When she came close to Prem, she patted his shoulder. Prem turned around and so did the others. Prem's face glowed and a smile drew across his face. The others smiled too.

"Priya. There you are, Shona." Prem said happily putting his hands on her cheeks.

"Where did you go suddenly before?" Preeti asked.

"Just needed fresh air. Nothing else." Priya laughed. She knew in her mind that she was lying, but she couldn't possibly tell the others what happened earlier.

"Fresh air or something else? Because what's with your forehead bleeding?" Amar asked concerned raising one eyebrow.

That's it, now everyone would interrogate the actual reason why she went outside.

Priya touched her forehead and looked at her fingers. Amar was right, it was bleeding. Sadhana, Prem and the others looked at each other, worried. Priya began panicking inside. What was she going to say or do now? Her heart started beating too quickly. Her eyes flashed with fear.

Prem brought Priya closer to him. He felt her body trembling. Her stomach and right shoulder began paining slightly. Prem put one hand on her shoulder (the one that hurt) and the other hand on her cheek.

"Ouch. My shoulder." She cried and he replied,

"Sorry." He said and he put that hand on her cheek.

He looked into her eyes and asked,

"Priya, kya hua? I know you're hiding something from me." Priya gulped. She couldn't get the words out of her mouth because they were all looking at her.

"Priya, are you okay? Your silence is scaring us." Sadhana said.

"We will listen to you, no matter what." Anjali said.

"Please Priya." Sameer, Neha and Sangeeta said.

"Priya, come on little sis." Preeti said calmly. Priya gulped and trembled in fear. Her hands were numb and clammy. Prem's hands were on her cheeks and saw she was turning pale. He looked worried. He went closer to her. Their faces were close and he put his forehead against hers. He whispered,

"Shona, you promised me that you will tell me everything that bothers you. So if not the others, tell me." Priya smiled and was about to speak but nothing came out of her mouth.

"Take your time, Princess." Prem whispered smiling. Then, suddenly, Priya sprung into tears. Tears began falling from her eyes. Prem was shocked.

"Priya!" He said loudly. The others saw and walked quickly. The parents too.

"Kya hua Priya? Why are you crying?" Sunita and Mamta said.

"Priya? Is everything okay?" Neha and Sangeeta asked. The bombardment of questions made her scared and she let out a heartfelt cry. Prem didn't like seeing his Priya crying. He took her closer to him and he wrapped his arms around her.

Priya's head was rested on Prem's chest and her arms closer to her chest. Prem's hands was on her head and her back. She cried into his chest and his shirt was getting soaked with her tears, but little did he care. He kissed her forehead numerously to calm her down, whilst rubbing her back softly.

"Bas bas Priya. Sssshhh." He calmed her down. He whispered sweet nothings in her ear to soothe her.

A few seconds they got out of the hug and he wiped her tears with his thumbs.

"Are you okay, Princess?" He asked smiling.

"Haan, jaan. I'm okay now." Priya finally said. "Sorry for having that meltdown." She added.

"No don't be. You have to let these things out, Shona." He said and she nodded.

"You scared me so much. Now tell me what happened that led you to go out like that. And why your forehead is bleeding." Prem said holding her hand.

"We'll help you honestly. You're our main priority." Rahul said.

"Exactly. We need to know what happened and we want you to be safe Priya." Sameer said. They all smiled at her.

"Well, I got-" As Priya was just about tell them, someone pushed her down onto the floor. It was those strange men she saw before.

"Aaaah." She screamed and fell in a thud. She fell down on her face.

"PRIYA!" The others shouted, especially Prem. Prem, Rahul, Preeti, Sadhana and the others went down to help her. Vishal turned around and was in shock. The room was loud with the other guests, so the parents didn't hear.

"Priya?" He said in surprise and ran over to check what happened.

Prem went down to help her. He picked her up slowly and Sameer helped too.

She sat up and Prem wrapped his arm around her. Her forehead was bleeding more. Sameer, Preeti, Sadhana and Vivek sat near her. Vishal crouched near Vivek and asked him,

"Kya hua Baiya?"

"Priya just got attacked by these men, Vishal. Could things get any worse." Vivek told him. Vishal put his hand on Vivek in reassurance, but also thought, Vivek was right. Could things get any worse for Priya? She was facing so much.

Priya rested and buried her head on Prem's shoulder and hid her face. Tears fell from her eyes. She was so scared of everything around her.

"Priya. It's okay, Shona. I'm here now." Prem whispered comfortably, his arms wrapped around Priya's waist, placing a soft kiss on her head.

"Priya. Don't worry. We just need to know you're okay." Preeti and Sadhana said.

"Prem, let's slowly help her up." Vivek said. Prem nodded. Prem, Vivek and Sameer slowly helped Priya up.

The others saw her. They were surprised.

"Priya. Are you okay? Why did they throw you down like that? You must be so hurt." Neha said alarmed.

Priya looked at Prem in tears. Prem put his hands on her cheeks and shook his head no to tell her not to worry. He wiped her tears with his thumbs.

"When I'm here, you don't have to worry at all. Okay, Priya?" He said smiling. Priya smiled and nodded.

Suddenly, a group of other strange kidnapper men surrounded them all. They punched Prem on the face.

"Aaaaahh!" Prem shouted.

"NAHI! PREM!" Priya screamed in fear. Her tears streamed even more like a flood down her face. Her face steamed hot. The other parents and Vishal turned around and saw the racket.

"Prem!" Mamta and Ram shouted. They came rushing to the children.

"Aahh." Prem groaned in pain.

"Kya hua?" Mamta and Sunita asked in horror. Priya was crying so much and was going to go down and help Prem, but suddenly the kidnapper guy strongly coiled his arm around Priya's neck, suffocating her and put a gun near the temple of her forehead.

"Chup! Khamosh!" He shouted.

Priya screamed in fear.

"Please. Leave my Prem alone. Leave him. Don't hurt him." She cried.

"Shut up!" He said. The other girls screamed,

"Let go of Priya! Let go!" But the other kidnapper men grabbed them and hurt them.

"No! Hurt me, but don't hurt them." Priya cried, trying to get out of the grip. Vivek, Amar, Rahul, Anwar, Anand and Sameer started fighting with the kidnapper men. There was just fighting and fighting in the party. Prem slowly got up and shouted,

"Leave my Priya alone!" And he grabbed the kidnapper guy that held Priya, but the kidnapper guy kicked Prem. Prem fell back and hit his forehead hard on the glass table.

"Aaaaahh!" It was a deep cut and blood poured horrendously down.

"NAHI PREM! Why did you push him like that?" She screamed and she tried fighting to get out of the grip, but the kidnapper guy whacked her head with the gun. Her forehead began bleeding even more.

Mamta, Ram and Sunita ran to Prem to help him.

"Prem beta, are you okay?" Mamta said worryingly wrapping her arms around him.

"Maa. Priya." He cried leaning into her embrace slightly.

"She'll be okay. Don't worry." Ram said. "Have faith. We're all in this together." He added.

Rahul, Sameer, Vivek, Anand, Anwar and Amar fought with the other kidnapper men and luckily the other girls were set free. It was just Priya who was in trouble.

"Let Priya go!" Preeti demanded.

"Don't you dare hurt her!" Anjali shouted.

"Shut up! I know what I'm doing." The kidnapper said. "If you utter anything further, I will shoot Priya." He demanded. He slowly put the gun near the temple of her forehead and the gun was set to shoot. The others shouted. Priya was trembling and shaking even more.

"Kill me. But don't hurt my Prem. Or my family. Just kill me and everything should be fine. That is what you want, so I'll give that to you." Priya cried.

"PRIYA!" The others screamed in disgust.

"Just kill me and leave. Don't kill my Prem. Don't do anything that hurts my Prem." She cried her heart out as tears were gushing like a waterfall out of her eyes. She still looked beautiful whilst tears and blood poured down.

"Shut up Priya. Just shut up. If you die, where will I go and what will I do?" Prem snapped standing up. He seemed stronger and braver than ever and that's what Priya loved about him.

"Just shoot me. Come on shoot already." Priya cried and shouted.

The others were scared. Preeti and Sadhana gripped hands and tears formed in their eyes as they didn't know what their little sister was doing or saying.

"No Priya! You're wrong. Don't say that. If you get hurt, I'll get hurt too." Prem said.

"No Prem, don't worry about me. I'll be fine, honestly." Priya said in tears.

"No Priya. You can't leave me or do this to me. We're staying together no matter what. But please, don't say you want to be killed. You're not alone in this." Prem said.

"I deserve this, Prem honestly. This is what should happen. I should just die." She replied.

"I love you so much and is this what you're saying?" He said shocked. Priya froze. He was right. They were too deeply and truly in love with eachother to let their bond break. They brought happiness in eachother's lives. They couldn't let eachother go. But, she thought these kidnappers and Rita wanted her gone.

"Yes I love you Prem. I love you." She replied.

"Then please, don't do this." Prem said.

"Prem, I promise you, don't worry." Priya said.

But suddenly, someone grabbed the kidnapper by the hair and strangled him. He put a gun near the temple of his forehead. It was Vishal.

"You wouldn't dare to shoot Priya even if your life depended on it or if someone told you." He said in an evil, threatening and challenging tone. Everyone else was surprised to see Vishal like this.

"Vishal?" Prem said.

"Sir?" Priya said weakly. Everyone was surprised to see him challenge the guy.

"I would do it." The kidnapper guy challenged and cackled.

"If that's what you think, you've got something else coming for you." Vishal growled.

The kidnapper guy let go of Priya. She fell down and cried.

"Priya!" Prem, Sadhana and Preeti screamed running over to her. Prem sat near her and picked her up. He placed her close to him.

"Priya, shona. It's Prem." He calmly said. He saw Priya's face and her forehead was bleeding so much. His forehead was bleeding too but he didn't care. He just wanted his princess to be safe in his arms.

Prem put her head on his chest and all the blood from Priya's forehead went on Prem's shirt. Her tears soaked his shirt. He wrapped his arms around her and put his head on her head. Sadhana and Preeti smiled as the love birds had a romantic moment to themselves. They gripped eachother's hands and exchanged smiles in relief that Priya was okay.

Priya cried into his chest,
"Prem, m-mujhe bohot d-daar laag raha hai. (Prem, I'm getting so scared)." She cried even more. She gripped his shirt as if he would just get up and leave.

"Sssshhh. Priya, main hoon na tumhare saath. Everything will be fine. We're all here for you." Prem said and he kissed her forehead continuously. Priya cuddled up even more to Prem for protection and safety. He wrapped his arms around her tightly not wanting to let go. Priya cried her heart out of fear. She clung onto him for dear life.

"Prem, I l-love you. I l-love you so m-much." She said crying.

"I love you more, Priya. I love you more. Ssshh, stop crying now and don't worry. This will be over soon." He said. Priya looked up at him and he wiped her tears with his thumbs.

"Handsome, p-please don't l-leave me a-alone. I n-need you-u by my s-side. P-please don't l-leave." She whimpered softly and cried. Prem cupped his princess's beautiful cheeks and softly told her,

"Shona, I'm not leaving you anywhere. I can't bear the thought of leaving you away from my sight." He kissed her beautiful hair. Priya took deep slow breath to calm herself from all that crying.

"I don't know what I would do without you, Priya, honestly." Prem said touching her straight beautiful hair and tucking it behind her ear.

"Imagine me. If you weren't here, my life would be a living hell. I am the one that cannot live without you." She said touching his hand.

"Ssshhh. Don't say that. I'll fill your life with happiness and love." He said and Priya laughed and cuddled up to him more. It felt nice to hear her angelic laugh after all that crying.

"Promise me you won't do anything to hurt yourself?" She said putting her hands on his cheeks.

"I'm bound to get hurt, Shona." He said kindly, turning his head slightly to softly kiss her palm.

"Please Prem, don't get hurt. I can't see you like that. Promise?" She said sweetly, slowly getting her pinky finger out.

He smiled and got his pinky finger out and wrapped it around hers.

"I promise." He said then putting his hands on her cheeks.

"Bhabi, Preeti, take Priya slowly away from all this and put her on the chair. Take care of her. I'll deal with all this." Prem commanded.

"Of course Prem Baiya. She's our baby sister." Sadhana said.

"Right. Prem Baiya, make sure you kick some butt." Preeti said.

"I will, Preeti. Don't worry." He said smiling.

Preeti and Sadhana helped Priya up and took her to sit on a chair. They sat with her to keep her company.

Prem walked over to her quickly and put his hand on her cheek,

"I love you Priya." He reminded her.

"I love you too." She said and he softly kissed her cheek and smiled. She smiled too. They looked into eachother's beautiful eyes.

"Prem Baiya, she'll be fine here." Sadhana said. Prem nodded and left.

"Priya, tum theek hai na?" Preeti asked.

"Preeti, go run upstairs and get the first aid box. Priya's head is bleeding so much." Sadhana ordered.

"Yes Jiji. Main abhi laaya." Preeti said and she ran upstairs to get the first aid kit.

Meanwhile, the others were fighting. Anjali, Simran, Neha and Sangeeta ran over to Priya.

"Priya Jiji, are you okay?" Simran asked.

"Haan Simran. Main theek hoon. Are you all okay?" She asked.

"Haan Priya. We're all okay. But right now at this moment we need to take care of you. Where's Preeti?" Neha asked.

"She went upstairs to get the first aid kit for Priya." Sadhana said.

"My, it is a deep gash. These fools had to spoil the party." Anjali said.

"Don't worry. We've still got the day out somewhere nice to plan for Priya." Sangeeta said. Preeti came back and sat near Priya to assist her.

"Don't worry Priya. I'm just going to wrap the bandage around your forehead. Neha, can you help me?" Preeti said. Neha helped Preeti. Neha held the bandage and Preeti carefully and slowly wrapped the bandage around Priya's head.

"Ouch." Priya cried.

"Sssh. It's okay. I'm nearly done." Preeti said. Preeti was done wrapping the bandage. Priya then rested her head on Sadhana's chest as Sadhana hugged her. Priya was feeling very vulnerable.

Meanwhile, the boys were still fighting the kidnapper men. Vishal fought so courageously. So did Prem and the others. They kicked and punched the men. Vishal got the gun and said pointing his gun at them.

"If you dare, dare go and hurt Priya or her family, you will all face the consequences. You will have to face me." The kidnapper men ran out, with blood all over them. The other guests left too.

"Glad they have gone. The trouble is gone." Ram said.

"Children, are you okay? Mamta and Sunita asked.

"Haan Maa." The children said.

"Talk about ruining a party. These people had to bring a fight here, didn't they?" Rahul said harshly standing up.

"Exactly. We were having such good fun." Rohan said.

"But the important thing is, no one has been captured and taken away by them." Amar said.

"Exactly. Then, that would be terrible. At least we all managed to stay together." Sameer said.

"Is everyone okay?" Vivek asked.

"Haan Baiya. We're okay." Anand said.

"God bless." Anwar said.

"Prem?" Vivek asked. Prem turned around and smiled at Vivek.

"Haan I'm okay Baiya." He said. But then, Amar, Anwar, Sameer, Vivek and Rahul spotted the cut on his forehead.

"No you're not. Look at your bleeding forehead." Amar said and then he checked it.

"Mate, it's a deep gash. You need to get it plastered." Anwar said.

"It's not hurting though." Prem said laughing. Then, Sameer lightly touched it.

"Ouch." Prem said. So it did hurt.

"You might want Dr Preeti and Dr Neha to give you something to treat that." Rahul and Anand said.

"It's not a big deal. It'll go by tommorow." Prem said.

"Prem. Do it for Priya's sake. She would say the same thing as us." Vivek said. Prem nodded. Priya didn't want her prince hurt.

So Prem and the boys walked over to the girls. They all smiled at each other. Priya looked up at Prem. Prem crouched down in front of Priya and smiled. She smiled back. He held her hand and squeezed it. The ring he gave earlier was on her finger. The silver diamonds shimmered. He said,

"Hey Priya. Are you okay?"

"Haan Prem. I'm okay. Thank you, you guys, for saving me like that. Honestly it means a lot." Priya said. Then Prem kissed her hand and said,

"Anything for you to keep you safe."

Priya smiled at Prem. Then she saw the gash on his forehead.

"Prem, how and why did you hurt your forehead? You promised me you wouldn't get hurt." She said pretending to be angry. They all laughed because it was cute.

"Oh Priya, I hurt my forehead before I promised to you. So technically I didn't break our promise." Prem said.

"Okay jaan. But please, get it bandaged." Priya said. They all laughed.

"These two lovebirds." Sangeeta said in awe. Preeti and Neha bandaged Prem's head.

"There, these two look like they are actually made for each other because of their bandages." Neha teased. Prem rested his head on Priya's lap. His cheek was on her lap and she stroked his hair softly. She let her fingers softly run through his hair. She knew Prem liked this alot. She leaned down to press a soft kiss on Prem's head.

The others laughed and Prem and Priya began blushing.

"Hai hai! What blushing!" Rahul and Sameer teased. They all laughed.

"Priya beta, are you okay?" Sunita asked.

"Haan Maa. I'm okay." Priya said.

"I can't believe what happened to you. May the Goddess keep you away from any evil." Mamta said.

"Priya, are you okay?" Vishal asked.

"Yes sir I'm fine. Thank you for everything. I didn't know you can fight. You were amazing out there." Priya replied amazed whilst stroking Prem's hair. Prem buried his whole face on her lap this time.

"Haan Vishal. That was amazing." The others said in amazement.

"It's my pleasure. Just want to keep this family safe." Vishal said.

"Yeah Vishal, my friend. Thanks so much for saving Priya. Honestly without you, this would have turned out worse. Thank you. I'm sorry you had to see all this." Prem said lifting his head up.

"Any time Prem. Keep Priya safe." Vishal smiled. Prem smiled and they shook hands.

"Thank you." Prem once again said and Vishal smiled.

"May the Goddess bless you with immense joy and happiness. Thank you for what you did." Ram said.

"Thank you uncle. Thank you for inviting me to the party. It was fun. I have to go now." Vishal said.

"Don't you want to stay for a bit?" Sadhana asked.

"Sorry bhabi I have to get going. I don't want to be a burden here and I think it's best if I leave now because I think space is important." Vishal explained.

"You're not a burden. You're kind of part of our family. If it wasn't for you, this would have been bad." Vivek said.

"Yes he is right. Thank you so much for what you have done." Sunita and Pritam said.

"Thank you so much sir honestly. I can't thank you enough for saving my life." Priya said. Prem looked up at Priya and gave a small smile and a frown. This was quite strange. No one saw this, not even Priya. Was Prem jealous that Priya praised Vishal for everything and not him? It seemed like Priya forgot him.

"Your welcome Priya. Take care." He said. Priya and Vishal smiled at each other. A genuine smile. Prem didn't like this.

The others, including Prem, bid farewell to Vishal and Vishal left.

"Children, maybe we should all go to the living room. It's too messy here." Pritam said.

"You're right. Let's not stay here any longer after what just happened." Ram said.

"Haan. Let's help Priya." Preeti said. So Prem stood up. He put his arm around Priya and Preeti walked by her side and they all walked.

For some reason, Priya felt light headed because of how much pain was on her head. She hurt it so many times and it was just unbelievably painful. It seemed like a mallet was banging her head. She felt dizzy and began losing her senses. Everything around her just drained out. Suddenly, she closed her eyes and collapsed in a thud. She had fainted.

Everyone heard something loud. They looked down and was shocked to see Priya on the floor.

"Priya!" Prem shouted shocked.

"Priya!" The girls screamed and so did Sunita.

"What's going on with my daughter?" Sunita cried.

"Sunita, she'll be okay." Mamta said wrapping her arms around her.

Prem, Sadhana, Preeti, Neha and the others went down to gather around Priya. Prem brought Priya closer to him. He laid her close to him. He put his arm on her back and put her closer to his chest. Her head flopped against his chest.

"Priya, please open your eyes. You're worrying me so much right now. Everything's going to be okay if you open your eyes." Prem said worried.

"Priya open your eyes little sis." Sadhana and Preeti said. But Priya wasn't opening her eyes.

"Priya, I'm here with you. But please, don't do this to me. Enough has happened tonight to you, please don't let this continue. I don't want to lose you at all. You know how much I love you." Prem said worryingly and he planted a kiss on her forehead.

"Prem, she'll wake up soon. I promise. Have faith." Vivek said kindly placing his hand on his shoulder. Prem smiled at his brother.

"Maybe we should take her up to the bedroom." Anjali said.

"Good idea Anjali." Sadhana said. So Prem carried Priya in his arms in a bridal style. Her head was still drooped on his chest. Her long brown beautiful hair floated gracefully as Prem walked. He looked at her worryingly.

They all went on Priya's, Preeti's and Sadhana's room.

"Put her on the bed." Sangeeta said opening Priya's blanket. There were 3 beds. The walls were rose pink and there was a big chandelier. Priya's bed was in the middle, whilst Preeti's and Sadhana's beds were on either sides.

Prem placed Priya on her bed. Her bed had curtains around it. They moved the curtains out of the way. Prem sat by her side. Her head rested on a pillow and he wrapped her with her blanket.

"Maybe don't wrap her too much. She seems to be burning up with a temperature." Preeti said sitting on the other side of Priya. So Prem got rid of some of the blanket off Priya. Neha sat near Preeti and Sadhana sat near Prem.

Preeti placed a thermometer carefully in Priya's mouth to check her temperature. Prem grasped Priya's hand and stroked her knuckles and ring with the pad of his thumb.

"It's been tough for Priya lately. Hai na?" Sunita said stroking Prem's hair. He leaned against her touch.

"Haan Maa. She's been going through so much and it's not fair on her honestly." Sadhana said.

"But thanks to all of you, she's been strong. She couldn't have done it without you all. Sticking up for her, having her back, supporting her and just being there for her has kept her strong. If she was alone in this, she would have been in alot more harm." Ram said.

"I can't thank you enough for keeping Priya so safe. Bless such good hearted children." Pritam said. Sunita nodded.

"Haan bachu (kids). You all love Priya so much and actually protect her so much. That's real family." Mamta said.

"Lekin Maa, the person Priya should be more grateful for is Prem. Prem loves her the most and that's what keeps her safe." Vivek pointed out. They all agreed in unison and Prem smiled. He kissed Priya's head.

Preeti made a shocked face. Neha looked at her and asked quietly what happened,

"Kya hua? Is everything okay?" Preeti and Neha were shocked.

"Her temperature is 45°C. That's very high." Preeti whispered.

"Oh no." Prem and Sameer said worryingly looking at eachother.

"Acha we can just get a wet cloth with cold water and place it on her forehead." Neha suggested.

"What's wrong doctors? You're talking so quietly." Sunita said.

"Maa, Priya's running a fever. It's 45°C. Simran, can you get a cold wet cloth with a bowl of cold water, please?" Preeti asked alarmed.

"Yes of course." Simran said and she went out quickly to get the cold wet cloth with cold water. Prem became even more worried and he grasped her hand even more. He put Priya's hand close to his lips.

"Hey buddy, it's going to be fine. Don't worry. She'll wake up." Rahul said to Prem, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I hope so Rahul." Prem said. "She really doesn't deserve this." He said in sadness.

"I know." Rahul said.

Simran came back with the cold wet cloth and bowl of cold water and gave it to Preeti. Neha slowly took Priya's bandage off from her forehead, with the help of Prem, and Preeti carefully placed the wet cloth on Priya's forehead. The bleeding of her forehead stopped.

Fifteen minutes later

The adults left the room, so it was only the kids.

"I hope Priya wakes up soon." Vivek said.

"I'm sure she will, Baiya. She's been given the best care." Sangeeta said.

"Yeah I already miss her." Simran said. Rohan nodded. Prem smiled at her. He loved how everyone cared for his Priya.

"Preeti, Neha, is there a chance Priya could wake up? She's hurt her forehead too many times that's why." Prem asked worried.

"Haan. Of course, Prem Baiya. We all need you to have faith in Priya." Preeti said nicely.

"But what if she doesn't wake up?" Prem asked.

"That's not the right attitude to have Prem. Believe in your Priya. She's a strong girl and she will obviously want to wake up for you." Rahul said. Prem smiled because he knew they were right. He held Priya's hand tighter and prayed to God for Priya to wake up.

A few seconds later, suddenly, Priya's fingers began moving slightly. Prem felt it. His heart began thumping. His eyes went wide.

The others looked at Prem in surprise.

"Prem Baiya, kya hua?" Sameer asked.

"Kya hua? Is Priya okay?" Anjali asked. Preeti and Neha looked at each other. Could something be happening to Priya?

Before Prem could answer, they all heard something,

"Prem." Priya mumbled sweetly waking up.

Prem's heart began racing. His eyes lit up. He sat down by her side and replied,

"Priya." Priya heard the familiar voice and opened her eyes.

"Prem." She said happily and sweetly.

"Hey, Priya." The others cheered. Priya smiled and tried to sit up, but struggled, so Prem, Neha and Preeti helped her. They put her pillow as a back support. They sat on the bed with Priya and the others joined. Her bed managed to carry them all.

Prem sat near Priya and they both entwined their fingers together and looked at each other, smiling.

"Are you okay, my darling?" He asked.

"My head is just pounding." She said in pain burying her face in his broad chest.

"Have this tablet, Priya." Neha handed her a pill. Priya put the tablet in her mouth and then drank the water. Prem held the glass for her as she drank because she was still a bit shaky. He put the glass on the table when she was done and whispered,

"You'll be fine now." He smiled and she nodded. They looked into eachother's eyes as though they were speaking in their special romantic language that no one else knew. He kissed her hand.

"Priya, it's good to see you wake up. How are you feeling, little sister?" Preeti asked.

"I'm okay. Thank you for asking, Preeti Didi." She replied.

"No headaches or dizziness?" Neha asked.

"It's going slightly because of the tablet." She said smiling.

"See, I told you she was a strong girl." Rahul said. She smiled and Prem kissed her cheek.

"That's my girl." He said and the others cooed.

"Priya, we were so worried for you." Anjali said and Sangeeta, Amar, Rahul and Sameer agreed.

"I'm sorry for scaring you. I didn't mean for this to happen." She said.

"Honestly we all took this all by surprise." Amar said.

"They had to ruin the party and your night, Priya Jiji." Rohan and Simran said.

"I know. But sometimes these things happen when you least expect it. It happens guys and we just have to face it." Priya said.

"Who could be after you like this Priya?" Sangeeta said.

"Umm." Priya said nervously fidgeting with her fingers in fear. Prem saw this and placed his hand on her hand. She looked at him and they both exchanged smiles.

"This has only one name written on it." Anjali said with squinted eyes. They all looked at her.

"Koun?" Prem, Preeti, Sadhana, Vivek, Sameer and the others said. Priya knew the answer. There was no fooling Anjali because Anjali was not oblivious.

"Rita." Anjali said her name in disgust. Priya gulped because it was true.

"Is it Rita again, Priya? Prem asked raising his eyebrow. She looked at Prem and remembered his words 'tell the trusted people' and her promise earlier to him to tell him everything that bothered her.

"Yes." Priya replied nervously. "It was Rita." She added.

"Ugh that wretched bitch." Prem said angrily. His fists tightened. Priya gripped his hand to calm him down. She then rested her head on Prem's chest and he ran his fingers slowly down her beautiful hair.

"And now Madonna will go beating her up with a knife." Rahul said. Sameer, Neha, Amar, Preeti, Priya laughed. Sangeeta, Anand, Anwar, Prem, Vivek and Sadhana smirked.

"Haan obviously. How dare she harm my Priya! She really needs a knife inside her." Anjali fussed.

"My Priya." Prem corrected Anjali sternly in a nice way. Priya felt herself blushing.

"Yeah, Prem's Priya." Rahul said glaring at Anjali.

"Yeah whatever I know that. But the main point here is that she must stop harassing Priya and doing all these things to her. I mean, what on earth does that stupid girl want? Bechara." Anjali spat.

"Anjali is right. Why does she have such a vendetta on Priya? And what does she actually want from Priya?" Anwar said.

"Prem." Priya said quietly, but loud enough for the others to hear. She was staring into blank space when she said it. The others, especially Prem, were confused. Prem tightened his hold on Priya's hand as he locked their fingers together.

"Kya hua, Priya?" He asked in a concerned tone.

"Nothing really. I'm just saying that she wants you, Prem." Priya said plainly and nervously looking at him and the others.

"Oh yes." Vivek, Sadhana, Amar, Neha, Sameer and the others said in unison.

"Right. Because why, because she's in love with Prem Baiya if I can recall. So, attacking Priya is the best way to take Prem Baiya away?" Preeti said.

"Yeah that's correct Preeti Didi." Priya said in a dry tone. She wasn't going to cry about this anymore. She cried enough tonight.

"I swear she's getting crazier day by day. What makes her think I'll fall for a bitch like her." Prem said in disgust. The others laughed but Priya looked at them all confused. Why were they laughing? This wasn't funny, it was serious.

Amar saw this and said,

"Guys it's not funny. It's serious. Stop laughing. Because of Rita being in love with Prem, Priya's being attacked." The others agreed.

Amar sat close Priya on the other side near Preeti and asked,

"Hey Priya, can I ask you something?" He smiled and she gave him a smile. He held her hand softly to comfort her.

"Sure Amar go ahead." She replied.

"Did you go out halfway in the party when we were all together because of Rita?" He asked. Priya gulped. How was Amar so smart in this? She thought. She had to tell the truth. She was trembling in fear and Prem realised this.

Prem wrapped his arms around her and said,

"Hey hey it's okay Shona. You don't have to be scared." He kissed her shoulder to let her know that he was by her side.

Priya took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Tears spilled from her eyes for like the fourth time that night and she opened her eyes.

"Yes. It was Rita who I met halfway in the party." She cried with hurt and fear.

"Oh Priya. It's going to be okay." Preeti and Sadhana said hugging their younger sister. They let her go to give her space but she just cried.

"No it won't be okay. It's all hopeless." She said sadly. She began sobbing once again. She couldn't handle bottling everything up. Crying let all her fears out. She brought her knees close to her chest and buried her face in them, crying her heart out.

"Priya." They all tried comforting her but she just shook her head. Even when they tried to take her for a hug she refused.

"Come here, Shona." Prem said and he took her in a hug. Prem hated seeing his princess cry and just be scared. He wanted her to know that he was always there for her along with the others.

Although she protested and shook her head to not be touched, she gave up and fell in his embrace. His arms were too strong to even fight with. She loved them so much and right now she needed them. She rested her head on his chest and her arms were close to her chest. She cried and cried. His arms wrapped around her and his lips on her forehead. He rubbed her back to calm her down because she now was a hicupping mess. He whispered soothing words in her ear.

"Let it all out Shona, we're all here." Priya's face was buried in his chest as she cried, her tears soaking Prem's shirt. Prem now stroked her beautiful straight brown, hair softly. As Priya sobbed, he looked at the others who gave him sympathetic looks.

Preeti looked at him and got the blanket to ask if he should wrap Priya in it. Prem nodded and he grabbed the blanket and wrapped Priya in it. Whilst she was crying, she was shivering too and Prem needed to warm her.

The others gave a moment for her to calm down. They felt bad for Priya.

"I'm sorry for interrogating you, Priya." Amar said after her meltdown stopped. She rested her head against Prem's chest with the blanket wrapped around her.

"No Amar. Don't be sorry. You weren't wrong to ask." She said, her voice a little cracked with hurt.

"Priya, can you tell us what Rita did or said to you?" Vivek asked. Priya looked at Prem and gripped his hand. He entwined his fingers with her fingers and smiled. He nodded. She smiled. He wrapped his arm around her.

Suddenly, she remembered what Rita said. If she told them what happened, Rita would harm Prem. She didn't want anything to happen to him.

"Actually I can't tell you." She said.

"Kyun?" Vivek and the others asked.

"She said if I do, she will harm Prem." Priya said scared looking at Prem. Prem wrapped his arms around her and she leaned her back against his chest.

"She can't do anything to me when I have you all, Shona. I'm not letting her do this to me or you especially." He said. Priya cuddled up to him more.

"And don't listen to her empty threats. If she really loved Prem, would she really harm him? Let's be real, she wouldn't." Neha said.

"Imagine her attacking Prem Baiya. I would love to see that." Rohan said in disgust and they all laughed, including Prem and Priya.

"Exactly. Sunshine, don't worry. Don't keep such a big things hidden inside you. It's good to let it out." Sangeeta said.

"You ready to tell us?" Preeti asked and Priya nodded.

"So...." Priya began telling the incident in detail while Prem embraced her.

After a few minutes, she was done telling the incident. She was breathing in and out. Her heart was beating fast and tears were spilling from her eyes, but she wasn't crying. She was just nervous and scared whilst telling them what happened.

"Shona, it's okay. We're all here now and you're safe with us. It's good you told us what happened. Now don't worry. You don't have to be scared anymore." Prem said, wiping her tears and putting his forehead against hers.

"What on earth. How could she say those horrible things?" Anwar said.

"I don't know Bhaijaan. But I stood up to her. Honestly standing up to her just felt good because I won't let her win." Priya said. She looked at Prem, who smiled at her. He placed his hand on her cheek and said,

"I'm proud of you for doing that. Please don't let her get to you." Prem said and he kissed her forehead in a lingering kiss.

"Yes Priya. But, why and how would she make Prem fall in love with her? You can't force someone to fall in love with you." Anand said.

"Haan Jeeja ji. Why would anyone fall in love with someone evil like her anyway." Sameer said. "Disgusting." He added.

"She's our cousin sister too which makes it even more weird." Prem said.

"Prem, if she says anything to you, you set her straight bro." Rahul said.

"Yeah. I'm sure she won't harm you." Sadhana said.

"But sir was amazing. He helped me stand up to her with his great advice. He found me sitting on the terrace steps and asked me what happened. I told him everything." Priya said.

"Sir?" Anjali was confused.

"Vishal." Priya said. "He told me just before I got attacked outside the bakery last week to stand up for what I love and just fight for it." Priya said and she smiled.

Prem gave a small smile and unwrapped his arms from Priya. He looked down to hide his jealousy. Why was Priya praising Vishal so much? He wondered.

"He's a great man. He saved your life twice." Sadhana said. "He's such a brave and courageous guy." She added.

"Haan. Awesome fighting skills." Simran said. They all were talking about Vishal and how amazing he was when he saved Priya. Even Priya.

But Prem didn't put any input. Why was he jealous? Priya still loved him with all her heart, but why did Prem not like it when she spoke about him nicely. If it wasn't for Vishal, Priya would probably not be here, she would be in a fatal state. Everyone knows Prem and Priya are deeply in love with eachother. Why was he acting like this?

"Guys, by the way, where are the gifts? I figured we should ditch talking about Rita and open the gifts?" Neha asked. They all agreed. Prem thanked the Gods above that the subject changed. He didn't want them to keep talking about Vishal.

"Oh my god. Yeah, Neha Didi is right. Let's have fun opening the gifts." Simran said.

"Haan haan. I put it here. Preeti, can you come help me please?" Anjali asked.

"Coming." Preeti said. Preeti and Neha went to get the gifts. Preeti got the hampers one by one and Anjali carried the two gift boxes that Vishal gave with both hands. They placed it on the bed.

"Are re, it's Baiya's and Bhabi's gifts that going to be opened soon so at least let the sit." Anand said.

"Haan haan, move Sameer." Preeti and the others said. Prem, Priya, Vivek and Sadhana laughed. Sadhana and Vivek sat near Priya.

Preeti placed Priya's hamper in front of her.

"Wow that's a big one." Priya said and laughed. They all laughed too.

"Open yours first, little sister." Sadhana said.

"No, Didi you open yours first." Priya said.

"No, Priya you go first." Vivek said.

"Actually, let's start with the boxes first that Vishal gave. It's smaller." Neha said. Again, the mention of Vishal made Prem roll his eyes. No one saw.

"True. Let's see what he got me." Priya said. She began taking the ribbon out and the wrapping paper off. She placed it by her side. Then she opened the lid of the box and found a rectangular blue jewellery box inside. She put the lid on the box to close it.

Priya opened the jewellery box and saw a necklace. A silver chain necklace with a small crystal hanging from it. It was sparkling. Real silver and a real crystal. Priya was shocked and said in awe,

"This is beautiful. Such a beautiful necklace." Priya showed to everyone and they all agreed. There were compliments going around about the necklace.

"It's beautiful, hai na, Prem?" She said to him.

Prem eyed the necklace Priya was holding and gave a small smile.

"Yeah I guess." He said plainly. Prem remembered the crystal heart necklace he gave to Priya and thought would Priya ditch his necklace for Vishal's necklace.

Priya put it back in the jewellery box and placed it near her.

"Such a nice guy." Neha said.

"Beautiful gift too." Amar said. Prem rolled his eyes.

Sadhana opened her gift given from Vishal to her and Vivek and found a white baby outfit. They cooed and then moved on to the hamper.

"Jiji, open the hamper now." Preeti said. Sadhana and Vivek opened the hamper. They unravelled the cellophane and found white and grey baby clothes, cuddly toys and products.

"Awww guys, you didn't have to do this." Sadhana said.

"It's the least we can do. We're excited for this baby." Sangeeta said.

"Thank you." Vivek said.

"Now Priya it's your hamper left." Sameer said and Prem perked his head up from his silent position.

"Haan. Open it sanam." Prem said kindly. Priya smiled at him and leaned her head against his jaw in a loving gesture which Prem returned by leaning his cheek against her head. He kissed her head too..

"Acha." She said sweetly. Opening the ribbon and cellophane revealed boxes of jewellery, roses, chocolate, glass house warming gifts of roses, love hearts etc and many more gifts. Priya stood in surprise and said,

"No way. You guys. This is all so beautiful." She stroked the roses. They were fake roses but looked real. She looked at the others as well.

"You like it?" Preeti asked.

"I love it. You didn't have to go through all this." Priya replied.

"We missed you so much when you were in hospital that's why." Simran said.

"Aww thank you." Priya said and Sadhana and Preeti hugged her. Prem then wrapped his arm around her and smiled at her. She smiled at him and then he kissed her cheek.

"I figured I should do this." Priya said grabbing the box of chocolates and opening it. She shared it amongst everyone and they all just enjoyed eachother's company and happiness. They laughed and chatted for the next hour.

After a few minutes, Vivek said,

"Priya, make sure to thank Vishal for everything."

There it was again. Vishal's name again. Prem felt a pang of uneasiness and jealousy in him. Why was Vishal's name up again. He did like Vishal for everything he did and saving Priya, but everyone, including Priya, spoke nicely about him too much for his liking.

"Haan Jeeja ji. Let me thank him now." Priya was about to grab her phone but Prem interrupted.

"Guys, it's getting late. We should let Priya rest now." He said to end the topic on Vishal.

"Haan Priya you've had a long day. Thank Vishal in the morning. I'm sure he will say to rest as well. Don't worry about Rita anymore. The most important thing is that you're safe and you need to focus on getting better." Amar said.

"I'm not tired though." Priya said sweetly smiling.

"Hey, you've just come from hospital, you've just had a party and chaos. It's been a long day for you." Rahul said and she laughed.

"I guess. Thank you guys for everything. Like even though sir did save me, I have to thank you all for just sticking by my side through these troubles. I don't want to drag you all in to my problems, but you all doing so just makes me feel safe. Thank you so much guys for doing this. You all are amazing." Priya said nicely.

"It's what we do for the ones we care about. We're family okay? We will always be by your side in times of trouble because we just want you to be safe." Vivek said.

"I'm sorry though for dragging you in my silly problems." Priya said.

"No Priya stop it. You have nothing to apologise for. This problem is big and the way it's happening is worrying. But Priya, we're all here for you." Sadhana said and the others agreed.

"Okay goodnight Priya." Sangeeta and the others said.

"Goodnight." They all left the room. Even Preeti and Sadhana despite it being their room. They had to clean up. The door was shut giving the love birds some privacy. Prem tucked her in. He sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped the blanket around her. They were quite close. Faces were close.

She gripped his hand. They both smiled.

"You okay now?" He asked.

"Haan. The headache is gone finally." She said and they both laughed.

"I'm glad." He said kindly looking into her eyes.

"I'm glad too." She said sweetly looking into his eyes. They stared at eachother for quite a while in close proximity. Prem then tucked her beautiful hair behind her ear and she said,

"Prem."

"Yes, Priya?" He replied.

"Thank you." She said sweetly.

"For what, princess?" He asked kindly.

"Everything. Just everything. You being here by my side makes everything so much better. When Rita does these horrible things, I sometimes ask myself why am I even living and why do I deserve to be here? But remembering that I have you makes me happy and reminds me that there are people who actually care for me. Thank you Prem." She told him.

"Priya, you're amazing. Remember that and don't let anyone put you down. You being in my life has brought happiness and I can't ask for any more. I'm always going to be by your side, no matter what." He replied putting his hand on her cheek. "Okay?" He added. She nodded.

"I love you so much Priya. I really love you." He whispered. His warm breath against her cheek. They basked under the romantic gaze. They were trapped in a romantic bubble.

"I love more Prem. I love you more." She whispered. They looked into eachother's eyes, then lips for a few seconds. They wanted something. The door was shut for privacy. This moment was perfect for this.

"Come here, my love." He whispered.

He closed his eyes and tilted his head. Priya closed her eyes, knowing what was going to happen next.

In just a few seconds, Prem covered her sweet lips with his soft lips and let them do their work. The fifth kiss of that day, this couple were clearly mad in love with eachother. Their lips moved in sync slowly for some time, the sound of their lips smacking subtly against eachother echoed.

Prem slowly wrapped his arms around her to bring her closer to him. He just wanted Priya's beautiful lips moving against his lips in a better access. As Priya came closer, she wrapped one arm around his neck and placed the other hand on his cheek and jaw.

They were trapped in their own romantic world, not caring in the world about anything. They slowly kissed for their own pleasure. Lips slowly and softly moving in a passionate kiss. The lovers enjoyed this. They were fine because it was in the room.

Prem wanted to mark Priya his. He wanted Priya to know that she was his princess and that they belonged to eachother.

After a few seconds, they pulled apart for air. Their lips luckily weren't swollen or red because they weren't kissing intensely. It was a subtle kiss. They didn't want the others to get suspicious of their moment.

Priya moved back in her original spot. She avoided Prem's eyes because she was blushing.

"Now have your princess sleep now, Priya." He said. He wrapped the blanket on her and she lied down. She yawned.

She gripped his hand and said,

"I love you Prem."

"I love you too Priya." He replied. He kissed her forehead sweetly.

"Goodnight Prem."

"Goodnight Priya." He said and left the room.

The lamp was on. She was staring into the wall. It had been a night. She grabbed the gift Vishal gave her and opened it again. She took the necklace and glanced at its beauty. She placed it on the bed, but then she saw a note. A white paper inside. She was curious. She took it out and unfolded it.

What is this?

She read it:

Dear Priya,

I hope you're doing well Priya. Don't think about work for a few days. You need to rest.

This is a gift from me. It's a necklace and you don't have to wear it. I'm not expecting you to wear it. This is an important necklace. A very important one to me and it tells a story. Keep it safe. This necklace tells the story of someone I know and links back to something from my past. Something I haven't told anyone and I'm trusting you with it. Please keep it a secret between both of us. I don't really talk about my past, but I would rather tell you.

I'll explain the story in your own time. It's a long story. But the story is similar to your current situation. This is why I am giving the necklace to you. I'll tell you when you're all better, but don't stress so much about it. I want you to be better before I tell you everything.

Take care,

Vishal

Priya's heart was pounding. Her eyes were wide.

"Kya? This necklace is an important necklace? And it's similar to my current situation? This is so strange. I need to find out how. Sir must have a reason and this might help me." She said.

She took her phone and quickly texted Vishal.

Priya: Hi sir. I just wanted to say thank you for coming to the party, saving and helping me and the gift. Priya: It's beautiful. 😊

Once she sent it, Vishal replied.

Vishal: Anytime Priya. You read the note with the necklace?

Priya: Haan, I did.
Priya: Sir, what is so important about the necklace and what's the story behind it? 🤔

Vishal: As the note says, it's a long story and something from my past. Vishal: I'll tell you another time.

Priya: When will that be?

Vishal: When you feel better.
Vishal: I want you to recover before I tell you everything.
Vishal: I can't say whilst you're in a state like this. 😉

Priya: Acha. But you will promise to tell me? 😉

Vishal: Of course I promise. 😉
Vishal: I'm choosing to tell you because it's similar to your current situation.

Priya: Oh okay. Sir, whatever is in your mind, you can always tell me.

Vishal: I know. I trust you alot. Vishal: Priya, please know that you can trust me too. I'm always here to help.

Priya: I know sir.
Priya: I've realised that quite some time now while you were helped me through everything.
Priya: I've grown to trust you alot.

Vishal: I trust you too. And Priya, one more thing.

Priya: What is it, Sir?

Vishal: Don't call me 'Sir' unless you're at work with me or in front of your family.
Vishal: Call me Vishal from now 😊😂

Priya: Why?! 😂 Wouldn't that be disrespectful?

Vishal: Well, in a formal setting it would be disrespectful to call me by my name. 😂
Vishal: so when we're alone together or on text, call me Vishal. Vishal: If we're alone in the office, you can call me Vishal. 😊 in front of others, call me sir.

Priya: Acha. So you trust me alot I see?

Vishal: Yes. Priya, you're more than a colleague to me. You're practically a close friend.
Vishal: I don't have much friends ever since that past happened

Priya: I'm glad to be your friend. Priya: I've considered you to be a friend of mine too ever since you have me advice and saved my life.

Vishal: That's what friends are for 😉

Priya: Yes. 😊 Thank you for everything. I'll talk tommorow.

Vishal: Okay. Take care. When you feel better, tell me and you can come back to work.

Priya: Okay Vishal. Goodnight

Vishal: It feels good to be called by my name for once from you. 😂

Priya: Hahaha. It does feel good to call you by your name. 😂 it's tiring constantly calling you 'Sir'

Vishal: Yeah couldn't stand the formalities too much 😂 okay goodnight Priya

Priya: Goodnight Vishal.

They both got offline. It was midnight and Priya kept thinking about the necklace. What was important about the necklace? What link did it have from Vishal's past? She wanted to find out sooner. She slowly closed her eyes and went to sleep.

The necklace has something to do with Vishal's past. What was it? How is it similar to Priya's current situation? Would it help Priya save her relationship with Prem from Rita? Or does the necklace have something else written for Priya? What has fate got destined for Priya? Find out in the next chapter of Voh Meri Rajkumari Hai!

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A/N

Hello everyone! 😊❤ Its been a long time here.

What's the necklace about? Why is Rita harming Priya more? Why is Prem getting jealous of Vishal saving Priya? All questions are running through your head. You'll find the answers soon!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm sorry for not updating these past months but I've had an incredibly busy year ahead of me. Personal things and college stuff.

There's a cliffhanger there and I hope to see some votes. I'm beginning to think that this story is not taking any shape. I'm losing votes but that's probably my fault because I haven't been updating. It would mean so much if we can get more votes.

You all are amazing people and please do enjoy the story so far.

Anyone watched Aladdin? I watched it three times!! Loved it! Loved Naomi Scott and Mena Messoud and Will Smith! ❤❤❤

Take care! Love you all! ❤

And many more!

Enjoy! ❤