She regretted... for disagreeing with Sanskar who was straight away telling her that it was Kavita who had locked her in the store room.

After the chain of questions that Sanskar had bestowed upon Swara, she was slowly feeling as if piece were falling in the place. She realised how this could all be a preplanned intrigue... an intrigue to show Swara what Kavita's got.

But now, it was Kavita who would be made to see her place by Swara Bose...

And there was no delay.

"I'm sorry, Sanskar." Those were her last words of their encounter.

Staring at Sanskar for one last time, she turned around on her heels, and went away from there, without noticing the questions that rose in Sanskar's eyes.

For she had another thing to do.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

"What's your problem, Kavita?"

A loud voice across the corridor made Kavita turn behind, only to see Swara, staring at her straight in the eyes.

For a moment, even Kavita was taken aback at her sudden appearance in front of her.

"What's wrong, Swara? What are you doing here? And what about the files I had asked you to bring for me?" She pulled on a fake innocent demeanor.

"You're my senior," Swara uttered her words in an angry tone. "That does not give you the right of making me your helper. Now coming to point... why did you do that with me?!" She shooted her question to her.

"Oh!" Kavita feigned realisation. "So, someone has got some worthless accusations to throw now. You were supposed to do my work for me." She gave her statement and Swara was seriously pissed off.

"Stop your drama Kavita!" Swara shouted on her. "Look, I am in no state to tolerate any pretense right now." She told her clearly, and Kavita seemed visibly amused, and a bit shocked too. "I know it very well Kavita, it was you! It was you... who locked me i-in the..."

Just the thought of that scary store room where she lived for a long time made her want to puke her fear out. The images of those cockroaches and cobwebs were still stuck in her head.

But no, she was not going to show that fear in front of Kavita.

"You did that with me, Kavita!" Swara stated as a matter of fact. "May I have the privilege of knowing why? Kya bigada hai mene tumhara? Jawaab do mujhe!"

"Oh, seriously? You're suspecting me?" Kavita asked her, still pretending as if she knew nothing. "You went there yourself Swara..."

"You asked me to go there, so don't you dare go on me into saying that you didn't do anything." Swara raised a finger towards her, but Kavita was anything but provoked. Her attitude was still so cool, and it took Swara to think what did she really eat that no one's words ever affect her!

"This little girl does have an impressive anger to show." Kavita thought.

"I know it was all your plan to put me in trouble. You convinced me into helping you by getting you some non existent files for you from that store room, and with that, you found a way to lock me in so that you can play your game very well. So much of planning Kavita, and I'm surprised how you're still so fine enough that you don't even admit your mistake." Swara was saying on but Kavita tried intimidating her...

"Sweetheart..."

"Meri baat abhi khatam nahi hui hai Kavita!" Swara raised her tone higher this time, even making Kavita drop down her pretense for a while. By this time, she was visibly irked.

"Come on!" Kavita rolled her eyes, a small smirk visible at the corner of her lips. "May I ask you, what proof do you have about it, that I locked you inside?" Swara was even more provoked by the lack of her ingratitude but both of them were interrupted by a voice...

"Some things don't require any proof, Kavita!"

There was silence in the air between Swara and Kavita's distance.

Both of them turned around only to find him, with one of the faces seemed relieved, and the other face looked intimidated.

Sanskar walked towards both of them and stood besides Swara, which irked Kavita further.

"Some things do not require any proof." He repeated his sentence, and Swara looked at Sanskar while Kavita sighed heavily.

"Oh, heroine ka hero!" Kavita mumbled raising an eyebrow.

"Sanskar was the one who saved me and let me out of that store room. Agar woh nahi hota na, I don't know if I would have even been alive." Swara uttered what was in her heart and Sanskar couldn't help but forget the entire situation for a while only to resynchronise Swara's words.

"So?!" Kavita cocked an eyebrow. "Why are you telling that to me?"

'I have never seen a person with such a bitchy attitude like you, Kavita, you should seriously know that." Swara threw her words on Kavita venomously.

"Tell me something new, darling," Kavita played with her hair, without paying any heed to them.

"Enough Kavita!" Sanskar raised his voice and raised his finger towards her. "One more word, and you'll be making me do something I don't wish to do."

Kavita snapped her head back at Sanskar angrily.

"If I see you..." Sanskar paused for effect and Swara was slightly taken aback by his behavior. "...ever doing anything wrong to Swara... you will have it."

"Oh!" Kavita answered back confidently, as if she just knew exactly what to say. "Dhamki kise de rahe ho tum Sanskar?" She chuckled, and Sanskar shaked his head slightly in confusion. "What?!" He asked her, and even Swara stared at her in disbelief.

"Stop pretending Sanskar!" Kavita folded her arms, and stared at him smirking. "Mujhe pata hai, and I am sure yeh baat tumhe bhi pata hai. Tum dhamki kisko de rahe ho? Usse, jis ke saath tumhari shaadi hone wali hai?"

Kavita's words echoed loudly across the corridor and ground beneath Sanskar shaked. As for Swara, she was visibly taken aback, and more than that her heart dropped down an inch. She almost stepped an inch behind, unable to take in the shock, but somehow maintained her stance.

And Kavita exactly knew what she was doing there.

And Sanskar was too shocked to react.

"Entire hospital knows about it, Sanskar!" Kavita dropped the bomb further only to see Sanskar's annoyed expression, and Swara was stiffened by this piece of information.

"We are going to marry each other, Sanskar. Our fathers have arranged our marriage. You already know that your father and my father are partners, right? They have always been great partners and it was my father who had asked for your relationship with me. I'm surprised how you can forget so soon... or perhaps your father hasn't informed you yet..."

"For godsake Kavita! You are..." Sanskar said loudly... only to be stopped by Swara.

"Sanskar, stop!" Swara mumbled to him, and Sanskar looked at her in shock. "Sab log dekh rahe hai. Kya sochenge hamare baare mein?! Please, stop it right here."

"Swara this girl is lying..." Sanskar shaked his head angrily.

"Bas, Sanskar! Stop." Swara mumbled to him soberly, and Kavita smirked, knowing exactly the storm she had brought in. "Look, please just end the matter here. I don't want to drag it. I..." Swara paused for a while to get her heartbeats under control, and this time Sanskar stared at her.

"M-My duty for the day is over, so, I think I would like to go back to hostel." Swara told him. "However, Anushka will remain here, if she had some work, otherwise tell Rajat to inform her that I've gone back to the hostel. I'm leaving."

Kavita dispersed from there long back smirking and Sanskar just couldn't taken in what just happened.

"Swara, listen to me." Sanskar attempted to clear the misunderstanding that just came between them.

Sanskar and Kavita's marriage, no way! Even if this world was going to end, even if this would be the last day of Sanskar's life, even if Kavita was the only human being on this earth, Sanskar. Was. Not. Going. To. Marry. That. Girl. And that was just it.

And in no way, he was going to let Swara believe the opposite.

Swara looked at him and just the sight of him made her heart immerse into the depth of sadness. She herself didn't know why, but she felt a little hurt.

"Swara, that Kavita..." Sanskar began only to be interrupted by her again.

"Sanskar, thank you so much!" Swara thanked him, and that was something that Sanskar did not expect at this time. "Thank you for saving me, I won't forget this. Really."

"And I'm sorry too." She apologised to him after taking a deep breath. "I didn't listen to you and ended up arguing with you. I'm really sorry. And thank you again, for saving me."

She smiled, but Sanskar did not fail to notice that her smile did not reach her eyes. She licked her lips once as Sanskar continued staring at her, fearing because of the lack of any reaction from her side. Because he knew, this was the moment where Swara hid herself inside even more.

"And... c-congratulations." Swara got into the main point at last, making Sanskar's heart sink as he stared at her. "I'm... happy for you guys." She told him half heartedly, and Sanskar didn't know anymore what pained him more. The fact that he was assumed to be marrying Kavita, or Swara's words.

"Swara... I..."

"I should go Sanskar. I need to rest. And I don't have any more duties for today so... Goodbye."

Taking Sanskar's leave half heartedly, she turned away from him, walking away from there at as fast pace as she could, for she knew waiting there just staring at him might start making her feel something that she was not supposed to feel.

Whereas on the other hand, Sanskar just stared at her departing figure, his mind fully numb this time, and his disability of coming up with any word.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Every damn thing was messed up here.

Sanskar was pacing around in his own room, pulling his hairs back in anxiety, still thinking, and still thinking. Perhaps overthinking about the situation.

Why the hell was it even predicted for Kavita to come across him?

Yes, it was true, that the Roy family had suggested for him and their daughter to tie the knot together, but in no way was Sanskar in agreement. He had already been crystal clear about it, he never wanted to marry her before, he never wanted to marry her now, and he was never going to marry her ever in his life. He had his mind made up right when his father had told him about all that catastrophe.

But he so wished he would had cleared it all with Swara. He wanted to tell her he was not going to marry Kavita. If only he would had been stable enough at that time, he wouldn't have had to see that slightest yet existing hurt in her eyes.

Not even the fact that the entire hospital came to know about the rumour hit him. It was only Swara's reaction to all of it that bothered him.

It had almost stolen his entire night.

"Kya karu yaar..." Sanskar still wondered anxiously. "Call karu usse? But how can I call her at this time when she must be sleeping right now? Which man in his right senses would call someone at midnight?"

Yes, midnight.

It was almost 12 am, and Sanskar was still clueless about everything.

"I have to clear this misunderstanding as soon as possible." Sanskar mumbled to himself. "I have to tell Swara what Kavita said is all a lie. I have to tell her I'm not going to marry Kavita, I was never going to. I never had any plan of tying a knot with her, not now and never in my life. Ek kaam karta hoon, Swara ko message karta hoon!" Sanskar finally decided and he fished his phone out of his pocket, serving through his contact list and finding Swara.

He typed a quick message to her.

'Duty tomorrow early in the morning. Please be there, Swara.'

He decided not to be straight forward and just begin normally, because he knew if he typed something about talking with her about that mess, it might mess up things more and make Swara even more reluctant into agreeing to confront him about it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Swara engulfed herself by the blanket as it was really cold. Anushka had slept long back, but Swara still couldn't sleep and she was just simply awake.

There was a kind of a slight yet strange pain in her chest. She still couldn't digest the fact that Sanskar was... sigh.

There were so many thoughts that were bothering her at once. If Sanskar was always going to be with Kavita, why would he talk with Swara? Why would he help her this much? Or for that matter, why would he even look at her more than he should?

So that was all... just because of this reason, that Sanskar was naturally a gentleman?

Did or not he feel something for her?

So whatever he did till today for her, was all just because he generally cared for people around him?

If yes, what's with the intensity he always held when he looked at her?

Swara now thought that this was all her imagination. What if she was expecting something that didn't even exist? The thought alone made her heart wrench but her mind was avoiding it all. Anyway, what even was Sanskar to her? Just a colleague, right? And she didn't have any right to...

Her thoughts were broken by the typical Samsung ringtone of her phone.

She picked her phone and swiped the screen, only to see a message flashing. A message... from Sanskar.

'Duty tomorrow early in the morning. Please be there, Swara.'

She typed back heavily.

'Ok.'

And she kept her phone aside, as she shifted her position away from her phone.

"Is that all I am to him?" Swara asked herself, and uttering those words made her feel something heavy in her chest. "His junior, an intern, someone under his wing, that's it?"

"Waise bhi... mujhe iss baat se farq nahi padhna chahiye, I guess." Swara chuckled coolly. "Here I almost thought that Sanskar actually had something for me. How can you be such an idiot Swara? Sanskar is going to marry Kavita, their families have arranged their marriage, they are going to tie a knot together, so how can he even feel anything for you? You am nothing to him in comparison with Kavita."

She didn't know herself, why was her reaction like this when in reality she had no such thoughts about Sanskar! Her mind was terribly messing with her heart, but Swara was still in denial. She never had any kind of feeling for Sanskar, irrespective of what he felt about her.

But yes... she did know somewhere that Sanskar did have something for her.

But after her encounter with Kavita and with the piece of news she got... she realised she was wrong, very wrong, to be thinking that.

And she was not even destined to have someone as good as him.

"I'm sorry Sanskar." Swara mumbled to herself. "I know you have always been like a good friend, but I'm not going to be the reason behind a spoilt relationship between you and Kavita. That is why, from now on... I'm going to stay away from you. As far as possible. I'm sorry, but I don't want to come between two people who are going to spend their lives together soon. Unke alag hone ki wajah mai nahi banna chahti. The least I can do is... just stay calm and complete my internship without any problems and hurdles. And after my internship, I'll leave... I'll be leaving for my specialisation. There is just no chance for me to think anything about Sanskar, and I'm not going to."

That was her sole determination.

She was going to stay away from Sanskar, and that was just it. She was not going to be the person who could come between a preplanned couple and break their relationship.

Not now, not ever.

Ignoring the slight tinge of pain arising in her heart, she decided to sleep, without thinking anything, without doing anything.

Things were worse than Swara and Sanskar thought in their own places.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Next day...

Swara was getting ready in front of the mirror, ignoring the thoughts that were distracting her since night.

She had decided not to think anything about anyone anymore. She was here only for her internship, and that was that.

Anushka was getting ready but even while she was combing her hairs into a neat hairstyle, her eyes did not escape Swara's thoughtful demeanor.

She had been observing her since yesterday, and she herself didn't know how but something felt really wrong. Yesterday, her going back home suddenly without informing her, and when at night when they were playing chess together, Swara seemed really half heartedly interested in playing and mentally she was somewhere else. She herself didn't know why some things were seemingly going wrong.

Perhaps it might be that she was still not out of the trauma of being locked in that terrible store room, but Swara wasn't so weak that she couldn't let go incidents.

There was something more to it... and she was going to know it soon.

Anushka cleared her throat to gain Swara's attention. "Swara!"

Swara looked at her in acknowledgement. "Yeah?"

"You didn't tell me why are you going so early today?"

"Woh..." Swara grabbed her purse from her dresser. "S-Sanskar messaged me yesterday. He told me to come early today as I have some duties."

Anushka did not fail to notice the kind of hesitance that Swara had when she uttered Sanskar's name.

"O-Oh! Okay then. Well... my duties are after 9 am, so I'll come by that time then. Till that time, I'll study genetics." She replied back.

Swara forced a friendly smile looking at Anushka. "No problem. Accha, I'm leaving now. Bye. And take care." She greeted and Anushka smiled too.

"Bye!"

And Swara left from there after grabbing her sandals. Anushka sighed, still unable to understand what was going on.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

At 8 am...

Swara decided not to think about what had happened yesterday, and she just set right off to work.

But all her expectations came crashing down right under her feet as she heard two voices... probably that belonged to some two female interns...

"Didn't you hear the latest news? Dr Sanskar and Kavita are going to marry each other soon!" The owner of one of the voices yelled and Swara could hear it coming from a corner. No sooner she heard the same thing again, she felt a part of her shrinking with a kind of pain.

But why? Why did it affect her? Why did it bother that Sanskar was going to marry a girl who disliked her to a strong extent! She was always clear that she had no such thoughts about him. Then what's with the strange sadness in her heart?

And she was back to square one.

"I can't believe it!" The other female voice groaned, and the former voice chuckled. "Not fair yaar. You know I always kind off had a lowkey crush on him. Honestly, you know what, I still can't believe he would marry someone like Kavita."

Even Swara could not believe it. But unexpected does happen, right? And that was inevitable.

Letting out a shaky breath, she left the area as quickly as she could.

Deep breaths, Swara, deep breaths! If you have to survive in this hospital, just don't bother yourself by anything.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Swara was checking her patient and as she thoroughly ran some diagnosis checking him, she sighed mournfully.

"There might be a need of doing a blood test for dengue." Swara concluded from her patient's condition. "You have a few symptoms like that, but don't worry. I'll ask sister to make the necessary arrangements and you can come for the blood test tomorrow."

She smiled giving hope to her patient and he smiled back. "Thank you Dr Swara. Truly you are a blessing in disguise of a doctor." He remarked and Swara smiled nodding.

"It's my job, sir. Anyway, take care of yourself and take the medicines that I have given you. They might help bringing down the high fever."

Giving a last greet to her patient, she turned around from them... only to be taken aback as she saw Sanskar staring at her. Perhaps, her each and every move.

Swara sighed, trying not to get distracted. "What happened?" She asked him simply. "Aise kyu dekh rahe ho tum mujhe?"

Sanskar looked at her for a few moments as he realised that things were worse than he thought to be. There was something about Swara at this moment that gave off the aura about her that she was trying her best to ignore all kinds of things that were bothering her.

He had noticed it, she was ignoring him since morning. Even when he was the one who had messaged her to come early, he did not get to approach her because when she came to the hospital she was already loaded with duties that she had on her plate today.

He wished to clear this nasty misunderstanding soon.

"Swara, we need to talk..." Sanskar began but Swara ignored him.

"Sanskar, please, I'm busy." She told him clearly but Sanskar shushed it away.

"Swara, mujhe tum se kuch baat..."

"Par mujhe tum se koi baat nahi karni hai Sanskar." Swara stated closing her eyes and Sanskar shaked his head in disbelief. Taking that as a cue, Swara walked away, leaving the department room, shocking Sanskar.

"Swara! Swara wait!" Sanskar followed her as Swara almost ended up in the main area of the hospital.

"Please Swara, listen to me for once!" Sanskar convinced her, this time gripping her wrist and Swara's heart skipped a beat as she felt a kind of intensity arousing her under his grip... she turned around and stared at him.

"Sanskar please, I am busy!" Swara said hastily, feeling that she was not supposed to be the one letting him hold her hand.

"Swara..." Sanskar took a deep breath, licking his lips for once. "Listen. What you and what the entire hospital has come across is not true." He was clear cut with her, and time for Swara seemingly stopped right there as she did not even look at Sanskar, but instead somewhere else. "Kavita is freaking lying, Swara! Kavita and I are not marrying each other." He told her off, and Swara looked at him for a while in confusion.

Sanskar not marrying Kavita?

"Yes, it's true that our fathers were thinking about arranging our marriage, but I was not ready." Sanskar confessed what he felt deep inside, but Swara was suddenly distracted for a while as her eyes laid straight ahead trespassing Sanskar. "In fact mene papa ko mana bhi kar diya tha, that I didn't want to marry Kavita. Abhi toh kya, puri zindagi mein mai usse shaadi nahi karna chahta. I don't like her at all, Swara, irrespective of our fathers being good friends, I never liked her! That is why I had already said no for the marriage. You have to believe it Swara, she is a liar! And she is lying only to gain attention. She is lying only to... Swara? Kya hua tumhe?" Sanskar noticed the lack of any reaction from her side.

He looked on confused and Swara was already looking through him, somewhere behind him, and ever since then she was just blankly staring at the figure right behind Sanskar... even Sanskar was clueless for a while.

"What happened Swara?" He asked her in a soft tone, but Swara could hear nothing.

Nothing.

Her heart dropped down as for a second, breathing became extremely hard for her. She was externally baffled, and internally she was suffocating. Her entire world came crashing down right in front of her as she still couldn't believe her eyes...

Her eyes stared at a carrier hospital bed at a distance very far away from her but something made her eyes glued to the figure that was lying on the bed within a pool of... lot of blood.

The clothing on that bed felt really familiar...

Swara, this time completely forgetting that Sanskar was right in front of her staring at her in shock, walked taking long steps to approach the bed she suddenly so badly wanted to see only to make sure... that nothing was wrong.

But she was wrong.

Everything was wrong.

"Swara?" Sanskar looked at her and suddenly wondered what happened to her. He followed her only to find out.

Swara reached the bed and first her eyes laid upon a group of people that were standing around the bed, wandering in the hospital mournfully.

"Where's the doctor? She needs to be treated immediately." One of the voices said.

"Arey koi doctor ko bulao."

"Her condition seems very critical. I doubt if she will survive." Said one of the ladies.

And the person lying on the bed, her face smeared with blood, suffocating in a pool of blood, the saree that Swara was seeing, partially covered with the hospital blanket which was now wet with blood...

It suddenly brought her entire world to halt. It came so quickly like a storm and swooshed her senses off. Everything came crashing down right on her feet and she suddenly felt her entire being paralyzed in shock as she recognised the face of the woman...

No. Just no. Please, no! Please NO!

"MAA!!!!!!"

Swara shouted on top of her lungs as she realised that this woman lying in so much of blood was her own mother!

Swara let out a panic stricken sob as she pushed everyone away who came in her way, only to approach her unconscious mother...

"Maa! Maa get up!" Swara shaked her rigorously. "Maa kya hua aapko? Maa???!!"

Swara suddenly threw her entire being on the bed but a shocked Sanskar came running and immediately grabbed her from falling down.

"Swara!" Sanskar stopped Swara as he held her tight. Sanskar was himself too shocked after seeing what just happened.

"Swara, Swara calm down! Sambhalo apne aap ko!" He told her in a shaky voice but she still paniced...

"MAA!!!" Swara yelled loudly.

Doctors were immediately making their way towards the crowd.

Some ladies told the doctor to admit the patient in the hospital as soon as possible.

"Ssh! Silence, please!" A doctor said to everybody there. "We need to check up on her and we will make sure she will be fine. Please, just excuse the doctors into doing their work!"

"Maa!" Swara yelled, taking a hand out of Sanskar's grip and gripping her mother's hand. "Maa yeh sab... yeh sab kaise hua aapke saath? Maa please utho! Maa?!"

"Dr Swara, please calm down." The doctor told her, but Swara didn't listen. "Please let us check her. Dr Sanskar, please take care of her."

Sanskar nodded his head in panic and as the hospital bed was dragged off towards the emergency room, so did Sharmishtha's hand slip off from Swara's hand... which made Swara fall into darkness.

A lady from the local people approached Swara. "Beta, is she your mother?"

"Y-Yes." Swara replied in a weak voice, and all of a sudden, she questioned her. "W-What happened to my mother, aunty? Please tell me! Kya hua meri Maa ko?" She asked her tearfully.

One of the men exhaled mournfully. "Beta, actually, she met with an accident."

"Accident?" Swara whispered in shock and Sanskar was shocked too.

"A truck accident." The man informed. "It was a terrible accident, actually. She was crossing the road, when suddenly that truck came from nowhere and..." He sighed mournfully. "Uss truck ne unhe uda kar... she fell on her head. But by the time we all approached her, she was already bleeding heavily and slipped into unconsciousness. Then we brought her here as quickly as we could."

If situation was nothing but normal, Swara would had thanked them for helping her and her mother. But right now, she felt even more suffocated after hearing all these things.

Accident? Her mother met with a truck accident?

"We will pray for her, beta." One of the ladies assured her. "Don't worry, Durga Maa sab thikh kar dengi."

"Thank you... thank you for bringing her here. I won't forget this. Really." Swara said.

Giving one last smile to Swara and praying to Durga Maa for the best, they left the hospital in some time, as they knew waiting there was against the hospital regulations. And right now, only Swara and Sanskar were standing there, with one of them completely lost, and the other too shocked by the current situation.

Sanskar took deep breaths and convinced Swara to calm down. "Swara, Swara shant ho jao. I know you are in shock, I know tum iss haalat mein nahi ho ki tum but please, stay calm. We all will do something, okay? Please Swara, stay calm. Your mother will be fine, I promise! Okay? Please just..."

All that Swara prayed was for her mother's well being. If something happened to her mother, she swore to god... she would die.

"Swara, everything will be fine..." Sanskar pacified Swara but...

Swara couldn't hear him.

She could hear nothing anymore.

Except the sound...

...that came from the opening of door of the room where her mother was taken...

...when the doctors came out after diagnosing her mother, bringing some disturbing news.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Precap : Sharmishtha fighting for her life, and... Swara's major breakdown.

A/N : What do you think will happen next?