Alex's POV

Meeting Anaya after so many days was a disaster. I may have just over reacted.
I thought I could be ok with her seeing Nathan but I was wrong.

I was waiting for Grace in the hotel room.
John knew about this sudden plan i had for the afternoon and he suggested me orherwise. He knew I was taking this step in anger. But I just wanted to get through.

Since the day i fell for Ananya, i had eyes only for her. All my dreams, all my fantasies had just Ananya in them.
I was feeling like a fool now. Why did I not tell her i loved her first. May be things would have been different.
I was a Casanova before I met her. And now I felt i had a better life before. Love was not easy and one sided love was never going to be either.

And hooking up with Grace was just a terrible attempt to try to go back to who I was.

Grace entered the room with the key i had left at the reception. I was brought back to reality and to quickly go through this terrible idea before I changed my mind, i grabbed her arms and pulled her close.

She looked surprised at my desperation but didn't protest. I locked her in my arms and tried to engage her in a passionate kiss.
She ran her fingers through my hair with one hand and held onto my shoulder with another.
But something felt wrong. Like by kissing Grace I was cheating on Ananya. I broke the kiss abruptly and it wasn't hard for Grace to note my discomfort.
She smiled at me as i loosened my arms around her setting her free.

"So you have eyes for only one girl. You feel for only one girl and I wasn't wrong about it since start."
I looked away, knowing that what she said was the truth.
"Look at me. I know you love her. But she only played you till she needed you. Now she is fooling around with another billionaire."
"Shut up Grace. You don't know her like I do. I love her. Get that?!! I do. But she never committed anything to me. She didn't even know. Let it be. You wouldn't understand even if you tried to."

She walked towards the fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer.
"You think I won't understand? Why do you think I am here? For that stupid car? Do you think i dont understand what one sided love would feel like? Trust me, I do.
But you don't know what love is?"

I felt guilty. I tried to use her and she came here not for the car but for what she felt for me. I am an ass.
" i am sorry."
I went and sat next to her on the couch. She laid her head on my shoulder.
We talked for a couple of hours and she made me realise what i was losing while trying to hold onto my selfishness.

If i truly loved Ananya, i would be happy to see her happy. And she was the happiest i have seen her when with Nathan. I learnt my lesson the hard way.
If Ananya was with Nathan, it was my fault. I never told her how I feel even when I had a chance.
And now I am ready to lose a friend like her just to hold onto my one sided love and ego.
I wont let that happen. I want her in my life, even if it means being just a friend to her and seeing her with someone.

I thanked Grace and dropped her to her home. It was around 7 and I decided to go apologize to Ananya.
When I reached her block I saw Nathan's Lemo waiting outside. I didn't think it to be appropriate to barge in when Nathan was around. I waited for him to leave when I saw Ananya get out of a cab. I wanted to stop her there but ny better judgement suggested otherwise.

I thought Nathan was there for dinner and I would go in once he leaves. But then I saw Ananya leave with Nathan. I was late again.
I decided to go and talk to Mrs. Donavan. I knew i owed her an apology to. I haven't been returning her calls as well.

"Hey Mrs.Donavan. How are you?" I rang the bell and Mrs. Donavan opened the door.
"You? To what do we owe a visit from you big boy?"
I sensed motherly anger in her tone.
"I am sorry. I really am. I have been a jerk."

She smiled and grabbed my ear wriggling it and started walking inside to which I humbly followed. This was my punishment.

"Young man. You have trouble my daughter so much. Couldn't you just keep your feelings aside and be happy for her? Poor girl, got a real feel of happiness after years and you just decided to ruin it. You know what you mean to her."

" i know Mrs.Donavan. i know I have hurt her. And i have now realised my mistake. I just wanted to apologise but then I saw her leaving with Nathan. So I thought I will atleast come say sorry to you."

She playfully slapped my cheek.
" good. I cant wait to see her smile again when she sees you. Moron.!! Would you have dinner with me?"

"Oh my, i thought you would never ask. Should i order pizza? I want to just talk to you and cooking won't help much in that."

"Sure sure. But you pay. I don't have any cash as of now."

"Ofcourse my treat!!" I exclaimed.

We ordered 1 large pepperoni pizza and waited patiently for it.
It suddenly clicked me and her words rung in my head.
"Mrs.Donavan, what did you mean when you said she got a happiness after years?
What did happen in her past? I have never really understood why she was living in isolation before I met her."
She froze in her position. Her face gave away her dilemma. It remained like that for sometime then she finally broke the silence.
"I trust you Alex and its for this trust I am about to tell you this. But no one should know. No one."
It was strange for her speak in puzzles.
I agreed with a nod.
"Ananya is not my daughter. You already know that, although we have legally adopted her now. She is Lord's beautiful gift to us. But how it all happened is very tragic.
She was born in India. And mind you she is no commoner."
She raised her eyebrows and her lips curved into a smile.
"She is a princess. A real princess of a province called Saharangarh in Rajasthan state of India. She belongs to the royal family of the kings hindu king who ruled that province for many years."
The potato chips i was munching on fell from my hand.
"Seriously? She never mentioned that." I expressed my surprise at the revelation.
"Oh yes. She had everything. A picture perfect life. She got everything she ever pointed her finger at. Her parents loved her very much. She was their only daughter born after years of prayers."

"Where are they now? And why does so much of wealth and happiness make her sad? I don't understand."

"It was one decision that changed her life forever. At an innocent age of 17 she fell in love with her classmate, Raj."
She loved someone. I was curious to know now what happened.

"Where is he now?"

"There are some strange beliefs still being followed in certain part of India.
She was a Royal blood, and she fell in love with an Orphan, brought up in a orphanage managed by Christians. She was forbidden to even talk to him let alone fall in love. Her family found out and they separated the love birds."

Suddenly the door bell rang. It was the Pizza delivery boy. I paid him quickly. I never knew Ananya had such a deep past.

I kept the Pizza on the table and sat in front of Mrs.Donavan.
"Lets eat first Alex."
"No. Finish this first."
She gave up in front of my protest.

"Raj was a bright boy. He completed his engineering with scholarships and topped his college. All this while he remained in touch with his love secretly. There Ananya also graduated. She wanted to do MS in US and appeared for exams. She even got into colleges and the entire process was completed. But her parents came to know that Raj is working here in US and so they stopped her.
She knew she had to act now, or else she will be separated from her love forever.
Raj was a gem. He was doing really well here. His company even wated him to stay here and applied for his greencard. He assured Ananya that he will be able to take care of her education and her if she comes to US. She just needed to board the scheduled flight and she already had everything in hand, the Visa, admission in NYU."

"How did you meet Ananya?"

"Raj was a very sweet boy. The house next to ours was the one he bought months before Ananya was to come to US. He even planned a marriage just the Ananya had always wanted.
Me and Mr.Donavan have been childless. In Raj, we had found a son. He took care of us like our own. He never got the love of his parents and so regarded us more than them.
We were not related and still he became part of our family.

We were so happy for him when Ananya decided to runaway and come to US. How strange is love. An heiress to the throne was ready to leave everything for love.

She reached US. They both were so happy. He planned such a beautiful proposal for her. And she accepted."

She had tears in her eyes. I sat next to her and wrapped and arm around her to comfort her. I had no words to put the questions I had in my mind to her. She was shattered. What had happened? My mind was racing.

"Ananya was going to start college in a couple of weeks. We had planned for a beautiful wedding together. But destiny had other plans for them. Ananya's family came to know where they were.
Her cousin reached US. For them Family's honour was more important than their daughter's happiness."

She held onto my hand tightly when she spoke. But what she said next sent chills down my spine.
"Her cousin was not here to take her back. He was sent here to finish off everything thay could harm their honour. One evening when the kids were home planning their wedding, armed men entered the house led by her cousin. They beat Raj and even Ananya. Raj tried everything to protect Ananya's honour. But they stabbed him 35 times. There was blood everywhere. Ananya was hit in the head with a baseball bat. She had 12 stab wounds. Raj died on the spot but Somehow Ananya survived."

Mrs.Donavan was crying like she just relived that day again. I couldn't have ever imagined such a past for Ananya. She has been through so much and still survived through it all. I hated myself for hurting her. Mrs.Donavan continued.
"They left them to die. When i went to their house i was shaken to the core. There was blood everywhere. So much of blood. I called your Uncle and dialled 911.
Mr.Donavan had contacts in the police department being the ex Mayor. He understood that it was not any robbery that went bad, it had to do with Ananya's family back home. We had to keep her safe.
Mr.Donavan released to the press that both of them had died in the attack. In the hospital Ananya was battling for life. She was shattered when she woke up after being in coma for a month. She knew that her fairy tale had ended with the beasts destroying everything. She couldn't get over it for months.
We wanted to keep her safe. So we removed all her official records. And that is when Ananya Singh Rathod became Ananya Donavan. We adopted her. You know the rest of it."

I was speechless. Suddenly Mrs.Donavan started to breathe heavily. She complained of a sharp pain in her heart.
"It will be alright. Stay with me. I am gonna take you to the hospital. Breathe."

I dialled 911 and asked for assitance.
The ambulance arrived and we took her on the stretcher.
Before getting into the ambulance she held my hand and spoke in a low voice.
"Alex, I know you love her. Please take care of her and protect her. She may still not be completely safe."
Barely finishing her sentence she passed out.

I tried to call Ananya before driving behind the ambulance. Her phone was still not reachable.