Preeta had spent most of the night tossing and turning thinking about Karan. Every time she started to drift off, out of nowhere he would appear, sometimes jumping through her window, sometimes sitting on her bed stroking her hair and sometimes... as she thought about it her cheeks turned red.

She grunted in frustration and looked at the clock for the nth time, it was coming up to four in the morning and she had barely managed to sleep for two hours straight. This man was driving her nuts – maybe that was his plan all along she thought to herself and sat up. Yes he was deliberately driving her crazy so that she continued to make a fool out of herself. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? "bewakoof! Ghadha! Ullu!" she cursed. Wait why was she thinking about him? He wasn't worth it! He was no one to her and she wasn't going to waste anymore time thinking about him she said to herself!

Making the same decision for the millionth time she looked to her side and thanked God that Shrishti had decided to sleep with Janki Aunty when they had returned home. If she had been in the same room she would have surely murdered her for disturbing her sleep. Thinking about Shrishti she smiled, her little sister was engaged.

Although she knew that Shrishti loved Sameer, Preeta had come to terms with Shrishti's decision to marry Akaash. She hated herself for thinking that way but Sameer would never have the guts to support Shrishti in front of his family, especially in front of Kareena Aunty! Akaash on the other hand would never let Shrishti down... yes... this was the right decision! The further away she stayed from the Luthra's the better it would be for her! In fact it would be better for all of them to stay away from the Luthra family!

Thinking about the Luthra's bought her thoughts back to a certain Luthra who seemed to have made it his life's mission to irritate her.

"Double duffer donkey!" she huffed out aloud "Kal ki puri shaam barbad kardi! Na mein Shrishti ki sagai theek se enjoy kar paiyi, phir saari neend kharab kardi, aur upar se ussne mujhe kiss..." just thinking about how he had kissed her made her stop midsentence and cover her face with her hands. She giggled to herself like a schoolgirl and then slowly looked around her room remembering how he had followed her back to this very room and as always caught her in his arms when she had fallen.

"Hamisha mujhe girne se bacha leta hai woh bajarbattu... waise ittna bhi bura nahi hai lekin..." suddenly her smile vanished as the thoughts of what he had done to her resurfaced. She recalled how he had insulted her when she had gone to see him after Rishabh's wedding, of how he had dragged her and thrown her out of his house. Tears made their way to her eyes as she remembered how he had watched Kareena Aunty insult not only her but also her family when they revealed Sherlyn's truth.

"Nahi! Bilkool aacha nahi hai woh! Bilkool bhi nahi!" she said as her pain manifested into anger. Why did she expect any different from him? She thought to herself, he was always like that. From the time she had met him all he had done was insult her and her family or watch others in his family degrade them. Whether it was him telling her that she was chasing after his beloved brother when she had told him the truth about Sherlyn or whether it was when his family had sent her mother to jail for no fault!

What did they think that just because her and her family belonged to the middle class the Luthra's could do and say what they felt to them! No! she wouldn't allow it anymore! She wouldn't let any of the Luthra's treat her and especially her family like a punching bag! She would make sure that she stayed away from the Luthra's from now on... if she had to meet them because of Veer then she would only be cordial but not familiar with them... like she was with any random stranger she met!

"Ha yahi sahi rehega... Preeta tujhe aapne liye aur aapne parivaar ke liye un logo se dur rahena hoga! Aur khas kar ke Karan se!" saying his name out loud bought her thoughts back to him – the bane of her existence and her will power deflated. Remembering his carelessness from the evening before scared her. What if she hadn't been there? What if no one realised that he was having a reaction? What if something happened to him? What if she had lost him? Questions began swimming around in her thoughts,

"Kyun Karan? Kyun?" she said putting her hand on her heart "Kyun tum se dur rehne ke khayal se yahan dard ho ta hai? Kyun kiya tumne aisa Karan? Tumne aaj mujhe asi jagha lake karda kardiya hai jahan me tumse nafrat karna chaahti hoon lekin yeh dil... is dil ka mein kya karoon? Yeh tumse nafraat nahi kar pa raha hai Karan... nahi kar paraha hai!" she sobbed.

The sound of someone knocking on the door broke her thoughts and she quickly wiped her eyes and cleared her throat before answering.

"Ha... Kaun hai?"

"Preeta beta..."

"Ha Maa?" she said quickly making her way to the door.

Sarla looked at Preeta with concern as she opened her bedroom door

"Tu theek hai?" She asked

"Ha Maa, mein tho theek hoon" she replied plastering a fake smile on her face.

"Nahi teri aakhe..."

"Ha woh... raa... kal raat ko der se sone gayi thi na tho issliye thora thaak gayi hoon" she replied before Sarla questioned her further.

Looking at her daughter suspiciously Sarla replied "Theek hai toh tu thorda araam karle mein nashta banadugi"

"Are nahi Maa mein nahne ja rahi thi, aap suru kariye main abhi aake aapki madaat karti hoon"

"Koi baat nahi hai Preeta tu aaram se tayaar ho ja Janki hai woh meri madaat kar degi" Sarla smiled seeing her daughter nod in agreement but still begin to rush to collect her things and head to the bathroom. She turned and made her way to the kitchen to start breakfast before Biji and Shrishti woke up.

As Preeta came out of the bathroom she sat at her dressing table to finish getting ready. She quickly dried her hair and decided to pin it up, just as she finished putting the last pin in she noticed a reddish purple looking bruise on her neck. For a second she panicked wondering if she had been bitten by an insect at night but then she remembered.

She blushed bright red recalling which bug had bitten her and slowly touched the hickey with the tips of her fingers. Suddenly her expression changed to annoyance and then to anger.

"Yeh kya kiya uss ghadhe ne! agar koi dekh lega toh? Kahi Maa ne toh nahi dekha?" she panicked thinking about Sarla's reaction "Uss Karan ki toh mein jaan le lungi! Ussne jaanbuch ke kiya hai yeh! Aisa koi karta hai kya? Aab agar koi punche ga toh mein kya jawab doongi?" she continued biting on her nails "Are kahni aur nahi karsakta tha yeh baajarbattu? Nahi I mean kara hi kyun! Isse toh mein chodungi nahi! Milne toh do! Lekin milega kahan? Ha academy... academy mein toh aiye ga na... taab dikhati hoon mein!"

As she continued to rant the doorbell of the Arora house rang. When no-one answered it rang again and continued to ring.

"Are... aa rahi hoon!" Dadi said in frustration as she made her way to the door "Yahan saab kaam mujhe hi karne parte hai! Kahan hai saab?" shaking her head she opened the door to be blinded by a million flashes going off at once.

"Aaj hum aapko laye hai Preeta Arora ke ghar jo bani hai laakhon larkiyo ke dil tootne ki waje kyun ke who baan gaiyi hai Mrs Karan Luthra!" Shouted a reported into the camera pointed at Arora house while others shoved mike's into Dadi's face.

"Ma'am aap baata sakti hai ke Mrs Luthra kahan hai?"

"Ma'am idhar... Kya aap baata sakti hai ke Mrs Preeta Karan Luthra aapki kya lagti hai?"

Dadi stepped back in shock at all the questions being fired at her but they didn't stop. The commotion caused Shrishti who had just come out of her room to approach the door with Sarla and Janki hot on her trail.

"Kya ho raha hai yeh?" Sarla asked shocked to see so many reporters outside her home.

"Ma'am Mrs Luthra kahan hai?" one of the reporters shouted. The Arora's looked at one another in shock

"Ma'am Please Mrs Preeta Karan Luthra ko buladijiye!"

"Yahan koi Mrs Luthra shuthra nahi hai!" Shrishti said before anyone else could respond "Aap log jaiye yahan se!"

"Shrishti Ma'am hum jante hai ke aap ki bahen ki shadhi Karan Luthra se huwi hai! Please aap unhe buladijiye!" came a request.

Shrishti looked at the reporter confused as to how any of them knew about the wedding.

"Haa Ma'am humare paas unki shadhi ki video hai!"

"Mrs Luthra... Mrs Luthra aap yahan kyun hai? Aap ko tho Luthra house mein hona chaahiye!" one of the reporters that spotted Preeta as she approached the front door shouted.

"Mrs Luthra kya yeh saach hai ke Miss Mahira Khanna aapke pati ke peeche padi hai? Aur unhe blackmail kar rahi hai aur issliye unhone usse sagai ki hai?"

"Preeta Ma'am kya aap Karan Sir se naraaz hai? Kya unhone aap ke saath kuch galat kiya hai? Kahi unka kisi aur larki ke..."

"Yeh kya bakwaas kar rahe hai app?" Preeta snapped at the reporter as he implied Karan was cheating on her. No matter what the situation was between them she could never tolerate others saying anything bad about her baajarbattu. Before she could say anymore, more questions were thrown at her.

"Ma'am kya Miss Khanna ne aapko dhamki di hai ke aap Karan Sir ko chod de?"

"Mrs Luthra kya yeh saach hai ke Mr Karan Luthra ne dabawe mein aake Mahira se sagai ki hai? Kya yeh saach hai ke Miss Mahira ne aapko jaan se marne ki koshish ki thi issilye Mr Luthra ne unse sagai ki hai?"

"Ma'am yahan dekhiye... Ma'am Please... Ma'am".

"Dekhiye aap log please jaiye yaha se..." Sarla tried to stop the reporters, but it was no use they just kept on firing questions at Preeta.

"Preetaji kya Luthra family janti hai ke Karan Luthra ne aapse shadhi ki hai?"

"Ma'am humne suna hai ke aapki aur Karan Sir ki love marriage huwi hai, kya yeh saach hai?"

Seeing her getting distressed Sarla began to lose her temper. She stepped in front of Preeta shielding her and from the hungry vultures and shouted,

"Yeh kya subha subha bakwaas laga rakhi hai? Maine kaha jaou yaha se! Abhi ke abhi niklo mere ghar se warna mein abhi police ko call karke tum saab ko jail bhijiwa dongi!" but it was no use,

"Ma'am please hum Preeta Ma'am ka interview lene aiye hai!" one of the reporters said as they moved closer to the family.

Ma'am kya aap ki family ko aapki shadhi manzur nahi hai? Kya aap issiliye Luthra house ki jagha yahan hai?"

"Eh!" Shrishti pointed at the reporter at his insinuation but Sarla pulled her back. Looking at the neighbours gossiping she realised that these reporters weren't going to leave anytime soon and if they continued to stand around they would become more of a spectacle then they already had. Sarla slowly guided her family back into the house and closed and locked the door.

She looked at her family before speaking

"Aab koi in logo ke sawaalo ke jawaab nahi degavaur na hi innse baat karenga!"

"Lekin Maa..." Shrishti began to protest but Sarla put her palm up stopping her.

"Meine kaha na koi inke sawaal ka koi jawaab nahi dega na hi inse baat karega".

"Ma'am please ek photo!" Sarla turned to see one of the reported leaning through the window.

She moved to the window and slammed it shut in anger "Shrishti!"

"Ha Maa?"

"Sari khidakiyaan bandh kardo!"

"Ji" Shrishti quickly worked with Sarla to close all of the windows and then they returned to the living room.

Dadi sat next to a silent Preeta who seemed to be in shock "Yeh saab kya hai?" she asked.

"Pata nahi Biji" Sarla replied worriedly looking at her older daughter.

"Di aap theek ho?" Shrishti asked moving next to Preeta. When she got no answer she tapped Preeta's arm breaking her thoughts "Di?"

"Ha... Ha Shrishti?"

"App theek ho?"

"Mein..." Preeta didn't complete, was she okay she thought? She wasn't really sure anymore.

"Lekin mujhe yeh samaj nahi aaraha ke inn saab ko kaise pata chaala ke Karan ne Preeta se shadhi ki hai?" Dadi asked the million dollar question.

At the same time Shrishti got a message on her phone

'TV on karo!'

She reached for the remote control and turned the television on.

"Shrishti yeh tu..." Sarla stopped midsentence as the new came on...

"Aaj ki saabse badi khabar... Star cricketer Karan Luthra ki Sadhi aapni saabse aachi dost aur pyaar Preeta Arora ke saath!" the reporter spoke with enthusiasm "Hum Mr and Mrs Luthra ko aapne channel aur aapne darshaako ki taraf ek baar phir se shubh kaamanaye dena chaahte hai! Congratulations to the beautiful couple!"

Shrishti flicked the channel and again the host of a talk show was talking about Karan and Preeta only this time they were also showing picture of the wedding were Karan was on his knees holding a smiling Preeta's hand.

"Yeh kya hai?" Sarla fumed "Yeh photo's innke paas kaise aaiyi?"

"Suman tumhe kya lagta hai inndono ko dekh ke?" the host asked his co-host.

"Shakher, mujhe toh lagta hai ke Karan Luthra ne bilkul sahi kiya hai! I mean unnki premika ki shadhi kisi aur se ho rahi thi tho unhone dulhe ki jaga leli bina kisi ko bataye! How romantic!" Suman sighed.

"Lekin tumhe nahi lagta ke yeh galat hai? I mean ke kya Preeta Arora jo ke aab Mrs Luthra hai bina unhe pooche... bina unki jankari ke Karan Luthra ne unse shadhi karli... Aap ko kya lagta hai? Yeh sahi hai ya galat?" Shakher asked the audience this time causing many hands to raise.

"Aap..." he said handing the mike to a plump lady in the third row.

"Mera naam Saadna hai aur mein Delhi se hoon"

"Humhare show pe aapka swagat hai Saadnaji, toh kahiye aapka kya kahen hai?"

"Mujhe lagta hai ke Karan ne sahi kiya hai! Inn photos ko dekh kar toh saaf saaf dikhta hai ke yeh dono ek dusre se kitna pyaar karte hai!"

There were many cheers of support but also many people who seemed to disagree with Saadna. Shakher took the mike and passed it to a middle aged man sitting a few rows behind Saadna.

"Are yeh kya baat huwi? Agar yeh larki Preeta, Karan se shadhi karna chaahti toh woh mandap mein kis aur ke saath kyun baithti kis aur ki Dulhan baan ke?"

But Saadna argued her point

"Are yeh larki aachi aur sanskari lagti hai! Saayad isske maa baap isski shadhi kisi aur se karna chaaha te the issiliye issne ha kadi hogi! Lekin jab Karan ne isse shadhi karli toh issne khushi se ha kardi aur dekho na uss video mein toh yeh bhi saaf dikh raha hai ke jabtak usski maa ne shadhi ko accept nahi kiya tab tak woh bhi chup thi... lekin jab uski maa ne boldiya ke Preeta ki Shashi Karan se ho gaiyi hai tab uska chehara kaise khushi se khil gaya tha!"

"Nahi Nahi yeh galat hai!"

The arguments continued and Sarla turned to Shrishti.

"Bandh kar isse!" she shouted

"Maa..."

"Shrishti bandh kar!"

Reluctantly Shrishti turned the television off.

"Yeh saab uss Karan ne hi kiya hoga!" Sarla spat.

"Lekin Sarla Karan kyun karega aisa? Woh toh khud iss shadhi ko nahi manta hai, aur uski shadhi toh uss larki se ho rahi hai toh woh kyun saab ko baatayega?"

"Nahi Biji yeh ussi ne kiya hai!" Sarla insisted.

"Nahi Maa mujhe lagta hai Dadu sahi kahe rahi hai... Karan Sir... nahi mujhe nahi lagta ke yeh unhone kiya hai"

"Lekin Shrishti..."

"Dekh Sarla... yeh saab baate soochne se kuch nahi hoga, jisne bhi kiya hai kya farak parta hai? Tu yeh saab chod aur naashta dekh mujhe toh bhai boohot bhook lagi hai" Dadi said trying to ease the tension. She knew that if she didn't mention it no one would eat and they would all spend the rest of the day tensed and worried.

"Lekin Biji..."

"Ha behnji goli maro inn saabko! Humhe to aapna aur aapni bachiyo ka kayal rakhna hai" Janki said.

"Are aap log samaj nahi rahe hai... abhi abhi toh Shrishti ki sagai huwi hai agar unlogo ne yeh saab dekh liya aur rishta tordiya to?" Sarla panicked.

"Maa..." Preeta finally spoke seeing her mother was going to make herself sick with worry.

"Maa kuch nahi hoga! Aap tension maat ligiye".

"Lekin Preeta..."

"Maa maine kaha na kuch nahi hoga. Aur Dadi theek kahe rahi hai, mujhe bhi bahot bhook lagi hai".

Reluctantly Sarla nodded "Mein naashta lagarti hoon". Janki followed her to the kitchen while Dadi moved to sit at the table.

"Di..." Shrishti asked once she was alone with Preeta

"Theek hun mein" she replied. Shrishti hugged her from the back and asked,

"Aap ko kya lagta hai... yeh kisne kiya hai?"

"Mujhe nahi paata..." Preeta said thinking about how Karan had challenged her that within twenty-four she would herself accept that she was his wife and that she would be with him in his house. The thought angered her, it had to be him! How dare he! Just because she refused to accept him as her husband he had to turn her into a bloody joke! Whenever she thought she knew him he would do something like this that made her realised that he could do anything for the sake of his ego!

"Karan Luthra I hate you!" she said in her mind.