~ Mrs. Heer Vedh Singh Oberoi~

Two weeks have passed, since Heer had signed those papers and left that house with her brother though she didn't want to but she couldn't bring herself to break her promise

When Heer was leaving Oberoi Mansion, her eyes were refusing to move away from Vedh, tears falling from her eyes were non stop but the emotion in those honey brown eyes wasn't love, it was never love because Heer didn't love Vedh

It was Heer's helplessness which stared back at Vedh who stood limp without moving, his ocean blue eyes were filled with love and plead, asking Heer silently not to leave him like that

Heer didn't love Vedh but she was the kind of girl who saw devotion in her husband, who would bear anything but not ask for divorce

Heer didn't want to leave Vedh though he was still a stranger for her but she wanted to give him a chance and never divorce

However, Heer signed those papers and was brought back to Mehta house by Raj, along with them Reva and Aashrit also left the Oberoi Mansion and went to an apartment owned by Aashrit

The day Heer came back home, Meena ji had asked, she demanded answers, she screamed, shouted and blamed Heer for whatever happened and also she hasn't talked with Heer since then

Heer had cried brutally, without caring about her health almost as if taking all those blames to herself silently just like she did when Sumitra ji accused her

Heer was still at that moment but Raj wasn't, he became the storm to protect his sister and didn't even let a single blame touch her, he fought their mother to support his dearest sister even Saanchi supported Heer

The siblings stood like a wall before Heer, refusing to let any storm, any blame hit her let alone hit even touch her

Raj and Saanchi thought they were protecting Heer and they were but they didn't know the storm wasn't only external it was also within Heer

Heer was fighting within herself blaming herself everyday for whatever happened, guilty for her mother's hate

These two weeks had been much more hard for Heer than those six months without Vedh bearing the harassment

She cried every night to lessen a little bit of her pain, she didn't even hear her brother and mother's argument or you can say she couldn't hear anything

Reva visited her everyday knowing what she might be going through right now even Raj and Saanchi stayed by her side never leaving her alone except the times they believed she needed space

Heer also showed everyone that she was healing but in reality she was not, she had been stuck on that ever since she stepped in Mehta house which didn't feel hers anymore

Heer was not ready to move on from Vedh, from their marriage but she didn't want to break Raj anymore so she smiled through the cracks her pain caused

Reva and Aashrit were also trying very much to help Heer get through all this but how could they possibly help when Heer wasn't helping herself

Right now Heer was in her room like always, she barely got out of that place fearing to see hatred in her mother's eyes for her

Heer sat alone on her bed curled up, hugging her knees to her chest looking at the bright moon out of the window through the darkness of her room

Saanchi had been beside her since morning but she sent her just now, telling her to focus on studies while Raj wasn't at home, he had gone for some work and Meena ji, she didn't even care to enter Heer's room

Silent tears were flowing down Heer's cheeks as she stared blankly out of the window as the soft wind caused the white curtains to flow

Her eyes had been stuck at the moon for more than half an hour now, without blinking even once as if lost in a world far more beyond the anyone's imagination

Vedh's pleading eyes flashed before her empty eyes making her gulp in pain, for her seeing her husband like that was a curse as per the information fed by her mother since childhood

Heer closed her eyes and more tears spilled from her eyes but she wiped them slowly, softly with her trembling fingers

Just then the door to her room creaked open and Raj entered in, seeing the dark room he sighed and turned on the lights causing Heer to clench her eyes but she didn't complained

She never did and that's what bothered Raj more

Raj slipped past the door closing it behind him and walked towards bed sitting in front of Heer, he seemed tensed and Heer saw it

After a few minutes of silence Raj broke it, his deep voice filled with disappointment but still soft

"Betu...."

The small nickname slipped through his lips, a small memory from their childhood filled his mind which lead him to call Heer as 'Betu'

Flashback

"Bhai everyone calls their children by nicknames but ma and papa doesn't"

A small Heer, maybe six or seven complained to her brother who was holding her hand while they both walked towards home with ice creams in their hands

The teen Raj looked down at his small sister he was licking his ice cream with a small frown looking impossibly adorable

"You know our parents na, they would never call us by nicknames because they think they are protecting us by building a war between them and us"

The small girl looked up at her elder brother and her frown deepened trying to understand the tricky meaning behind his words

"But bhai I haven't seen any wall between us"

Raj looked at Heer and pinched her fair cheeks with a small chuckle at her innocence and then replied softly

"When you will grow up you will understand but for now I can call you by a nickname"

Heer flashed her toothy smile, and those cute expressions with an eager nod before Raj's eyes filled with excitement and he said

"How is betu?"

Heer's eyes widen in acknowledgement as she nodded her head accepting the name with all her heart and then they both walked back to the home

Flashback ends

Heer stared at her brother who seemed tensed, tired than usual and he looked different- purposeful

Her honey brown eyes were red due to continuous crying and Raj understood it the moment he looked at her not that he didn't know that she wasn't happy but its just he had given her time

Raj knew that like this Heer could never be able to move on, sitting on bed whole day, skipping meals, sleeping barely, crying whole day, shattered like glass so he came up with a decision

"Betu, I know that you are broken...."

Finally Raj spoke, breaking the silence of the room with great difficulty. His words were low and shaking as he let them linger in the silence for a moment while Heer could only stare at him

"I know you are not being able to move on from whatever happened but I can't see you like this"

His words were purposeful, meaningful as if holding some secret for her to know, Heer didn't break down neither did she say anything just looked at Raj like already knowing what he had to say

"There in one company, our company is collaborating with. The deal will bring us a lot of profit and our company will reach new heights"

Raj continued suddenly shifting to another topic about a deal which will bring a profit to his company and Heer frowned softly

Raj looked at Heer for a moment and understood the unsaid question behind her frown like always and sighed before explaining

"The main topic is not the company, it's the owner of that company, Aman Alhawat. He is a nice man betu and also....also he wants to marry you"

Disbelief filled Heer's eyes as she simply stared at her brother without speaking, not even a single word but her gaze was enough to explain what she wanted to say

Raj gulped down his hesitation and thought of the threat hanging on Heer's life before he spoke again trying to convince Heer

"Betu see, you know how much I love you and I won't ever force you like papa did, I am just asking you if you agree only then I will proceed otherwise I will deny him and trust me betu even if it takes my whole career I won't let a single person force you against your decision"

Heer's eyes softened a little at the way Raj considered her opinion, the way he prioritized her choices for her life before she whispered

"Bhai, why everyone wants to send me away huh?"

She asked looking straight into Raj's orbs without any hesitation but tears and her question was genuine, when Shyam ji should have kept her with him he sent her away and now it was not even a month to her divorce when Raj came with a proposal

Raj looked down for a moment, guilt crashing over him along with the realisation that she was so hurt with the actions that were meant to protect her

Raj spoke again and this time he chose to tell her half the truth

"Heer, I can't tell you the whole truth but yes I can tell you a few things"

Heer wiped the single tear that had rolled down her cheek and frowned at Raj curious to know what truth he was talking about

Raj swallowed hard, his eyes filled with tears as he pressed his palms together and looking at his fidgeted finger he spoke

"Papa didn't get you married because of his health, he got you married because the day you will turn twenty four, a storm will hit your life and it can only be controlled if you are already married"

Heer's eyes turned wide as she stared at Raj and asked

"What do you mean?"

Raj looked down, his tears spilling free as he remembered the storm lingering on her head which he thought could be avoided if she was married but the problem is he just thought it

"Ad-"

Raj tried to speak again, to tell her the whole truth at least some of it but before he could, the room's door snapped opened and Meena ji entered

Her cold and furious eyes never lifting off Raj as she walked in and without a word dragged Raj out with her who only stared glancing back once at the confused and shocked Heer

They both left in hurry and the door of Heer's room snapped shut behind them while she could only frown with teary eyes

Meanwhile outside Heer's room Meena ji dragged Raj straight into her room without saying s single word but her expressions were clearly furious

Inside Meena ji's room, she pushed Raj inside and shut the door before turning to him and she asked

"What were you about to tell Heer, huh?"

Her voice was filled with anger enough to make anyone flinch and this was the first time Raj had seen his mother so furious

He didn't reply but his silence told Meena ji that it was exactly that he was about to tell Heer about and she again said, her tears flowing

"When you know the danger lingering on her then you must know that she is only safe when married to Vedh otherwise he will take her away from anyone else"

Raj's expression didn't shift because he was aware of what Meena ji was saying but he was adamant on his decision

"And you must know that she was treated like some servant in that house and even he won't like that, after all he loves-"

Raj spoke finally, the facts slipping out of his lips with confidence but before he could complete his words Meena ji cut him off

"Heer is only safe with Vedh and at least she was safe there"

Raj sighed, his frustration and anger bubbling up with each passing second in that tensed conversation

"I can't see my sister being treated as trash and I can give her to him even but not Vedh because he will surely treat Heer as a queen"

For a moment Meena ji stilled at the sharpness of Raj's statement, her tears never stopping before her shoulders fell not in relaxation but tiredness

"He is a criminal Raj-"

Raj raised his palm to stop Meena ji and said

"I am not saying I am giving Heer to him I am just saying that I am not letting Heer go back to Vedh. Period."

Saying this Raj turned around and without any more further conversations he left, leaving his decision hanging in the air while Meena ji couldn't help but burst out in tears

~Vedh Singh Oberoi~

Since the day Heer left Vedh had not said a single word to anyone. Everyday he went directly went to the office early in the morning and came back late at night, god knows if he even ate anything properly

His days went just like that engrossed in work, no interactions, no voices just the lingering silence and work

When Shakti ji came back a few days ago, Sudha ji told him everything and he tried interacting to Vedh but Vedh didn't give him a chance

Vedh was mentally tired, no doubt but now he was tiring himself physically as well. Heer's absence was swallowing him slowly but he accepted it because it was Heer's decision

Even Aashrit didn't come once to meet Vedh, not because he didn't care but because he knew the situation was not easy

Though Aashrit kept taking Vedh's well being from Chhavi and as Smita had already returned from her internship in their branch of Australia, she had also been concerned about Vedh and Heer

Right now Vedh was in his home office, one of his meetings has just ended and now he sat stiff on his chair staring at the blank screen of his laptop

His ocean blue eyes wide and unblinking were fixed on the the white screen but his mind was seeing something else entirely

He was lost somewhere, a world where no one could separate him from Heer. She was there in front of his eyes smiling at him and he couldn't bring himself to look away from that image of her

A few minutes later Vedh's phone rang, breaking the silence of the room and making him blink finally as he closed them once

He sighed and looking at the phone's screen he closed the laptop before picking up the call and he once again let himself slip into the work

Two Days Later

It was mid morning, the sun was in the sky shining but unusually dull but still there at its duty like always

Vedh was sitting inside his cabin with pile of files to be studied as he studied a red one. His face was calm, quiet but not peaceful never peaceful since Heer left

Vedh was diving deep in the file going to the depths that weren't even his to survey but just to work a little longer he went in them

The cabin was silent except the soft ruffles of the pages Vedh turned time to time but just then someone burst into the cabin

Aashrit.

He walked straight, hair disheveled, breath ragged and eyes helpless. This was the first time in days he came to meet Vedh

Looking at the condition of Aashrit, Vedh stood up immediately from his chair and stepped forward as his eyes widen

It seemed as if Aashrit had came running all the way long to him but the question was why?

Aashrit was breathing heavily with parted lips when Vedh held his shouldersas if trying to ground him in that moment and he asked

"What happened Aashrit?"

Aashrit gained back his senses and removing Vedh's hands from his shoulders he held Vedh the same way as if the next moment was about to break him in a way that the ground will slip from under his feet and he will not be able to remain standing on his feet

Vedh frowned at the way Aashrit's emotions shifted but the helplessness in his eyes remained the same

And then those words slipped out of Aashrit's mouth, shattering Vedh at once

"Heer is getting married Vedh"

Silence.

Silence was what followed after those words left Aashrit's parted lips and it seemed as if the world froze where it was

Vedh was frozen at his place, eyes wide, lips parted and unknown emotions flickering in his eyes but he didn't break like Aashrit had predicted

Vedh stood tall, his demeanor turning darker with every passing second. His jaw clenched so tightly that is pained as he removed Aashrit's hands from his shoulder

Vedh stepped back a little from Aashrit and turned back before his palms formed into fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white

Aashrit frowned at the way Vedh reacted, he hadn't expected such a reaction. He expected Vedh to break down, ask why this happened or at least shout and scream but what he got was the silence

"Vedh?"

Aashrit tried once again, calling out Vedh's name as if testing his identity, like he couldn't believe this was the same Vedh who begged Heer not to leave him

Vedh let out a deep sigh as if trying to control his anger which could be seen in his actions, tight jaw, clenched fists, popping out veins and the shift in his body was undeniable

Aashrit's frown deepened and his irritation took over, he immediately walked forward and turned Vedh abruptly by his shoulder and shouted

"Are you even listening to me? She is getting married to someone else"

Vedh's anger took over his instincts and he shouted back

"SO WHAT? You were also among the ones who wanted this divorce and now when she is marrying someone else you are here again to make me a villain"

Vedh's eyes were red in anger and he didn't know what was he even saying but he knew one thing that this decision can't be of Heer

Aashrit's shoulders fell in disappointment, disbelief lingering in his eyes on what Vedh had just stated

Vedh thought like this about Aashrit?

This was second time Vedh had raised his tone at Aashrit and blamed him, first time was when his parents died but that was acceptable and it didn't even hurt that much but now?

This time Aashrit was hurt deeply as if Vedh's words were scratching the walls of his heart and he couldn't stop it

Aashrit remained silent for a few minutes before he let out a deep, silent sigh and asked, his voice was now quiet, too quiet

"So you are not going to do anything?"

His eyes were now not on Vedh but on the floor as if feeling guilty of being here.

Vedh looked at him and only one word left his lips, only one and that was enough for Aashrit to leave the office immediately and the word was

"No"

~Mrs. Heer Vedh Singh Oberoi~

Mehta house was once again decorated for the celebration as in just two days Heer was getting married again to Aman Alhawat

She had agreed to this herself.

That night when Raj left after telling her about Aman's proposal for her and his deal with her brother's company, she couldn't sleep the whole night

She thought and thought and thought and next day she said yes thinking she was heartbroken the either way and there was no way anyone was letting her go back to Vedh so be it, at least Raj's company will have a profit

But somewhere deep inside her heart she had a hope, she hesitated to accept completely that maybe, maybe she will be able to live a good life, to pursue her shattered dreams but the other corner of her heart refused to let got of Vedh

Though the marriage with Vedh had been an arranged marriage but Heer had accepted him as her husband with whole heart

Heer was getting ready after so many days, she wore a baby pink corset kurti plazo set with full sleeves, her curly tresses were left open to move in a sync with the wind

Heer was clasping her watch with her mind occupied with Vedh and her own shattered dreams, she wondered to herself that if Vedh would even know that she was getting married to someone else

There was no doubt in why Heer was getting married again, it was of course for her brother's company but her heart was everyday refusing her to do this

Heer was deep in her thoughts, her eyes lids weren't even blinking as she sat in front of the mirror. The air of the room was quiet, too quiet as if even the walls of her room were disappointed with this decision of her

Suddenly her room's door clicked open and Saanchi slipped inside silently breaking the quiet trance of Heer's thoughts

Heer blinked softly looking down with a light sigh as if trying to let those thoughts out of her mind as Saanchi walked towards Heer with small steps

"Di, bhai is calling you downstairs......He is here"

She paused then again said making Heer close her eyes for a moment and then she inhaled a breath before giving Saanchi a small nod

Yes, that's why Heer was getting ready. Aman Alhawat was here to take Heer on a shopping date for their marriage as it was just two days from the recent day

Saanchi left without saying much. The things that happened with Heer in these few months had left everyone at the edge of sadness

Heer slowly stood up, her kurti's fabric sticking to her figure perfectly and her dupatta fluttering behind her as she gracefully moved towards the door

She entered the living room, Raj was already there and there was he, Aman Alhawat, Heer's fiance, her to be husband

As he looked up at her standing figure, he seemed mesmerized already as if looking at a celestial nymph. His eyes were shining with admiration and he couldn't stop himself from standing up from his seat

Heer looked up at Aman for once but then again lowered her eyes as if convincing herself for this again and again

"I think we should leave"

Aman suddenly said, his voice deep and low but his eyes never moving an inch from Heer's figure and mesmerizing face

Raj nodded before Aman and Heer left the Mehta house for their wedding shopping

Outside near his car, Aman opened his car's door for Heer and she entered without a word or glance in his way

Aman smiled softly to himself and circling the car he slipped into driving seat before starting the car and it rolled to the roads of Amritsar

~Author~

Somewhere in jungles on the outskirts of Italy

The same old two story scary house shining under the first ray of dawn but still dark and scary. It seemed that the house was cancelling the light with it's darkness

Inside the same man walked from one room to another, his sharp shoes clicking against the wooden floor making the house more scary

He walked without any halt and entered a room, which seemed like an office. A wooden table with boss chair, a few dead plants probably brought to ornament the place and the faint smell of leather was undeniable

The man sat on the chair before he opened his laptop and the picture made him halt because there she was, Heer, it was also one of her childhood picture

Her honey brown orbs stared back at him as he looked at her, leaning back into the chair casually as if he had all the time in the world

Then his hand moved, his fingers grazed her cheeks softly carefully as if fearing to hurt her even in that picture

"You were cute back then but I wonder how you look now"

The man whispered, slowly like whispering a secret meant only for her, of course she is his anchor in every situation

The man's dark eyes softened for a moment as he looked at Heer's picture as a wallpaper on his laptop's screen but then his expressions turned colder again as his phone rang disturbing the non existing moment

His sharp eyes landed to phone and then he picked up the call waiting silently for the other person to speak, he leaned his head back on the head rest and the voice from other end came

"B..bo..boss, that Aman, he betrayed us. He is marrying madam himself"

The man's eyes snapped open at the new found information but he didn't react though the fury in his eyes betrayed his facial expressions

Then suddenly a slow, chilling and scary smile stretched upon his lips before he finally spoke, casually as if he knew he was to be right

"It's okay. Vedh won't let her go, he will find a way to her and then you know what to do but till then just keep an eye on them"

The person on the other side let out a breath as if relaxed with the sound of those words coming from the man's mouth

Then the man hung the phone and setting it aside he again looked at his laptop's screen where she was still there looking at him

"Don't worry Lightling, snatching you away from Vedh won't be difficult but remember, you will only be mine, only the wife of Mortis"

~Mr. & Mrs. Aashrit Thakur~

The room was quiet, too quiet like the air had forgotten to move for the time and there he was, Aashrit. He sat on the bed lost in thoughts, his eyes fixed on the wall ahead without even blinking but his mind was racing

The memory of the day when Heer left Vedh flickered in his mind, the way begged Heer not to leave him and now Vedh's denial on doing anything about Heer getting married again

Both the scenes didn't sit well together with him, the way Vedh was refusing to let go and now suddenly he was letting go completely

Then the sharp sound of door opening took him off his thoughts as Reva slipped in the room. She looked tired but calm and peaceful

She had just came from Mehta house. She was happy knowing that Heer was getting married again, that she is finally moving on

Reva glanced at Aashrit before she walked into the closet without a word to change her clothes and Aashrit's eyes followed her

The six months with Reva had been divine for Aashrit, he never felt the need of Bella or her absence instead the only presence he wanted to feel was Reva

But as he looked at her now, an insecurity clawed at him, clinging to his soul that what if Reva also left him after all this

She had married him for Heer's sake and now as Heer is divorced from Vedh, she might also leave him

No matter how much Aashrit tried to reassure himself but the thought always remained with him like a second skin

Meanwhile Reva, unaware of all these thoughts was living her life normally, her thoughts were right now occupied with Heer's upcoming wedding

Yes, Reva had married Aashrit for Heer's sake but the thought of leaving him has not even crossed her mind ever

Reva came out of the closet, she has changed in a comfortable kurti and white pants. She looked at Aashrit sitting in the same position as she had left him

She frowned before climbing on the bed and sitting beside Aashrit casually. Aashrit was so lost in his thoughts and insecurities that he didn't notice Reva

Reva's frown deepened and she pinched Aashrit on his arm only to get a hiss in return as he finally came back and looked at her who asked

"What happened to you?"

Aashrit gave her a small smile and shook his head in denial while Reva reciprocated the smile before she said

"Let's go have Lunch"

Aashrit nodded and they both stood up to go have lunch.

They reached the kitchen, only to find it empty and Reva was whined annoyingly, her eyes scrunching up

"Arre yaar this cook, again she is absent"

Aashrit could only chuckle at her cute expressions before he held her by shoulders and said with a smile

"It's okay you go sit, I will cook"

As he pushed Reva out of kitchen Reva refused to go and fixed herself to ground before turning around with a huff

"No I will help you"

Aashrit rolled his eyes playfully remembering how she helps. It has happened a few times before that Aashrit cooked meal for both of them and Reva after saying she will help, always sat on the slab of kitchen and looked here and there

Aashrit nodded softly and Reva ran to the slab like a child making her space to sit comfortably while Aashrit's smile widened

For a moment he forgot all the things he had been thinking a few minutes ago and what left was this moment only and nothing else

Just them.