Diya pov

The next day was a beautiful day filled with happy moments with the kids, grandmas', grandpas' and Ben. We all played in the garden as it's already a weekend and the kids were lying on top of Ben on the ground with their shirts covered with mud and grasses making tough competition for Ben to even sit up straight as he lost in hiding and seek to play with them.

I clutched my stomach unable to control my laughter seeing him pleading with them, "Stop laughing and help...me" he breathed hard inviting me to help him.

Shaking my head, "this is for accepting defeat wanted. So enjoy it"

"Accept your defeat...Accept your defeat...

yes...

Idiot Ben uncle accepts it..." all of them yelled.

"Traitor" he sighed seeing me but accepted his defeat placing his face flat on the grass floor.

"heyyyyyy" they all shouted happily

Apart from this cold night breeze, I felt a strong gaze on me, I looked around and found Raghav looking at me with a small smile plastered on his face, his gaze made me feel different like I am giving him false hopes, his smile is pure and nothing strange in it to feel awkward.

Waving at me he came close to me while I rubbed my bare hands to prevent myself from getting cold, "need any warmth?" He asked removing his blazer keeping the shopping bag on the floor.

"No, it's okay, am fine" I ignored him politely.

"Am not a stone-hearted person to see my long time crush shivering in cold"

His smile can make anyone's heart melt, "thanks" I took his tuxedo to cover me from this cold.

"Smile suits you more" I laughed nervously but kept silent.

"Why did you left the party in the middle that night?"

Frozen. Did he see me with Arjun? Looking down at the grass floor, "I didn't feel good that's why"

"I see," he thought something for a while, "How is he related to you?"

"Ben?" I asked.

He shook his head, "Arjun"

"Family friend"

"But you guys seem pretty close" I instantly looked at him, he is still having a smile plastered on his face, "just don't take me wrong but I felt so. I also prayed I don't want something more than friends between you two"

My gaze falls back on the floor, "there is nothing between us" maybe yeah we don't have anything between us other than the revenge.

"Why are we standing, shall we sit?" He asked indicating the stone bench, I looked forward at Ben and all children playing happily.

"Okay" we both sat on the nearby bench.

"So how's life going?"

"Nothing special. But I am having the best days of my life I think" he said not averting his gaze from me.

"Is it? How"

He laughed, "I am secretly glancing at you daily in the morning from my apartment over there," he said indicating the flat opposite, "at the balcony to see you water the small pot plants"

"You are stalking me" I playfully hit his hand with a glare yet smile.

He laughed, "Hey it's just seeing you, not being a creepy man. And I love watching your sleepy self walking like a zombie with ruffled hair, drooping eyes in those baggy pajamas" he was mocking me while I gaped at his reply with wide mouth unable to belive his statement hiding my embarrassment.

This man, "you deserve a big hit" I said looking around for some stones to hit him when I found a stick, I saw him moved away from me with a naughty smile, "but you're a cute scene to see" he said trying to run away from me.

"Stop right there" I laughed unable to hide my blush, "and this blush makes it more and more beautiful" he added while I start to chase him he ran around and around a tree and I failed miserably failed in catching him.

"Twinkling star, I too will catch him" I heard Krish's voice to see him running after Raghav while other children followed him leaving hell-tired ben with grannies and grandpas. Raghav runs at his full speed while we all tried to catch him in different directions possible. "Raghav, stop" I cried out chasing him with a large smile forgetting my problems around me.

"You guys will lose all of your energy" he challenged running around still not tired of running nearly covered whole ground with sweat dripping down his face until we lose our energy. Unable to run anymore I kneeled on the floor, followed by me slowly children to stopped breathing hard.

I removed the blazer and kept it on my hand as now I am sweating like a pig, "you won" Krish said sadly while Raghav took him swirling him around making Krish laugh.

"I will make sure you're strong my little man" I laughed seeing their sweet bond
When Krish kissed his uncle's cheek and wiped it instantly with a smile.

These both are cute.

"Will you join us?" One kid asked him, Raghav acted like he is thinking and peeked at Krish raising an eyebrow in question. It seems like they both were talking through their eyebrows.

The smile never left my lips seeing their cute antics, Krish showed his whole teeth and nodded in yes.

"I'm in" Raghav hi-fied with Krish. Then we all played until we forgot the time.

"So?" Raghav asked coming by my side towards our apartment elevator.

"I enjoyed it a lot today" I smiled at him walking.

He nodded rubbing his neck, "do you want to ask something?" I asked him sensing like he wants to speak something.

"Mmm...yeah. Will you go out with me?" My eyes widened in shock without blinking my eyes.

"No...no...i can't am sorry. I am just being friendly. I can't go out with you" I said with difficulty.

"Hey, it's okay just relax. No problem. I just wanted to go out with you like to have a friendly chat nothing more" I entered into the elevator.

"Bye," I said as the elevator closed slowly hiding his face. My hands freeze on my sides unable to click the button to move up as my eyes are fixed on the floor, imagining how my life is becoming day by day.

"got enough warmth?" I heard his voice which made me look at him, who is looking at the elevator door without turning to me.

How did he get into the elevator, when did he come in? What is he referring to? I questioned myself looking at the side of his face, "I didn't get you" I said.

He turned towards me with a cold face trying hard to hide his angry look, then his gaze moved lower to my neck and again looked straight forward, I followed his gaze and saw my hands are clutching Raghav's blazer.

I saw him clenching his teeth and pressed our floor button hard impatiently, "When will you understand it's your simple love-filled look that gives me enough warmth to my heart?" he came to me like a bull angrily as I took steps back. He caged me with his arm on the floor and another one around my waist bringing me close to him.

"Then why did you get close to him?" his fire-filled eyes are staring directly into mine.

His hold around my waist became hard, "Don't act possessively" I said trying to control my anger.

"What do you think of yourself? You will say you don't want me, you will give divorce to me and now you will come out of nowhere and order me to stay away from men when you will keep on flirting with girls. You have no control to control my life without any rights on me" his eyes wandered at both my eyes without emitting any emotions but blankness. 

He lowered his face to my level eyeing my lips slowly, 'don't ever do that' I mentally pleaded with him to not do such things instead his hands moved to my shoulders removing the blazer off me and putting it on the elevator floor, when I heard the elevator door open I stared at him to move away, "I have enough warmth to give you" his voice was cold.

"By showing your cold shoulder and hurting me. If yes, then yeah you are pro in it" my eyes watered, "my love won't ever be reciprocated from you" I wiped my tears with the back of my hand harshly.

Out of nowhere, he lifted me off the floor, "let me go" I pushed him but he walked out of the elevator and walked into his apartment disregarding my struggles, "leave me you idiot" he straight away went to his room making me panicked, "What are you doing?" I stammered in fear.

"taking you where you belong," he said placing me on his bed carefully, I tried to get up but he holds me pinning me to bed wiggling out I slapped hard on his cheek, "I am not going to warm you on your bed ever again" my anger got into another level, he clenched this teeth hard looking away from me controlling his anger.

"Don't make it hard for me" he said moving his gaze on me, "or else what?" I shouted as my tears fall down my cheeks, "will you kill me for not obeying your orders or rap..." I stopped in my tracks when I felt his sudden kiss on my forehead which lingered there for a long second making me hard to breathe, the kiss he laid on my head is something that I felt long back with love, "don't ever complete that" he ordered caressing my cheek with his thump cupping my face, "this is something I won't ever do even in my dreams"

"But you did"

"I never forced you"

"Yeah but it was filled with lust, not with love"

"that doesn't mean I forced you, there is much difference between them"

I laughed bitterly, "you won't ever change" I got up from the bed but he throws me again on the mattress which makes me yelp in pain, "I. Said. You. Are. Staying. Here" he pressed every word with a hard glare.

"And who the hell are you to order me?" I shouted rubbing my back, "Your husband dammit"

"Like hell you are"

"Then who is your husband? That Raghav?" he shouted throwing his blazer on the couch.

"I would have been happy if it did happen instead of you, he is not at least like you with a cold demeanor, loveless look, and stone heart. He knows how to respect one's feelings where you only know how to kill someone's feelings" he laughed bitterly taking out a cigarette keeping it in his mouth.

"Your father is the one who made me do it"

"Yeah, my father might have told you to act as you love me, rape me on our wedding night...."

"Shut up dammit" his voice roared enough to make me flinch in fear taking a quick step to cover my whole body with his, "shut the hell up" he shouted enough to make me move backward, his face now is something I won't ever want to see in future if I have to, his orbs are pitch-black in anger making me gulp hard, "I have been gentle with you and your family, don't make me behave tough which you won't ever handle it" he whispered dangerously.

"Physical abuse?" I don't know where I get sudden braveness even after seeing his angry gaze, "Such a coward you are to tell enough that you are a man"

"Let me show what a man can do"

"What? Will you rape me?" I like hitting his nerve.

He squeezed my cheek as my hands gripped the quilt hard unable to handle the pain, "Make sure to use a filter for this mouth otherwise, I will make you shut without uttering a word"

"What can I expect from a rapist other than..." he slammed the television making it break into millions of pieces as I covered my mouth.

"I will show you who I am" he walked out of the room slamming the door hard.