Thank you so much Kaushi ji Penfolk for this awesome cover. I'm spellbound.

Isn't it stunning???

Sameer's phone rang early in the morning. He picked it up and muttered a sleepy hello.
"Sir, I'm Anandakripa mansion's watchman sir.Maya madam is missing sir. "the guard said.

"What??? What the hell were you doing? I'm coming. "

He ran out of his house and speeded his car towards the mansion.
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Sameer entered the mansion as there was no sign of Maya in her outhouse. He searched each and every room.
He opened the door of the room were the blood stains were found.
He stared in horror as he saw that spine chilling scene infront of him.

Maya stood leaning on the wall with one of her hands nailed into the wall. She was unconscious and her head was bent down.
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Maya slowly opened her eyes with great difficulty. She felt an unbearable pain rising in her left hand. Her whole body was aching.
She adjusted herself with the lights.
"How are you feeling? "she saw a concerned Sameer sitting beside her on a chair.
"I.. I.. Where??? "she stuttered.

"You're in your room. "

"Hmm."

"What actually happened? "

"I... I don't know.. Yesterday night, I heard certain sounds from the mansion.. I went inside it and... and it's door closed behind me....
Someone held my hand and dragged me... I don't remember anything else..."

"Okay.. You need rest. I'll be right here. "

"Why is my hand injured? What happened to me. Tell me. "

"Maya, I found you in the blood stained room. Your hand was nailed to the wall.
I won't allow you to stay here anymore. We will leave in the evening."

"Where to? "

"To my apartment."

She just hummed and slowly drifted off to sleep.
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Prathap Valliyath and Vikram Valliyath walked into a large room.There were three men standing with their hands tied to their back and mouth closed with a piece of cloth.
Ravi who was already standing in the room handed Prathap a dangerous looking gun.
He aimed it at them and shot three of them alive. Blood gushed out from their chests and they fell down dead on the ground.
Maya shot her eyes open, sweating all over. Her body was shivering terribly.
She got out of the bed and exited her room.
She wanted some peace.She really wished it to be available in shops.

She remembered about the small diety of Lord Krishna somewhere behind the mansion. She used to pray to Lord Krishna along with Adithya.

She made her way to its location which she wasn't sure about.

She roamed all around the area behind Anandakripa and finally found the diety.

It looked as if it was polished with dust and dirt. But the abnormality that caught her eye was that, it's face was wiped and there was not even a trace of dust. All its features could be seen clearly.

She wondered who did this.
'Probably, any of the pious workers out here.'she thought.

She closed her eyes and prayed wholeheartedly. She terribly wished if he was with her.

She sighed and walked away.
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Maya placed a vessel filled with milk on the gas stove. She was terribly in need of a coffee.
There was a power cut so she couldn't use the kettle to warm milk.

The milk boiled and she poured it to a cup which already had sugar coffee powder in it.

The switch of the stove which she had turned off,slowly turned around and stopped where it was labelled ON.

Soon the kitchen got fire even though it was protected with latest technology.
Maya who was sitting on a chair with her back facing the counter,lost in her wild thoughts, never realised there was fire raging behind.

Maya came out of her thoughts when she sensed that the atmosphere was terrible hot. She turned around to see fire everywhere, not even a single doorway for her to escape.

She screamed and shouted for help but noone heard.

She somehow reached near the entrance of the kitchen.

She shouted for help and Sameer who was sleepling with saliva drooling out of his mouth jumped up.

He ran to the direction of her voice and saw her in the kitchen with fire all around her.
Her eyes were half closed.

He slowly entered the flames and lifted her in his arms. He ran out without caring the unbearable burning sensation everywhere in his body.

He made her lay on the nearby couch and sprinkled some water on her face.

She opened her eyes to see Sameer standing in front of her with big black marks on his face.
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Maya sat on a bench in the old garden.

She was furious to herself as Sameer's present condition was caused by her.
He had serious burns on his body and the doctor had prescribed him a week of bed rest.

'If only I wasn't lost in my dumb thoughts.'she muttered.

She stood up and started walking through the garden,remincsing old memories of Adithya.
She felt like being followed but found none when she turned around.

She reached under the mango tree, a spot that is filled with a lot of memories.
She still remembered how she and Adithya ate ripe mangoes that sometimes fall from the tree.
They used to take shelter under it, if it rains while they play.

She felt like the tree was shaking.The tree was about to fall on her. It had been uprooted.

Before it could fall on her, a strong pair of hands were wrapped around her waist and she was pulled from beneath it.
As a natural instinct, she hugged the person.

Slowly the grip around her waist loosened and she too released her hands.

She looked at the person's face to see two intense coffee brown orbs looking at her with utmost concern. He had a well built physique and a manly face with a light stubble.
She felt a wave of familiarity wash her entire self.
She felt as if he was someone so close to her heart.
"Are you okay? "the man asked.

"Thank you so much.But who are you? "she asked curiously.

The handsome stranger didn't utter a word, instead he took out something from his jean's pocket and placed it on her palm.

It was a small heart shaped pendent. A lone tear escaped her eyes.
It was the same pendent she had given Adithya before leaving to US.
"Adithya. "she uttered faintly.

He just gave her his ever so charming smile.

A smile that she missed for fifteen long years.
.....................

Readers:"Why did you say Adithya is dead even though he is alive?

Me:"The story should go in its flow no? I had to keep the suspense. "

Readers:"You and your flow 😠." *takes tomatoes to shower me *

Me: *grins* *disappears*