"Why would you do that Gandharaj?" Nakul asked, not tearing his sight from Nandha, who was being dragged mercilessly by his cousin, her husband.

"Do what panduputr Nakula?" Shakuni asked with a sly smirk.

"Don't act so innocent mamashree. I have already seen behind your facade. I know it was your plan to create a scene like this so that bhrata Duryodhana would doubt Nandha. But what happiness are you getting from destroying your own nephew's married life?"

"Panduputr Nakul, what are you saying? Why would I try to destroy my own nephew's married life?" The mockery in Shakuni's voice was not gone unnoticed by Nakula.

"Gandhararaj Shakuni, please stop the acting. No one in this whole aryavart knows your wickedness clearly more than me and my family. I'm not a fool like you think Gandhararaj. I can clearly see though your deceptive innocent face."

A sinister smile masked Shakuni's face. "Panduputra its not me who is destroying Duryodhana's married life. It is you, who is doing that."

"Me? What are you saying? Don't try to twist your words and trap me, Gandhararaj."

"I'm not twisting my words nor am I trying to trap you in my words. What I'm telling you is the truth. It is you who is destroying Duryodhana's married life."

"What?....What did I do?"

"If you and your family hadn't come back alive then Duryodhana and Alaknandha would have been happy and contend in their life. Their lives would have been colorful without any troubles."

"Fine for making bhrata Duryodhana hate us you are doing this, but then what is Nandha's fault in all this?" Nakul asked.

"Alaknandha has no fault in this. Poor girl unknowingly did a sin of attracting Durodhana and You. If not for you, I wouldn't have trapped Alakanandha. If you hadn't loved her then I would never have used her as a pawn in my revenge." Nakul visibly paled hearing Shakuni's words.

He knows. Nakul's heart and mind whispered simultaneously.

He knows about his feelings for Nandha. How did he know about his love for Nandha? Only his brothers, Arjun and Sahadev, knew about Nandha and him and he was damn sure neither one of them would have told Shakuni. But then how? Fear crawled through his veins as his thoughts went to Nandha.

A satisfied chuckle escaped Shakuni's lips. He was clearly enjoying Nakul's pain. All the sacrifices he made has now finally started paying off. The very first step of his revenge is fulfilled. And now after thirty five years of sleepless nights, he can finally have some peaceful sleep.

"Hear it carefully Panduputra you are the one who is destroying Duryodhana's marital life and the sole reason for your lovely Alkanandha's sufferings. Each tear she shed will be due to you. All her upcoming pain and sufferings will be due to you. Your love for her will become the reason of her sufferings." Shakuni snarled before walking away.

A lonely tear fell from his eyes. It was just a single drop yet it weighed heavier than a drop of water. His body felt numb, his heart was bleeding and his mind was a mess.

His love became her pain.

His silence became the reason for her suffering.

His helplessness made her bleed.

His happiness destroyed hers.

He looked at the empty corridor, the one through which Nandha was mercilessly dragged away by her husband. He clenched his fist as yet another tear dropped from his eyes. How he wished he could help her but alas there is nothing he could do.

"I'm sorry Nandha, if only I hadn't loved you, then maybe you wouldn't be suffering in his hands." Nakula whispered wiping his tears that traced down his cheeks.

The sun rises as a canopy of gold, bright amid the blue, bidding the stars to take their nightly rest. As darkness surrenders, every colour changes from tinges of charcoal to a vibrancy.

He opened his eyes only to close it just as fast due to the striking rays of sunlight. He blinked several times trying to adjust his eyesight. Opening his eyes he was greeted by a severe wave of He groaned in pain clutching his head. His head was paining as if someone was hammering his head.

He felt soreness in his body as he sat straight on his enormous mattress. He gently pressed his head trying to subside the headache. He drank only two of alcohol yet his head was bursting as if he had consumed gallons.

He could hear the shuffling of things around him. Opening his eyes, he looked around his chamber. He saw the maids walking around his chamber cleaning and arranging the things around. His chamber was a mess with things shattered all around. He could see broken diyas and many other things scattered around.

His wandering gaze froze seeing Nandha's chudamani on the floor. His felt his heart drop in his stomach at the sight of the chudamani. The chudamani was completely destroyed. The rubies and pearls on the Chudamani was shattered around. If the chudamani's condition is like this he couldn't imagine what all he had done to his wife.

He closed his eyes as the image of crying Nandha flashed before his eyes. His face scrunched in concentration as he tried to remember last night events. Soon enough all the events came crashing on him. For a few minutes he stopped breathing as the events of the previous night started sinking in.

'What had he done to his wife?' His eyes blurred his sight.

He abused the woman he loved both mentally and physically. How could he do something like that to a pure soul? He felt guilt heaving his heart. He did what he promised never to do.

He knew she didn't deserve to bear the burnt of his anger. His anger on his cousin and his insecurity of looking made his lose control. He did what he never thought he would do.

In his fist of anger he destroyed her, the woman whom he loved. He destroyed her innocence in his vengeance. He unleashed his hatred on her. He pointed his finger on her character. His became the same monster she encountered on the day before Dushala's wedding, the one whom she feared.

He failed her.

He failed as her husband the moment he questioned her chaste.

He failed as a man the moment he forced himself on her, on his Nandha.

He scared her body and soul with his actions and words.

He sinned against his own wife, his Nandha.

He knew no words could explain or justify his actions towards her. He knew his apologizes would not heal the wounds his words caused on her. But he need to apologize to her. He is even willing to beg for her forgiveness.

Composing himself, he got up from the bed. He stumbled a bit seeing blood drops on his bed. And he knew undoubtedly that it was Nandha. His heart clenched as he realized that whatever that happened was real and it was not a nightmare.

His gaze fell on Nandha's lady-in-waiting, who walked out of the dressing chamber carrying some clothes in her hand.

"Where are you taking those?" He asked, pointing towards the neatly folded clothes of Nandha.

"Yuvaraj, Yuvrani has asked me to arrange her clothes in her chamber. I apologize if my presence disturbed you, Yuvaraj." The daasi spoke, looking down.

His heart heaved at the maid's response. He waved his hand, dispersing the daasi. With a small bow, she walked out of the chamber.

He need to meet Nandha as soon as possible. He need to apologize to her for his deeds but before that he need to freshen up.

~*~

Nandha was an expert in faking smiles. She always have succeeded in fooling people with her fake smiles well all except her Aardika jiji. Her jiji was the only one who had so far seen through her fake smiles and today she was glad for the first time that her jiji was not here.

She looked up and found her husband walking in with rajkumari Bhanumathi, both talking and giggling. If she hadn't known them then she would have mistaken them for a couple. Her heart churned at the mere sight of them. Her eyes filled up with unshed tears as his words from the previous night rang in her ears.

"This is my chamber where I will satisfy myself with women like you and also the place where I will make love to my wives. You should leave my chamber after satisfying me, I don't like to sleep beside whores like you. Now get up and get out of my Chamber."

She meant nothing to him more than a whore, who gives his pleasurable nights. Her status from his wife now changed into a woman who spreads her legs for his pleasure. A mere slut.

From the time of her marriage, she knew someday another woman would come into his life and a part of her was preparing her for that moment though she never thought that that someday would come this soon.

The smile faded and her expression became rigid as her gaze met his. She bent her head down, shivering slightly. She subconsciously liked her dry lips before turning away from him.

She was afraid of him and it was very clear with her actions. He knew his actions and words were the reason for her change. He clenched his fist, looking away.

'She's hurt, mentally and emotionally because of him yet here she was treating his family with love.' He thought bitterly.

Duryodhana sat on his usual place and waited for Nandha to come and serve him but to his astonishment Bhanumathi started serving him, instead of his wife. He politely tried to decline her help stating that she is a guest here and he didn't want to burden her during her stay here.

But to his surprise, she shook her head with small laugh and asked not worry as she is loving what she is doing. And through out the brunch, Bhanumathi stood beside him and served him like a dutiful wife. People who didn't knew them clearly would misinterpret them for a couple.

Nandha was watching the interaction with a bleeding heart. Till yesterday, the place beside him was her's but now everything has changed. Now she was nothing but a burden on him. She looked away with unshed tears in her eyes.

Nandha moved towards her mother-in-law, smiling softly as if the sight of her husband with another woman didn't affect her, hurt her.

"Alaknandha! Child serve this sweets to everyone." Gandhari said passing a bowl.

"Ji maaji" Like an obidient daughter-in-law Nandha served the family and the guests.

She hesistated slightly, in fear, as she reached the Panduputras. She peeked a look at her husband and sighed softly, seeing him completely engrossed with Rajkumari Bhanumati. She moved towards Nakul with calculating steps. With shivering hands she kept the sweet in Nakul's plate.

"You can fake a smile, but you can't fake your feelings. I'm sorry for being the reason of your sufferings, Nandha. If you can, then please forgive me." Nakul whispered looking down. His voice startled her.

"Why are you apologizing Nakul? Whatever that happened was not your fault. If anyone is to be blamed then it is my fate not you, not him.In my new found happiness, I forgot about my cursed fate. I forgot happiness was not constant in my life. My life is cursed from the time I was born and it won't end till I breath my last" She whispered before moving away.

"You are not understanding Nandha. It is not you fate that is cursed, it is my love. My love for you is the biggest curse in your life." He muttered under his breath.