Karan gulped and finally decided to press the bell. He brought his hand near the door but the shame, the regret, the guilt had weakened him too much.

He closed his eyes and clenched his jaws. It was his fault and he needed to make things right. The heart he hadn't even owned fully, was broken because of his stupidity. He needed to take care of it.

He needed to mend that heart again.

Finally pressing the bell, he held his breath. It was quarter past twelve in the night. What if they all were already in deep slumber?

Five minutes passed and he rang the bell two times. He looked here and there and noticed the whole street was empty except for the guard who was sitting at the corner of the society's gate.

His heart started beating faster when he heard a door opening inside. Suddenly, he saw the faint light stopping at the curtains of the window.

He bit his tongue and pressed his lips tight until- the door opened.

He gulped when his tired-looking mother-in-law came in sight. She was rubbing her eyes and they immediately lit up as soon as she realized it was him. A smile curved on her lips that reminded him of his Preeta too much.

"Karan, beta." He saw her suddenly frowning. "At this time? Is everything alright? Come inside, first."

She sounded so sweet and welcoming while he just couldn't meet her eyes at knowing what he had done to her daughter. He rubbed his forehead and saw her turning to finally look at him.

He sighed and looked in her eyes.

"Preeta," he said desperately.

He saw her eyes turning teary as she smiled sadly. He squeezed his eyes shut and lowered his face. He was about to ask for forgiveness when she quietly choked out.

"In her room. Old room."

He let out a huge breath and looked up towards the stairs. He had a stronger urge to fly up towards her room but he stood and looked in his mother-in-law's eyes.

"How's he?"

Sarla Arora smiled sadly. "Maybe, awake. Go."

He felt a sudden wave of enthusiasm passing through his body and without wasting anymore time, he stepped hurriedly on the stairs.

He reached the door and immediately knocked. In that silent home, it felt weird to bang on the door but then he didn't care. He just needed to see her. Hold her. Take her in his arms.

He restlessly banged on the door again and was frozen when it finally opened.

There she was, standing in a light yellow saree, hair down, eyes swollen and bloodshot while lips slightly trembling because of the sob that was erupting from her heart.

His lips parted and eyes were stunned. This was the innocence that had melted the selfishness in him. This was the purity of heart that had enlightened his mind to look at things with a different perspective. Yet he was so narrow-minded. Yet he was so pessimistic. Yet he became that sadist.

"Preeta."

It was a whisper. A faint sound that had reached her ears, her heart. The sudden realisation hit her face when he blinked. She shuddered. He noticed her fully-- as if she just realised that he was really here.

Her mouth opened in fright along with her eyes. She stepped back while shaking her head. Her face had paled and eyes had pooled with tears. She hurriedly tried to close the door and he immediately frowned.

His eyes narrowed as he stepped ahead and pushed the door before she could bolt it. She was so weak against him, against the door. But that didn't stop her to put her energy into it. A sob escaped her mouth as she tried hard to close the door but Karan had already entered the room partly.

She couldn't do anything when he entered the room fully and closed the door behind him.

Preeta gasped and starting stepping back in horror. He didn't know why she was reacting like that. He was her husband. Couples fight but that didn't mean, it was the end. He was here for her while she was stepping away from him in fear.

"Preeta, stop."

He couldn't control saying it a bit harshly. She flinched and he immediately regretted as she shook her head.

"No."

He clenched his jaws making her gulp. "Stop doing that. I am here to apologise," he said desperately.

Preeta's lips parted while shoulders slumped. "For what, Karan?"

He was stunned. Bewildered. He opened his mouth to speak when suddenly a heart-wrenching sob escaped her mouth.

She looked at him with anger in her eyes and kept on sobbing. She pointed her finger at him and he was stood their shocked.

"For what? For humiliating me, insulting me. For calling me characterless. For throwing me out of your home," she shouted while not caring if it was night and her parents could hear her.

Karan's nostrils flared in hurt as he gulped the lump forming in his throat. "Our home, Preeta. I was wrong. I did wrong. All those proofs, those actions, all were wrong."

Preeta smiled humorlessly through her tears and glared at him. "Good job, The Karan Luthra. You are right. Everything was wrong. All were wrong. My beliefs, my trust, my expectations, my hope on you. Everything was wrong."

Karan's heart sank in fright as he saw the harsh glare she was throwing his ways. He gulped and shook his head. "Don't say that. I am sorry, Preeta. I was baffled by seeing those photos. I couldn't see you in someone else's arms. My mind was messed up. My blood had turned reckless. I couldn't think properly. I was angry," his voice cracked as he stepped ahead but she flinched again.

She pointed her finger straight at him and pressed her lips tight. "You threw those photos on my face because you were angry. You humiliated me in front of mom and Kritika because you have gotten insane. There is a limit for suffering, Karan."

She sniffed and stared at him blankly. "I have suffered your stubbornness. I have suffered your hatred. Your anger. Your aggressiveness. But this was too much for me, Karan. The disgust in your eyes for me. The rejection. I don't have much heart left to forgive you. . ." she sobbed.

Karan's eyes turned teary as he clenched his jaws. He stepped ahead angrily and held her forearms. Preeta wriggled and glared at him but he won't make her feel like this again. He couldn't see her like this.

He spoke through gritted teeth angrily. "Enough. You are coming back to me. To our home. Forgive me or not but I am taking you back. It all happened in anger. You know my anger. You too had hide things from me. I was hurt. I was angry. I know it went too much but there's no need to behave like this," he shouted while saw her turning pale.

He squeezed his eyes shut and gasped. He looked back at her and rubbed her forearms soothingly. The way she was looking at him blankly with tears streaming down non-stop, was tearing his heart apart.

His gaze softened as he cupped her hand and wiped her tears. "You know, I can't live without you. This is us, Preeta. There's no me without you. I will make it up for you. For all the wrong things, I have done. You know, I would never let you go. I can't live without you. . ." He was startled by the sudden push that Preeta gave angrily.

She glared at him and pushed him again. Her bangles made noise while her hair disheveled. She had no make up on and her fair skin had turned red.

She gulped and stared at him with stoned-bloodshot eyes. "You should have think about that before throwing your pregnant wife out of your home in the middle of the night," she said each word coldly.

As if all the sanity left his mind, Karan's eyes widened. He stared at her mortified. Her words had slipped the ground beneath his feet. His heart had stopped beating. He didn't breath, not even blinked.

He just stood there overwhelmed.

The girl, he had seen in a school uniform that day. Innocent, scared yet protective for her loved ones. She had stole his heart that day.

She had become the girl, he desired. She had become the life, he used to dream every night.

For so many times, he had asked himself what was so good in her? Why was he so crazy?

He didn't know-- he didn't know the count to those reasons.

He had dreamt of his life with her. He still did. But this feeling, the emotion that was bubbling in his heart. What was it?

The happiness​-- that she was the mother of his child. That her and him had finally created something together. They had created a life, together.

His child was growing in her womb.

There were so many ways to say this, understand this. But this wasn't the way, he had dreamt to hear it.

She was hurt, angry. She was looking at him with pure hatred. The words were thrown with disgust.

Maybe, he deserved this. He truly did.

Yet he couldn't control the tears that burned his eyes. He stepped ahead absent-mindedly while staring at her in shock.

"I wanted to surprise you, Karan. I wanted to celebrate it with you. So, I went that day out. That was the day, I had my first check up. I wanted to come home soon to tell you about it excitedly. I bought magazines, I bought books about pregnancies. But I was the one who got the surprise," she choked out.

For a minute, she couldn't speak. He saw her shaking in hurt, in pain. It was aching in his chest--right in his heart.

"I know I did wrong. I hide things but I never cheated. I never lied. If I told you, I wasn't going to meet him. I didn't. It was a crazy coincidence that he saw me. He came to me. The photo that you had taken. He was laughing at my excitement, Karan. I was so happy and excited. I didn't care who was in front of me. I wanted to celebrate. He looked torn but then, he had smiled."

She looked up at him and hiccuped. "It was you, who was insecure. It was you who stopped me to thank him those times. He wouldn't have been angry."

Karan swallowed and kept on staring at her. "I had dreams, Karan. In that little amount of time from hospital to the home. I had imagined your reaction, dreamt of our child. I was so stupid. So stupid," her voice broke.

"What didn't you tell me?"

Preeta glared at him immediately. "I didn't have the heart to hear you questioning about the father of the child. I would have lost my sanity," she spat harshly.

"In that single moment, you changed everything. Do you know how I had felt? Do you know what I have been thinking since last night? Do you know how I have been coping up?" she shouted angrily while he was stoned.

"I married you, not caring about my education. I loved you, not caring how the past has been. I trusted you, Karan. But you ruined me. You pushed me. Do you know how it feels? Since last night, I feel like a useless woman. My education is incomplete, my marriage has failed, I am the mother of a child whose father has abandoned me. You made our child into a burden, Karan. You made this little happiness into a terrifying curse."

His eyes widened as each word of hers stabbed his heart. A tear leaked from his eye followed by others.

"I am sorry," he choked out.

Karan walked ahead and kneeled in front of her. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pushed the side of his face in her stomach.

"Don't say that, please. For the sake of our love. I didn't know, Preeta. I didn't know. I should have trusted you. I am your criminal. Punish me all you want. Slap me, beat me. But don't call this child a curse. Its the most beautiful thing that happened to us, Preeta. I am sorry. I am sorry," he whispered shakily as tears fell from his eyes.

Preeta stood there blank while feeling him shaking. She couldn't come up to wrap her arms around him. She couldn't come up to hug him and console him.

She couldn't take her words back.

Her face fell as she gulped and felt fresh warm tears leaving her eyes. She clutched his hands on her back and tried to remove them.

"Leave me, Karan. It's over. I can't see your face again. Its the true picture of our relationship breaking bad. Just go. Just go," she whispered while remembering the words he had said last night.

She felt him clinging on to her more. He tightened his hold and shook his head. "Don't leave me, Preeta. Forgive me. I was wrong. I was harsh. I broke you. I admit all of it. Punish me but don't leave me," he wept while pushing his face in her stomach.

Preeta tried hard to remove his hands. "Karan, leave me."

She gritted her teeth and tried to step aside. For once, she had became successful in getting herself free but then, he caught her again.

"No. Don't​. I am sorry," he said shakily while his eyes widening in horror.

Preeta was startled by his sudden hold and stumbled on her steps. She yelped as her legs trembled because of his tight hold and before she could fell, Karan laid beneath her, holding her tight. Her hands palmed the floor harshly and knees too had hit hard.

She cringed in pain and felt him cupping her cheeks. "Did you get hurt? Show me."

Karan hurriedly started rubbing her knees while looking in her eyes. "Give me a chance, Preeta. We need to be together for each other. You know, I will lose my mind. You know, I will. . ."

He hugged her tightly making her shocked. Preeta pushed on his chest but he kept on hugging her tightly, not leaving any possibility for her to fight.

She pushed on his chest hard and tried to move but failed. At last, she was so overwhelmed that she let out a loud sob and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Leave me, Karan. I can't forgive you. I don't want to. You have hurt me too much. This was enough for both of us," she sobbed in his neck while Karan clenched his jaws.

"I don't have the energy to deal with your insecurities, your anger. I haven't forget the horror I had seen on my parents' face when I had banged on their door at this same time. How would someone feel seeing their happily married daughter crying badly at their doorstep? They were scared if I had done something wrong. I had seen the hurt in their eyes. I had seen the pain. If I am hurt, then they are hurt too."

Karan closed his eyes, letting the tears leaking. He opened them and pushed his nose in her neck making her hiccup. "You made me feel ashamed of myself. Because of me, my parents didn't sleep. They are terrified if you have left me. For me, you really had. I don't think if I can look at mom and Kritika in the eyes. They too must be hating me. I am crushed, Karan. There's no going back."

His face shook in anger as he pulled his face back and glared at her. She gasped and gulped at seeing the anger in his eyes.

"You are my wife," he spat angrily.

"You do what a wife do. You are coming home with me. No one hates you. No one. It was all a big misunderstanding. I will kill that Malhotra," he growled.

Preeta flinched and hiccuped. His eyes immediately softened but face was still hard. "You are mine. Do you get that? You will forget everything and come with me for home. Our home."

Preeta's face shook in fear but she swallowed,"I won't. I have forgiven you for your deeds before. Not anymore. . ."

Karan slammed his lips on hers making her stunned. She wriggled fearfully and tried to move her legs. That's when she realised that they were so close. She was almost sitting on him, in his arms.

Her eyes squeezed shut as she moaned when he bit her lip. He violently moved his lips against hers making her groan. Preeta cupped his face and tried to pull.

"Karan, it's. . . too. . . much." She panted but he grabbed her neck and pulled her again for another violent kiss.

"Sto. . . Stop." She sobbed but he stole all her breaths as his hand roamed on her waist making her feel conflicted.

When she was tired of fighting​, her shoulders slumped and hands that were fisting his shirt, loosened. He finally pulled apart and panted hard. Their breaths fanned their faces as he rested his forehead against hers, still not ready to leave her face that he was holding.

He opened his eyes and kissed her tears. Wiping her cheeks properly, he kissed her forehead as she hiccuped every third second.

"I. . . hate. . . you," she sniffed while he kept on wiping her cheeks and kissing her eventually.

"You. . . are a monster. I hate you," she whispered.

Her head suddenly started pounding and she closed her eyes. She touched her head and cringed when another shot of pain exploded. Suddenly, her eyes too felt swollen.

Karan observed her condition and immediately got up, taking her along. He lifted her through her shoulders and carried her in his arms to put her on the bed.

She didn't protest thankfully.

She kept on watching his face with half-closed eyes as he removed his shoes and socks. He climbed on the bed and was about lay beside her when he stopped.

Their eyes met, and he didn't move.

Karan's nostrils flared as he gulped the lump again. "I will earn your forgiveness."

"I hate you," she whispered again, her eyes still half-closed.

He removed the drape from her stomach and kissed it slowly. "I will change that. It needs to be. For this baby. For our baby."

He saw her jaws twitching as she kept on staring at him. He peppered more kisses on her stomach while saying,"Your mummy loves you, baby. More than she loves your daddy. Will you tell her to forgive him? Because he is damn sorry and he loves her so-fucking-much."

He saw her gulping and breathing hard to control the other round of tears. With a last kiss on which she even fisted her hands, he moved upwards to rest his head on the pillow.

Pulling her close effortlessly, he wiped her face gently.

"I am sorry," he said softly while wrapping his arms around her that she was snuggling in his chest. With one hand, he pressed the tip of his fingers on her temples and moved them to soothe her from the ache.

He saw her closing her eyes and wrapping her arm around him. She entangled one of her leg between his but still didn't forget to mutter in his chest.

"I hate you."

Karan smiled and closed his eyes, waiting for a new day to rise. He needed the light. He needed the brightness.

The night had played with him for quite long.

__________