Two days later. 

                 " We are not going and that's final " his wife answered back as she starred at both him and his brother . So was Swara who looked totally upset by their decision ,a decision they made to protect them. 

                 " Ragini , she may come after you next . I can't let that happen " Laksh answered back trying to make her understand he won't survive if she was harmed in any way, love a pesky emotion that sneaked upon him when he least expected it .

           In the hospital room when he was waiting for Pradeep surgery ,his mind focused on his Ragini who was sitting beside him and he realized he had been a fool all along ,losing Swara hurt back then but he couldn't even imagine losing Ragini,his wife and his first instinct had been to keep her safe ,so winning her back have to wait .

              " Sanskar ,you can't do this to me . " Swara had been trying to change his brother's mind but as always both brothers remained stubborn just like the sisters . It had been an ongoing debate ever since Pradeep incident and when they encounter Aandhi Shukla at the hospital .

             No one could predict if she was the killer or innocent ,the fact she saved Pradeep life should work in her favor it did but the confusion that it could be  her plan to prove her alibi was something  no one can ignore because according to Sanskar ,she was at home when the call came asking her to come in for the surgery. 

           " They asked her because it was a high profile case but it could also mean she had enough time to be the one who shot him as well " Sanskar answered back of course when people who fight for the safety of the citizen were harmed it is the duty of the government and doctors to give them best treatments to ensure their health yet they didn't know if they could trust any of the Shukla sister's yet .

           He had been too busy convincing Ragini after that day to move back with him atleast until the threat stopped but she still stayed with Anwar that he had no choice but agree with Sanskar Bhai that they both would be better away from town .

            When Swara rushed passed them to her room ,Ragini tried to follow her but Laksh held her back because he knew it had to be his brother who went after her at the moment .

             " Look Laksh we can argue later ,my sister needs me now " Ragini tried to shake her hands away from him in an attempt to leave him and he didn't know what he had been thinking but he blurted out the words that made her stop .

             " I Love You Ragini .And I need you to be safe." He spoke up and was taken back by the lit of surprise in her face but more than that a flicker of hope which made his heart quicken at the thought maybe he wasn't alone in this emotion called Love . That his realization hadn't been too late .

            ******************

        " Shona " Sanskar called out to her and found her in the midst of a break down ,he was relieved when she didn't say a word as he gathered her into his arms.  Her tears were like little daggers to his heart .

      " I love you Sanskar and I can't go away from you again " She whispered back to him once she calmed down ,it was been few days since her confession that he was taken back when she broached the topic again. 

     " I can't risk your life again Shona , losing you would destroy me " he answered back truthfully . She has no idea how crazy he will go if anything happened to her .

     " Three times Sanskar ,I was close to death for three times and you know what I learnt by now.  Live everyday like it's your last and I know I have no place in your heart for me but being with you is enough for me Sanskar ,just don't take it away from me because if I left this house ,I may lose the will to live " She answered back taking him by surprise. 

In her eyes he saw her love as well as hurt by his rejection and more importantly it's was her hopelessness that tugged his heart ,she truly believed she had too many brush with death to survive the next one and all she wanted was to live with those she loved until then . He could understand that because that how he felt every single day  , an impulse he fought for her to keep her safe not anymore.
 

        " Come with me " he told her as he walked her to his room ,she didn't say anything for which he was thankful and once inside his room ,he went to his hidden room within and found the object he had been searching for as he walked outside to see her looking at him with curiosity

  
         She sat beside him when he took moment to gather his heart and mind ,what he could tell her in this room may make him feel guilty but she need to know the truth . His hands gently opened up the object in his hand and showed it to her making her gasp  

       " I want a pink wedding dress ,pink wedding ring and thousand pink roses,also pink shoes don't forget the pink shoes  "Eight year old  Swara had answered back when her mother once asked what dress she would wear for her  wedding , as the family went to attend a neighbor wedding ,she knew Sanskar was with her that night but didn't know he remembered it years later. 

            " I had carried it with me , a month after we started writing letter to each other.  It scared me that I already assumed that there will be a wedding between us in your pink wedding dress ,and pink roses especially the pink shoes but I realized your obsession with pink would have been toned down by now yet when I saw this ring in the shop I couldn't resist buying it ,it was months before we were supposed to meet Shona. 

         At times I wonder how I know that you will feel the same as I do but I hoped so very much for the same and I never stopped hoping until the day I got married because it would be unfaithful to my wife to hope for you when I was married and yet no matter how harder I tried I never could stop loving you Shona ,never .

     I loved Sakshi ,gosh I really did and believed in us but I never loved her like I love you and when she died all it made me was feel guilty that by marrying her bringing her into my life ,I killed her and I felt like a monster because even when she died I couldn't give her my whole heart because it always belonged to you.  " He finished speaking as he turned to look at her but Swara couldn't find words to say anything as she starred at guilt and pain etched in his face for what he assumed as his fault but also the love he held for her .

           " That is why I need you to go . Because if anything happened to you .. I will lose my mind Shona " he answered back at her silence and she wish she could pretend not to understand his fear but she did and so she did what she could do to alleviate his fears , agreed to leave him .

             Her confession was met with silence and his confession was met with silence as well , not one out of discomfort but the knowledge though they loved each other ,maybe it is too late for them to have the happily ever after .

         Sanskar confessed his love for her ,but would he able to forgive himself for not loving Sakshi enough and start a life with her . She didn't know and none of it matter as long as the threat remains in their life .

                 ****************

            She was too old to be taken up by a man without really knowing him  , she didn't know why she found herself crushing after a patient after so long.  She believed she was destined to be single all her life until three days ago when she was called in to operate on him.  

              She dreamed off finding the one for her ,until her first few boyfriend choose her for her father bank account than her.  The next few turned out to be a bad choice until she met Mark who she believed would be the one.  She was in love and yet he died two years later leaving her with a broken heart that she decided to remain single until him .

           Pradeep Roy ,she knew he was single , those who visited him were apparently his friends.  There was no mention of wife and once when she asked him about his family ,he froze as if she crossed a personal line that she regretted letting the curiosity get the better of her . 

  
            She was scheduled for a surgery but she wanted to visit him first to see his recovery progress , it wasn't her job the nurses and in floor doctors can deal with it yet she found herself walking to his room and was surprised when she found him missing . Disappointed to learn from the nurse he went for a walk ,she headed back to her room and was surprised to find him inside

          For a fleeting moment she hoped he was there to see her until she noticed he had been searching her belongings and right now he was looking at her hand bag , at first she felt outraged by his actions that she didn't think before marching inside looking angrier than she even been 
 

           " Looking for something Mr Pradeep " She spoke up making him turn in surprise ,she expected a hint of guilt or show and so wasn't prepared to see anger in his face instead and then her eyes drifted towards his hand where he held a diary that didn't really belong to her. 

           " I almost wanted to believe you but you were really super smart Miss X " he greeted her which confused her ,there was lot of anger in his face but more than hurt as if she betrayed him. 

             " It over Sanskar ,I found her.  " He called someone from his phone as his gaze directed towards her .  And she didn't get any answer from him until thirty minutes later the same man she had been crushing on put handcuffs on her as he led her to the police station. 

           Maybe staying single was her only option because the little crush she had on this man was long gone after he failed to answer her questions . After an hour of waiting in the police interrogation room he walked inside , her traitorous heart wondered how he could risk his injury after surgery like this but she decided to not treat him if he got infected after all it was all his fault. 

           " So are you finally ready to talk Miss X " he spoke up yet again confusing her but more than hurt and disappointed in him . Whatever she hoped would happen between them were gone in the next instant when he accused her of being a murderer  and she realized it was too late for them .

P. S :" That it for now..Let me know your thoughts and feedbacks .Hit the votes if you liked it "

Juanita Reid.