With her hand placed under her chin, and other one busy covering her red cheek by the curtain of her hair Radhika was glancing through the files Veer had asked her to study. She had not shown her face to him since morning. They usually had coffee breaks together. What if he sees Arjun's fingerprints imprinted on her cheek?! He will go mad with rage and that means a catfight between him and Arjun.

"Hey Radhika."He prodded her with his elbow.

"Hmm."She replied not giving him an eye to eye. She had her head bend down and her hair had hidden half of her face.

"Radhika...Are you fine?!" He asked. She was acting so wierd. She didn't come to him to have their lunch together nor did she waved at him back when he waved at her in the entrance.

"Radhiku." He teased her.

In instance she looked up and scoweled,"Don't spoil my name. Radhiku! Ewe it sounds like a rhyme to cuckoo."

There he saw it! Stupid girl could not make out he was teasing her only to provoke her and make her face him. He reached out for her, tucked her hair strands behind gently and touched her cheek tenderly. She winced in pain when his cold hands came in contact with her swelled up cheek. His eyes flame with rage,"Who did this?!"

She looked down not ready to look into his eyes for she knew he will read the truth in her eyes.

He tilted her chin upwards to force her to look into his eyes," I can't believe that fucking bastard hit you so bad!"

She shook her head vigorously,"It was my mistake. Trust me he is not at fault."

He glared at her,"I don't care he has no right to hit you even if you are mistaken."

She was in tears,"He was angry I had never seen him so angry. He did it in fit of rage."

He straightened up and said in an icy cold tone,"So now I am angry and I am going to take out my anger on him."

"No please no he does not like you. Please don't ruin the peace."

"He does not like me! Trust me even I am not a fan of him and now I despise him so much. Which good man on earth hits a woman when angry?!"

"Please Veer I am so happy with him." She begged him, tear-eyed.

"He has hurt you! For God's sake Radhika take a good look at your cheek. I am sure you would have fallen flat on your face from his hard blow." He screamed in rage.

She corrected him, "No I was sitting on bed that time."

He said gritting his teeth, "You know what I don't give a fuck if you were standing or sitting. The bottom line is you are hurt by him."

"Veer, please..."Her voice a plea.

He turned his eyes stone, "Not today Radhika."

He stormed out of the office. Radhika stood watching like a still statue. She was perturbed. It was no use trying to convince him for he was beyond angry today. God! When did three of them come so far?! Veer loves her But she loves Arjun and Arjun does not understand idiom of love.

Arjun was busy censuring presentations one after another in the conference room. He was in shitty mood today for Radhika had not spoken the truth last night. She had given many excuses....I am sleepy, I am hungry, I was bored, I am tired now let's call the shots....God! Such a drama queen she was! He had not forced the truth out of her because he had already hurt her so he had let that pass.

"Sir, Some Veer wants to meet you?! Should I ask him to wait or tell him to book an appointment?!" The receptionist filled in Arjun over phone.

Arjun smirked cockily on other side of phone,"Lara, send him in."

"But sir you have a meeting scheduled with Mr Khanna in half an hour."

"I said send him in now!" His voice adamant and he meant business.

"Yes sir."

He called off his current meeting asked everyone to disperse. Veer paraded towards him and pulled his balled fist back to ram it on Arjun's face but Arjun dodged his blow.

Arjun warned,"Don't even think of it. You are in my territory."

Veer gave him a smug look, "Dogs mark their territory."

Arjun smirked evil,"That's difference between dogs and lions. Dogs mark and lions claim!"

He came straight to the point, "How dare you to hit her?!"

Arjun spinned the paper weight on his glass desk paying absolutely no heed to Veer, "Oh so you got the news. Well I am not surprised I was expecting you to stop by."

Veer raised his voice as Arjun's ignorance welled only anger inside him, "Answer me dammit! Why did you hit her?!"

Arjun gave him a defying look, "I don't think so its your place to ask me this. The only person I am answerable to is Radhika, herself."

Veer snapped, "Radhika is my friend and I care for her. Who ever hurts her, hurts me too!"

Arjun asked in an icy cold tone, "You still have the hots for her, don't you?!"

Veer ignored his question and shot his own, "I want an answer and I want it now."

Arjun stared straight into his eyes. Who the fuck he thinks of himself to tell him how should he treat his wife?! He did a heinous mistake last night but it was just not him....It was the aggravating anger controlling his actions....Plus last night only he popped the question...He could still picturize her elated look when he asked her to marry him….She was happy and that’s what matters…

He said, "Why do you think I will ever answer you?! I live and think by own free will. Still I would say I said sorry to her and she does not hold that against me. She loves me enough to forgive you. So feel free to get your ass out of my premises. You get one thing in your head that she is mine and only mine. Stop mooning over my wife."

Veer shook his head,” Do you really think someone like you deserve someone like her?! You don’t even love her….You don’t treat her the way she should be treated….You take her decisions for her….You control her life I fear the day when she will require your permission to breath….You don’t give her freedom which every human deserves….She has to take your goddamn permission to even hang out with me or any other friend….You don’t deserve her and I just don’t understand how you live with yourself, face yourself in the mirror knowing the fact that you will give her nothing except pain….You will ruin her in fact you have ruin her….She has lost her own existence in making you happy….On the top of it you hit her for loving you more than her own life itself…She is better off without you…I won’t say I deserve her but think about it…If you let her go now maybe she will find someone like her….someone as altruistic as her…someone who deserves her love which a man like you can never be worthy of!”

Veer closed the door with a bang and left leaving Arjun to think back on his decision of marrying Radhika.
He crashed down on his chair and picked up the glass of water in front of him and drank it in one millisecond. He didn’t even realize he  was crying until he felt something wet on his cheek….The very thought of letting go off Radhika was like his heart ripped out of his chest…But he had to do it for her….She deserved a good man who will present her the best of him and here he was a big fucked up son of a bitch who had no good inside him. She deserved all the happiness of the world and he could give her only tears. She would shed tears waiting for him, she would cry for him when he will be doomed by the demons of his past. All this could be avoided if he pushes her away from him now. If he does then she will go out in the world and there are greater chances she will find someone like her. Someone who will love her the way she loves, with her whole and soul. Tears stung in his eyes and rolled down in zeal force. He had not cried for years and bottled up his pain for so long now it was time for him to cry for himself. He wiped away his tears and straightened up. He pulled out his phone and searched for his lawyer contact in his list of contacts. His shook while dialing the no but he had to do it. He was never this afraid anytime in his life. God! He was sweating, shaking like hell, his eyes were full of tears, his lips quivered.
He somehow calmed himself when he heard the sound of hello on the other side.

His swear his heart was in his mouth. He stifled a painful cry. He clenched his fist tight to get some control over the rush of emotions inside him. He choked on emotions but somehow found his voice,” I want to file a petition for divorce. I want the divorce papers by the evening itself."

Radhika was waiting for Arjun holding her breath. She very well he would be in outrageous mood. As she saw him coming inside the room from the door, she ran to him and hugged him tightly. God! She was miserable the whole day. She had taken a off for she couldn’t work thinking what could have happened between Arjun and Veer.

He didn’t hug her back on the other hand took a step back thus breaking their embrace.

He said in a cold tone,” I want to talk to you.”

She nodded,” Go on.”

Finally he said bitterly,” I want a divorce. I have got the papers ready and you have to just sign. I have already sign them.”

Radhika’s eyes widen with extreme shock, without a blink. It took her few seconds to comprehend in her mind what he actually said. She had no clue suddenly where all this was coming from.  Her face paled and red, she lost the color on her beautiful face, she felt as if someone slapped her harshly on her cheek. It was more painful than the pain she went through when he smacked her cheek. The pain she felt was beyond words. The sound of the word divorce mirrored in her mind over and over again. She felt completely broken hearing the word divorce.

Her eyes welled up,” Is this what you want?! You want to divorce me?! Then what was last night all about?!”

He turned his face away from her to hide his own tears,” It was a mistake. I changed my mind.”

Mistake?! Everything was a mistake for him?! That means he regrets. He doesn’t wants me! Why?! What have I done?! I kept my whole world at his feet and he just kicked it away calling it a mistake. I treated him like God and I don’t even deserve to be treated as human. Am I so bad?! I love him so much and he thinks I am a mistake. Why Arjun?!

She held his face and turned it towards her. He had his best poker face on. He had tears but they were not visible as he had gulped them inside,” Your tears are so faithful to you But I know your eyes.”

He yanked off her hand,” I am not crying. You are imaginging things."

She cupped his face and made him look at her now they were eye to eye," Look into my eyes and say what you have just said."

In a flash of heartbeat he teared up," I  can't! Please don't do this to me. You don't know how I have prepared myself....Fuck! I am not prepared, I never will be. I don't want you to leave....I can never want that but I also know I don't deserve you...You are just too good for me...Does wanting you make me unfair and barbaric?!"

She shook her head vigorously," No not at all."

She pleaded with tears in her eyes," Please don't cry Arjun. I don't want you to cry. I love you and you are a good man that is why you are putting me above you. You just don't believe that. See for yourself, you didn't touch me last night when I had given you all the rights....You know why?!"

He shook his head, clueless. She unbuttoned few of his buttons and placed her hand on the left side of his chest. She whispered looking up at him with sincere eyes," Because of what you have here. You thought it will be vile to get intimate with me in my emotional state."

He stared at her with disbelief," I don't know why I did that...I mean I wanted to claim you in every way possible. but at the same time I wanted you to be ready for that."

She cupped his face and wiped his tears. She looked straight into his eyes," You know what that means?!"

He shook his head.

She leaned closer, touched her nose to his, with her eyes closed she said," You love me."

His heart was about to escape his chest. He stared at her, horrified.