It was ten in the night and the silence enveloped the castle in its deadly influence.I was leaning on the window piller staring at the dark sky with few patches of clouds after the rainfall retreated.The buzzing of crickets coming from every direction was the only sound that become my solo companion in the heavy loneliness.

Its been two weeks but there was no improvement in Abbey's condition.Every time doctors repeat their same line .Mr. and Mrs. Shekhawat were staying in the hospital for the nights though Randhir asked them to stay but his dad told him to look after the business which couldn't be neglected .Still Randhir used to be at hospital in the evening hours to late night.

The cracking sound of the door made me turn back .Randhir entered in the room with the gloomy dejected face which I had been seeing from past few days.I walked up to him with a smile .

"Hey.."he tried to reverse the smile but it didn't happen.

His jell hairs had spoiled certainly he would ran his fingers through them a thousand times.The tie loosely hanged carelessly around his neck.I took off his blazer and he threw himself on the sofa closing his eyes in order to calm his the hurricane of emotions and thoughts he was going between .

I forwarded a glass of water and sat beside him.Without speaking a word he took the glass and drank the water like a thirsty deer.

"Everything will be alright.."I rubbed my warm hands on his icy cold knuckles in order to give him some moral consolation .

"I don't know how supposed to get him better..what happens to him..?"he looked at me with teary eyes,"My brother is a fighter but now whenever I look at him..I found the fighter battling for his survival..he is in pain Sanyukta and I can't heal his wounds.."he sobbed silently.

Tears cascaded from my eyes.Two important men of my life were in pain .He wiped his tears and stared at the ceiling blankly.

"I fell disgusted about myself.I hate my past.How can I trust a horrible ugly face disguised in the facade of innocence..?"he said .I wiped my tears to get a clear view of him .What he meant ?

"Whom are you talking about..?"I asked him .

"I believed on her every lie..she said she loved me but the fact is she never loved me or else she wouldn't have tried to kill my brother ."he again puzzled me about the known stranger lady from his past who certainly had influenced him .

"Randhir please tell me in clear words..who is she and what is her connection in Abbey's accident..?"this time I said sharply to fetch out whole truth from his stubborn heart.

"Chloe Grayson.."his voice waved with pain and I felt if I was hallucinating.

"Yes Chloe the girl ,I wish I would never met...I really wish to go back in the dark past and erase her presence in my life.."he dug his face in his palms .I didn't had any idea how to react on the new revelation of my husband's past life .

"I am the worst person..Sanyukta you might ever met ..am I right..?I should be at my brother's place ..."he could hardly talk .

I grabbed his head and kissed him with all the trust and love I held for the man . Initially he was reluctant but later on gave up and kissed me in a need to ease the weightage of guilt he was bearing since how long.

"Its alright..you didn't love her nor it was a special relation rather than physical "I paused and tried my best to hide the uneasiness while talking about my husband's pre marital sexual affairs .

"I don't think we should discuss about her "I drew out a long breath and his eyes regained it's lost charm.

"Strawberry my brother is paying for my deeds.."he mumbled.

I stroked his creased forehead with my fingers ."Nobody is paying but she has to pay for what she did.."I told him .

"I need you for my whole life."he softly whispered digging his face in my chest ."I can't imagine myself without your presence around me".His words were evident of his unsaid feelings.

After looking at him for one last time I freed myself from his grip to bring his dinner in the room as he denied to leave the place due to tiredness.

My nervousness raised to next level finding my husband talking to the intelligence bureau members to find the evidence against the evil witch Chloe .His firm words were depicting the determination of his promise he gave to his brother .

"Should we leave for the hospital early today..?"I asked him once he was done with the conversation and the men left .

He understand the unsaid queries I had regarding Chloe but seeing his red eyes I didn't dare to open my mouth.He closed the file he was reading and gestured me to go near

to him .

I gave him his phone and some files he forgot to fetch before leaving his study room.

"Chloe is staying in the outer city slums to hide herself from our eyes."he revealed .

I squeezed his shoulder in reassurance.I knew he was anxious because doctors were going to perform Abbey's another brain surgery and there would be fifty percent chances of him being slipped into permanent sleep .

"Abbey is fine Randhir .Mom Dad ,Andy everybody is there and waiting us to reach at the hospital so Doctors can start their work.."I reminded him .

We reached at the hospital exactly around mid day because it was more than winning a battle to encourage my husband's dropping hopes regarding his brother's survival.

The atmosphere of the place again filled me with nausea and gloominess .I grabbed his hand more tightly than before who might be going through the same situation

as mine .

His Dad saw us and gave us a dejected smile .I could see his pain .The man never shown his emotions now continuously looking up at as if he was praying to the Almighty to save his son's life but his Mom wasn't around .Well it was good for me.

Inspite of such hard time ,she didn't leave any chance to make me feel ignored and an unwanted member of her family but kept her mouth shut for the sake of her elder son .If he would get the slightest idea of her coldness ,he certainly taint his relationship with her and I didn't want to be the reason of this sin.

"How is he ?"Randhir asked Andy who was standing outside the ICU.

"Can't say anything until the surgery will be done.."she replied in few words and again darted her eyes on the curtained glass door.

"And where is Mom..?"he asked looking round for his mother.

"Her blood pressure dropped due to stress so doctors advised her to rest for a while ."she said .

I let out the breath I was holding in relief .She wouldn't be there atleast for some time and it was like a boon for me because I eagerly wanted to present there with my husband when he needed me the most .

He sat on the nearby chair .His eyes glued on the ICU with different emotions floating in his beautiful eyes .

"I am going to bring coffee for you.."I said to him .

"No I am fine..just stay here.."he refused and pulled me to sit down and I did the same .

Hours rolled like centuries and finally the chief surgeon emerged out of the chamber .Randhir sprang up to him in fraction of seconds .

"Doctor...?"Randhir had no courage

to ask him the result .I stood just behind him with fear mixing with dormant impatience.

"The surgery went successful well he needs some rest before you can meet him..He can't take stress until he recovered mentally ."Doctor smiled at us and went inside again.

It seemed we all got back our soul back in our body.Ita been weeks we last smiled .I could see tears of happiness in Randhir 's eyes .

Mr. Shekhawat came forward and hugged his son and daughter to share the happiness and sign of relief after a dreadful period .

I could see the amount of satisfaction and joy Randhir felt in his grey shiny eyes when his father embraced him showing his fatherly affection after decades .The ruthless man turned into a small kid who craved for his parents 's attention and when he find it ,the happiness he feels at the time,can't be transformed into words.

Now I pray God to save Chloe from the Satanic wrath .The beast won't leave her for a longer time.