"Annika----"Shivaay called as he came back home from office, clearly annoyed since she has taken leave from the office and he wasn't able to stare her all day long. Even after ten years of their wedding Annika still worked as his very-personal assistant and he get annoyed whenever she takes a leave.

"Annika----" he called again after greeting Rudra and Om who were playing with the kids. He looked at Ashyuth and asked "Where is my wife?"

Ashyuth looked at his father and smirked "you mean my mother." Shivaay looked at him annoyed "I am clearly not in a mood of fun Ashu so just tell me where is my wife?"

"my desperate brother your drug is in Kitchen." replied Rudra pointing at the kitchen and he marched toward it only to see Annika cooking along with Bhavya and Gauri.

Greeting Gauri and Bhavya with a smile he backhugged Annika taking a deep breath near her neck. Bhavya and Gauri just smiled habituated to his public display of affection. Entire world knew that Shivaay Singh Oberoi's life revolved around his wife.

"I missed you." he said and Annika rolled her eyes trying to get out of his grip, main word 'trying'.

"Shivaay you just went to office." Annika said and Shivaay frowned "and you didn't came, I so hate this for the preparation of my birthday only you avoid me."

"I am not avoiding you I just have lot of work to do for your official birthday party." said Annika taking laddle to mix the curry they were cooking for lunch.

"What about my personal birthday party?" Shivaay asked and Annika hit his hand. Gauri and Bhavya chuckled silently.

"Have some shame Shivaay." Annika chided finally removing his hand "Why should I have shame I am asking my wife not anyone else wife. What's wrong in this? Tell me Gauri" asked Shivaay and Gauri was caught off guard as she was enjoying the show along with Bhavya.

"Nothing wrong Bhaiya you have full rights." Annika glared Gauri but she just shrugged off. No matter if she is now family of Shivaay Singh Oberoi he is still her boss and she doesn't want to get into his bad books. She do know what happened to her husband when he interfered between devil and his possession.

"So can I take my wife with me if you guys are done?" asked Shivaay and Annika immediately refused "No I have some work." Bhavya smirked before replying "Bhaiya you can take her we will manage the rest."

Shivaay smirked and in no time he picked her in his arms while she kept hitting him with her fist on his rock solid chest "I'm so not gonna leave the  two of you Gauri and Bhavya" warned Annika while the girls giggled.

"It's been ten years to their wedding and they are still like newly Wed. Bhaiya loves bhabhi dearly." Bhavya commented after Shivaay left with Annika.

"Not just love Bhavya he is obsessed with her as well." Gauri added as she stirred try food. "Well I don't find any problem with his obsession. I mean yes earlier it was a problem but just look at him, the loyalty, the trust and the love he have for her. He doesn't even as much as look at any girl. Never for a second doubt on Bhabhi for anything. He is everything which a girl wants in his man." Bhavya said and Gauri nodded.

"And what's the most funny part even if Bhabhi admires another man it's the mistake of the man.  He won't blame bhabhi but he will be ready to break the nose of the man. Remember the Hrithik Roshan incident?" Gauri chuckled remembering the events when he vented about Hrithik Roshan just because Annika Bhabhi admired his physique. He would have given a nice to one to actor if he would have been in front of his eyes.

" Ya he even learned those form of dance style and dressed like him for more than a week until Annika Bhabhi confessed him that she love him more in his usual style." added Bhavya.

On the other side in room Shivaay settled a frowning Annika on the bed and after placing a chaste kiss on her forehead he went to change while Annika just rolled her eyes, just for having her presence in the room he picked her up in front of everyone leaving Bhavya and Gauri to have all the wild thoughts!

After a minute he came dressed in his comfortable cloths and laid down on the bed keeping his head on her lap and forcefully keeping her hand on his head. Letting out a sigh he snuggled more into her stomach. Annika finally smiled rubbing her fingers through his hair with which all his tiredness went away.

"Oops I forgot I have something for you." Shivaay said after sometime and stood up placing a kiss on her cheeks. He went toward his coat and brought a satin box for her. "Here give me your finger." Shivaay asked and Annika did and he slid a solitaire ring with a small diamond embedded in it on her finger.

"I saw you admiring this yesterday." Shivaay said with a smile as he slid back on her lap while Annika just kept staring at the beautiful ring.

"Shivaay I just admired it, I didn't asked for it." Annika said but Shivaay didn't give any reply just snuggled into her stomach. Annika signed knowing him very well, she can't even admire anything!

"By the way Mr Husband it's your birthday tomorrow not mine" Annika teased as she rubbed her fingers through his hairs.

"You gave me the best gifts of my birthday years ago, relief from my illusions, your forgiveness and above all your acceptance." replied Shivaay in a muffled tone as he clutched Annika's back tightly while Annika slipped into the past.

Flashback

After coming back from hospital Shivaay did everything in his hand to pacify Annika, from making her favorite food to taking her out to her favorite places. He even watched movies which he didn't liked but she loved along with her. He use to say million sorries to her each day but all he use to get was indifference and silence. More than a month passed like this and it was taking a toll over Shivaay.

She use to take care of him, live in the same room, slept on the same bed but never showed her real self. The smile on her face was missing, that twinkle in her eyes was missing and Shivaay hated it.

Shivaay was frustrated, he can bear her anger, frustration, everything but not her silence and Indifference.

It was once again the day Shivaay dread the most, his birthday but this year things were different he didn't dread his illusions hurting him, he dread his father taking his Annika away from him!

Annika was sleeping in Shivaay's room when she felt a tight pull and soon she landed on Shivaay's lap who pulled her in one corner of the room wrapping his arm around her tightly.

"Shivaay---" Annika was interrupted by Shivaay "Shhh---Annika, he will listen he will take you away from me." Annika didn't understood anything. She can feel him shivering in fear, his body was covered with sweat. She haven't seen him this vulnerable ever before. She knew he gets illusions on his birthday but she didn't knew the depth of his fear.

"Shivaay who will take me away from you?" Annika asked in a low voice to which he just showed her toward one corner but Annika found nothing out there "Don't make a noise he will find us." he said in a shivering whisper.

"Shivaay no one is there." Annika said calmly trying to calm him down but Shivaay just shook his head "No Annika he is here he will take you away. He will hurt you also with the hunter. He will lock you too in that scary room---the rats and ants bite  there Annika---it's very dark---it--"

He trailed of with tears in his eyes holding her in a such a tight grip that Annika was sure it will leave marks. His voice wasn't the usual one that held power and possession, here he just sounded like a scared kid still stuck in that creepy, scary and dark room.

She looked at him who was still looking here and there holding her hand trying to hide from something which wasn't even there. "Shivaay there is no one" Annika tried to say calmly but Shivaay shook his head negative "No Annika he is there, don't speak loudly he will find us." he said still looking here and there.

Annika couldn't help her tears seeing him like this. She cupped his face making  him face him "Shivaay it's just you and me, you get it just you and me no one else----Repeat after me----Just you and me." she ordered him making him look into her eyes.

"Just you and me" Shivaay said in a low voice as his illusion started fading away.

"No one else Just Shivaay and Annika." Annika again said but what Shivaay said made her internally roll her eyes.

"Just Annika's Shivaay and Shivaay's Annika."

She joined her forehead with him and said in a low breath "No one can separate you from me Shivaay not even you. Your Annika is with you now and forever." Her words brought a little smile on his face.

"Repeat it no one can separate Annika from Shivaay" Annika ordered and Shivaay repeated "No one can separate Annika from Shivaay." Annika smiled her eyes still locked with his infinite shaded one "I would never let your past affect your present and future Shivaay, that's your Annika's promise to you."

They stayed like that for God knows how much time, her presence made him realize what is reality, it made him realize that his present is beautiful, he have his Annika, his temptress with him and no one can snatch her from him.

After some time Annika stood up to leave when he held her hand "Annika I am really sorry for what I did that day, I don't know but I don't have complete control on my actions. I don't know why I am so different from others. That day I thought you aren't happy with me.  I can't stay away from you but at the same time I can't see you forcing yourself to live with me without your acceptance and happiness. I know what I did was wrong on so many level and no proper justification is enough but that was what my mind came up with. From childhood only I found no one completely happy to stay with me neither my mom nor my father. Even Dadi and my brothers didn't stay with me. I couldn't see you as one among them and my mind came up with this unreasonable solution. I am sorry and I promise I would never do any such stunt again. My life and me are yours and I would never hurt something that belong to you."

His explanation was all that was needed for Annika to burst into fits of tears in his eyes, for the first time Shivaay said something as just Shivaay without any involvement with the devil inside him. He was genuine, the Shivaay he would have been if he would have been normal!

"I am sorry." he said again and Annika cupped his face "I forgive you just don't hurt yourself again." Shivaay nodded in positive kissing all across her face finally relieved to get his Annika back.

"Then please marry me, make me your husband" Shivaay asked and Annika raised an eyebrow "Shouldn't it be, be my wife?"

And here was back the ever famous devilish smirk on his face, his eyes lost it's vulnerability and the devils again lurked inside them as he replied in a low husky voice "I took you my wife the day I realized I want you in my life forever."

"Okay but I have two conditions" Annika said while wrapping her hand around his shoulder "Done, anything you ask." Shivaay said immediately too desperate to get married to her.

"Listen to the conditions Mr, first you have to propose me properly not like the scary one you did on the hot air balloon. A romantic genuine one." Annika said blowing her nails and Shivaay instantly agreed "As you wish my lady."

"Secondly you have to apologize to Om and Khanna Bhaiya for the way you behaved with them and also thank Khanna bhaiya for saving your life." Annika said or better ordered and Shivaay's eyes went wide.

"What I don't apologize to anyone, I am Shivaay Singh Oberoi." He said gritting his teeths, he and his devils highly offended.

"You said sorry to me million times" Annika said and Shivaay shrugged off "You are an exception." Annika glared him "Shivaay you are doing it otherwise forget about your forgiveness and marriage." with this she left and Shivaay signed.

This gonna be hard!

Flashback Ends

"You literally took an entire week before apologising and saying thank you to Khanna bhaiya  even when you were saying you stammered like anything" Annika said recalling the past but Shivaay had slept by then clutching her waist. A smile broke on her lips looking at him sleeping so peacefully bending down she kissed his cheeks and immediately a smile formed on his face.

"My devil" she muttered in his ears and not much to her surprise even in his sleep he murmured.

"My temptress"

I finally have a word for this character of Shivaay, he is an Antihero.

An Antihero is a main lead in a story who lacks conventional heroic qualities and attributes such as idealism and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions that are morally correct, it is not always for the right reasons, often acting primarily out of self-interest or in ways that defy conventional ethical codes.

Isn't it the perfect word for this Shivaay?

Also if you read this book do leave your reviews!