Deshmukh Nivas, Hyderabad, 2:45 pm

"What!"

"That's what Dada, I don't know why Pallavi consented to the marriage. But it was so sudden, so secretive that we were all blindsided."

"We all know what happened Amrutha. No need to sugar coat the truth. That woman, Mandar I tell you, she is no good. We had been taken in with her show of innocence. She was definitely having an affair with that Raghav.."

"Kaku that's enough. I don't believe it. Pallavi would never do something like this on her own volition. The most likely reason would be blackmail."

Sharda looked sharply at her son at that. She followed everyone's faces and clocked their individual expressions. Sulochana looked mildly distasteful and Vijay looked thunderous as had become his perpetual expression of late, Manasi looked strangely guilty and Amrutha had this odd expression of discomfort. Milind on the other hand looked shockingly alarmed. He had changed his expression the next second but Sharda had already seen it. 

"Why would you think like that beta? And anyways, we don't associate with the likes of her anymore. I am so happy you are home. You are alive. Forget about that traitor. We will get you a better girl."

Mandar shrugged off his father's hand and looked almost maniacal the next moment. 

"No Baba. She is my wife. And she has been trapped by that monster of a man. She must have been so scared, all alone.. my poor Pallavi. But, by God's grace, I am here and I will get her back."

"But Mandar, before all that, at least tell us what happened to you? What happened that night? Why had you gone out? Where were you all these years and why didn't you contact us sooner? What is all this?"

Milind asked exasperated and saw his nephew turn to look at him piercingly. But his expression softened the next second. 

"I am sorry Kaka. I should have explained this earlier. It's just everyone became so busy dancing and celebrating, I didn't have the heart to... anyways. I was in a coma for the past two years. I apparently had an accident and someone took me to a hospital. I woke up a few days ago and got discharged. Then I immediately came here, first thing. Apparently the guy who had me admitted had not disclosed his identity to the staff but told he found me lying on the road. I cannot remember exactly why I had gone out that night. But I think I might recollect it soon, in familiar surroundings. I just remember a phone call though. Someone had asked me to meet at some spot. It was urgent... rest everything is foggy. All I remember is the wedding and then when I woke up in the hospital."

Sharda looked pensive and Milind mirrored her even as Vijay hugged his son again, muttering blessings on the person who had taken him to the hospital. 

"But, why had we not been given the information that you have survived and where you were admitted. We.. we cremated y..you son. We had received a fully burned disfigured body... I don't.."

"Leave it na Milind. Why talk about bygones? It was a very painful time anyways. Now, the sun has shined upon us again. Let us look towards the future. God has given us a second chance. I don't want to relive the pains of the past."

Mandar hugged his father back tightly as the rest of the Deshmukhs smiled warmly. Only Milind couldn't get the nagging feeling out from his mind that something was definitely off about the entire situation. 

And was this somehow related to the reason why Pallavi married Raghav? 

Mandar had other plans in his head in the meantime. 

He wanted his wife back at any cost. He needed her like a starving man needs water. He had sacrificed a lot for that woman. Including two years of his life. He has to have her. By hook or by crook. 

Raghav Rao wouldn't know what hit him.

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Unknown Location, India, 4:10 pm

The man let out a massive puff of smoke which formed like a ring around the sobbing person's face. It resembled a hangman's noose and the analogy wasn't too far from the truth. The other man who were standing around them shifted in their positions, the sadistic sight giving them a perverse amount of pleasure. 

"Mīku saradāgā undā? What did you get by doing this Mahesh?"

The man named Mahesh, who was tied with salted ropes looked defiantly through his tear streaked lashes at the monster seated on the wooden throne in front. He sniffed and spat the blood collected in his mouth at the former's feet.

The men yelled around him and one of them kicked him on the back making him sprawl on the ground on his face. 

"Enough!"

The man burnt the edge of the cigarette on the ash tray kept beside and stood up, signalling his rowdy men to quieten down with a single raised hand. 

"I hate traitors Mahesh. I might have forgiven you had you stolen from me but you.. you piece of shit were spying on us. For whom!"

Mahesh grinned at him, getting up on his knees somehow, his blood stained teeth looked creepy on his broken face. 

"You may beat me to death.. Master, but I will not disclose my loyalties. I am no traitor. I was just never loyal to you and your dogs."

The man looked coolly at the bound man and sighed. He wiped the sweat gathered at his face with his expensive gold bordered uttariya and looked heavenwards as if asking forgiveness for something. 

"You will never win Krishna Rao. Never."

Mahesh spat with as much vindication and viciousness as he could muster. The man looked down at him from the tip of his nose and smiled nastily. The former was dead before he hit the ground with a clean shot from a .95 calibre which had seemingly magically appeared in the man's hand. 

"Oh my poor naïve Mahesh. I don't need to win. I just need your beloved boss to lose. Which he will. Oh my poor poor dear child.. you have no idea what you have signed up for. No fucking idea at all...."

Krishna Rao cackled as the evening sun slowly started to ripen on the musty sky above, the sounds of his jubilant men reverberating like the sweetest music he has ever heard in his ears. 

This had started to become quite fun.

This game of cat and mouse. 

And his opponent was quite the player.

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Jaya and Keerti's House, Hyderabad, 5:20 pm

"You are kidding!"

"No Sir."

"Seriously?"

"Dead serious."

"Holy... How did Amma agree to this?"

Keerti laughed aloud making Pallavi frown into her cup of filter coffee heavily. The duo were seated at the balcony, chattering like a pair of mynahs since the past hour. Pallavi raised an eyebrow at her sister in law as the latter gave her a mischievous smile. 

"Were you about to cuss? I see my brother has started to rub off on you. The Pallavi I knew would have fainted at the mere mention of a swear word."

Pallavi threw the sofa cushion on Keerti's chuckling face to hide the blush rising on her cheeks. 

"Anyways, my dear Bhabi, what are your grand plans to convince us to attend Anna's birthday party?"

Pallavi looked at her startled. 

"How did you know I was about to invite you both?"

Keerti raised her hands in a universal gesture. 

"I am a smart girl. I can put two and two together and get a four instead of a twenty two which both of you are too fond of getting."

"You have started to become a right tease Keerti Rao. Lakshan sahi nhi lag rahe mujhe aapke."

Keerti laughed and dug into her strawberry ice cream, her face shining with mirth. Pallavi smiled at her softly. She deserved all the happiness in the world. Pallavi had seen her younger friend struggle quite a bit in her life. And now, she knew it for a fact that Keerti had had quite a traumatic childhood. Whatever her misconceptions about her husband, Pallavi was proud of her sister in law for whatever she has achieved in her life. Be it career or love.

Convincing Raghav of the latter though would be a tough task. 

After all, which brother has ever liked their baby sister's choice of a lover. They hardly liked their own choice. Pallavi smiled faintly recollecting her own brother's distaste at seeing her prospective grooms during her marriage. 

"So, fire away."

Keerti said with a mouthful of ice cream making Pallavi break out of her musings. 

"Hmm, I am cordially inviting you to my husband's birthday party which will be held tomorrow at the Rao Mansion, 12 Jubilee Hills, from seven o'clock sharp."

"Wow, how long did you practice that in front of the mirror?"

"One hour. With your brother pulling my leg left right and centre."

"Your leg was all he has pulled till now?"

"Keerti! For God's sake! Have some shame. He is your brother."

"And a man. Quite hot blooded from what the media likes to say."

Pallavi grew sombre and Keerti sat up straighter from her lounging position at the chair sensing the shift in the environment. 

"Don't always believe everything they show on the media."

"I don't. I have seen him with a new girl hanging on his arm every week before you. But I think this time, he might have met his match. I can clearly see it in his eyes."

Pallavi looked aside suddenly, insecurity and shyness warring inside her. She remembered the smouldering gazes he would assault her with. The way his dark eyes would follow her around the mansion, as if disrobing her with them. The way his kisses on the silk fabric of her night suit branded on her soul like burning wounds which only he seemed to be able to soothe. The way she wished she could meld and melt into him every time he would wrap his long arms around her slender frame, burying her inside his muscled chest. 

Her husband had always been irresistible but of late, it seemed to be proving to be a Herculean task to stop herself from jumping at him whenever he would smirk at her. 

She still hasn't been able to muster up the courage needed to fully consummate her marriage. She is taking it slow. Gentle kisses and he let her explore his body to her hearts content, his eyes following her clumsy amateurish moves with amusement and another strange emotion she hasn't seen him displaying ever before. 

And here was his sister, suggesting shamelessly about the stuff she has only dreamt of doing with her husband.

"Oh hello madam. I am sitting right here. Stop mentally fucking my brother. It is disturbing."

Keerti had no idea that a person can turn so crimson at such a short period of time. She was half certain, smoke was coming out of her sister in law's ears. Pallavi smacked Keerti on the head with a hand and stood up muttering something rapidly in Marathi. 

"Pallavi beta, are you leaving so soon?"

Jaya had come in the balcony then and Keerti somehow managed to stop chortling like a mad woman enough to feel the tension come back in her frame. She would love to attend the party but what about her mother. Pallavi seemed to share her concerns as she looked increasingly nervous the next second. 

Jaya looked curiously as Pallavi struggled to say something, squeezing the end of her simple red Mulberry silk pallu, then fiddling with the mangalsutra half heartedly, tucking the strand of hair back beneath her ear which had escaped from the thick bun tied with the quintessential mogra weaved gajra. 

Jaya sighed and took her daughter in law's hands in her own. The poor thing looked very tensed.

"Emaindi Pallavi. Kya hua?"

"Amma wouldyoupleasecometoRaghav'sbirthdaypartytomorrow?"

Jaya looked at her utterly perplexed while Keeri slapped her head in exasperation.

"What are you saying dear? I can't understand.."

"Amma, I.. I wanted to invite you... to come for... Raghav's... birthday party tomorrow."

Pallavi and Keerti held their breaths together in anticipation. Jaya sighed and took her hands away from her hold and turned around, her voice sounding tired. 

"You know that I cannot forgive Raghav. I will not forgive him."

Pallavi looked so crestfallen that Keerti wanted to hug her. But then Jaya turned and gave her a small smile. 

"But because you have invited me and I love you very much, my dear, I will come to the party."

Pallavi squealed like a two year old and tackled a now laughing Jaya in a bear hug. Keerti cheered loudly like a five year old and joined the two with such force that the three ladies almost toppled together on the floor. 

As the three women giggled like school girls still holding onto each other tightly Raghav leaned against the doorframe resisting the urge to run up to them and drag all of them inside him, rip open his chest and tuck them beneath his breastbone, so that he can protect them from the entire universe, including himself. 

So that anyone daring to reach them will have to shatter his rib cage first. 

He quickly went out as they separated so that they cannot spot him and the lone tear which had hidden itself inside his beard shyly.

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A/N:- A longer chapter for the patient wait. I want to thank all my readers for their encouraging comments and apologize for both the delay in updating and because I could not reply to all your posts. But I am reading them. 

And guys, though I am essentially writing this story for myself, I would appreciate more reviews. Silent readers, you need to give me some motivation for else I might just end up loosing interest.