The hot tears trailed down Priyanka's cheeks as she panted all the way to the mansion. The odourless room reminded her of the emptiness of the estate compared to her mother spraying the rose water back at her house every day.

Her subconscious had predicted the family betrayal way before she could comprehend the situation. Their plotting against her completed with completely surprising consequences: everything was unintentional. Her brother's overconfidence to resolve his financial problem before Priyanka could know it was a mistake.

He was already dripping in remorse: Priyanka concedes that. Her acceptance of his apology needed its own space. Living apart for a few weeks helped her to deduce the final results of their relationship. She understood the reasoning for their acts, but their words still stung her.

Forgiveness was yet to come from inside. But now, her lonely mind wants nothing but reparation and a chance to forgive.

Her mind wandered further but ended up rethinking the events that had occurred just a few minutes before she left the exhibition. Her eyes landed on the door where another story that is yet to be narrated by Krishant started.

She flung the office door open where her precious portrait was saved.

The woman's taunting eyes served as a stark reminder of the extent to which her so-called companion has kept her in the dark about her own life. This ends now. Despite the unstable nature of their relationship, she never anticipated seeing her at the exhibition, yet there she was, seemingly omnipresent around Krishant, making the situation dire to be addressed.

Upon entering, she notices the half-empty room as the absence of the other three portraits interrupted her train of thoughts.

The portraits weren't even for sale at the exhibition, which suggested their great significance for Krishant. His denial to reveal to her the other paintings the other day so that he doesn't have to explain anything to her, or he wants Priyanka to go insane by providing her a reason to obsess over, clearly indicates his discretions. Why else keep them in front of her eyes when he actually had no intention to show her in the first place?

She also never learned the name of the woman from earlier either: Krishant forgot to mention it, and Priyanka never asked. She knows only about their kaput relationship.

She reached to her own portrait to spot any dry blood there. But she couldn't understand the texture of the blood. She tried to remember the previous examination she conducted with Akhil at the exhibition, but the memory was in pieces for her to remember. She couldn't possibly gain expertise of years in a few moments with a hazardous mind.

Frustration took over as soon as she realized she couldn't recognize the blood in the painting. Her slender fingers clasped her light brown hair as she pulled onto them, lightly. Her attempts at remembering her past seemed futile as she couldn't even remember the whole dream from the other night.

Her troubled mind controlled the movements of her legs, commanding them to aimlessly move around for an unfomthem solution.

"For what deeds am I getting punished?" She yelled to no one. She paced around the room as her assault on her hair brutalized, with more tears staining her cheek.

Her moment of grieving halted as the sound of the doorbell ringing interrupted.

Fixing herself, she approaches the large doors of the mansion. Krishant must have noticed her sudden disappearance, but he was busy entertaining the audience. He might have come back for her.

As soon as Priyanka swung the door open to welcome the visitor, a flood of natural light poured into the living room, instantly casting a warm glow that dispelled the lurking shadows. She winced at the sudden blinding brightness as the ache increased in her already swollen eyes.

"Hi!" She heard an unfamiliar voice greeting her. Krishant's ex-stepmother stood on the porch, beamingly mocking her.

Shock flooded Priyanka as she watched from the other side of the entrance. "I am Ruby." She extended her hand, and Priyanka responded after a few hesitant moments. "Krish must've told you about me."

Priyanka couldn't help but analyze her appearance with an apparent gaze.

Ruby was divinely gorgeous. Unlike the other time, her wavy burgundy hair tumbled over her waist as they were style with styling spray. Her plump cupid-bow lip stretched on her face as the visibly white, shiny teeth stayed on display.

Priyanka internally gasps as soon as Ruby uncovers her eyes from behind her branded shades. It was hard to tell if Ruby's blue eyes resembled the sky or the ocean with long lashes shielding them.

"Krish--" Priyanka shook her head vigorously, "Krish is not home yet." Ruby hummed in response as if she had already expected the reply.

"No worries. I am here to meet you, anyways." Priyanka froze for her to continue. It was the least spoken words she expected to hear from someone like Ruby. She would never waste her time on simply talking: Ruby didn't seem like that. Anxiety crept up Priyanka's spine.

She knew nothing about Ruby. The very first impression she had plastered on Priyanka's mind was her screaming and being violent with her companion. Totally the opposite of how she's acting now: elegant. If she had something to talk to Priyanka about, why come in the absence of Krishant.

Firm glares, wicked smirks, and expressions towards Priyanka suggested her indications for private conversation between them, but Priyanka instead, misunderstood them for arrogance and hatred.

"May I come in?" Ruby asked, but a second later, "Oh, of course, I can. It's my house, after all." She walked past Priyanka inside without bumping into her, leaving Priyanka to feel the annoyance making its way to her head. Talking with Ruby would clearly create a migraine for her. She could already sense the upcoming disputes, lies, betrayals, and mysteries just by looking at the middle-aged woman.

Wicked Siren!

"It's Krishant's house," Priyanka corrected, not to defend Krishant in his absence, but the sudden urge to get under Ruby's skin tempted her.

"And mine, yes." Ruby instantly defended. Krishant certainly despised Ruby as she remembered him saying so, but he never told her the reason. Now that Priyanka has finally met her, the ground to defend him against Ruby becomes definite.

"It's been a while," Ruby stood in the old room, her chest rising and falling as she inhaled the existing dust particles. Each breath carried with it a sense of nostalgia, reminding her of days past. As she closed her eyes, she felt the weight of authority settling onto her as she prepared to assert her reign.

Priyanka rolled her eyes in response to Ruby's dramatics.

"How may I help you?" Priyanka asked as politely as her gritting teeth could mutter.

"No, No, No. You can't help me." Ruby stood in the middle of the room, smugness contouring her features, "I am here to help you." She held her gaze.

Priyanka naturally squinted her eyes at her in question, and her arms folded themselves against her chest.

"What do you mean?"

"Dear, You've been living here for more than three weeks now." Ruby's slender figure moved forward inch by inch, "You must have noticed the peculiar behaviour of his by now, have you not?"

She has been keeping tabs. Priyanka attentively listened, "Peculiar? As in?"

"As in... consummate lying?" She arced her perfect right brow. Only a few inches apart from each other now, "Krishant is not who you think he is." Ruby breathes out.

"What are you doing?" Priyanka had to tilt her eyes upwards to meet her gaze. "What are you doing here?"

"I told you. I am here to help."

"You're not here to help." Priyanka's burning gaze made Ruby step back. Repeatedly getting lied to, and getting manipulated was a trigger for her instincts to leap forward with a shield from getting deceived again. "Why would you do that in the first place? Why would you be backstabbing Krishant for me? I provide you nothing in return."

According to her knowledge of Krishant's and Ruby's relationship, they hated each other. Ruby was already spilling forbidden beans about Krishant. One trick of Priyanka could unravel the secrets of years.

"Because he hurt me first," Ruby spoke and moved away from her, "He shouldn't have left me alone for all those girls before." Ruby turned around and approached the most magnanimous painting of the house right above the fireplace, making the girl behind follow every move of her.

Priyanka never understood the design and choice of paint in the art; she never looked for more than two minutes at it either.

"What--Which girls?" Priyanka had the idea of referring girls. One of them was already residing in her memory, and she had seen another's portrait. If there could be more, she has no idea of it.

"You know," Ruby spoke without looking at Priyanka. "They all are captured in paintings now," her mocking laughter echoed within the walls.

"You know them?" Priyanka ignored her psychotic hilarity.

"Of course," Ruby lazily turned around after her laugh died down into feet of giggles. "After everything, Krishant chose me in the end. Like he has done each time. No one can replace me."

"I don't understand..." Priyanka gestured for her to elaborate, but Ruby was at her own pace in the narration.

"You will understand when Krish feels like." The crooked smirk returns. "A friendly advice. Run as far as a way you can, dear."

Priyanka froze as her breathing hitched in her throat, "Are you threatening me?" She questioned firmly.

"Do I need to, or are you smart enough?"

"Are you certain that everyone was trying to replace you, or was it only Krish who wanted to replace you? Krishant doesn't even care for you."

"That's what you think." Priyanka damped her arms to her side. "It's always been me."

"It's always been you for what?" Priyanka moved forward.

"It is that hard to guess?" Ruby was as hard as Krishant to crack. She gave away nothing just as much as she was willing to share. Playing hide-and-seek with grown adults with dangerous secrets would create a custom in the house.

"Then why are you here?" Paris asked, "If Krishant has always chosen you over everyone else, then why are you here, threatening me to leave?"

Ruby becomes inarticulate at the outsmarting question, her eyes hardening. Her face went blank. Calmingly, Priyanka tested Ruby's water, and now she could feel the confidence facade fading off while replacing it with an insecure demeanour. "You don't care about me, so you're definitely not here to give me friendly advice."

With a scrunched nose, narrowed eyes, and tight jaw, Ruby replied harshly, "It was a piece of friendly advice, but now I am warning you. Krishant is mine. Go away before I squeeze you." Her blend of blue-green eyes now looked a shade ugly.

"You're just scared. Whatever relationship you had with Krish, he seems done with it. You just can't get over yourself." Priyanka smirks, and Ruby frowns.

Without a word, Ruby approached the door.

"A piece of friendly advice. Stop threatening people around; not everyone is scared of you."

With fuming eyes and flared nostrils, Ruby jerked open the large doors of the mansion. Priyanka tapped on her shoulder before she could completely disappear. She couldn't guess when she would see Ruby again. Ruby stopped and turned her head with confused eyes, "And stay away from Julian. He belongs to no one."

With a grunt, Ruby stepped outside and disappeared from Priyanka's line of vision.

Priyanka clearly underestimated her threat, though.

_____________

Thanks for reading....Do SHARE, VOTE, and COMMENT;)