Copyright © jasminedarcie

All Rights Reserved

This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner or language whatsoever without the express written permission of the author.

While the character names are inspired from the Indian TV drama series "Ishqbaaaz" the characterizations are different in this story. Also, the actors used in this story are just for visual representation, but people can use whomsoever they please .

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Cover Photo Credit: Picgra.com

Hello everyone thank you for giving this unique story a chance and reading this story :)

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I am a writer who loves to experiment on unique concepts and write different stories, so this story is the opposite of "Learning to Love Him Again" as it focuses on a pure journey to love with Anika being a young woman who is strong, independent, and quite quirky. You might find some similarities between the Shivaay in "Learning to Love Him Again" and the Shivaay in this story, except for the fact that he instantly gains an attraction for Anika unlike the other one lol and that he actually has a soft heart :D

"Our Forbidden Love" is my commentary on society's unusual boundaries that tend to restrict love between people who are different in age and life experiences. I know the age-gap concept has been overused, but this story is unique because it follows the journey of two people who genuinely fall in love with one another without anyone forcing them to be together and without any regards to their age. This story explores something common that happens with some women who develop an attraction for a much older man, but have difficulties in developing the relationship or finding themselves bounded by society's rules and norms.This is their journey to being together and fighting all odds that are against them from their respective families and also odds and differences they have within themselves as well.

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Photo Credit: Pininterest

Socially awkward, sassy and bit quirky, Anika Malhotra encounters the mature, serious, playboy, and toxic Shivaay Singh Oberoi at her sister's destination wedding. Carrying a broken heart and not looking for love, Anika finds herself isolated at the wedding as she cannot see her sister marry her ex-fiancé and it is during this loneliness that she encounters Shivaay. Initially detesting one another, Anika and Shivaay build an unusual chemistry and attraction for one another seen in their fiery arguments. While Anika's family warns her to keep her distance from Shivaay since he is the chief guest at the wedding along with being Ayaan and Anika's father's boss, Anika still finds herself crossing paths with Shivaay and even begins to develop a crush for him despite knowing he is a playboy. On the other hand, Shivaay convinces himself to distance himself from Anika due to their age difference, but is not able to deny his attraction for her...finding himself lured by her innocence and a need to heal her broken heart.Will Shivaay take her attraction to his advantage and indulge in a shameless fling or will he pursue a deeper relationship?

Spending time in the desert dunes or sightseeing the beauty of Rajasthan, Shivaay and Anika begin to feel sparks and indulge in romance with one another. As they continue to spend time with one another, they find differences between them due to their age difference, but somehow this difference increases they need to be with one another and complete one another in their own way. So, what will happen when a young millennial begins a relationship with a much older man? Will Anika and Shivaay's families get in the way? Will there differences get in the way? What will happen when they finally fall in love?

Stay tuned to read this endearing, yet intense story...

Anika Malhotra

Always coloring her world with a sense of quirkiness, sassiness, and sense of independence, 23 year old Anika finds herself at a loss in the present day as she is not able to bear her heartbreak. She see's her personal life failing as she appears to not believe in the idea of love anymore, seeing it as an illusion. Moreover, realizing she cannot have children, she finds herself very isolated and see's herself as an outlier in society due to the conservative values her family brought her up with. Indeed, Anika hides her pain behind her smile and sassiness, but she has a long journey ahead in finding herself and flying away like a free bird.

Photo Credit: Pininterest

Coming out of a fresh heartbreak, Anika has to relive her wounds and undergo their pain each day as she witnesses her ex-fiancé, Ayaan, preparing for his wedding with Anika's younger sister Arti. Anika was previously engaged to Ayaan, her childhood love, who decided to leave her after beginning an affair with Arti after he realized that Anika cannot have children. Facing the betrayal of the decade, Anika finds her younger sister indulging in romance with her ex-fiance and finds it unbearable, but she is still committed to her duty of being the eldest daughter, thus, she decides to attend her sister's wedding.

As a failing pre-medical student, Anika has also found herself unable to succeed in her professional life as she is not able to gain admission to medical school despite reapplying multiple times. Thus, Anika is at a loss in where she is going in life as she is unemployed and short on cash.

Thus, Anika is on a soul searching journey as she appears to have lost her purpose in life finding herself alone in her selfish family and feeling isolated from everyone else since no one appears to understand her heartbreak. However, what will happen once she encounters Shivaay Singh Oberoi at her sister's destination wedding? Initially distancing herself from him by hating his rough demeanor, she soon starts to gain an attraction for the much older man. She finds herself becoming attracted to his power, his rough demeanor, and the traits he has that she has not seen in anyone else. Anika's family noticing her closeness with Shivaay, tell her to keep her distance from him as he is her father's boss, but Anika doesn't give up and indulges in a romantic rendezvous with Shivaay who is the only man she finds comfort with as he heals her broken heart. What will happen when she begins to develop serious feelings for a much older man? Will she heal his wounded heart? Will her values prevent her from doing such or will she live her life as a free bird and finally fight for her happiness?

Shivaay Singh Oberoi

Shivaay paints his world with gray with a sense of routine, maturity, and toxicity that is a mixture of his ego and self-centeredness. He is famous for his playboy antics and at the age of 35 has yet to enter a committed relationship. However, these are the mere descriptions one gives by only looking at him on the surface, but there is more to him than what appears to be. He is a broken man whose childhood has led him to not believe in the idea of love. His family life is shattered and he does his best to collect it together. Despite having money and power, he still feels alone and unhappy. However, what will happen once he encounters the peculiar and quirky Anika Malhotra who catches his gaze and for whom he forms an attraction for despite their age difference?

Photo Credit: Pininterest

At the age of 35, he is in the current running for being one of the richest men in the U.S. as he is the head of the Oberoi Empire that indulges in making medical instruments, pharmaceuticals, and recently solar energy.

He is rude, arrogant, and each person who encounters him hates him in an instant, however, he is not what he appears to be on the surface.

Indeed, Shivaay attempts to forge his family together that has been broken since he was 10. His mother leaving his father for another man and his younger brother Om being separated from him as part of the divorce custody process. Being raised by his grandmother while his father was busy working, he dotes his grandmother dearly and will do anything for her. Moreover, he is a father to his adopted daughter Ira after Ira's father and mother, Shivaay's younger brother Rudra and his wife, pass away tragically. Indeed, Shivaay attempts to believe that he lives in an ideal family knowing how untrue it is and how empty his family is.

Having grown up in a broken family and witnessing at an early age how love is only an illusion as his mother left his father, Shivaay doesn't believe in love. However, he believes in the idea of pleasure as he has had a string of girlfriends in the past being marked as a playboy by mass media.

Escaping a recent playboy scandal in which his ex-girlfriend aired his dirty laundry in the media, Shivaay attends Arti's wedding since his grandmother is best friends with Anika's grandmother. However, what will happen once he encounters a young Anika who is 12 years younger than him, but who he finds attractive the moment he sets his eyes on her. Will he indulge in a fling, like he has in the past, or dive into a deeper relationship? Will his morals and values push him away from pursuing a relationship with a younger woman? What happens when Anika will attempt to know about his past and try to heal his wounds? Will he heal her broken wounds?

The Malhotras

Nandini Malhotra (Anika's Mother)

Photo Credit: Behind Talkies

She is the matriarch of the Malhotra family is a loving and doting mother, but has failed to uphold the duties of beinga parent. Sacrificing Anika's happiness for Arti, she decides to give into her younger daughter's desire to marry her older daughter's, Anika's, ex-fiancé Ayaan. Nandini knows how wrong she is in making such decision, but due to Ayaan's mother, Neha, being her best friend from childhood, she doesn't want to disappoint her. Thus, Nandini's decision to support Arti and Ayaan's marriage has put a permanent wedge in her relationship with Anika. Anika is no longer able to trust her mother and struggles in loving her like she did before. Will Nandini be able to repair her broken relationship with Anika?

Anand Malhotra (Anika's Father)

Photo Credit: Latestly

He is the patriarch of the Malhotra family and is a loving father who equally loves his daughters Anika and Arti. He is dedicated head accountant who works for Shivaay's company where Shivaay is his boss. Due to Arti's future in-laws demand of having a destination wedding, Anand borrows a large loan from Shivaay to afford the wedding. Moreover, Anand is an honest man with conservative values that he aims to instill in his daughters. However, what will happen when Anika begins to challenge the values he has given her?

Arti Malhotra (Anika's younger sister)

Photo Credit: TimesNowNews

Bubbly, vivacious, and ambitious, Arti is Anika's youngest sister who shares a strained relationship with Anika. She has always been jealous of Anika since Anika has always been doted and loved more by their parents according to her. She aims to perfect her professional and personal life, so she can outbeat Anika.

Due to her jealousy of Anika, Arti betrays her own sister and indulges in an affair with Ayaan who was engaged to Anika at the time. Indeed, Arti is not keen on having Anika at her dream wedding, but decides to be silent on the topic due to her mother's insistence. However, Arti is determined to make Anika isolated from the wedding and her family since she disdains her.

Ayaan Saxena

Crooked and selfish, Ayaan is Arti's fiancé and was Anika's ex-fiancé . He shamelessly seduced Arti and began an affair with her due to an attraction he began to build for her overtime while he was engaged to Anika. As he realized that he loves Arti and never truly loved Anika, he broke off his engagement with Anika and decided to get engaged to Arti. He does not get along with Anika for obvious reasons and keeps himself distant from her.

He is employed as the marketing head for Shivaay's pharmaceutical company. He deeply fears Shivaay and wants the wedding to go well since Shivaay is a chief guest at the wedding and he is expecting a promotion from him.

The Oberois

Dadi (Shivaay's grandmother)

Photo Credit: Youtube

She is the matriarch of the Oberoi family who is deeply devoted to keeping her family intact. She loves her grandson, Shivaay dearly and hopes he settles in life. As she has already had a heart attack in the past and is reaching the age of 80, she wishes Shivaay get's married to a woman who will bring happiness to his life and make him a better person along with being a wonderful mother to Ira. She is best friends with Anika's nani (grandmother).

Ira Oberoi (Shivaay's adopted daughter) (Did not add picture as I find it odd to put a random child's face.).

Funny, giggly, and vibrant, Ira is seven months old and currently is babbling in the new world she is encountering each and every day. Both of Ira's parents have passed away and before Rudra, Shivaay's younger brother died from cancer, he allowed Shivaay to adopt his daughter. Shivaay adores Ira as she is the apple of his eye. Recently, Ira has formed a liking for Anika who appears as a mother figure in her life.

Pinky (Shivaay's mother)

Photo Credit: Pinkvilla

Selfish and money-minded, Pinky is a famous socialite in New York who is famous for hosting charity events and parties.

She is Shivaay and Omkara's mother who left Shakti Oberoi, Shivaay's father, for another man with whom she had an affair since Shivaay was 3 years old. Once Shakti's company began to fail in mass market, Pinky left him and got remarried to the older man who was thirty years her senior. Recently widowed, Pinky is beginning to reflect back on her life and wants to reconcile with Shivaay who hasn't talked to her in years. Pinky feels that since Shivaay's father, Shakti, has passed away, she should now assume her parental duties and care for Shivaay and become involved in his life.

Omkara Oberoi (Shivaay's younger brother)

Photo Credit: Pininterest

Funny, witty, and intelligent, he is Shivaay's younger brother who got separated from Shivaay during their parents' custody battle in which Pinky got his custody while Shakti, their father, got Shivaay's custody. He shares a strained relationship with Shivaay as they both have grown up in separated homes in separate families, thus, he is not able to bond well with his older brother. He is a chemical engineer by profession. He has come to attend Arti's destination wedding where he encounter Shivaay and finds it difficult in bonding with him.

Gauri Oberoi

Photo Credit: Telengana Today

Intelligent yet endearing, Gauri is Omkara's wife who has been married to him for three years. She is currently pregnant and expecting her first child with Omkara. She is attending Arti's wedding as she is Anika's cousin from her mother's side.

Priyanka Oberoi

Photo Credit: Youtube

As the youngest sister of Shivaay and Omkara, she is spoiled and childish who is currently pursuing an MBA. She is attending Arti's wedding as she is Arti's best friend from college.