How a sunny day could turn out dark within a blink?

He couldn't blame the God for making it happen. He should himself have seen it coming.

It was truly coming.

Decisions taken in rush leads to rushing damages.

Raghav breathed hard when the door to the hall room opened wide. He could feel the uncertainty oozing out from his wife who was sitting near his mother. Their son was sick today, he remembered. The moment he had entered the home in a hurry to call Kabir's family and arrange things, Pihu had no care in the world except for their son who had caught fever in the school.

She brought him home when the school had informed her about his weakness. Raghav couldn't imagine how scared she would be, leaving and rushing her own job, to go to his school to bring him home. Rian was fine now, sleeping after he was given medicine. She took care of him like a true mother and even now, he knew she was desperate to leave everything and just take care of her son.

But Kabir's family was called.

He had arranged this all for the sake of his sister who had a tough fate written for her. But no problem could touch her when he was alive. Now, she was kidnapped by that groom-wannabe who didn't realize the consequences that would follow.

But observing the faces of Aarush and Nakul sitting on other sofa, raising their eyes towards the door that was opening, Raghav knew that he had another thing to focus more on.

A thing with specs and unwanted confidence.

Raghav could see his mother gulping as the doors opened wide and entered the family of liars. Mrs. Bhatia and Mihir were walking with smiles on their faces. He smirked, thinking how they didn't know what was coming for them. Just as the mother-son duo shifted, came in sight the professor who dared to play with him.

"Mrs. Chopra?"

Raghav couldn't stop glancing at his mother who dared to hide such a big secret from them. He was disappointed in her, deeply. Now, seeing her shocked at the sight of Kabir's parents was quite satisfactory.

"It's great you brought your parents with you," said Uday Singh Rathore, his eyes showing the dread of not seeing his daughter since the morning.

Raghav had said it openly that Shrey had taken her and won't let her come until they confront Kabir about the pics. He didn't want to make it sound any smooth because of his extreme anger flickering upon his own mother.

Their argument was followed by calm lectures and strategy of Nakul. Now that Kabir was here, Raghav couldn't wait to beat that professor hard. But Pihu had asked him to promise that he won't raise hand on anyone. If things would get worse, he would call police.

But who was she kidding, Raghav's palm was itching already.

Kabir's eyes caught Aarush sitting on the sofa, and the difference in hospitality him and his family were receiving this time. No one had asked them to sit. Something was wrong as he had expected. Something had happened as he had known.

Mihir gulped when Raghav looked at Kabir and his parents keenly.

"We didn't know that you were a divorcee," he said calmly.

Kabir's one eyebrow raised as he gave a confident smile. His eyes moving to Mrs. Rathore. "We didn't know that your mother hides important information from you, Mr. Rathore."

Raghav's hands fisted while Kabir further asked, "How am I seeing my student here?" He nodded towards Aarush who swallowed his cheeks and narrowed his eyes at him as if he didn't believe Kabir's cool act.

"Sakshi's well wishers are always welcome at her home," said Raghav, glancing darkly at Mihir whom he had knows since he was a teen. They were from same school and Mihir had been Sakshi's senior."

"So, what was the rush? We thought, you were already asking for the engagement?" Kabir mocked, smiling confidently at each face he witnessed in this room. He knew, what was going to happen. But only, he knew how he would make it happen.

Raghav couldn't wait a second anymore. The sun was setting and Shrey wasn't picking up his calls. Nor did Sakshi. He could imagine worst of the scenarios. Days ago, Sakshi had confessed that she would be alright without Shrey. She was doing fine until that jock came here all the way from Delhi.

For all he knew, the man could turn mad. He was already for that false rape case and suicide attempt. The heart in him was crumbling at the absence of Sakshi.

"I don't want my sister to marry a divorcee," said Raghav, observing the family member's expression.

Kabir's parents were already looking like they knew something was wrong. They were as blank as Mrs. Bhatia and Mihir.

"Nor do I want her to suffer a man her whole life who has a child with another woman," said Raghav, while looking at Kabir, observing the sudden darkness that engulfed those grey eyes under the specs.

He shifted on the sofa as he put his hand over his thigh while looking at Kabir. "But our Sakshi has been raised to love, spread love. If you have it in your destiny, she could be yours. But before we even reach to that phase, I will not ask it in another way."

Anger flickered in Raghav's eyes as he sneered at them. "Don't fucking act in front of me. Why were you divorced and where is your child? Answer me before I crush your jaws with my bare hands."

Mihir's eyes widened while Mrs. Bhatia gasped. She gaped at Mrs. Rathore who was lowering her gaze worriedly. Kabir's father immediately looked at Uday Singh who was giving him an apologetic look.

"The new generation is independent. Kids love and some kids play. My son is just asking your son about what game he is playing," he said while giving a stern look at Mrs. Bhatia who clenched her jaws.

Aarush's mouth opened in thrill as he smirked at seeing the blankness spreading on Kabir's face.

Nakul narrowed his eyes when Kabir flared his nostrils and pointed at Raghav. "Your mother knows everything. If she is hiding everything from you, it doesn't mean me and my family is playing games."

"I want it to hear from you," Raghav said calmly, a tight smile curving his lips. Be a man and let's have a man to man conversation. The talks between our mothers are done."

Kabir's eyebrows straightened and jaws clenched. "Then, call your sister too. For all I can guess now, she is unaware of the truths we had told your mother the first day."

Pihu gulped nervously while looking at her husband. Aarush too didn't know from where they'd bring Sakshi when they themselves didn't know where she was. Nakul smirked when Raghav breathed slowly and straightened his spine, leaning back slightly.

"My sister is way too eager to see you, Kabir. She is getting ready. Why don't you start already because I can't take my eyes off that sharp jawline," Raghav mocked through gritted teeth while giving him a tight smile. "Move them jaws. Speak."

Aarush hooted in his mind at the scene. He wanted to show middle finger to Kabir so bad. Raghav had already started fucking with the man's confidence.

Mihir swallowed as Kabir looked around the room, his face blank.

"My parents had arranged me with a girl three years ago. They had found her on a matrimonial site," Kabir began while Aarush started recording it in his phone. He wouldn't let Sakshi miss anything. They needing something to laugh at, later in free time.

"Riya Kapoor," Kabir smiled tightly. "From Mumbai, her family was afraid that she would be living so far away with me here at Delhi. For her, I agreed to leave my job and buy a flat for her at Mumbai. But she refused, not letting me lose the job I had worked hard for whole of my life. We got married and she stayed at Mumbai working in a company. Little did I know that she was cheating on me from the beginning with her long-time boyfriend."

Nakul raised his eyebrows as he looked at Raghav only to see his best friend showing no concern at the man who was telling his brutal past.

"After two months of our marriage, it was a neighbor that told me about a man that visits her everyday behind my back. I used to go Mumbai two times in a month. I didn't want to confront her because I was so much in love with her. I thought, I would lose her," explained Kabir in a trembling tone. "Then, the pregnancy news came. But the child wasn't mine."

Raghav watched him quietly, looking for any signs that could tell if he was lying. Honestly, he couldn't find one.

"It broke me. I had found her boyfriend's clothes in her cupboard and I couldn't stop myself from confronting her. She ended up telling me that the child I was dreaming about playing with, holding in my arms, wasn't mine. She never wanted to marry me because she loved her boyfriend. It was all a sacrifice for her father who wanted her to not marry the guy because they didn't like him."

Pihu's lips parted in shock. She felt her own eyes filling up at seeing the glossiness in Kabir's eyes.

"I couldn't believe my fate. My parents were ashamed that they ruined my life. But I couldn't blame anyone. I let it happen to myself. Because I never deserved love. From school to University, never got courage to talk to a girl. I had always been conservative, an old soul, lonely person. A creep, Sakshi calls me." Kabir gulped while breathing hard.

"But all my relatives supported me at that time and got me freed of that brutal past. The divorce happened and now, she's married to that lover of hers. Her son must be two-year-old now," he said while lowering his eyes.

Raghav blinked calmly, his mind boggling in helplessness.

"What do you think of my sister?"

Aarush widened his eyes. Because that was the most dangerous question of all. He looked at Kabir and wished for it to be a less dangerous answer. He didn't want to see bloodshed even though he hated Kabir so much.

Kabir chuckled briefly while looking at Raghav in disbelief.

"Saw her first time in the library," he confessed truthfully. "I didn't even know that she would end up being the girl my aunt was choosing for me. Mom had told my Aunt that she would accept any widow, or divorce. I couldn't care much because I had lost faith in love. I had become what I always was. A loner. A creep."

Mihir blinked in relief as Kabir truthfully explained, "I rejected all the offers afterwards, unable to make up my mind for second marriage. It was hard to create this new hope in me that I had lost a year ago. But mom got a heart attack last year. It was a horrible phase for our family. For her, I am trying again. To settle. To love again."

Mrs. Bhatia chirped in between as she explained, "That was when, I told him about your family. Rathore's don't care about castes, about religion. They were straightforward and believed in the choices of their children. I told him that I had talked to your mother about Kabir. Ask your mother, she liked Kabir in first instance, not giving a single penny of thought to him being a divorcee."

Kabir smiled slowly as Raghav glared at his mother hard who now looked nervously at him.

"They knew that Sakshi was an orphan," his mother defended herself. "Her maternal uncle's weren't sitting calmly. I wanted to fulfill the promise I did to her mother. That I will find the right one for him."

Raghav couldn't believe his ears. He knew that his mother was a good woman. She hadn't taken care of Sakshi all her life, loved her like her own daughter just so she could hand her carelessly to a creepy man like this.

He knew that his mother was excited and equally thrilled to look for a man for her. But anyhow, this all had turned up into a big disaster. Because Kabir was no prince. He was a broken-hearted creep.

"I denied at first but when I heard that name of hers. Something clicked in my heart. When I learned about her being an orphan, I felt that someone who had lost so much would value my love. I said yes."

Pihu breathed softly while looking at Raghav worriedly.

Kabir shook his head. "But only if I knew that I would make a fool of myself in front of her. Being a nerd, an awkward man I would end up putting a wrong impression. She hated me already. Whether as a teacher or a fiance. She hated me."

Raghav flared his nostrils as he immediately asked, "Sakshi wouldn't hate anyone unless he or she gives her the reason. I am too fucked up to say your reason myself. It's not my mouth that speak, it's my fist. Tell everyone what is the reason behind this hate."

Kabir smirked, "Shrey Malhotra."

Raghav's fist tightened while Aarush collected his lips.

"When the old love comes back, that even begging for love, how could I have pulled her to me. She is mad in love with him. Being a possessive admirer, I find about this man my fiance was spending time with. Turns out, he is no prince. He is an undeserving candidate, not even comparable to me. Caught in a false rape case, lost crores to frauds, attempted suicide, is suffering from anxiety disorder."

Pihu widened her eyes.

Kabir smirked at seeing Raghav's nostrils flaring. "How does one feel when God is about to give you the love of your life and someone idiot appears all of a sudden and takes that love away?" He asked, mockingly. "You know that feeling. Don't you?"

Raghav looked blankly at him in surprise when Kabir explained, "Mihir knows you from his childhood. I know all the stories, Raghav. I know what rumours were spread all around this city."

"Believe me, I am not as dark as you were," said Kabir with a quirky smile.

"Says the darkest soul here."

The voice came from behind him.

Raghav's eyebrows narrowed and immediately straightened as Kabir and his family, looked around only to give path to Shrey and holding his hand, entering his sister.

Chillness filled his boiling heart, Raghav breathed in disbelief just as his eyes met of Sakshi.

Shrey gave Raghav a look that had made him understood that the boy wasn't going without a fight.

Aarush gasped in humor as Kabir glared back at Raghav. "What is the meaning of this?" He growled in anger.

Sakshi looked reluctantly at her brother who was observing everything with fury raging in his dark eyes.

Shrey took the advantage of the scenario as he towered over Kabir, clenching his jaws while mocking him in a whisper.

"Tell them how dark you have been."

_______

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