[Wish you a very happy birthday Pranbirforever. Here goes your birthday gift. Hope you like it.🤗🤗]

[As for the guesses, read this part and find out why Ranbir stopped the car😉😉]

"What happened, Ranbir? Why did you stop the car?" Prachi looked at him, puzzled.

Ranbir grinned in reply and titled his head to look at something out of the window on Prachi's side. Bemused at his strange behaviour, Prachi turned around on her seat to see what had enticed his attention. As her eyes came across the object, her features lit up with childish excitement.

"Your favourite ice cream stall! Your secret hangout!" Prachi exclaimed gleefully.

"Wrong again. Now it's our secret hangout. This auspicious occasion deserves celebration. So come, my beautiful bride, let's have some ice cream." He smiled lovingly at her.

She beamed back, proud at having such a wonderful life partner who had already started sharing everything that had belonged solely to him with her, may it be a memory or a person or a place.

Ranbir disembarked from the car and quickly walked around to Prachi's side and opened her door for her. Then he extended a hand towards his Prachi. Smiling sweetly, Prachi placed her hand on his and his fingers closed around it in a secure grip.

Together they sauntered towards the ice-creamstall. At that time of night there wasn't many customers near the stall and theone or two persons were there also walked away after paying for theirpurchases. When they reached the stall, it was empty except for the seller.

The elderly man was engrossed in arranging everything in order and preparing to call it a day when the arrival of someone made him look up. As soon as the identity of the two very familiar faces dawned on him, a bright smile lit up his weathered features. And then his eyes widened in bafflement as he took in their wedding attire.

"Oh my! You have married each other! Of course, I should not be surprised. I knew since that first meeting itself that he loves you too much to marry anyone else. After all, he accepted defeat to let you win." The old man chuckled.

Bemused, Prachi turned to Ranbir, who was looking at the man exasperatedly.

"Kaka, ice creams please." Ranbir tried damage control mode which, he realized, had fallen flat on its face as Prachi turned to him.

"That means that day you deliberately lost to let me win in the race." Prachi looked at him with narrowed eyes.

Ranbir shrugged sheepishly.

"Why?" Prachi frowned at him.

"Because my victory lies in your victory." Ranbir stated simply.

Prachi stared at him and yet again the magic in his simple yet honest words that depict his boundless love for her successfully dispelled the cloud of resentment that had gathered in her heart. Her lips curved into a wondrous smile yet again as she wondered how could he love her so much.

Ranbir, who had been waiting for an admonishment, was taken aback to see the heart melting smile of his beloved wife. However, it didn't take him much time to deduce that the heart melting smile implied that Prachi's heart had melted. He smiled back without intending to do so. Her enraptured smile just made his heart flutter. With a simple smile, she could cast over him an aura of enchanting happiness.

"Beta, ice cream will melt." The elderly man said unwillingly, reluctant to bring the adorable couple out of their reverie.

The ice cream seller's voice perforated the couple's preoccupation and they turned to the man together, albeit with slightly embarrassed faces and took the profered desserts.

After paying the man and promising to return soon, Prachi and Ranbir headed towards the waiting vehicle.

Instead of getting into the car, Ranbir walked to the front of the vehicle and settled down comfortably on the bonnet. Prachi smiled at his reluctance to end the sojourn and walking over to him, settled down beside him.

For the next few moments, they sat their in companionable silence and continue to relish their respective ice creams.

Ranbir was the first one to finish his ice cream and when Prachi looked up to him after finishing her own, he was staring at the glittering, star studded darkness of the night sky. There was an unreadable expression on his handsome visage. He appeared to be in a pensive mood.

"Thinking about something, Mr Kohli?" Prachi was the one to break the silence.

"Hmm. I am thinking about my lucky charm. My personal saviour. Because of whom I am sitting here today in such a relieved and happy state of mind instead of becoming just a shell of what I am. And I really would have had I got married to Maya. I mean it, Prachi. Separation from you will reduce me to a mere shell of the Ranbir Kohli you know. So, never go away from me. Promise me." Ranbir intertwined his fingers with her.

"I promise Ranbir. I will never leave you." Prachi rested her head on his shoulder while he rested his head over her.

"You know, Prachi, I was so scared, more at the thought of losing you than at the thought of marrying Maya. I...I just don't want to live in a world where I can't have any right over you, can't meet you whenever I wish to do so, can't fight with you like kids, can't love you. Thank you, Prachi. Thank you for saving me from losing my world and entering into a lifeless, colourless world." Ranbir revealed his vulnerability.

"Whatever I have done, Ranbir, I have done for myself, not for you. Because, you see, I too was very scared to lose my Baklu." Prachi confessed.

They were quiet for a few moments after that, just soaking in the warmth of each other's company, secured in the knowledge that now no one could sbatch their right to be with each other from them.

"Prachi" Ranbir called out softly.

"Hmm" Prachi mumbled.

"You know, I am going to gift my bike to Aryan." Ranbir confessed.

That made Prachi straighten up and look at him baffled eyes. She was well aware of his love and possessiveness for that bike. He didn't even let anyone other than him handle it. And he was going to gift it to Aryan? Just like that?

"But why? What about your love and possessiveness for it?" Prachi couldn't refrain herself from voicing her thoughts.

"My love and possessiveness are infinitely more for you. You are the best gift in my life. And today, through his one mistake, Aryan has made the best gift of my life exclusively mine. What is the worth of that mere bike in front of you? To me you are priceless. Noone and nothing can ever be compared to my Chikchiki." Ranbir's every single word mirrored his boundless love for Prachi.

Overwhelmed at this yet another evidence of his infinite love for her, she turned to him. He was taken aback at the sudden moisture in her beautiful eyes.

"Prachi, what hap...." Ranbir began amxiously but couldn't finish.

Prachi almost threw herself in his arms. Her arms wound around his neck while his wounded instantly around her waist. She hid her face in the crook of his neck while he kissed her dupatta clad head.

"I love you so much." Prachi mumbled.

"I love you so much too." Ranbir smiled against her head.

The glittery stars of the night sky as well as the full moon smiled down upon them and showered their blessings on the couple in the form of light.

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Aryan's car was speeding down the road and the only other person beside him in the car was Sahana as Saritaji went away with the Kohlis.

Sahana was observing Aryan's grim profile. A strange tension was prevailing within the car. There was complete silence but it felt like the silence before the storm.

Sahana could understand Aryan's state of mind at being betrayed such disastrously by his own mother. She placed a hand over his on the steering wheel.

"Are you okay?" Sahana asked tentatively.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am fine." Aryan tried to shrug it off.

"No you are not. No one in your place can be. Unless they have stone in stead of heart. And you are a very kind and sensitive person. So, it's only natural that Aliya Khanna's evilness is gonna affect you badly. Talk to me, Aryan. Let it all out. Otherwise, it is just going to eat you up from the inside." Sahana entreated.

For a few moments, Aryan just kept on driving as if he hadn't heard a single word of what she said. Just when she was thinking of giving up, he parked the car in the side of a desolate road.

He disembarked from the car and walked over to the sturdy tree which was closest to him. He was about to hit the hard body of the tree with his fist when feminine fingers wrapped around his wrist. He turned to the owner of the fingers and found Sahana standing beside him with pained eyes. Sahana shook her head, forbidding him to hurt himself.

"How could she do that, Sahana? How could she? Was she even a woman? If yes, then how could she trap Prachi like that or Ranbir, whom she has known since he was a kid? Has she lost even her humanity? God! Sahana, I feel so ashamed to even call myself her son. I hate her, Sahana. God! I hate her so much. You know, in the holi party I had almost caught her but she manipulated me because of the fool I am. She was the one to take the memory card away in which Prachi had recorded Maya's confession. I am such a fool. I went on believing whatever nonsense she fed me. But how couldn't I have? She was my mother. I loved her and trusted her. Is that my biggest mistake, Sahana?" Aryan squeezed his eyes shut as the agony of betrayal by one's family was just excruciating to bear.

"You are not at all at fault, Aryan. Your mother is the vicious one. She and Rhea took advantage of everyone's trust. You are a very good person. You are an amazing friend and brother. You have helped Prachi and Ranbir risking your own safety. So, how can you be anything but good? Please don't feel guilty about your mother's deeds. Her deeds belong to her and you are in no way responsible for that.

Aryan clasped Sahana's hands and looked at her through a veil of tears. He blinked to clear his vision.

"Thank you" Aryan whispered.

"You are welcome. I know I am the best. I am such a wonderful person. I..." Sahana trailed away as Aryan laughed softly.

"Leave something for others to say about you too. How much will you blow your own trumpet?" Aryan was still grinning.

"Oh please. If I know what a wonderful person I am, why can't I say so?" Sahana raised her brows.

"You are impossible." Aryan chuckled.

"Thank you" Sahana curtsied.

"It wasn't meant as a compliment." Aryan clarified.

"I will take it as one." Sahana giggled.

Sahana smiled seeing Aryan chuckling. At least he was laughing again. That's what she meant to achieve. However, if she thought her intention had escaped Aryan then she was in for a surprise.

I know you did it to make me laugh and divert my mind. Thank you once again, Sahana.

Aryan thought to himself and stared at the girl whose bubbly self he had witnessed so far. That night he had witnessed a very compassionate, very mature side of the usually chirpy girl.

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Mehra mansion

Purab was looking out of the window unseeingly into the darkness of the night that appeared to have thicken and was appearing to be ceaseless. He came out of his musings as someone placed a hand on his shoulder. He whirled around to see his best friend standing behind him.

"Even after knowing Aliya for so many years, I still can't believe she can actually frame Ranbir in a fake molestation case. But then, I shouldn't be surprised after all. This is Aliya we are talking about. She can do anything if it serves her selfish interest. She has poisoned Rhea too. She had always been the most selfish and self centered person I have ever had the misfortune of coming across." Every word of Purab dripped with the bitterness he had concealed in his heart since all these years.

"You don't know, Purab, how much I regret my decision of leaving Rhea in Aliya's care. She has turned Rhea into a younger version of herself. Why, just why did I let Pragya go! Both of my daughters would have been equally good and with me along with Pragya." Abhishek lamented.

"Let bygones be bygones. Now that you have received a chance don't let it go ever. Don't let Prachi or Pragya Di go away from you. You can make your future beautiful, Abhi. Let the past go." Purab adviced.

"That's my advice for you too. Let the past go. Divorce Aliya. I know you still love Disha. Go to her. Make her understand. Since she hasn't moved on, there is still chance for you to be together. We will get back both Disha and our Sunny." Abhishek suggested.

"You know I can't. I can't leave Aliya. Otherwise she will tell Aryan's truth to him." Purab sighed.

"What truth are you talking about?"

A voice startled them into whirling around towards the door.

Who heard Abhishek and Purab's discussion? What truth are they talking about? Socho socho. 😁😁
Hope you all like this part. 🤗🤗