"Hey,"

Prisha smiled at his voice and the comfort of his arms, wrapped around her fragile body. She rested her head on his chest and moved at his slight bodily wave.

"Tired?" Sanal kissed her hairs and felt her nodding her head to his concern.

He picked her bridal style and laid her softly on her bed.

"Then sleep. I will call you before we leave, hm?" Sanal caressed her cheeks and saw that she weakly nodded to his request.

Prisha slept snoring softly with his careful caress on her arms and dozed off.

Sanal saw that his wife had lost a lot of weight and looking paler from the last few days. He wanted to share his thoughts on the new wonder that they would welcome in their life. The baby would solve all their problems and finally they would start afresh with new hope and new future.

She had dark circles; her cheek bones were visible giving her a pale look. He felt her quite breathless in his office and thought to ask her regarding it.

Then he realised that maybe this was part of the pregnancy stress that she was going through. He promised himself to take care of her and their child.

The next morning

Prisha felt the sunrays hit her soft face, making her wake up from her slumber. She tried to move out of her bed, but felt a heavy arm cuddling her closer.

She smiled at his pouty face and kissed his cheeks. She removed his arms and went to do her morning routine.

At the dinner table

Sharanya made her daughter have all her favourite food and pampered her a lot. Sanal saw that his wife was happy after a long time. Jyothi was helping her bestie get her emotions in control to look after her estranged daughter who had suddenly become quiet and tired.

Pradeep was discussing with him regarding his office work and how it could provide him insight on starting a new business.

Previn accompanied Sanal to his office wherein Pradeep dropped Prisha to Menon's house.

Uvika was helping her mom-in-law in deciding their plan post wedding and their holiday destination.

"Amma, don't you think our Ishu has thinned down a lot compared to the last time we met her?" Uvika was stating her concern towards their Prisha who was looking very weak to them.

Sharanya agreed to her concern and told her that she would have a talk with Prisha the next time they visit the Menons.

Sanal was getting nervous at the meeting that the boards had kept for inspecting the progress of the new venture. He was supposed to address the same through the presentation that he had been working on for the past so many days.

Sanal's new office

Sanal was tensed with the feedback that he would get after the presentation. He was rubbing his palms together and waiting for their response.

'Sunny, my boy! You did it again! I am so proud of you," Vinay hugged Sanal out of happiness that he was getting after hearing the positive response from the board on the amazing progress that the new venture was making, thanks to the new Visual Arts Director.

Sanal rushed to the corner of the corridor to call his wife and tell her the good news.

He tried calling her but she was not picking the call. He got tensed as he thought about her health, seeing her weak and fragile for the many days. Just then he got a message on his phone.

Menon's house

Sanal parked his car in the garage and came to the front door where he saw Prisha talking to a stranger.

He saw how she was being very friendly to the stranger and was smiling all the way.

'You still think your pretty wife didn't fool you, huh? Xavier was just a shadow behind her real boyfriend! Go home to check if you suspect my words!' was the message that he had received after his meeting, making him rush home to see the truth with his own eyes.

He thought to approach them to know his wife's friend.

"You are so funny, Tarun! *giggles*" Prisha caught hold of Tarun's arms which was disliked by a certain husband.

"Hey, what's so funny?!!" Sanal caught hold of his giggling wife and took her in his embrace, kissing her earlobe.

Prisha was taken aback by his bold move which actually embarrassed her. She kept signalling him to leave her who ignored her.

"Hey, you must be Sanal, my Prisha's husband," Tarun held his hand out for a handshake which Sanal took after the nudge from his wife.

"Your Prisha?!" Sanal looked at his wife for answers who suddenly went slightly shocked with his cold nature towards Tarun.

"Oh, that's how we call her. We pamper her a lot," Tarun was smiling and conveying his care towards Prisha who returned it with a smile.

Sanal hated their interaction and wanted to convey the same to them when,

Ring! Ring!

Tarun took his phone and affirmed his return to the office.

"Prisha I need to go. Catch you later? See you too, Sanal," Saying so Tarun left for his office in his Land Rover.

Sanal scoffed at his flaunty attitude and went inside ignoring his wife. Prisha was clueless as to why Sanal was acting weird suddenly.

Sanal's room

Sanal threw his coat on the bed and struggled to remove his shirt, picturing the way his wife was getting close to Tarun.

"Shall I bring you tea?"

"No,"

Prisha took a deep breathe noticing the change in him as usual. So she didn't ask him further and moved to the bathroom to arrange for his bath when

"Why you need to be so close to him, huh?" Sanal barged in the washroom questioning her. Prisha looked back at him and scrunched her eyebrows at his unbelievable questioning.

She left whatever she was doing angered and tried to move out of the washroom. Sanal caught hold of her hand and pulled her to his buff chest.

He pinned her towards the wall and asked her again, "Why was he here, hm?"

Prisha tried to move again but Sanal slammed her softly on the wall, making her wince on the impact.

"He wanted to meet me!" Prisha finally answered and looked sideways, to avoid his disgusting gaze.

"So, he opted to come home when I am not around, huh?" Sanal asked her sternly, which bewildered her.

"So, what's wrong with that?!!" Prisha looked straight in his eyes counterquestioning him. Sanal's grip on her wrist tightened making her tear up at the excoriating pain.

"*mocking chuckle* bold of him...and you!!" Sanal closed in her more making her whimper. She was getting terrified of his arrogance and pushed his shoulders with all her might. Sanal snickered at her attitude and looked her up and down ridiculing at her crocodile tears.

"What does that mean, huh?!!" Prisha asked him with a shaky voice. She soothed her wrist which had turned red at his tight grip. Sanal again closed in her making her caught hold of her breath. He stomped the wall beside her which made her shut her eyes. She moved her head away from his face which was coming near to her face.

Sanal traced her lips with his thumb and pushed himself more to her soft body which scared her.

He picked the small tear from her worried eyes and scorned at her fake crying. His hands were holding her close, caressing her waist and his free hands were tracing her misty neck, mesmerising him.

He went near her neck, smouldering her with his wet kisses, finally biting her earlobe softly. He whispered "You are mine...only mine, Sunshine! Remember that," and looked into her closed eyes flowing with tears. He kissed them and backed a little, not before pecking her quivering lips, one last time.

Prisha opened her eyes after he left the washroom. She dropped on the floor and cried inaudibly at her ill fate and felt sickened by his behaviour. Why was God testing her like this?

Ring! Ring!

"Hey, it's me. Just wanted to tell you that we can arrange for the get together on Sunday. How about that? all the cousins together, hm? Do message me, if you have any change in plan. Ok, dear cousin. Bye," Tarun then kept the phone, making Sanal realise the blunder that he had done again, suspecting his Prisha.

He heard the washroom door open and a teared-up Prisha walking out.

Prisha just ignored him approaching the door and went out to the living room. He couldn't follow her as he felt that he really to find a way to resolve this matter asap, as he was losing her love for him.

The next morning

Prisha was silent the whole time that she was working in the household, totally ignoring Sanal. She had got a liking to the silence between them unknowingly as that would give her the harmony that she needed.

Sanal thought that this time he had really hurt his wife and wanted to reconcile with her to not further torment her. He didn't have any clue on how his wife was feeling or least bothered to ask her.

Was he so naïve that he thought of her as only his 'wife' and not his 'love.'

The person he fell in love with or was it just an infatuation or possessiveness or loneliness?

His mind only needed her to be his – only his. Nothing else mattered.

Prisha was shopping while glancing through the list she had prepared in the morning. The servants had offered her to help but she wanted some solace and free her tensed mind with all the things which were happening in her and her Sanal's life.

'Why are you not listening to me?!!'

'I am done listening to you, Mr. Sanal?!!'

'Stop calling me that, Sunshine!'

'I am just your wife in papers, that's it and nothing more!'

'Sunsh...'

'No, not anymore!'

She was upset about the morning incident but continued her shopping.

'I should just stay with him only for the family' her thought stopped at the major aspect of her married life – as she had pictured.

What if part of it is not the way she wants? At least she has her family?

She pacified her head not caring about her breaking heart.

"Ishu!"

Prisha turned around to be hugged tightly by her besties.

Both of them conversed for a long time in the café and talked about their shopping plan for Previn and Uvika wedding.

Benisha excused herself to use the restroom, leaving only Gaurav and Prisha alone in the café.

Gaurav asked Prisha about her sulkiness that he observed from the time the met in the shop.

Prisha brushed it off with some random excuse of new life with a new house. But this didn't fool Gaurav. So, he held her hand and asked her again to which Prisha teared up.

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