"Wait," I requested him. "I will get you water," I was on the verge of getting up from the floor but he shook his head.

"I am not sure how long I can pull this off," he groaned in pain. "I need to confess my sins before you." He muttered, "I married you because of a mission. The mission of destroying the criminal. Mr Shlok Oberoi who was rulling the world. He had hidden behind the facade of a businessman. I wanted to unfold his truth before the world. I was dying, struggling to find a weakness. Every single criminal made a mistake and I was planning and plotting to force him to commit one. He was clever! The cleverest I had found till date but he had weakness," he paused, his orbs glancing into mine.

"You were his weakness and to destroy him I had to reach you," he completed. I stared at him in horror. What was he uttering? I was a mission that he wanted to accomplish! That care, concern were it fake? How I couldn't ever read it? Was I that dumb?

"So the entire thing was planned. Meeting your parents, impressing them, convincing you for the wedding. But falling for you wasn't in the plan!" He sighed in exhaustion. "Your care, your love, your kindness manipulated my heart. No matter at times how hostile I behaved with you, you never gave-up, never walked away. My career, my work had being my life. I never thought I needed love and you proved me that I was carving for it. My closeness with you was bringing me closer to the mission. Mr Oberoi was slowly loosing his patience, he would have come before the world."

"Until I got the orders of harming you, killing you. I couldn't have done that! I had to convince the higher authorities that you weren't involved with Mr Oberoi. You had no clue of his existence, you weren't related to him. And it wasn't difficult to convince them as you had forgotten your past in the orphanage. And if I wanted you safe I needed to pull myself away from the relationship. I had to divorce you!" He paused, sighing at his past events. "And so I did! I pulled you out of my life."

I kept staring at him, processing those information. I wasn't sure what I was feeling at the moment. Betrayed! Sure, I did! Upset? Furious? I was feeling a mixture of every emotion. I was used as a toy and I was still treated as a toy.

"I had no plans interrupting in your life until you showed up in Mr Oberoi's pre-wedding venue. My assumptions were questioned and I was asked to complete the unfinished business."

"So, those attacks were planned." I completed it for him. Some pieces fitted well into the puzzle.

"I never intended to harm you," he was pleading, his orbs descending to my stomach. "I wish, I could offer a better life for you and our child but due to me you're pulled into the mess." He sounded defeated. "I always thought that I could overpower him. I would overshadow him. I wanted you here so they won't keep urging me to harm you. They would believe that you weren't working against them but with them."

I could feel he was speaking the truth, his concern was real yet my heart wasn't in a position to believe him. I wanted to slide it off!

"I am sorry for the mess I have created for you."

"Your apology aren't going to change my situation." I stood from the ground, "it's not going to change our future." I touched my raising bump. "Maybe all these months I had waited for a closeure. I needed a reason for our ending." I passed a sad smile, "it never started to end." I concluded, "atleast not from your side. I can be relieved that I wasn't to blame. I hadn't done something wrong, I hadn't failed as a wife." I looked straight in his orbs, "and I will assure you. I won't allow myself to fail as a mother. I will offer my child with the best life possible." With that determination I walked out of the room.

•••

I attempted a lot! Tears weren't ready to stop. I had locked myself in the room, convincing the staff that I was sick and in need of rest. Diya had walked into the room and I faked of being fast asleep. I wasn't in a position to have a conversation with anyone.

Diya had won with her opinion. Mayur cared less of my existence. Fresh tears kept rolling down my cheek. I felt like a failure. I had failed to judge his character. I had come in his act. He had not only fooled me but my parents as well. My father still had faith in him. I buried my face in the pillow as I heard someone twisting the knob. I couldn't afford someone hearing my cries. I soon heard footsteps which faded away as the door was shut.

I allowed myself to cry until I heard a hoarse voice. "Are you crying?" I hadn't heard from him from past few days. Ronald had mentioned that Mr Oberoi was busy with his work. He used to arrive home but at midnight and disappear before the sun shine in the sky. I hadn't anticipated about his presence.

I stopped the sob emerging from my throat. I felt his cold hand on my hairs, caressing me softly. "Rose..." His voice was soft, extremely soft. "Why are you crying, love?" He was whispering in my ears.

"Nothing..." I stammered, not able to hold back my tears.

"Rose..." He was urging me to move from the pillow but I was adamant not to allow him to glance at my tears, at my wounds. I had being betrayed! I had being used! I couldn't allow someone else to glance at my vulnerability. They would use it against me!

"Had he hurt you?" His voice turning rough, he was fuming in rage. "I will kill him," he gritted his teeth and was on the verge of leaving when I grabbed his wrist.

"Please, don't..." I pleaded, requesting him. He glanced at me, those fuming black orbs softening before turning cold.

His rough fingers inched closer to my cheek as it brushed off those emerging tears. "What had you done of yourself!" He groaned at the view before him. "That's the reason I despised the idea of you meeting him." I could glimpse at the rage fuming in his orbs.

"Are you going to kill him?" I couldn't stop myself from inquiring it. Mayur was on the verge of dying. His body had given up on himself. His soul urging him for freedom. He was tortured! Maybe he had his punishment. I didn't wanted to ask more rather erase some of his pain.

"Why? Would it matter to you?" His stare was intimating as if he didn't adore my question.

"Please don't kill him. Spare his life!" I was urging, pleading with him.

"I am desparate to ooze every single drop of blood out his system. I want to hear him scream, cry, request to spare his life. I want to torture him to death!" His orbs were dangerous, it was filled with lust, greed of power. He wanted to defeat him!

"You won't!" I stared at him with a faith, determination. "You won't kill him." His orbs enlarged in surprise, his curious orbs scanning my features.

"Don't have such misconceptions about me." He pressed as he jerked my hand away. "I don't spare my culprit. Double crossing me leads to only one end," he paused for a moment. "Death!" He whispered in a low manner before walking out of the room, shutting the door with such a force that the walls of the room was shivering in fear.

I kept staring at his retreating figure. "Why is my heart screaming that you won't kill him?" I sighed to myself. "Why am I having faith on you? Why have I started believing that maybe... Slight... Maybe you're not that cruel monster as you claim to be..." I mumbled much to myself.

"Monster!"

"Monster!"

The entire home was screaming it loudly. Aachal little legs dragged her towards the voice. She was busy collecting her Jasmine in the garden when such loud voice startled her. She kept running inside until a huge crowd accumulated around halted her.

"He is a monster!" Another voice accused.

Aachal's tiny figure was making it impossible to glance through those taller individual gathered around.

"What is happening over here?" The loud, authorative yet filled with kindness feminine voice, inquired.

Aachal glanced at the lady with a ray of hope. She always managed to calm things down in the home. Aachal felt as if she had some magic that sorted out every confusing moment. The crowd went quite after her arrival and slowly Aachal made her way among them.

"Buba, he had again ended up into a fight." One of the guy explained it to Buba.

Aachal glanced at the person. His orbs were fuming in anger as he glared at the human pointing finger in his direction. Two of his shirt button was unbotton. His knuckles were fisted into a ball, his jaw clenched as he was staring at his prey.

"What's the matter?" Buba walked in the centre, helping the guy laying on the ground to stand up. He was groaning in pain, there was a cut in the corner of his lips. Tears had accumulated in his orbs. "What is this?" She was staring at Shlok with a questioning gaze. "How could you beat him up?"

Shlok offered him a look before disappearing from the crowd. Buba kept screaming after him but he didn't paid heed to her.

"Saw," the smaller kid commented to Aachal. "He is dangerous, he is a monster."

"He isn't!" Aachal groaned in annoyance. "And he never will be!" With that determination she followed after him.

"Shlok! Shlok!" Aachal kept running behind him but he soon was outside on the street. The vehicles passing in full speed didn't allowed her to cross it, to follow him. Aachal pouted staring at his retreating figure for a minute before accepting her defeat and walking back into the home.

Everyone in the house were yelling about him. They were accusing of him being a monster but Aachal's soft heart was fragile towards the monster. She didn't wanted to believe them. She felt bad for him. Those stern, furious orbs didn't scared her while attracted her towards him. She wanted to be his friend. She didn't appreciated him staying alone, him not having a friend.

"What are you doing over here?" Her friend questioned her. She was seating under the tree. The same tree where she had met Shlok for the first time. They might never had a conversation but he was there for her. There were days when she had sat there and he on the stone beside the tree. She had often came there crying, at times missing her mother or otherwise being upset with people in the home. He had heard to her complains, her blabbers not mentioning a word, just being her listening hear.

"Waiting for Shlok," she mumbled.

"Who is Shlok?" He inquired, his orbs frowning in displeasure. He didn't liked the idea of she having another friend.

"Shlok..." Aachal stared at him with pissed expression.

"But it's late," he expressed his concern but before he could continue, Aachal rushed towards the human who had entered the home.

Smaller kid stared at the view in displeasure as Aachal rushed and hugged the monster. The most dangerous human in the home. Shlok stood there not moving a inch. He was stunned to react, he hadn't anticipated anyone to be up by this hour other than Buba.

He had planned to ignore her lecture but hadn't prepared himself to be greeted with a hug. That small girl wrapped her hand around his waist. She wasn't much smaller than him yet shorter in height, thinner compare to his mascular figure. She was malnourished and it could be visible.

"You're home," there was relief in her voice. Something he had never heard in his thirteen years of life. Someone was relieved to have him return to home. He was always a disgrace, a burden but never wanted, valued. He was a monster and monster are never wanted, valued.

Shlok orbs locked to the other two individual present. A small boy, what was his name? He had to recollect it! He was frowning at them. Not adoring the view infront of them. Another was Buba, she stood in the corner. A sweet smile forming on her pink lips. She adored the sight before her and it pissed Shlok.

°°°

A:N

My readers are very smart. I am really impressed with your theories.

Pray for your sweet, little author. 2025 isn't going easy with her.