"When the person you love can't see your love for them beneath the painful things you say when they reject you, remember this: Love is blind."

"How did you make me fall in love with you? You broke my defenses, and now I'm madly in love with you. I have had a beautiful friendship with you. Now, all I want is more in the area of love and deeper affection. I want to be more than just a friend in you life. I want to spent the rest of my life with you. I want to marry and be your queen. Please accept my love for you, Yuvraaj. Please accept my feelings for you." She confessed her feelings looking deep into his eyes.

Duryodhana looked shocked at her confession. He never really thought of her more than a friend. He did not know what to say. It seems like his thinking and speaking ability has left him. He was completely blank. She has been a good friend for him and their relations was nothing more than friendship.

"I'm married, Bhanu." He whispered, still shocked with her confession.

"I know, Yuvraj and I'm willing to be your second wife. You are a Kshathriya, Yuvaraj. It is nothing new for a kshathriya prince to marry more than one woman. Your late paternal uncle, Yuvaraj Pandu too had two wives. So please don't reject my love because of your marital status." Her eyes held so much hope that it pained him to let her down but he knew it was nescessary.

He would never be able to love her. He was already madly in love with his wife, his Nandha. If he marries Bhanu, he would only end up destroying her life. He would never be able to share his love and life with Bhanu, they were just meant for his Nandha. The marriage would bring her nothing but pain and unhappiness.

"Bhanu, it's not just my maritaI status. I love my wife very much. She is my life and I would never do something that would hurt her, again. We have just started our lives a few months back and I don't want to hurt her by marrying another woman just after four months of our marriage. Please try to understand, Bhanu." He didn't want to kill the little hope his wife had, the hope which is helping her to live.

"Yuvraaj, Alaknandha will understand. It is nothing new for her. Her father, himself had three wives and her mother was his third one. She will understand. She should have known from the time she married you that one day she will have to share you with another. Please don't crush my feelings for her's." Her eyes flashed with envy and hatred for the woman who had his heart. Here she was begging him for a life with him and all he was thinking about was how it will hurt her. She clenching her fist trying to control her emotions.

'This chamber is mine not your's. Your chamber is the small one next to mine. 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.' The disgusting words he said to Nandha, that unfortunate night resonated in his ears. His heart pained as the events of the disasterous night flashed before his eyes. He had hurted his Nandha enough, he won't deepen the wounds by committing another sin.

"Even if she does, I don't think I will ever be able to accept you as my wife, Bhanu. I will never be able to love you. Marrying me would bring you nothing but pain and sufferings. You are my friend, Bhanu, I don't want to destroy your life by marrying you." He said taking a step back from Bhanu, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Won't you be able to share a bit of your love and time for me, Yuvraaj? I'm not asking for a lot, I'm just begging you for a bit of your love and affection. Can't you even give that to me? I won't even disturb your life with Alaknandha, I will stay in a chamber away from her. All I want is a bit of your love, yuvraaj, a small share in your life." She asked him with tear filled eyes.

"I'm really sorry for causing you this pain, Bhanu. I'm really sorry but I can't give you the love nor life you are dreaming of. I love Nandha and only her. She will be the only woman who will rule my heart and my life. I'm sorry for giving you false hopes, Bhanu. I really am. It would be better if you forget your feeling for me and move on in your life for I will never be able to reciprocate your feelng." Tears fell from her eyes as his words shattered her heart.

She knew he loved Alaknandha but she didn't know it was this deep. She should have known she wouldn't stand a chance against that woman yet she fought. She thought she had a chance but now she understood it was nothing but an illusion. He never loved her and will never be able to love her like he love the other woman.

"Please don't apologize, Yuvaraj. The fault is not your's but mine. I mistook your friendship as love. My foolish mind misinterpreted your concern as love. I'm sorry. I can see your love for Nandha, yuvraaj and I understand I don't stand a chance before her yet I let my feelings for you grow. I should have backed away the moment I came to know you were married. But I'm glad. I'm glad even if is for a short period of time, I got to know you. I got to enjoy your friendship, your care and love. I will cherish those memories forever in my heart. Thank you for giving me those beautiful memories." With the words said, she walked out of his chamber, wiping her fallen tears.

Duryodhana looked at the disappearing figure of Bhanu with a heavy heart. He never wanted to give her false hopes. He didn't know why she fell in love with him. He is a monster. He only gives pain to the people he loves. He even hurt the person whom he swore to protect from every evil but unfortunately she became a victim of his demons, who tore her apart and destoryed her. Nandha was right that day, he truely is a cold blooded monster, who doesn't care about anything but himself.

Nandha, he couldn't help but smile sadly at her memories. Its been almost two weeks since that painful night. The night he killed the soul of his wife. Thinking about it made realize that he never really apologized to her for that night. He couldn't even gaze at her without feeling guilt. He tried two three times to apologize but they went in vain. She

would avoid him as much as she could.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he failed to notice the presence of another person beside him. The person analysed the man for few minutes before deciding to speak up.

"Bhrata Duryodhana!" Duryodhana turned around, looking at the man in front of him with surprise before the feeling was changed into anger and hatred.

"Nakula? What are you doing here?" He gritted his teeth in anger.

"I came to talk to you about what happened the other night when I saw you talking with Rajkumari Bhanumati, so not wanting to disturb you two, I decided to wait outside till you people finish talking." Nakul shrugged looking at Duryodhana with a smirk. It was evident from his face that he had heard everything. His eyes darkened as he took in the smirking form of his cousin.

"You won't utter a single word about the conversation you have heard to Nandha nor anyone, if you know what is good for you." His words were cold and treatening. Nakula nodded his head knowing well what would happen if he decide to disobey him for he had almost lost his life once because of the man before him.

"Bhrata if I didn't knew you better, then I would have surely believed your words. Your confession of love towards Nandha seemed so true that I was struck for a few minutes before seeing through your lie. I know you more than Bhanumati, bhrata and I know you don't love Nandha but just lust for her body and I know it is a matter of few months before you lose interest in her and go for a new-" Nakula's words were left incomplete as a hard blow hit his nose.

He groaned clutching his nose. The impact to the punch has left him breathless for a minute. He coughed, spitting out blood. His nose was bleeding profusely and he was afraid that he might have broken the bride of his nose.

"Don't you dare say that ever again. Listen to me carefully, I love my Nandha. I do not lust after her body. I love her soul and not her body. Nandha is mine and only mine. It would be good for you if you forget her." Duryodhana said, his eyes gleaming with an unknown emotion.

"If you love her like you say then why is she suffering? Why are her hands bleeding? Why is crying and cursing her fate? Why is your love not giving her the happiness she deserve? Answer me bhrata? Why are you silent?" Nakula asked as he wiped out the blood flowing from his nose.

Duryodhana wanted to free her from him and his cruelty but he was selfish. Selfish for her and her love. He won't be able to live his life without her. He had become addicted to her presence. He had already lost himself in her love.

"I don't know Nakul. I don't know why my love for her is becoming her pain, the reason of her sufferings. I was afraid that she would choose you over me. She would leave me for you. My insecurities and fears made me hurt her to an extent that now she fears her own shadow."

Duryodhana couldn't believe he was letting out his insecurities and fear to the one whom he dislike more than anyone in the world. He didn't knew why he was confessing his feeling to him and not someone who has been close to him but his heart knew the reason and he, himself was not ready to believe in that.

"There is nothing for you to be insecure about bhrata. Nandha loves you not me. Yes, she do loves me but not the kind of love you think. She sees her Ahaan in me. For her I'm a brother figure in her life. I'm her best friend, a brother for her, nothing more or nothing less. Despite how much ever you hurt her, she would still choose you over me. She always will."

"You love her, don't you?" Duryodhana asked.

Nakul gazed at Duryodhana, trying to analyize him. Seeing the genuine curiosity, he could help but reveal one of his deepest secret of his life. "Yes, I do."

"Then, why are you helping me? What will you gain by uniting me and Nandha? Why are you even trying to help me? I'm your enemy, you are supposed to be happy seeing me suffering." A smile appeared on his face hearing Duryodhana's words.

"Bhrata when you love someone truly, we try our best to made the person happy by giving them everything they desire. Truthfully when I came to know about her marriage with you, I was afraid. I was afraid you would use her to hurt me. I was afraid that you would broke her. I wanted to take her away from you. I was even thinking to confess my feelings for her. At that moment it didn't matter to me that she was married nor she was my Bhabhi. All I wanted was for her to be with me. But everything changed the day I talked to her for the first time after eleven years. I realised she was not the same Nandha I knew. She changed. She was the yuvrani of Hastinapur and not the Rajakumari of Amernath. That day I realized that I lost my chance to be with her for her heart belonged to another. I realised it was worthless to reveal my feelings for her, for I fear that I might lose her.

"And to answer your last question, Me nor my brother have never seen you as our enemy, bhrata. Despite everything that had happened between us, we have considered you as our brother. We never harboured any negative feelings for you. It was you who hated us from the beginning and still hating us."

"I don't hate you guys." Duryodhana mumbled making Nakula look at him.

"I don't believe your words bhrata. If you don't hate us like you claim, then you would not have tried to kill us by burning us alive."

"I never really planned for it to happen. When Yudhishtir was announced as the yuvraaj, I lost my control. I felt like your brother was snatching my birth right from me. The envy and anger took the best of me. Truthfully there was not even a single day passed by in my life without feeling guilt for what I did. Nandha made me understand the seriousness of my actions. She made me realize how I became a monster for a crown. I wanted to apologize to you but then I don't have the guts to face you all." He confessed looking down.

"Neither bhrata Yudhishtir nor the rest four of us desire the crown nor the throne. We never really desired them. We just wanted your acceptance. We wanted you to treat us as your brothers and not as your enemy. We really tried to please you but well you just ended up hating us more. And unknowingly Nandha too became a scapegoat in our rivalry. Please don't hurt her again in my name bhrata because you will only end up losing her. It's pretty late bhrata, I have to leave. Sahadeva must be searching for me. Do think about my words bhrata and please do something before it's too late." He said, before turning around and walking away without waiting for an answer.

Nakula left him alone to ponder upon his words. Was the throne so important for him that he ended up neglecting his blood? He thought went back to the time of their childhood. And suddenly Nakula's words seemed to make sense to him. He really did wrong. He just hoped that he is not really late to make it up to his wife and his brothers.

Coming out of the memories, Duryodhana looked at the sleeping figure of his wife, his Nandha. It was past midnight and the moon outside was shining brightly with stars twinkling around it. The moonlight made her skin twinkle like stars. She looked so pure, so divine. He couldn't help but be drawn to her, like a moth to fire.

It was already past midnight but he didn't have the heart to leave her. He didn't want to go back to his chamber, where Nandha would not be there. That chamber gave him nightmares. That was the same chamber where his Nandha was degraded and humiliated by him. Her screams of helplessness still ring in his ears. He really regret jumping into conclusion without even giving her a chance to explain herself.

He layed on the bed, gently pulling her fragile body into him chest. She mumbled something incorrectly before snuggling into his warmth. He pressed a soft kiss on her forehead before closing his eyes. Finally, he felt happy and contented. After two weeks of sufferings and loneliness, he had his Nandha in his arms. Today he will sleep peacefully with no nightmares.

That night the broken souls slept in each other's arms unknown to the danger that layed ahead of them. Evil souls were awake, planning various traps to separate the couple.