calmed down when I told him that I did the work and only the emails were left.

"Cool then. By the way I have a good news for you, Yuvi," he said.

"What?"

"You are going to get your bachelorhood back, bro. I have been working on your divorce under Aunty's instructions, and you wouldn't have to wait for eight months to get rid of Reyna. You know what? We can discuss the details when you return, for now, enjoy."

When I didn't reply anything, Shaurya spoke up again. "What happened, Yuv? Aren't you happy? I thought you will throw a party, but it is okay. Take your time, and I will specially announce that you are a bachelor again," he beamed. "Oh yeah, one more thing. You got your share of good news, but Advait also has something planned for Reyna. I think you will love it too," he informed and hung up.

I stared at my phone as Shaurya's words kept ringing in my ears, playing on loop.

What did I say, Yuvaan? Why do you always ignore me; I only speak for your benefit. Your wife will leave you too, just like others. So, why don't you leave first before that happens?

I clutched my phone tightly and moved to get up from the bed, but Reyna grabbed my hand. I halted and glanced at her; she was still lying prone. After a few moments, she increased her hold and turned on her side.

She curled into foetus position, holding my hand with her left while her right hand rested on her stomach. Her body shook for some seconds, but she relaxed soon and continued sleeping.

I sat back on my spot and stared at her face which screamed innocence. I patted her cheek lightly, and a small smile curved her lips.

Will she really leave me?

Thank you for reading 💜

There won't be any update next week as my schedule is heavily packed with preparations for job interviews and editing the first half of my other book "Hues of Dusk".

Thank you for your time and patience.