Meera entered inside her room. Sitting on the table kept near the window, she delicately opened the letter which reads

'Rani sa,

Apke zindagi mein jo nayi pyaar ki gulaab kheel rahi hai, usse dekh hume bohot zyada khusi hui. Parantu mere khusi se zyada dard apko milega, jab Abhimaan namak kanta apko chubhega.

He has a dark past. He has deep rooted insecurities. Trust issues and hatred for love is not new to him. Aap inn sab ke sath zindagi guzar nhi payengi. Shuruat sab ko pasand hota hai, mann mein sahas hota hai kathinayi-yon se ladh ne ki, lekin agge chal ke wo himat tut jata hai aur insaan bikhar jata hai.

Abhimaan apko pyaar karne ke qabil nhi aur nahi apke pyaar ke layak hai. Woh apne dolat se apke liye ek Taj Mahal toh banna sakta hai par uska rang kala hoga Abhimaan ke dil ki tarah. Woh Taj Mahal pyaar ki nishani nhi hogi par nafrat ki nishani se jani jayegi.

Umeed hai aap inn sari baton par gor karengi aur apne ujjwal bhabisya ka marg chunegi.

Apka subh chintak. Jald hi milenge.'

Meera read the letter which has no sender's address. Neatly folding the letter she looked outside the window when her eyes fell on Abhimaan, who was swimming in the backyard pool.

('Dear queen,

I am very happy after being enlightened about the rose of love blooming in your life. But let me aware you that your share of gloominess will be more than my happiness, when the throne named Abhimaan will scar you for life.

He has a dark past. He has deep rooted insecurities. Trust issues and hatred for love is not new to him. You won't be able to live your entire life with these. In the very beginning it might seem like a flowery dream, when you are courageous to fight every odd but eventually the dream bubble bursts breaking the courage and shattering the soul.

Abhimaan can never love you and he too is ineligible to receive love from you. He is wealthy enough to construct the symbol of love 'Taj Mahal' for you but mind you the colour of the architecture will be black just like his heart, which will not be recognised as the symbol of love rather as the symbol of hate.

I hope you will consider these things and would wisely choose the way for your bright future.

Yours well wisher. Will meet soon.')

AFTER FEW HOURS

AT ABHIMAAN'S STUDY

"Bhai as you said I warned Bijal. Par bhai woh seedhe se maan ne wala insaan hai nhi. Moreover MLA bhi uss mein samil hai. Election ke time pe mar-pit kar ke , dara-dhamka ke votes hasil karte hai yeh baap bete" Aviraj informed

(Bhai as you said I warned Bijal. But he is not going to surrender that easily. Moreover MLA is also involved with his son's illegal activities. During the time of election both father-son duo will threaten the people inorder to get votes)

"Aur koi information?" Abhimaan asked

(Any other information?)

"Nhi bhai philhal toh yehi information hai baki ke details mein Uday ke sath mil ke nikal raha hu" Aviraj replied

(For the time being i have this much information, but am working with Uday in digging out more stuffs about them)

"Third person ki involvement hai iss mein, forsure. Par kon hai yeh pata laga" Abhimaan ordered

(I am sure that there a third person involved who is backing them up. Find out who the person is)

"Ji bhai" Aviraj said but from his facial expression, it appeared as if he wanted to ask something else as well

(Okay bhai)

"Kya puchna chahta hai puch" Abhimaan said while searching a good book to read

(Whatever you want to ask, you can ask without any hesitation)

"Bhai how can you be so sure about the involvement of a third person? I mean you didn't overhaul yet" Aviraj said

Abhimaan with a sly smirk said "tune Bijal ko dekha hai, itni uski aukat nhi ki woh mere samne tik sake. Par agar ussne ek warning ke baad bhi surrender nhi kiya iska matlab uske paas kisi ka support hai jo definitely uska baap toh nhi"

(Have you analysed Bijal closely, he isn't that capable to brush aside my orders. But even after warning if he didn't surrender then surely there is someone powerful supporting him which is definitely not his father)

There discussion ended when they heard a knock at the door.

"Get in" Abhimaan said, hearing which Sanyukta entered .

"Chote hukum, apko dadi ma bula rahi hai, jaldi jaa kar sunle kya keh rahi hai dadi sa" Sanyukta informed giving a serious look to Aviraj.

(Young master, grandma is asking for you, go quickly and meet her fast)

"Kya baat ho gyi?" Aviraj asked Sanyukta who shrugged in return.

(Now what happened?)

Aviraj left the study to meet his grandmother Amrita Devi

"Kya prank pull kya hai tune iss baar?" Abhimaan asked Sanyukta, who in return gave him a toothy smile.

(What prank did you pull this time?)

Giving a you-are-impossible look Abhimaan too with his book left for his room.

AT ABHIMAAN'S BEDROOM

The moment Abhimaan entered his room, his eyes searched for his Meera.

Not finding her in the bed area, he moved towards the secluded corner of his chamber

Flipping the pages of the book, he started reading the fiction genre story.

After few minutes Meera came along with a piping hot coffee mug. She smiled when she saw Abhimaan engrossed in reading, that to a fiction.

"Apki coffee" Meera handed one mug to Abhimaan

(Your coffee)

Abhimaan glanced at Meera and without saying anything took his coffee mug.

Meera kept her mug near the large window and went to bring something from the near placed draw. Coming near Abhimaan she sat near him and forwarded an envelope towards him.

Abhimaan raised his left eyebrow in a questioning manner, asking about the envelope.

"Yeh woh aaj subah koi ake yeh letter deke gaya hai. Letter mein koi naam ya address nhi hai aur jo maid mujhe deke gayi usse bhi sender ke bare mein koi idea nhi hai" Meera briefed Abhimaan

(This is a letter i received today in the morning. This doesn't have any name or sender's address and unfortunately the maid who served as a medium between me and the sender too doesn't have any idea about the sender)

Abhimaan took the envelope. During middle of the letter reading, he once glanced at Meera. She was looking strangely at him.

After ending the note, he asked "what is your opinion about this letter?"

Meera went more closer, near Abhimaan's face and said "isn't it common to get such unnamed letters" Meera adjusted herself near Abhimaan's chest. Kissing near his heart, she said "I do know chithi mein likhi hui baat sach nhi hai aur chithi likhne wala toh bilkul hi mera subh chintak nhi hai"

(I know the said things in the letter is not true and the sender is definitely not my well wisher)

"How can you be so sure about these two things?" Abhimaan questioned Meera

Meera raised her eyes looking deep inside Abhimaan's eyes, she said "I trust you"

"Kyu?"

(Why)

"Because of these eyes of yours. They hold a sincere promise. And I do believe in this unspoken promise rather than any of these expressed, written or spoken words" Meera said with a scrunched nose, looking at the folded letter.

Abhimaan softly pulled her nose. When Meera sweetly smiled, he smirked whispering "Promises are meant to be broken and..........."

Meera's smiled dropped. Involuntarily blinking her eyes, she whisper asked "and....?"

"And some promises are meant to be protected with life" Abhimaan concluded

Meera raised her neck and pecked Abhimaan's chin.

"Thoda zyada comfortable nhi ho jaa rahi ho tum mere sath" Abhimaan said while faking a serious look.

(Aren't you getting more than required comfortable with me)

Meera hiding her face in his chest mockingly mumbled, stressing the word 'haq', "you are my husband, HAQ hai apka to get kissed by me"

(You are my husband, it is your RIGHT to get kissed by your beautiful wifey)

"Is it so?" Abhimaan asked amusingly

"Which book you are reading?" Meera changed the topic

"A fiction genre, padhogi?" Abhimaan asked

(A fiction genre, would you like to read?)

Recalling the library incident, Meera said "Sunungi, you read I will hear you out"

(Would like to hear, you read i will hear you out)

Abhimaan too recalled the same that how Meera on that day, asked for a book to read and he rudely denied asking her to have her own book.

Now he knows that the time has come for his repentance. Without saying anything he started reading the chapter for both, him as well as Meera, while caressing her arm.

When two to three chapters were over, not getting any response from her, he peeped at Meera. Only to witness that she is fast asleep.

Abhimaan kissed her head, covering both, himself and Meera with a thin blanket. He also continued reading his book but silently this time, still caressing her forearm and kissing her head at regular intervals.

While Meera unknowingly fell asleep in his warm embrace, clutching him tight as if he will vanish in thin air.