~Solace and a Nightmare.~

"Only sufferings can make nightmares appear real," ~ Anonymous.

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"I love you Shravya and I will always only love you," he whispered and kissed her forehead.

His brown orbs met her hazel ones. Many emotions were flowing through them. Not a word left their mouth but they were talking with each other... Talking with the emotions passing through their eyes.

Shravya tightly hugged him. A cracked-painful smile formed on his lips as he lightly ran his fingers, through her brown locks and patted her head. "Shhhhhh.... Don't cry love, don't cry," he mumbled and put his chin on her head while squeezing her more in his embrace.

She broke the hug and looked at him, tears stung her eyes, and she snivels. " Why did you left me? Please don't ever do that again. I was really scared...I...I thought I loose you." She hugged him again and snuggles more into his warm and protective embrace.

His embrace was her solace. She felt peaceful there.

Suddenly his arms hung, loose around her. Her eyes got widened and she perplexedly looked at him.

He offered her a warm smile." Take care love, goodbye," he lightly whispered in her ear and stepped back, away from her.

"No!" she took a step forward but he took more steps backward." Goodbye, love just remember me," he mouthed, a tear drop down from his left eye. He smiled melancholically and soon his body starts fading away.

"No! Don't leave me!!" she screamed and ran towards him but the more she was trying to reach him, the more he was fading away, vanishing away from her eyesight and leaving her all alone... All alone to fight and all alone to be 'scared'.

"AAYUSH!" Shravya cried and opened her eyes with a jerk. Her heartbeats intensified as she looked around but didn't find any clue of Aayush being with her.

The sting of her swollen eyelids brought back memories of her arrival at this place. She was weakened to listen, to hear anything. The only sound that registered was an endless ringing within her ears. She closed her eyes before cautiously again opening them and peering around the room. Her already moistured eyes got more moistured with tears when she found herself in the same room, on the same bed where Zaid ruined her.

Suddenly slowly and slowly the memories of the previous night embarked to surface from the depths of her unconsciousness.

Perhaps it was a nightmare.

She tried to convince herself that the memories weren’t real. But then, how did she get here?

A soft cry came out of her trembling lips as she glanced at the bed while the horrible and terrifying memories of her past again consumed her. Closing her eyes she face palmed herself, more tears start welding up in her glassy yet sad orbs, before slowly running over her cheekbones.

All of this!!

This all happened because of me!

If I hadn't run away then he wouldn't have killed Aayush!

All because of me!!!

If I hadn't passed that exam, this all wouldn't have happened!!

Her inner self screamed, trapped within the chaos of her damaged soul while Shravya kept hurting and blaming herself for the things she did that lead her towards Zaid and his obsession.
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(Flashback)

"I don't want to go dai maa (grandma)" Shravya whined and put her head on the lap of her grandmother. A small smile formed on the old lady's face as she caressed Shravya's head. "Baacha(child), you passed the exam then why you don't want to go?" She asked her.

"I'm just afraid to face strangers. You know dia maa (grandma) how uncomfortable and scared I feel whenever I meet strangers. I...I just don't want to go Bangalore," Shravya whispered and placed her hands on the old wrinkled hands of her grandmother but she seemed unserved by Shravya's words.

The old lady sighed, lovingly cupping Shravya's face between her soft and warm palms. "Shravya bacha (child) you can't hide in this orphanage forever, away from the outer world. Try to understand one day you will have to face this world even if you want it or not. And that time you will be alone, so stop trying to look for a shoulder which can hide you behind."

Shravya looked at her with pleading eyes. "But I'm-" she tried to speak but the lady stopped her. "Stop being scared and learn to fight for yourself. Learn to fight for your rights because being scared will not take you anywhere."

Unwillingly Shravya nodded her head and again put it down on her grandmother's lap, who slowly ran her fingers through her dark brown locks. "So, you are going huh!" She asked and Shravya hummed as a reply.

"Is the packing done? " She asked her again.

"All done," Shravya murmured and closed her eyes, enjoying the last moments with her grandma.

On that day her grandma somehow convenience her to accept the scholarship, she got from a college in Bangalore but the old lady didn't know that Bangalore is going to make her Shravya exposed not to this world but exposed to the cruel side of someone.

(Flashback) (ends)
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"Oh! You are awake," her past contemplation got broken when Zaid enter the room, holding a food tray in his hands.

When she didn't respond, he went towards her and placed the food tray between them, on the bed. "Eat something sona. You must be feeling hungry," his voice was soft and caring void of any roughness.

She gulped the lump in her throat, wiping her tears away before looking at him with pure hate in her eyes.

"You don't wanna eat?" Slowly, his arm reached out to her, trying to caress her soft cheek but she flinched by his touch and jerked his hand away. She backed away from him. "Don't...do...don't... Don't touch me," hearing her, he chuckled darkly and stood up from the bed, carrying the food tray in his hold.

The silence was dominating the whole room as he calmly walked further and placed the food tray on a table. "These are the same words you said to me on our first night." His voice sounded, slicing the thin silence apart when he turned to face her.

His coal-black orbs met her hazel ones, without any regret or guilt as he shamelessly stated the sins he committed, in the past.

He stood there, hands on his waist for a moment before pulling a chair. He sat down on the chair, all the while his gazes never left the sight of her trembling body as she shrank into a ball, pulling her legs to her chest.

He rested his ankle on his knee." Sona," he called, his lips notching up in a vicious yet calm smile as his eyes locked with hers.

She didn't know what came to her as suddenly, she got off the bed, scrambling to her feet, and attempting to make a run for it. She was unsteady, as unsteady as a baby taking its first steps. She didn't know what exactly she was trying to do. She just did, what her instincts told her.

Her feet moved faster, trying to reach the entrance as soon as possible but the moment she scooted across the threshold of the door, he grabbed her.

"Leave me!!" She shrieked as she was scooped up with his arm that went around her waist. She squealed, screamed, and kicked with both legs, but everything appeared to be nearly useless.

Holding her with one of his arms hooked around her waist, he brought her up and off the ground as he took some long strides and put her back on the bed.

His throaty chuckle sounded as he looked at her in pure amusement, making her heart hammer against her chest wall, until he came to sit on the edge of the bed.

Her panic rised as she saw him moving from his position. "Don't you dare!" She scrambled backwards, having no real place to go.

"What's the dare? I would love to do it," he mused, grabbing her ankle. His frame slightly lowered over hers as he tugged her, making her body slide down until she was flat on her back................................

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