"Done talking?" Shivaay asked looking up when Anika entered the room from the balcony. 

She nodded. Shivaay had noticed that she went back to her silent zone. Maybe it was the awkwardness after their brief moment of intimacy last night, or how they had woken up in the morning. Her family had called and obviously they were more interested to talk to her than him. It felt annoying when his family didn't trust him. He had heard her repeat more than once that she was okay.

"Let's go then?" He asked looking at her. They had already finished breakfast. Any other day Shivaay would have stuck to his room and attended a few remote review meetings while being around the hotel premises. However, now that he had seen Anika's excitement at the airport upon hearing Udiapur, he had decided to take her for some sightseeing.

"Where are we going?" She asked curiously.

"It's a beautiful city, there's a lot to see." He said with a smile and got off the bed.

Anika's eyes followed him, thoughtfully. He had worn a sweater on his checkered shirt and he looked different, in a nice way. Anika picked up her bag and put her jacket into it. She had worn one of the anarkali dresses that Pinky had given her. It had full sleeves so, hopefully she wouldn't need the jacket but to avoid a situation like last night she decided to carry it.

Never even in her dreams had Anika thought that there would be a day when she would be driven around the beautiful city of Udaipur in a premium car or across majestic lakes in a special ferry. Her ears still felt weird hearing the word Maam being used for, every now and then. Well, who ever knows what plans fate has for them. 

Shivaay would every now and then tell her about the other palaces of the city and how the different kings had made them. Eventually, leading the talk upto business and how other powerful hotel groups had also converted the palaces into heritage hotels. Anika hadn't really witnessed Shivaay so eager about something other than his stocks or his kitchen. Maybe his business was his passion. 

But being there, having his attention, was different. He shared his thoughts with her on various things. The fact that she just nodded or hummed in response, didn't deter him. Anika was way too surprised to find out about the talkative Shivaay. No wonder he made a good businessman. He knew how to keep the listener interested in what he said by the way he said it. He made complex things aound simple.

"What do you want to have for lunch?" He asked as they walked out of the garden to the car.

"Anything is fine."

"Rissoto?" He asked with a smirk, knowing she didn't know what it meant.

Anika frowned. She looked at him puzzled. What did that mean? She was definitely hungry and if he was in the mood of having some fancy named dish that was nothing but raw vegetables put together she wasn't going to tolerate that. "Maybe a normal thaali would do!" She said. 

"Thaali, well thaali it is." He said with an amused expression.

Shivaay had always loved the city of Udaipur. Actually, most cities of Rajasthan. The royalty enchanted him. The culture of the kings fascinated him. He was having a wonderful time showing Anika around the city. It was when she was hungrily eating her lunch that he reflected back on half the day they had spent together. She was silent mostly but she was listening. 

He treasured the moments in his heart, when their hands would touch or hold while walking. Something, had changed after last night. He felt more closer to Anika than ever. She was his wife, and that had slowly started reflecting in his behavior, very naturally, which was odd. Odd because he didn't know if he actually accepted the wedding. 

The evening had come all too quickly. Shivaay was seated beside Anika, at the matress laid around the terrace floor of the palatial Haveli located on the shores of Lake Pichola. The popular Dharohar Dance Show at Bagore Ki Haveli, had just begun.  The building had been brilliantly lit up. The folk music played giving the atmosphere rustic feel. 

He turned to Anika to find her enraptured by the women dancing with decorated clay pots on their head. Her smile was so radiant. He couldn't look away from her face. But like always, a little more guilt was added to his baggage remembering Hiw he treated her before the wedding. That made him look away from her. The truth was he was trying to distract himself from the guilt. Damn, Daksh. How could he mislead him! 

Shivaay was walking around the place waiting for Anika to return from the ladies restroom. The night was cool and now silent. 

Anika walked out of the restroom and made her way toward him. Her gaze was fixated on him. She didn't see him the way she used to see him anymore. He wasn't really just the simple Billu Ji and Stone Singh Oberoi put together. He was much more than that. Just like his eyes were just blue and green. Her thoughts paused as she got close enough to observe a red laser dot on his shoulder. Her heart forgot its beat and everything around her froze. She quickly turned around to look what caused the laser beam to appear and disappear hurriedly walking towards him. 

She paused when she was close enough, only when her mind registered the kids playing with laser lights. She let out a deep breath of relief.

"Anika, you okay?" He asked. It was really an old habit of hers, seeing east and walking west. 

She spun he heard around to look at him. Her eyes taking in his face. Why was she so scared for him? She had never really been so scared of anything as she was of him being hurt. 

"Anika?" He asked gently placing his palm against her arm.

"I an fine," she muttered looking away. 

"Great, then let's go have dinner," he said and she simply nodded. He give the cue to the guards standing two feet away from them. Anika was lost debating the new realization. 

* * *

"Hello, hi mom!" He spoke into the receiver entering the room.

"Yes, we finished dinner. Just returned to the room." He answered his mother's question. He sat on the bed while Anika went around. 

"You're taking care of her, aren't you?" He closed his eyes. He was getting tired of this question really. 

"I am mom!" He muttered.

"What about your medicines? Are you taking them on time?" 

"I am mom." He repeated.

"And those police guards they are around you all the time right?"

"Yes, mom!" He answered pinching the bridge of his nose.

"What about Anika's hand? Is it better now?" Shivaay looked up at that. He hadn't really paid attention to that, it had totally slipped out of his mind. He turned slightly to find her swiping away on her mobile screen. Her sleeves covered her arm so he couldn't really say. 

"It, is!" He muttered, so that his mother wouldn't concern herself with it.

"Are you happy?" That question caught Shivaay off guard. Happy? He didn't know what people meant when they asked that. He was not stressed, his business matters were in control did that translate to happy?

"Mom, it's pretty late. I have to start early tomorrow. Will talk to you later. Bye!" He quickly wrapped up the conversation and ended the call. Talking to his mom was stressful at times. 

"Anika," he said turning around putting up his one leg as he sat on the bed. "How is your hand?" 

Anika looked up from the phone screen. "It's fine." She answered and looked back at her phone screen. 

Shivaay craned his neck to see what she was upto. He gaped when he realized she was playing that same stupid game that Rudra played. He rolled his eyes getting off the bed to change for the night.

Anika was trying to make a new high score. She was tired thinking about how helpless she felt when she saw that laser dot on Shivaay. But it wasn't happening. She couldn't pay attention to the game. The scene of the Lohri night replayed in loop. What if she didn't make it on time to avoid the fateful incident? What if today it was a sniper again? 

Her attention drifted to Shivaay's movements as he tried to get the sweater off him. His shirt rolling up in the process. She quickly looked down at her phone screen embarrassed. However, her disobedient eyes looked at him from the corner. He had turned slightly and dumped the sweater on the bed. He flexed his neck muscles and undid the button at the end of his sleeve. 

Anika sighed once he shut the door of the bathroom. There was something off. The thing in between them had gone to some other level. Was it whatever he did or marriage that changed equations? Her mind revisited Daadi's words about marriage. Was she really his soulmate, his ardhangini? 

Irritated she decided to sleep before he came out. Will she ever only be known as a Mrs. Shivaay Singh Oberoi? What about Anika? The Anika she was? Didn't that matter anymore? Was his name so heavy and powerful that hers would always be crushed under it's weight? How was this equals? Daadi sai that a husband and wife become two equal halves of one thing. This wasn't a fifty fifty relationship. It was a forced, zero hundred relationship. 

He hadn't proposed to her, showed respect or trust in her like he did for Tia. He hadn't publicly appreciated her ever. He hadn't done anything that was normal. Did he deserve to get a normal life? 

Anika turned to the other side. He was sweet but. And, somewhere he had a kind heart. But very obviously his ego, his prejudice, his narcissistic behavior, his selfishness, all that was way too much in proportion. She was stupid to believe that he respected her, and that she had made a place in his heart however little. The bitter truth was, his heart was too expensive and far beyond for her to reach. 

And even if she did get till there, or even close enough, he would push her away. Like he had done multiple times in the past. Her lips parted as it began making sense. He rejected hearing her out when she wanted to tell him she liked him. He refrained from admitting saying that he cared for her. 

Even the day before the wedding he was adamant on not accepting feeling anything for her. She bit her lower lip. Shivaay could never belong to her. But he had managed to make sure she belonged to him, that she cared for him, that she .... "I won't let you ruin me," Anika whispered as a tear fell from her eye. 

Shivaay was surprised to find her asleep. She hadn't bothered to change into her night clothes. He wondered how people did that. She was covered with the duvet. He smiled as he kept his clothes in the laundry bag and moved to the study table. Switching on the lamp he sat on he chair, deciding to get some work done. 

He glanced back to see her sleeping. She must be exhausted after the tiring day. He took a deep breath. He had to find out who was out there pursuing them with thirst for blood. The more Anika was around him, the more in danger she was. And knowing the stubborn person she was, he knew she wouldn't be the one to back off. It only left him with the other option, put to grave the person who threatened them.  He sighed quickly putting on his laptop screen. Proceeding to review the findings, the investigation team he had hired had made so far.

• • • • •

Guess, made you all wait too long. Thanks for not giving up on me and this book, and pursuing it so much, that I had to come back to this one. 

Anyways, finally, I managed to complete this chapter. Please comment in your views and encourage me a little. I am planning to, at least, roll out one update per week. I hope I am inspired to that at least. Waiting to read your views on this chapter.