LEONARDO POV

"How dare she come here! Who the hell does she think she is? She spoiled our moment. Amore.... How are we gonna tolerate her? I already can't stand her." Nilda says as she hugs me.

"Just ignore her. She's not worth our time." I say short and straight.

" You're right, Nick baby. Instead, let's enjoy ourselves. And I am sorry for overreacting when I got the news of your wedding from Roman. I said so many things both to you and him." I just nod at her as she pulls me towards her and kisses me again.

*

ELARA POV

LATER THAT DAY

As my phone rings, I take it and see a private number calling. Who's this now? I pick it up, thinking just in case something serious happened. As I press the answer button, I hear, "Heyy, new sis. What's up? How's the honeymoon going?"

" Roman?"

"Yes."

" Where did you get my number from?" I ask, all confused as I walk towards the balcony.

" Well. Just think that I have some really good contacts due to our business. Anyways, sooo how's everything going?" He asks as I stay quiet for a few seconds, not knowing what to say.

" Well.. All's okay." I say I'm not willing to let anyone know what really happened.

" Really! So where's Nick? I called him and he didn't answer."

Okay. Now I need some guidance. Following the scene of the morning, I didn't see him again. So what do I say now?

Think Elara. Think hard. And quick.

"Hmmm.. He went to get ice cream. Actually, I am having a very bad craving for ice cream. And his phone is dead, I think. Maybe that's why he didn't pick up your call." I say, trying to sound as confident as possible.

"Elara.." He says softly. "I'm sorry for his behavior.. I don't know what he did or said to you, but I know something did happen. When I called him, he did pick up the call and sounded a little abnormal. That's why I called you to ensure that you are okay. I know he's a hard man to live with, but trust me, it's not his wish. It's just that business made him like this. And I truly believe that you can change him. So please do not give up on him." He says in a calm tone, touching me.

"Don't worry about that, Roman.. I will not leave him under any circumstances. Even if he wants to. And don't worry about me. I'm fine." I say, after I don't have much of a choice here.

"You know what.. I really like the determination in your voice. " I hear the sound of the door opening from the phone, silence for a few seconds, then Roman continues, "Okay. I have a surprise for you. And trust me, you're gonna like it. "

Surprise! What kind of? Please, I don't want any more..

Surprises always turn out to be Shocks for me.

I'm about to ask him when I hear a voice chirping loudly from the phone.

" Heyyy Diiiiii.... "

" Bunny! Is that you?" I ask all excited.

"Yups Diiii. Guess what!"

"What baby?"

" Rommy is taking me with him this weekend to his home as you both are holidaying away."

" Rommmy? You mean Roman! "

" Yupsss. He said I can call him Rommy if I let him call me Bunny. You don't have any problem with that, right? " Bunny asks, cleverly sounding innocent.

" Well. Since he's taking care of you and I like him too, I guess I can share you and your nickname with Roman. But make sure that you don't trouble him a lot, or else I'll be angry with you.. Okay!"

" Okay Diii.. I promise I'll be a good boy." Just as he finishes, I hear Roman say, "And I promise to spoil him in your absence."

And I hear both laughing at that, smiling at their childish antics, I say. " Okay. Okay. By the way. It's past 10. Time to go to bed, Bunny. And you too, Roman. "

Both reply at the same time. "Yes, Boss. We are off to bed now. Good night. Sweet dreams."

" Good night. Sweet dreams to you, too." I say as I hang up. I stand here looking down at the other people who are currently enjoying themselves, having a great time with friends, family, and close ones. Also reminding me that I'm not fortunate enough to be part of all that. I wipe the tear coming from my eye.

I go back into the room to find Leonardo sitting on the bed and using his phone. Not willing to have any kind of argument again, I move towards the washroom when he says. "You can fool my brother like that. But not me!"

I turn towards him, confused as he continues. "You really think I don't understand what you are trying to do. Pretending to be nice in front of Roman, hiding what happened between us. If you think that I'm gonna fall for that. Well, let me tell you that it's not happening! "

I just nod at him and continue walking to the washroom. But suddenly, he pulls me and pins me to the wall. "How dare you walk away when I'm still talking to you?"

"Really! Why does it even bother you? After all, last night you made it clear that I'm no one to you." I say, trying to get his hands off mine without any success.

"Don't you dare give me that attitude! You'd better show me respect. Otherwise, you will definitely regret it. Maybe your brother as well." He says in a dangerous tone, giving me goosebumps.

"If you're done, can I use the washroom now? " I try saying in my normal voice so as not to show how scared I am.

He leaves me, and I rush to the washroom where I wait till I calm down. I cannot show him that I'm weak. And I will not fall weak no matter what. Finally getting out of the washroom, I see him already on the bed with his pants on and shirt thrown down.

I move towards the bed to go to sleep when he says. "The bed is mine, find your own corner to sleep."

Yes, this man is not a gentleman but an asshole. Without another word, I go out back to the balcony.

Looks like this balcony is going to be my bedroom till the time we're gonna stay here.

ELARA POV

"Elaraaa. Please stop crying, Elara." I hear and feel a hand caressing my hair as my head is on the edge of the bed.

" Please don't make it hard for me. I don't want to leave you ever. But my health. It took me a long time to accept this. And now even Dad is here. You will not be alone." I look up, eyes filled with tears, only to see Maa lying on the bed, trying her best not to break down in front of me.

"Dad! Seriously dad! That man didn't even care to know how we have been living all these years without him. All these years, when he was busy with his business and his new wife. I really doubt why he even came here when you called him. You may trust him.. But I don't!" Before I can say anything more, her hand is now on my lips as she doesn't want me to continue.

" No, Elara. Don't say like that. Yesss. What your Dad did to us was wrong. Even I agree with you on that.

But he is not the only one to be blamed for the rift between us. Even I am to be blamed here."

What? Is she even to be blamed? What is she saying??

I think as I look at my mother as she struggles to sit on the bed. I help her and then wait for her to continue.

"Yes, Elara. Even I am to blame for the increased differences between the two of us. I was so carried away by the fact that he had. That... That I didn't even try to make him understand that he was wrong at that point. I didn't try even once. And I regret that.

I... I regretted not having tried all these years. Maybe if I had tried to, the situation would have been different today. Maybe you would have had your dad by your side all these years. Marriage doesn't work only because of one partner. In the same way, it doesn't break because of only one partner. He was wrong, and I should have tried guiding him to the right path instead... Instead of leaving him and returning. But by the time I realized this, it was already very late. Many years had passed, and then this happened." I look at her, still trying to gather this part of the truth behind the separation of my parents. And damn.

It is making sense.

"Elara." I look at Maa right in her tired, sleepy eyes, which have sadness in them, and she takes hold of my hand and continues. "When you get married one day, don't make the mistakes that I did. Don't ever give up on anything... ANYTHING without trying your best. Otherwise, its regret will haunt you till the end, like mine did. Promise me, Baby."

She looks at me with a very different emotion in her eyes as she puts her hand in front of me. For the first time, I can understand what she's feeling at that moment. I look at her and then at her hand. Thinking about what she just said, I decide to place mine on hers and say. "I promise Maa. I will always try 100% at anything and any relationship before giving up."

As I say that, the lights go off and the room plunges into darkness.

"Maaaa," I scream, scared of the darkness, as I clutch her hand hard while she stays quiet. However, the lights switch on themselves a few seconds later.

Relieved that the darkness is gone, I look at my hand, which is still holding Maa's hand. And then I look at her, she's smiling at me with a tear slowly going down her cheek. I smile back at her and say. "Why are you crying, Maa?"

No reply. I wait for her to reply for some time, but she doesn't. I move to take my hand out of hers to bring her out of her thoughts, but to my surprise, her hand falls aside.

" Maa.... Maaa. " I shout, but still no answer. I saw the doctor, nurses, and Dad entering the room a few seconds later, and I shouted. I didn't realize that I had shouted that loud.

The doctor checks her while the nurse takes me aside. The doctor looks at me and Dad with sad eyes and says. "I'm sorry, she's no more."

I feel Dad's hands slowly wrapping around me, holding me back in a hug as tears roll down my face. " MAAAAAA.... "

I scream as I wake up with my hand trying to reach her. Feeling heavy sweat and tears going down, I breathe heavily, trying to calm myself down from the dream, and shivering.

Noooooo.

The biggest nightmare of my life. Which keeps going back from time to time to haunt me.

The day my life changed. The day I lost the most precious person I've ever had. The day my Maa died.

" Why the hell are you shouting at fucking 3 am? I thought that you're getting.... " I hear a voice scream.

I don't bother looking at its owner as I can feel myself still shivering.

" Are you okay? " Leonardo says as he comes in front of me and sees me. Not willing to show him that I am crying right now, I stare down at my legs.

Wiping my tears, I finally look up only to see him standing, looking at me with a gun in his hand and a different type of look on his face. Concern? Maybe.

I stare at the gun, which he soon realizes and tucks behind his pants. And he holds his hands on his chest.

"I'm sorry. I disturbed you." I say as he just looks at me.

" You okay?"

"Hmmmm. Just a nightmare. Excuse me." I say before he says anything else, and go towards the door to leave the room.

"Where are you going now?" He says as I am about to open the door.

"I need some air." I step out and walk the corridor, thinking again how those few seconds of darkness had snatched my mother from me.

Currently, I am by the poolside sitting on one of the recliners. Since the noise of the night has died, the silence and peaceful atmosphere help me calm myself. The sky is still dark, but the moon and twinkling stars are making it look beautiful.

" Why do you always do this to me, Maa? Each time I'm about to give up, you come back to remind me of that promise. At times, I feel that you somehow already knew about what was going to happen with me in the future, that's why you said all those things to me." I say loudly, looking at the stars up. All are twinkling, at times I feel that Maa has also become a star and is looking at me from here.

"Yeah, right... If you think it's easy, then let me tell you that you're completely wrong. With Mike Edward as my Father, Jennifer Edward as my stepmother, and that jerk as my Husband, life is definitely not a bed of roses. But I will not give up... At least not till I try my level best. For you. And for my Bunny. I can't let this marriage break up; he thinks that this marriage is the best thing to happen to both of us. He admires Leonardo a lot as he thinks that his new brother loves me and is a good man who will not let anyone hurt his sister. But the day he learns the truth, I don't know how he will react. And you know how protective he is towards me.

He may even blame himself. Kids.. I tell you. Cannot really predict how they'll react in different situations." I stay there for a while and then return to the room.

I open the door slowly so as not to disturb him again. I enter and see him lying on the bed with his eyes closed. I take my phone, which is on the dresser table, and head out to the balcony. Knowing that I will not be able to sleep soon, I play games.

Next Morning

LEONARDO POV

As my alarm goes off, my hands search the phone to turn off that annoying sound. After some minutes, the sound starts ringing again, and I finally open my eyes for a new day. Getting out of bed, I head towards the washroom where I freshen up. All dressed up in a 3-piece designer suit, I come out, and as I pick up the phone in the room to order breakfast, I hear a knock at the door.

I open the door to see a waiter already ready with breakfast. The nervous waiter greets me and rushes out of the room after keeping the tray on the table.

" Good morning. " I hear a voice. Turning towards its source, I see Elara standing with a smile at the door connecting the room to the balcony.

A few hours ago, she was crying and screaming, and now she's all smiling. How can this woman hide her feelings with such conviction? Yesterday I saw a shocked expression in her eyes, last night I saw fear in her eyes, but now it's a totally different type of feeling. They are kind and shining. But why??

What has she planned now?

If she thinks I'm gonna fall for her tricks, then she's gonna be sadly disappointed, as I already know that she married me for money. That she's just a bloody gold-digger. I know and I have seen that women like this can go to any extent for money.

But I won't let this one do anything like that.

I think as I look in her eyes. She breaks eye contact and heads towards the table where the waiter kept the tray, and she picks a cup.

" Your breakfast is ready; you should eat it before it gets cold." She says as she takes a sip from her cup while sitting on the couch. I also go and take a seat on the couch next to hers and look at the tray suspiciously. Without going round the bush, I say. " What's the catch? "

" What catch? "

" Why are you being so nice to me? What are you trying to prove? That you're a victim of the situation. That, despite knowing that I have a girlfriend, you did not overreact. That you're a great person!"

I shoot at her one after the other.

" Leonardo, calm down, man. Why are you speaking so loudly? I'm not deaf. And we can talk about all this after having breakfast, as I haven't had anything since the previous night. And also that we have our entire life ahead of us, so let's postpone this fight for some time, please." She says as she holds the cup and takes a bit of the cookie in her other hand.

I look at her, surprised. So much has happened since we got married, and here she's so cool with me. I thought that after knowing about Nilda, she would be furious and try to get lucky at convincing me for the money, but here... What the hell is going on in her mind?

She's happily having her breakfast, and I take a closer look and see a cup of coffee, from its aroma I can say that it's strong, really strong, just as I like it. Since she's busy eating, let me also do the same. If she's not worried, why should I stress myself out that much for her?

" I know things didn't start on a good note for us, but it doesn't mean that we have to go on fighting every day. I know that you don't want me as your wife. And I got that message very clearly yesterday. We don't even need to be friends. All we need is to tolerate each other so that the reason we got married is achieved. You'll have your business merger, position, success, and stuff, while I'll have my brother happy." She says as we both finish breakfast. Seeing that she finally understands her position in my life, I decide to go along,

" Look, Elara, I'll be very, very clear and straight to you. Till the time you stay out of my life, business and way, I don't have any problem with you. But if you interfere in any of these, you will be the one having problems." I say, meaning every word of what I just said.

" Okay.. Hmm. Can I ask you a favor?" She says after a pause.

That's it. Here we go. Go ahead. Ask for the money and prove that I am right about you.

I nod in a yes towards her, and she continues. "Actually, I wanted something from you."

"What?" I ask as if pretending not to be aware of her real intentions while she continues. "Can we be a... A normal.. Normal couple in front, Bunny, please? He doesn't really know the truth behind our marriage. And I don't want him to know why this wedding really happened. Please. "

What? Bunny! What about the money?

Oooo..

Now I get it. She's playing the innocence card. Let's see how long this drama will go on.

" I know. Till the time you stay within your limits, your brother will be okay and unaware of this deal. "

Getting up, I head to leave the room when she speaks again. " Leonardo.. "

I turn towards her as she looks at me and continues. " Hmmm. When are we leaving from here? "

"End of the weekend." Giving her a straight answer, I leave the room without turning back.

ELARA POV

As he shuts the door, I keep that cup 3/4 filled with horribly extra-strong coffee down and rush to the washroom to spit out the remaining liquid in my mouth. Washing my mouth and face, I look at myself in the mirror and say to myself. " Now I get why this man behaves like a jerk. How can one drink such a horribly strong coffee? I should have ordered a regular cup of tea for myself. But Noooo.... Miss Edward.. Naa... Mrs Lorenzo wanted to play strongly in front of her so-called husband. But didn't it kind of work? We finally discussed without any argument or shouting at each other.

From his expressions, I can say that he was surprised a little by the fact that I was normal in front of him at the start. Make your biggest weaknesses become your biggest strengths, and success will be yours. And now I can be assured that he won't say anything stupid or wrong in front of my Bunny. But only till I do not get in this way. I just need to wait for this 1 month, and then Bunny will go to the boarding school. And then I will deal with Leonardo.

Maa aapne theek thi. Kabhi kabhi shanti se kaam zyada jaldi aur theek se hi jata hai. Aur results bhi zyada ache hote hai.

( Maa, you were right. At times, with a calm mind, work gets done more easily and quickly. And better results also sometimes."

I say to myself, happy that last night Maa came to me as a dream to remind me that even I am strong and that life gives challenges only to those who have the capacity and willpower to fight them. I will fight. I will definitely fight. I will not give up fighting, nor will I let this marriage fall apart.

*

Hours Later

LEONARDO POV

Opening the door, I step into the room and go straight to the couch to sit down and take a deep breath as I close my eyes. It has been a very hectic day. I am supposed to be on my honeymoon, relaxing and enjoying myself, but here I am. Attending business meetings to crack deals for my company.

5 meetings are scheduled one after the other. No time to relax for a single second. And also skipped lunch in the process. But it's worth it. Now we will be the best and first choice of the public.

I open my eyes and look around. No trace of her. Where is she? I peep towards the balcony but do not see her there. Maybe she went out to spend some good time enjoying herself. Anyway, why should I care? She doesn't even exist for me.

Let me freshen up, then I'll have a drink. It will de-stress me from today's hectic routine. Thinking all of that, I finally get up after a few minutes and head to the washroom. As I open the door, I look at her in shock.

" Elaraaa...." I shout as I see her lying on the floor. I rush in to see if she's okay. As I bent down, I turned her face towards me, only to see a wound mark on her forehead with traces of dried blood. I pick her up in my arms and bring her to the room. After I make her lie on the bed, I call the reception to send a doctor urgently to my room.

While waiting for the doctor, I searched for the first aid kit to clean up the wound. And I get it in one of the drawers in the washroom. As I finish cleaning the wound, there is a knock on the door, and I open it. As expected, a doctor comes in. I guide him to Elara, and he checks her.

" Is she okay? What happened to her?" I ask as the doctor does his work.

The doctor turns to me and says, " Mr Lorenzo, I think she's been a victim of poison."

He says as I look astonished at him with this news.