Feeling her heart thumping so loudly, Preeta increased the speed of car. She didn't know that it would take her so much time.

She had thought that her task would be done within two hours but the unnecessary traffic jam had blocked her. She didn't have a good feeling about this. Everytime she had gotten late, something bad had happened. Karan had always been angry.

It's not that there would be extreme argument between them. But she knew, he would somehow show his anger on her being late. Mom was not well at home, Kritika too had not been able to feel normal. Moreover, Karan had said that he would come home soon. How would he feel if he won't find her at home?

Biting her lip in tension, she took a turn and sped up the car. In ten minutes, she had reached the Luthra's mansion. But that wasn't soon when it had turned eight in the evening.

"Crap! I need to prepare dinner too," muttering to herself, she hurriedly picked out the bags from the car.

With a last look at the parked car, she started walking towards the entrance. But her heart was still drowning in fear. She had seen Karan's car parked beside another. When did he get home? Was he in good mood?

So many questions were forming in her mind but keeping her confidence, she finally entered the house. She was arranging the bags as some of the things were of Kritika and hers. Being busy in arranging them, she hadn't noticed the unusual silence in home until she felt being watched.

She immediately looked in the front and gasped when she saw Karan standing there with bloodshot eyes. Behind him, his mother and Kritika were sitting on the sofa with worried expressions covering their faces.

It felt strange but maybe they were just very hungry. She would have let out a nervous laugh and had told them that she would make food for them in minutes. But Karan's bloodshot eyes had caught all her attention.

She gulped and stared at him in worry. "Karan, is everything alright?" she asked while smiling nervously.

She saw his jaws clenching and through gritted teeth, he asked,"Where were you?"

Preeta felt a shiver crawling down her spine. Her smile shrank and she could feel, something was wrong. Very wrong. Her eyes wandered on her mother-in-law who was shaking her head slowly at her. She looked worried and Preeta knew, she shouldn't talk back to Karan. But she couldn't just ignore him too.

She had to answer him. So she looked back at him. "Karan, I had told. I had gone to the mall with Shreya. Is everything okay? You look different," she said with a gulp.

She saw him slowly walking towards her. He was still in his formals. Only that, his tie was loose while he wasn't wearing his blazer. His boots clicked as he took each predatory step. Preeta's stomach churned but she kept herself calm.

"Lie. Tell me the truth, Preeta. Where had you gone?"

Preeta felt disappointed and scared at his tone. Didn't he trust her even? Couldn't he see the shopping bags in her hand?

"Karan, I was in the mall. I had told you," she reasoned while raising the bags a bit.

But Karan's eyes were stoned on her face. His jaws were still clenched and bloodshot eyes seemed angry. Preeta kept on waiting for his reaction but he didn't move or said a word.

"Karan..." She stopped when he threw a bunch of papers on her face harshly. She gasped in shock and looked horrified at her husband. Seeing her husband's act, her mother-in-law​ too got up from the couch and stood behind Karan.

"Karan, dear. Don't..." his mother begged but Karan shook his head.

"No. Let her see the proof of her betrayal. Let me see her face now when I have caught her red-handed," shouted Karan while glaring at her.

Preeta gasped and felt tears collecting at the back of her eyes. She swallowed and looked at her mother-in-law. "Mom, what's happening? Is this a joke?" she asked while glancing at a furious Karan who was now looking extremely angry.

His face shook in anger as he fisted his hands on the sides. Preeta gulped and felt her eyes filling at the sudden behavior of her husband. Even her mother-in-law wasn't answering. Kritika too was looking at in uncertainty.

She blinked the tears and looked down at the floors. Her eyes widened and her heart jumped up to her throat when she saw what those papers were. She immediately bent and started picking all the photos. There were eight-nine photos of her and of what occasion, Preeta was horrified.

She looked back at Karan while feeling her legs shaking in terror. She shook her head,"Karan, this is not true..."

"Shut up!" Her husband shouted and she could hear her heart breaking in pieces.

"Will you explain me this, Preeta?"

She sniffled and shook her head. "Karan, this was a long time ago. I didn't..."

"Are these photos from before our marriage?" He shouted making her flinch.

"Karan, beta. At least, listen to her first," Rakhi Luthra suggested while noticing the level of his anger.

Preeta felt tears sliding down her cheeks and legs numb at thinking how these came to Karan. She looked at him pleading eyes.

"It happened just months ago, after our marriage. I was at the mall, with Shreya. Prithvi was there too..."

"After our marriage? Preeta, were you cheating on me from the beginning?"

Preeta widened her eyes,"What? Karan, no. What happened to you? Why are you believing these more than me?"

"They tell the truth. I have never seen you wearing that dress. What is he doing standing so close to you? It looks like you were in trial room?"

Preeta nodded and felt her heart shattering at his cold tone. "I was in the trial room and he came from nowhere. He was following us. This dress, I had bought long ago."

She observed his face turning blank. She shook her head while sobbing. She was just praying that he would believe her and why shouldn't he? She had always been loyal to him. He knew her. He knew her loyalty.

"Karan, please trust me. These photos are taken when he had come all of a sudden. You can ask Shreya. She was just outside the room. She had heard me protesting," she begged but felt hurt when he didn't react.

He just kept on staring at her with those blank eyes. She had never thought that the day would come when he would look at her like that.

"Karan, please. You know, I have been loyal to you. I never do anything without telling you. That day, I was so scared. I didn't tell you in fear. I was scared if you would get angry on me or would go to him. I just wanted to forget that incident."

Karan gulped and stared at his wife blankly. His eyes were bloodshot because of the trauma he was going through. He hadn't thought that Preeta could be this close to Prithvi even after their marriage. He had loved her so much. He had provided her everything, anything she had asked, even those she hadn't.

Then, how could she do this to him? He blinked and gulped the lump that was forming again and again because of the betrayal. He had observed every single photo. Every single angle of Prithvi and his wife.

They had been standing close. Extremely close that no wife should stand with a stranger. His hands were beside her head and on her waist while Preeta was looking in his eyes. She was looking beautiful. She had wore the maroon dress which was a bit revealing.

His heart was burning at feeling the betrayal. How could she wear such a dress and meet Prithvi? Even if for once, he would think about her words.

If Prithvi was the culprit and she wasn't involved, then why she had never shared this incident with him. He stared at her with hurtful eyes.

"Even in Laksh's party, you were talking to him. I didn't object. I didn't interrupt. I didn't ask a question about it, Preeta. I gave you space. I respected your decision of not sharing it with me. But this incident, in a try room. Was it not serious enough to share with your husband?" Karan shouted while glaring at her.

Preeta flinched and tried to reason. "I-I thought, it-it will make you an-angry, Ka-Karan. I didn't want to-to worry you," she ended up stuttering in extreme terror.

For a second, she saw his eyes softening. She was hell scared of his anger and right now, he looked furious.

She gulped when he stepped ahead and held her hand. He cupped her hand using both of his and looked at her blankly.

"I had brought you to my home, Preeta. Given you my everything. You haven't​ just got me, my mom, dad, my sister, they all are humbled to have you in their life. I, I have planned a long future, a lifetime with you. If you are saying, you didn't want to worry me, then I am trusting you. If you are saying that it's not your fault, I am believing you," he said while swallowing and Preeta smiled through tears.

She nodded her head hurriedly. "Thank you, Karan. I know you trust me. I didn't cheat on you. These photos have been secretly taken when Prithvi was scaring me," she sobbed while looking at him hopefully.

He squeezed her hand and let out a heavy breath. Preeta couldn't understand his behaviour. Why wasn't he taking her in his arms and telling her that it was alright? Why was he still looking doubtful? Was he even trusting her words?

"Karan, are you doubting on me?" She asked in a whisper but he had heard her.

He left her hand and gave her a fake smile. His eyes were still red and glossy and it made her heart shrink.

"Where had you gone?"

Preeta's stomach churned in terror. He was still doubting her answer.

She gulped,"I-I. Mall. Shopping Mall, Karan." She raised the bags and showed him the brand names. "I bought things for me and Kritika. I bought some clothes. Did I do wrong?"

He shook his head while pressing his lips and looking at her with hurt. Bringing his phone from the pocket, he unlocked it. He handed it to Preeta and she finally saw what he was showing.

The reason that he still wasn't trusting her.

The ground beneath her feet slipped and she felt herself falling. The phone slipped from her hands and she stared at him in shock.

"You were spying on me?" she whispered in horror.

She saw his eyes narrowing as he glared at her.

"No. It was a test of my own beliefs. My beliefs on you. My faith in you, Preeta. These photos had broken my beliefs. But my heart said that it all could be wrong. Simply wrong when my wife is so innocent and given her heart to me. Then, I remembered your another visit to shopping mall. Were you really out of home for shopping?"

Karan flared his nostrils and sneered,"This photo says it all. You can't blame the photographer, since it was me who captured it. You can't blame the persons in it. It's a random one. They look truly genuine. Don't they?"

Preeta couldn't feel her legs anymore. She let out a heart-wrenching sob making her mother-in-law look at her in worry.

She sniffled and stared at him with disappointed eyes. "It was a coincidence, Karan. He was already there for his check up while I was there for mom's medicine since she was having a headache. I would have bought it from the mall but it came to my mind when I had already reached half the way. The nearest chemist's shop was at the hospital only. I hadn't even noticed him until he himself came to me if I was alright," she explained while sniffling to control her sobs.

"I have never lied to you. I have always listened to your rules, your wishes. I have followed them heartily. It's your own narrowed mind, Karan. Your own narrowed mind," she muttered while looking at him expectantly.

She was already so ashamed that he questioned her character in front of his sister and mother. Moreover, he had behaved like a heartless person to her.

He threw those photos at her face so harshly and the slap of humiliation was making her whole face sting in hurt.

But no matter how doubtful he was, she knew he was just insecure. He was just jealous. She could understand his thoughts. The photos were really looking as if she was interested in Prithvi all the time. But the one outside the hospital was a clear-cut coincidence.

If she wouldn't have been in his place, maybe she too would have been so hurt and doubtful. But now, she had tell the whole truth. She had proved her loyalty, her righteousness.

She stared at him for mercy, for the love she had grown attached to, for the warmth she had gotten habitual to. But he didn't react. She saw him breathing hard and clenching his fists tight.

"Karan, take Preeta inside. I believe, you both can solve this in your room. Talk calmly, misunderstandings like this happens often in married life," suggested his mother but Preeta could only get comfort from her husband.

If she had hurt him, then most importantly, his decision mattered to her. She knew he loved her endlessly. He knew her heart, her mind. He knew she was innocent in all her ways. But his next words turned her world upside-down.

"I need a break," Karan announced while lowering his eyes.

He turned away from her and pinched the bridge of his nose. Preeta's lips parted and she breathed harshly. The sudden rejection had broke her heart, shattered all her dreams, blackened all the colours of her happiness.

"I need time to get away from this mess. To forget it," he muttered while breathing slowly and looking at her sideways.

"Bhai! You are being too rude to her. This is not some relationship thing. You both are married for God's sake. What the hell do you mean by break?" said Kritika in anger while not being able to see Preeta's state.

"Mind your tongue, Kritika."

Instead of looking away, his sister glared at him but his mother held her arm.

"He is being mean, tai ji. Look at her, she is crying for real. How could he say it just like that? He is being..." Before she could speak more,  Rakhi Luthra shook her head and made her stop.

Finally realising that she might say too much, Kritika shushed and controlled her rage at Karan.

"I don't care. I am too damaged to believe her again. She had lied to me. She fucking lied to her own husband and went to meet that shitty classmate of hers who lusts for her, mom." He shouted making his own mother gasp.

"I don't care. I can't stay with her until I get my pieces together. I can't accept her. My self-esteem, my love has stumbled. I can't. I just can't," his voice broke making Preeta let out a whimper.

She glanced at her mother-in-law who was busy in looking at her son worriedly. He was breathing harshly and she could see, how blind he was to see the truth.

The truth that she was pure and innocent. The truth that she was loyal and was only his.

"Kritika, pack her clothes. Mom, call Mohan Dada. She needs to go to her parents' home. We need to be apart for sometime. We need a break. I can't afford to see her shameless face. I can't just live with her unless I am fully satisfied that her character is not questionable," he said while still giving her his back.

"Karan, this is not how you deal. She is your bride. You can't just tell her to go. Preeta, go to your room, dear. He is just too much stressed. We will all talk about this patiently," his mother tried to stop him but he jerked his arm away from her and turned to look coldly at Preeta.

"Just leave. So, I won't cross the limits. Just leave, Preeta. Before my hatred increases too much and it will vanish the undeniable love, I have for you. For the sake of my love, go. For the sake of efforts, I had always made to maintain this bond. Just go," he finally announced while looking at her.

He seemed ready to face her absence. Ready to let her go. He was too keen on punishing her. Too keen to threw her out of his home.

Preeta couldn't hear the soft words of her mother-in-law, who was trying to calm her son. She couldn't listen to the eventual interruption of Kritika, who was trying to make him aware of what he was doing. She couldn't hear her loud heartbeats. She couldn't hear her heart breaking. She couldn't even hear her own sobs.

Because all that was echoing in her mind, was 'Just go'.

_________

Any guess about the ending?

Either its gonna have a sad ending or happy ending?

________

Getting the vibe of real Kundali Bhagya from this chapter.
Haha!