"Mummy!" Viraj excitedly called for his mother and opened the door that often remained locked from the outside. Luckily, today, his father had left it open and he could show her the new ball he had bought for his sister. At least that would make his mother happy and smile at him, he hoped.

However, his eyes instantly fell on the pool of blood surrounding her petite body. A sharp knife lay on the floor, near her wounded left hand.

"Mummy!" Viraj exclaimed in a grim tone and instantly ran towards his mother.

She opened her eyes slowly and looked at him. There was nothing but pure hatred in those orbs.

"It's all because of you, Viraj. I am dying because of you. Ananya and I would have lived happily if you hadn't come into my life. You were a mistake." He heard her speak...slow but steady. It seemed as if she had wanted to say all this for a very long time.

"M.mummy..." His eyes immediately moistened. He never understood clearly why his own mother hated him so much! She was supposed to love him...just like his friends' mothers loved them.

"Wh.what should I do?" He cried, completely confused. He didn't know how to stop the blood! He hadn't even learnt first-aid yet.

"Go and tell your father that now he can frame my body and do whatever he wants with it. My soul is free to go and I will not be a puppet of his desires. Never." She said as a tear drop fell on her lap. Only she knew what she was going through.

Viraj immediately turned around to call his father but froze again when he saw his father enter the room. It was the only day that he remembered seeing panic and fear in his father's eyes.

"Viraj...Viraj...VIRAJ!" Viraj came out of memory lane as his teary eyes focused on his maasi (mother's sister).

He could hear his loud heartbeat. His hands felt cold and his entire body shivered in fear. His wife was taken to the hospital, he understood. But, what scared him was...What if, she would die just like his mother did? What if, he would lose the only woman he had ever loved?

He had gone through the pain of losing someone very close...and he didn't want to go through it again.

"Where is she?" He still asked.

"She is taken to the hospital. You should go as well." Meena answered.

Viraj nodded quickly and wiped his tears. As he turned to exit, Meena asked the question that was going through everyone's mind right now at Khatri's residence.

"Why did she do it, Viraj?" Meena asked.

He stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around. He had no answer. He didn't know what to answer.

So, he walked out of his room without giving any reply.

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.

.

TWO DAYS LATER:

"Why is she not waking up?" Viraj asked the doctor in a flat tone.

Sneha was peacefully resting in the ICU right now. Her vitals were constantly monitored by the best team of doctors.

"Sir, the fever is gone now. So, we are expecting her to wake up in an hour or so." The doctor answered after changing the glucose bottle.

Viraj nodded as he softly held her free hand and lightly grazed the top of it. His eyes fell on her left hand where a large patch of bandage was pasted.

"Wake up, Sneha. Talk to me." He whispered gently, mostly to himself.

The doctor looked at him once before leaving him with the patient. He had allowed only the doctors and nurses to enter the ICU. Even her family members were denied entrance.

Minutes passed and finally, his prayers were answered when her fingers moved and she slowly opened her eyes. A painful moan left her lips.

"Sneha!" He immediately stood and touched her cheeks gently.

Sneha stared at the person looming over her. It took her a moment to understand her situation. When she finally did, her face twisted in frustration and the computer started beeping loudly.

"Why?" She cried in frustration as she turned her face away from him. She was so positive that she would die and be free. Not even once did she think that she will be saved!

"Sneha..."

"Leave me alone!" She almost shouted but then started coughing as her mouth was dry.

Viraj panicked again and grabbed the glass of water that was kept ready for this moment only. He quickly changed the setting of the bed such that she came to the sitting position.

"Drink this." He tried feeding her water.

Despite her hatred, she gulped the water greedily.

"More?" He asked when she turned her face away again.

"Please leave me alone."

"Sneha..."

She closed her eyes in frustration. Not knowing what to do now, she took three deep breaths to calm her aching head.

It felt like an eternity when she spoke... this time, in a flat tone. She knew he won't go away.

"Why did you save me?" She asked while looking at her wounded hand.

Instead of answering, he threw his question.

"Why did you do this to yourself?" He asked.

Sneha chuckled in a rude tone.

"You don't know?" She asked, meeting his gaze.

The coldness in her eyes hurt him again.

"You'd rather die than be with me?" He asked, and her silence was enough response to him.

"...I told you clearly that I didn't want to marry you." She clarified again.

"Why do you hate me so much, Sneha?" Viraj asked after a short pause.

'Hate.' Sneha pondered over the word. Did she hate him? She wondered.

Taking a deep breath, she answered.

"I don't hate you, Viraj. I just don't want to be associated with you. I don't want your name to be linked to mine."

"But why?" He still couldn't understand. Girls her age literally worshipped his name and power. Then why not her?

"Because..." She contemplated her opinion.

"Because?" He urged her to continue.

"Because you are a criminal...a murderer...You are associated with the part of the world whose even shadow is considered a sin in my life... I just want a normal, simple life for myself, Viraj. Even the thought of living with a murderer scares me. I am not judging you for what you do for a living. Honestly, I don't even care...but, I don't want to be a part of what you do and who you really are!" She explained her fear.

Viraj gave it a thought.

"If...my involvement with the underworld scares you, then I promise I'll stop being a part of it." He said sternly.

Sneha was surprised for a moment.

"This is not a movie, Viraj. I have seen how ruthlessly you killed that man and how your hands didn't even shake when you shot him. You know I saw you that day. Crime has become a part of your life and nothing can bring you out of it. I don't want this."

His expression became grim. He knew she wasn't wrong.

"I can give you anything you want, Sneha. You just need to tell me. There's nothing that I can't give you! You know that..."

"Really? So, what do you think I want?" She interrupted him.

"What do you want?" He asked with furrowed brows.

Sneha stared into his eyes for a moment before lowering her gaze.

What did she want? What did she want now?

"Divorce. I want a divorce." She said with a lowered gaze. The fear had crept again since she didn't know how he'd react.

Viraj literally glared at her.

"Ask for anything but this. I will not give you a divorce." He answered firmly, making her look at him again.

"That's the only thing I want. I can't live with you. I'll either live without you in my life...or I'll not live at all. Now, it..."

"I love you, damn it! How can you not think of me even once!" He raised his voice, scaring her momentarily. The desperation surfaced again.

Sneha shook her head negatively.

"I told you, Viraj. You don't love me. You are just infatuated...you just want me for whatever reason."

"I know I love you."

"Fine! I believe you. But do you know something about true love?"

His furrowed brows encouraged her to continue.

"When we love someone or something, we set it free. If our love is true, then the entire universe makes it come back to us. That is the test of our love."

Viraj fell silent. His mind went back to memory lane.

Suddenly, he chuckled.

"That's nonsense. I loved my mother but she never came back to me." He said.

"Perhaps, it wasn't love either. Perhaps, you just wanted her to be with you and never really thought of what she really wanted!"

"My father gave her the world. She had the best of everything that a woman of her time could even think of!" He retaliated.

"She was so suffocated with your father that she chose to run away with another man and leave her own son behind." She said and unintentionally triggering his softest corner.

"She did not leave me. She was brainwashed by that man. She would never have left me and my father."

Sneha sighed.

"This is your problem, Viraj. You always deny the truth and mould the situation according to your requirements. You want everything to be as you want. You want me to be like you want. I just want my freedom back."

"You are free, Sneha..."

"No, Viraj! I feel suffocated with you and your family."

He fell silent again.

"I am begging you. Please let me go. If you have ever loved me...you'd let me free...Please give me a divorce." She almost whispered while looking at the bedsheet as he looked at her.

A prolonged silence prevailed.

"Is there anything I can do that will make you stay?" He asked slowly.

Sneha faced him again.

"I told you. If you truly love me, then the entire universe will make me come to you."

Viraj closed his eyes for a long moment. Out of the blue, he stood and looked at her.

"My lawyer will come to you in the evening with the paperwork." He declared.

Sneha's heartbeat escalated as hope flared in her heart.

"Are you...really giving me..."

"Yes." He said as he started walking out of the room.

"Wait!"

He looked at her.

"I...You...I also want you to never...see me again. I mean...I want us to be strangers again. Please do not..."

"You won't see me again." He said in his cold voice...agreeing to everything she had to say.

Sneha couldn't believe this! Everything was happening so fast and it was everything that she wanted! Were the stars finally in her favour?

Finally, she was happy...and a little surprised. Not in a million years had she expected Viraj to accept to her demand so easily? If she knew that cutting her wrist would make him leave her, she would have done this way too earlier.

She looked at him all the way till he opened the door to exit. Her brows raised slightly when he suddenly stopped. He stood there for a while before looking back at her.

"Remember your words, Sneha. Because you will come to me." He said as their gaze remained locked.

Sneha was the one who broke eye contact. The door closed and she realized that he had finally left.

"Not in this life, Viraj." She whispered confidently.

.

.

.

After a short check-up, Sneha met her parents and sister who were finally allowed to meet her. She gave them the good news, hoping internally that Viraj won't break his promise.

True to his words, at exactly 7 in the evening, Viraj's lawyer visited her and gave her the paper to sign.

"And, this is alimony papers. Sir has asked me to give you this blank cheque. You may write whatever amount you wish and sign these papers as well. If there is anything else you would want as alimony, you may write it here in this column and I will discuss it with sir." The lawyer explained.

Sneha stared at the blank cheque where Viraj's majestic signature stood out, as always.

She held the pen again and with a single stroke, cancelled the cheque so that no one would misuse it on her behalf.

"Please let him know that I don't want any alimony. We don't owe each other anything." She replied calmly.

The lawyer hesitated.

"Uhh...Sir also asked me to convey that your wedding jewels that are at Khatri's residence will be sent to you tomorrow morning."

"No, please. I don't want anything. Please ask him to keep it. As I said, I don't want anything. I just wanted the divorce, and I have signed the papers."

The lawyer nodded and stood up.

"When will I get my copy of the divorce papers?" Sneha asked.

"Uhh...What copy?"

"We get a copy each right?"

"No, ma'am. This original document will be submitted to the court."

"But, Viraj hadn't signed it yet."

"Actually, I came to you first. Now, I will go to sir and get his signatures."

"Can I...please get a photocopy of the papers? or, at least a photo of the papers signed by Viraj?"

"Sure, ma'am. I'll forward you the photocopy or the photos as sir directs me. By the way, are you sure you don't want anything as alimony because once the papers get submitted, you can't claim it!"

"Yes, I am sure. Thank you." She told him politely.

After giving some more details, the lawyer stood and concluded.

"Okay, ma'am, I will submit the documents tomorrow morning in court. From tomorrow onwards, you will no more be Mrs Viraj Khatri." He said to which Sneha nodded.

"Uhh...Sir wanted me to give you this." He said and forwarded a small piece of paper to her.

Sneha held the folded paper in her grasp.

"Thank you, sir." Sneha thanked the lawyer and saw him exit the room. She wanted to tell the good news to her parents again, but the visiting hours were closed.

So, to pass her time, and a little curiously, she opened the folded paper to read what Viraj might have to say. It would be his last message to her, after all, she thought.

'To the world, I will no longer be your husband. But, for me, you will always be my wife.' He had written.

Sneha felt goosebumps when she read the small message. She read it at least ten times.

Finally getting frustrated, she tore the paper and threw it in the bin.

"I don't care what you think." She murmured to herself.

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{Hey all!

So...finally, the story is half complete.

The next part of the book is going to be intense and slightly erotic, of course, as I promised.

So, please stay tuned for the love story of #Vineha.

What do you think will happen now?

Please let me know as I just LOVE READING YOUR COMMENTS. I may not be able to reply to every comment, but trust me, I read all the comments.

Should I continue the next part in this book itself or make another book? I'd love to know your view on this.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Please VOTE and COMMENT.

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Till the next update...

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BYEEEEEEE}