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B l u r

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Gauri entered the house and shut the door. "Om, I am home." She called seeing her husband's shoe by the rack.

"I am upstairs." Came his reply. She slipped out of her sandals and walked into the kitchen, leaving behind her suitcase. Grabbing the bottle of water from the counter she climbed up the stairs.

"Hey, handsome!" She greeted him while entering her room, as her eyes fell upon her gorgeous man. He was dressed in his bermuda shorts and gym vest. His hair messed. Gauri dumped her heavy hand bag and rushed over to hug him from behind. "You smell so fresh!" She muttered taking in his scent.

"That's because I just had a shower. If you had made it a little earlier you would have been smelling good too." His remark made Gauri giggle, she pulled away and he turned to her. He kissed her cheek pushing her hair behind.

"Had a tiring day?" He asked his both hands gently massaging her shoulder.

"Yeah! You won't believe what I found."

"What do you mean?" He asked his fingers now caressing her neck.

"You're distracting!" She muttered leaning forward to leave a sloppy kiss on his cheek.

He chuckled. "I missed you!" he sighed pulling her closer, his hand travelling to the back of her hair. He fisted a handful and pulled her close. Oh, she missed this possessiveness. She kissed the corner of his lips, muttering against his skin, "I missed you too."

"How about we make up for spending the last week away from each other and then do the talking?" He asked, his lips very slightly brushing over hers as he spoke.

She smiled, "good idea, but won't you want me to shower before it?" She pushed him away only to be pulled back by him.

"Who gives a damn, I promise to help you at it later!" He spoke raising her leg and helping her lock it around his pelvic.

"Tempting idea, huh!" She grinned cheekily while he laid her on the bed.

* * *

Two hours later, Gauri and Omkara were seated in their balcony. One of their favorite places. Gauri brought a box and placed it before him. His eyes which were admiring his wife's figure clad in his shirt now dropped to the box. "Are these the letters that you found?" He asked as she sat before him, with the box between them. She had told him about finding a few letters dated in he mid nineties while she had gone for her inspection. She was the CEO of Ratan Palace Group. Her passion for history and architecture had begun developing when she visited the heritage hotels her dad owned. She had worked tirelessly to grow the group into what it was today.

"Yes. I found it in that haveli that the villagers swore was haunted." She answered.

He looked at her intrigued. "Haunted?"

"Haunted," she confirmed. "Do you want to know the dramatic story?"

He smiled, "you already bought me at the word dramatic. He grinned. Ever since he was about eleven he had loved acting. His amusement became his profession. However, he only stuck to theater arts and short films. He didn't want to step into the Big Screen World. Although he had received handsome offers. That life came with a lot of politics, envy, rude habits and much more. He was contend with what he had.

"So, apparently one of the many queens the Raja had, had an affair with a British officer. A secret affair. Interestingly, she was one of the five favourites of the Raja. Apparently, she leaked out army secrets of the Raja to the Officer who in turn reported it to the Governor. One day the Raja got to know about the affair. The Raani, however, tried escaping and disappeared. The rumors are that the Raani never escaped. The Raja didn't want the world to know of his unfaithful wife so he locked her inside a box alive, and placed the box in some hidden room in the haveli. She still haunts that place they say."

"Wow. I wonder how these rumors even float in the first place. I am sure the villagers made this story to amuse themselves." He exclaimed taking a sip of his wine.

"What if I tell you that these aren't rumors? These letters that I found were exchanged between the British Officer Mr.Chas and Mohini which I assume was the name the Raani used." She opened one envelope and held it up for him to see. "The ones addressed to Mohini are written in devangiri script but signed in English. The sign reading Chas."

Omkara looked at the letters and then at his wife. "Where did you find them?" Gauri sat up straight and that gave her husband a hint that something big was about to come his way.

"I entered the floor of the haveli that the villagers never went to. It was used by the king only for ten years as his winter palace. The villagers don't say a word about the place to anyone. It's like the world doesn't even know it's associated with the king."

"You know how ridiculous this sounds in the decade we are in?" He asked staring at her. "Maybe it's just your love for all of this that makes you think you've stumbled across something that hasn't been discovered." He added.

"There was a room which had many mirrors. I was admiring those mirrors when out of one that got slightly shifted one letter came out. On moving it other letters came out. I am not kidding about this."

He pushed aside the box after putting the letters in them. "For all you know the villagers would have planted them to make tourists like you believe their story and amuse themselves." He pulled her closer in a hug.

"I don't think so. They were covered with thick dust and spider webs. That doesn't happen artificially." She mumbled dodging away from him. He sighed and pulled her to himself hugging her.

"Why do you think the Raani would have left her Raja for a British officer? That to when she was one of his favorites. Meaning, she had his attention and love." He spoke running his fingers through her thick jet black hair.

"Because he wasn't loyal to her." Gauri answered without much thought. "Maybe because she found true love in that other man."

"So you agree with her action?" He asked releasing her from the hug.

"Of course. I mean come on, if the king couldn't be loyal to her why should she be bound to him?"

"So, tomorrow if you are unfaithful to me, you will be okay with me being unfaithful to you too?" He stared at her.

She froze on listening what he said. "What are you saying!" She reacted, picking up the box and moving inside the room. He followed her trail and slid the glass door shut behind him. "Gauri, just answer."

She turned to him. "It's a stupid question."

He held her hand and pulled her close. His eyes directly looking into hers. "Let's talk it out." His voice was, weirdly, both pleading and dominating. She stared into his eyes. "I can't ignore it anymore. I know, I tried ignoring it but it's slowly eating me up. You and your business partner Varun. I know." He spoke and she stared at him shocked.

"I read that hangout message. Didn't intend to, I was just checking the grocerybasket OTP on your phone that morning when the notification popped up. You ...you..and him. Why?" His voice held despair and eyes reflected hurt.

"Om, it's not what you would have thought." She explained, panic lined her voice.

"Please explain!" He muttered cupping her face. Her heart ached at that trust that he still had on her.

"It..it was the after party. Everyone was celebrating the success of the deal. I drank a little along with the others. People were dancing..Varun was there too. I don't know when it happened Om... I don't know what made me go so close to him. It held no meaning, it was just nothing." By now tears were rolling down her cheeks. While her husband simply stared at her.

"How far did it go? Kiss? Did he touch you? Did you touch...and why didn't you tell me?"

"How could I? I was ashamed of myself. Varun regretted it too. It was just in the heat of the moment..we kissed. I swear, there was nothing more." She spoke holding his shoulders. "I really don't know why I did it. But I know I love only you."

He pulled her closer to himself taking her in a bone-crushing her. "I have stopped all casual talks with him after that. Everything between us is pure business. I am really sorry, Om!" She sobbed in his arms.

"I love you!" He spoke kissing her hair. She closed her eyes in regret. She was aware that alcohol hits her too fast. She should have stayed away from the drinks when he wasn't around her. She couldn't say for sure the letters she found had any value being of historical importance, but what she could say was that those letters had given a closure to something that had been continuously troubling her for a long time now.

Perhaps, the Raaja never killed her. He loved her so much to let her go away to the man she loved. Maybe it wasn't her ghost that haunted the place but the mentality of the society. Nothing could be said with certainty the past was now a blur.

Okay, I know this shot would have not gone down well with many people. But I was just trying to show that in reality people do make mistakes. Also, that there are people who hold onto love no matter what. Perhaps because the relationship has become a necessity for them or they value someone so much that they are willing to still love them despite their flaws.

I would love to know your thoughts.

-Anami!♡