"Are you serious?" Sneha exclaimed as she saw what lay in front of her. In his study, in front of the wide window lay a huge table. On it, she could practically see all the items that reminded her of the days they had spent together. It was like she was seeing an exhibition.

"These are the flowers that you gave me." He said as he pointed in the direction of a glass-shielded frame in which all the flowers that she had given him were preserved in the pool of epoxy resin.

"This is so beautiful, Viraj. I didn't know I gave you these many flowers!" She said as she traced her fingers on the glass containing over almost a hundred small flowers.

"Do you like it?" He asked again while looking at her expression. It had always been his desire to show her his collection. He never really believed it would actually come true.

Sneha looked at him and smiled.

"I love it. But, if I had seen it earlier, I'd have freaked out." She chuckled at her own possible attitude.

"Why?"

She shrugged.

"I don't know. This seems loving but also a little... crazy." She chuckled.

"Why would you think of it as 'crazy'!" He asked.

Sneha sighed. He wouldn't understand, she realized. He had always done things on impulse, that is how he was.

"Oh, isn't this the pine cone that you bought for ten crores!" She asked, indirectly changing the topic. Viraj let her do it.

"Yes."

Sneha picked it up and looked at it carefully.

"And, you fixed the broken part too." She chuckled as she grazed her pointer finger at the almost invisible crack.

"Do you like it?" He asked again. This time she looked at him with raised brows. And, then she understood.

He wanted her appreciation. And, since she didn't give it to him herself, he kept on asking her.

Sneha smiled. Somehow, his childish behaviour intrigued her. He had always been attention-seeking in nature, she knew.

"Yes. I am glad that you fixed it. I had spent the entire night cleaning and painting it." She said.

He returned the smile with a proud one.

Keeping it down slowly, she then looked at the next item on display.

"Oh, my God! Is this..." She exclaimed as she identified the elegant seashell that she had found on the Goa beach.

"It reminds me of our first kiss." He said.

Sneha looked at Viraj.

"You mean...forced kiss." She corrected him in a sarcastic tone.

"You did slap me for it."

"I always wanted to ask you about this. Your sister always spoke so highly of you...about how you never had an affair with any girl in your teen years or ever; and how you never forced yourself on any girl. Then why did you forcefully kiss me?" She asked.

"You can't tell?"

"Just because you loved me doesn't justify it. You could have been a little more civil. You have no idea how scared I was after your stunt."

"I know I shouldn't have done that. But, you wouldn't understand. I just recently realized my feelings for you and at that moment, you looked so innocently beautiful and irresistible, that I couldn't help but kiss you. I...You won't understand." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

Sneha pursed her lips. She held his hands in hers and made him look at her again.

"Promise me that you won't ever force me on such terms again."

"I promise." He instantly replied making him sound authentic.

Sneha smiled and raised herself to kiss him on the cheek to not make him feel bad further. She looked at the shell again.

"Thank you for picking it up. I dropped it there in panic and I thought I lost it. You don't know how unique this is. I was thinking of showing it to Priya and giving it to my professor who just loves collecting such things. I guess, I can still give it to her next month when I'll go there to collect the provisional." She said while still holding it.

"I am not giving it to you." He suddenly said making her look at him in surprise.

"What?"

"This is mine." He said with that same child-like attitude.

Sneha chuckled at his behaviour.

"Viraj, I found it."

"You threw it on the ground."

"Because you made me."

"Whatever be the reason. I remember someone telling me that when we throw something of ours, it ceases to be ours." He said.

Sneha playfully glared at him because it was the same dialogue that she had preached to him when he had come back for the pine cone at her house.

"Fine. By the way...you listen to me too carefully to remember each and every word. Huh? I thought women's opinions do not matter to you at all." She asked in a teasing tone.

"Surprisingly, you are the only woman who speaks logically enough to have my attention." He said as Sneha kept the shell back in its place.

"Oh!" She laughed. "I am honoured." She added.

For the next fifteen minutes, he gave her a short tour of his penthouse and introduced to her the changes he had done since she last came.

"It seems like you have brought everything here. Don't you go to your house?"

"No. I can't go there."

"Why? Did your father say anything?"

"Why will my father ask me to not come to my own house?"

"Then?" She asked.

"You really need an answer?" He asked surprised.

Sneha's brows furrowed.

"The first night after you signed the divorce papers, I did go to my bedroom at the villa. But, I couldn't sleep knowing what you had done there. Even though the room was cleaned and all, the sight just won't go away. Your last words and the hatred in your eyes; the pain in your voice and the shivering of your lips...everything...scared me. I am a tough man, I know. But, I guess, everyone develops some sort of weakness over time. You became mine, without my choice or control. It was then that I realized that if I wanted to keep myself sane enough to live, I should move out. So, I brought all my important stuff here and decided to live here. Happy memories are better than bitter ones, you know. I'd rather remember your fake love than your real hatred for me." He explained.

Sneha listened carefully and each word hurt her again and again.

"I...never hated you, Viraj." She spoke while meeting his gaze again.

"Then why did you leave me?" He asked.

"I told you that day too. I...I felt trapped with you. I was suffocated. Your father instilled so much fear in me that I was scared to share my fears with you. You too never gave me a choice over anything. And, then on the day of our wedding, you threatened me. Your authoritative and dominating nature always kept me on my toes." She said.

"That's my nature. I can't change myself so easily. But if you would have told me earlier, I would have tried to change certain things to make you feel comfortable."

"I was scared, Viraj. Your father warned me about not letting you know anything about how he threatened my family."

Viraj sighed. He had no doubt that his father must have really scared her.

"You are not scared of me, now, right?" He asked gently.

Sneha thought over it.

"No." She mumbled.

Viraj slowly pulled her into a hug.

"Good. From now on, share your fears with me as much as you want. And, nobody from my family or friends would threaten you or even dare to talk to you inappropriately. If they do, tell me about it and I will make sure that they apologize to you."

Gaurav's face flashed through her eyes, but she kept quiet.

Nodding once, she hugged him back.

Viraj cupped her face and made her look at him.

"From now on, let's not hide anything from each other. Okay?"

Sneha nodded.

"We started at the wrong post...I hope we can start afresh...this time, without any fears or lies."

Sneha nodded.

"I love you." He added, kissing her nose.

She still kept quiet and only listened.

"You aren't going to say anything cheesy?" He chuckled making her smile back.

"I don't know about 'love', Viraj. And you just said that we must not lie to each other... But, there is one thing that I want to tell you with a hundred per cent certainty."

"What?" He asked curiously.

"I'll be loyal to you." She said, recalling the one thing she knew he was sort of obsessed about.

And, seeing his smile widen, she knew he was happy.

"You remembered! This is the only thing that I have ever wanted from my wife." He announced excitedly while kissing her again.

Before she could reply, the doorbell rang.

"Come. Our food is here. And, I ordered your favourite." He said.

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.

"Pasta?" Sneha said on seeing the content inside the sealed box as they sat opposite to each other on the four-seater dining table.

"Told you. I ordered your favourite." He said as he passed her the water bottle with a smile.

Sneha hesitantly smiled back.

'Should I tell him the truth that pasta isn't my favourite food? But he looks so happy that he ordered my favourite! Uhh...let's just tell him later. I am hungry anyways.' She told herself and picked up the fork.

"Thank you." She said and took the first bite.

"For what?" He asked.

"Food. What else." She chuckled.

"You are thanking me for ordering food?"

"Hmm. Why not? I mean you are going to pay for it, after all." She added sarcastically.

"That's my responsibility, Sneha. Stop thanking me for what I am supposed to do." He said.

And, the same old Viraj was back, she realized.

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.

It was 11 pm when they finally decided to sleep. Sneha was the first one to lay on the bed under the duvet. Soon, Viraj followed her cue after sliding the curtains of the window to the corner to allow the moonlight in and switching off the lights.

She stilled for a moment as instead of maintaining the usual apt distance, he straightaway laid next to her and held her in such a way that she now faced him with her head near his neck. The only thing between them was her hand which he instantly kept on him. They were practically hugging each other now.

"Viraj?" She called for him.

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing?" She asked, a little surprised. Thankfully, he was at least wearing his shirt.

"Sleeping with you? What else?" He chuckled at her naive question.

"Viraj..." She mumbled again, this time in a low tone.

"Hmm?"

"I..." She didn't know how to say it.

He finally understood.

"You aren't comfortable sleeping like this?"

"It's just...a little too early." She almost whispered.

Very slowly, he retracted his hand back and pulled himself a little away from her.

"Is this fine now? He asked.

Sneha couldn't believe what he just did! He listened. Viraj Khatri actually listened to her and respected her decision.

She looked at him with surprised eyes.

"What?" He asked while looking at her in the dim lights.

"I can't believe you listened to me on this." She said.

"I always listened to you on intimacy."

"No, you did not. You would always just..."

"That's because I thought you wanted me as much as I wanted you. You never denied it!"

Sneha sighed.

"You should have read my expression! Never thought why I never kissed you back?"

"Men don't think too much, Sneha. Just remember that I don't want to force myself on you. I just want your love."

"I thought you wanted my loyalty."

"That is true. But, I'll tell you another secret. In the past few months, I always prayed for a second chance with you and if not, I wanted you to feel the same emotions for me as I did for you. So, now that I have you with me, this can wait. And, I know you won't be able to resist my charm and body for long." He added arrogantly to which Sneha instantly snickered.

"What? You don't believe me?" He asked.

She laughed.

"I do. Let's sleep now. I have to go to the hospital early tomorrow." She said and lay flat on her back.

"Good night." He added, not really wanting to end their conversation.

Sneha smiled and looked at him.

"Good night, Viraj." She replied.

She closed her eyes after he kissed her forehead.

The day had been highly dramatic and exhausting for her...both physically and emotionally. So, sleep came to her quickly.

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It was 1 am when Sneha felt thirsty and she opened her eyes slowly. Involuntarily, she faced Viraj's side and shrieked when she saw that the damn man was looking at her instead of sleeping like a normal human being.

"Viraj!" She literally scolded him for scaring her like this.

"What?" He laughed on seeing her expression.

"Why are you looking at me like this? Why aren't you sleeping?" She asked.

He sighed.

"This seems like a dream."

"What?"

"I still can't believe you are here with me."

"Viraj..."

"And, if this is a dream then I don't want to wake up. Loneliness sucks." He whispered.

Sneha sighed.

"Viraj...this is not a dream. I really am here. You should sleep now." She gently explained to him.

"What if you regret all this tomorrow and decide to move on with your life and leave me!"

"Viraj! I know I am indecisive sometimes and that I took this decision suddenly but don't you trust me?"

He remained silent. And, she got her answer.

He didn't trust her.

Why did it hurt her?

Slowly, she smiled.

"It is a good thing, then. We have one important task to do now."

"What?"

"Build trust in each other."

Before he could speak, she interrupted him by keeping her pointer finger on his lips.

"Shh. Sleep now. And, I have to drink water." She said and grabbed the bottle from the side table where she last saw it.

"Close your eyes, Viraj." She instructed him like a kid as she laid back.

Hesitantly, he finally decided to sleep as well.

The morning was going to be beautiful, he knew.

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{Hey all,

So, I read a lot of complaints in the comment section. I think I should answer them here.

Q) Why don't you update regularly?

A) Because work life has been busy these days and I have to do household chores as well.

Q) You can't be that busy to not update because the teaching job isn't that busy.

A) Uhh...I don't know what to say to this comment. Clearly, the teaching profession has lost its respect but you need to know that teaching doesn't involve just giving lectures in class. There are plans to make, and assessments to check and prepare, and session needs to be formally closed and thus the formalities, new session planning, workshopssssss and seminarsssss... So, yeah, my life isn't busy at all.

Q) At least give a date of update.

A) I know I should but I DON'T KNOW WHEN I WOULD BE ABLE TO FINISH THE CHAPTER! How can I give you a date then? If I won't publish it on that date, then again you guys will scold me.

Q) At least reply to our message. You are ignoring us after your book has crossed 1 M reads.

A) I love how you find the time to read my work and comment/text me. But, please understand that it is very difficult for me to reply to all of you. Earlier, I had a small audience so I was able to reply to all of you. Now, along with all the work, I can't reply to every message. This is why I 'like' the message you send so that you would know that I have acknowledged your message. This is not my arrogance, please do not misjudge me. I love your comments and I make sure to read all of them during my lunch break or commute route. But replying to every text isn't possible, guys. I am so sorry...

Now, A HUGE THANK YOU TO @hopencourage10 for replying in my favour to one of the rudest comments I have ever read on my work. Thank you dear for understanding me. It is for readers like you that I force myself to be as regular as I can and complete my work here on Wattpad for free before selling it on another platform.

Thank you for voting, commenting and sharing.

Till the next update (I don't know the date),

Stay safe and healthy...