Cover Credit: Pininterest

Hi everyone :) I have decided to resume writing this story and this is just a preview/teaser of this story which will begin to get new updates in mid December. Thank you for reading and giving this story a chance.

Preview/Teaser

https://youtu.be/1ami6Ndc9aM

As the warm summers hit the five rivers in Punjab, it found its life when the season of love began.

He caught sight of her innocence and liveliness in his college days...As her anklets chimed under the monsoon rain as she danced with her dupatta covering her face, her giggles caught his attention and made him look towards her. The rustic fragrance of Punjab seen in each and every manner of hers' as she smiled brightly drenching in the rustic lands' beauty and culture... making him believe that she was different.

She always stood strong against her circumstances...bearing them and fighting against them...she always sought happiness in her sadness and her sadness was what lured him toward her as he wanted to lay the world at her feet...however, he forgot that they were sworn enemies...their families were each other's sworn enemies.

"Anika...You mean so much to me...Choose me...Choose us..." He whispered once more as tears slipped down Anika's cheeks with realization how it was impossible. How it was impossible for them to be together. The distance between them being far apart...so far that even they couldn't fill it.

"Shivaay...our families and our worlds are far apart...You and both know that this is impossible..." Anika whispered as she bit her lip holding back tears as Shivaay sighed slipping his hand into hers looking into her eyes.

"Then let me take you somewhere where it's only us and no one else Anika...no one..." He spoke softly as he ran his hand across Anika's cheek wiping her tears away in an instant as she looked at him with realization of how much she wanted him to take her away and how much she wanted a life...a beautiful life with him....

Shivaay and Anika's love was pure...free of conflict, but burning in the fire of enmity that their families had. The enmity that their families had eventually destroying their love for one another and burning it to ashes...at least the love that Shivaay had.

"Shivaay...please I beg of you...do not ruin my life. Don't punish me for the sins my family has committed...please..." Anika whispered folding her hands in front of Shivaay as he trembled with rage and revenge that he was not willing to let go of.

He smirked as he grabbed her waist immediately wrapping her around his arm looking into her eyes that screamed her innocence to him. His eyes moving down her hands rich with mehendi that belong to someone else. Entwining his fingers into hers', he captured her gaze inciting fear inside of her as she trembled.

He closed his eyes shut as he ran his lips against her hand as she shivered lowering her eyes as a sense of shyness overwhelmed her. His senses filling up with the smell of her mehendi as he felt bittersweet from realization of what they could've been and what they have become now.

"Shivaay..." She whispered pulling her hand away as Shivaay awakened and came back to reality.

"Anika...if you were someone else then I would have shown you mercy, but the fact that their blood runs inside of you and that you are their kin... will not allow me to show mercy...I will ruin your life and that is when I will get some peace...And after I will destroy you...I will destroy your family because that is how I will get peace..." He hissed as Anika looked at him stunned as fear ran through her telling her that she was losing him to vengeance.

However, Shivaay's will to seek revenge did not only ruin Anika, but also brought him down with her. His revenge entangling him in such a mess that now he has to bear her for life and he cannot do anything about it. He has been tied in an unwanted relationship that he himself cannot let go...

"I will not marry Anika! Never will I allow her to come to life! Never!" Shivaay screamed as Dadi grabbed him holding on his shoulders looking straight into his eyes trying to bring him back from his moment of rage.

"Shivaay...you broke the norms of the world and now you will have to repent...It has been decided that you will marry Anika and that is what will happen!" Dadi commanded as Shivaay sighed tugging on to his hair as tears streamed down his cheeks.

"What norms?! Nothing happened Dadi! Nothing! Then how can you push me into such fire that I myself have not ignited or flamed? How can you soil my life with such filth... That filth!" He screamed his innocence as he realized he was losing his battle...

Without any of their will, society bonded them into a bond that they were not willing to give into. A bond that she decided to fulfill while he didn't. A bond for which she will fight for while he will not and do everything to end it...

Tracing her hand along her mangalsutra, she stared into the mirror as tears slipped down her cheeks with realization of what had happened. Her eyes lowering with a sense of shame as she placed the sindoor into the partition of her hair feeling a sense of heaviness weighing her down.

As she looked up she met his eyes as he stood behind her in silence. His eyes still lit with revenge as he looked at her. He took a step closer towards her as she stood still not saying another word knowing it would further poison his wrath against her.

His hand running through the back of her hair tracing it towards the red saree she wore as her spine immediately moved inwards as it came across his touch. His lips grazing against her ear as she clasped her hands tightly against one another wavered by the foreign touch his lips that softly laid against her skin.

"Anika...you may be my wife according to others...but for me you are no one, but my enemy's daughter...you are part of a family that has taken my father...my lifeline...my everything...Now you will pay for their sins...For your whole life, I will make you pay...I will never accept you as my wife. Never. You will always be that person from that sinful family who will repay for their deeds..." He hissed against her ears as her eyes widened as his words pierced her subtle hopes that he will give her mercy.

She looked up at his reflection in the mirror as she saw vengeance and a sense of determination in him that he would say true to his words. However, she will not falter. Her values have taught her the importance of marriage and taught her that no matter what she has to always fight for it and that is what she will do.

Gathering all her strength, she spoke. "Shivaay...for me you will always be my husband and as your wife I will do everything to hold this marriage together...My family has sinned and for that I will repent, but I will fulfill by duties of a wife by standing by your side, supporting you, and ensuring that our marriage is of equality not inequality..." She replied as Shivaay looked at her with questioning eyes wrapping his hands around her waist and immediately turning her towards him.

"What do you mean? Huh? This marriage is a farce and don't you dare even think that you are my wife..." He warned as Anika smiled seeing fear in his eyes...fear that he might weaken in front of her love...

"I am and now I will fulfill my duties of not only being a wife, but as someone who loves you...I will do everything to keep you and this marriage and my heart tells me that one day our love will prevail..." Anika spoke as she gathered confidence in herself.

A small smile slowly appeared across Shivaay's lips as he looked at her. "It's your love not our love... that is the truth..." Shivaay spat and in an instant he pushed her away walking away on his love.

Will Shivaay fulfill his revenge or will Anika's one sided love eventually win his heart? Can Shivaay ever love a woman whose family took away his father? Will their marriage survive Shivaay's wrath? Will Anika ever be able to win Shivaay's love? Will Shivaay and Anika ever be able to escape their families' sworn enmity and create a beautiful life with only the two of them in it?

Only time will tell...Tune into a new intense, rustic romantic drama based in beautiful Punjab...A Punjab that is full of beautiful traditions and rich vibrant culture where Shivika's romance will be rooted and be bloomed...Tune into another emotional, heart-wrenching, and romantic drama that will be reminiscent of "Learning to Love Him Again"...but touch deeper roots of complexity...questioning the ideologies of society...questioning what marriage truly is and teaching what it should be like...

As a writer, I am commenting on society and its unique personalities that I have encountered in my daily life, so please accept this story as mere drama...Please do not quickly jump to judgement about Anika's character in this story as this is only a preview of the story...This story is different from "Learning to Love Him Again". Please be polite and kind...Thank you for reading :)

P.S. I have purposely used a particular dialogue from "Learning to Love Him Again" in this story as its a trademark dialogue :)