*3 months later*
•Kolkata•

'I can't believe someone is still lost in her honeymoon', Omkara drawled while lying beside Gauri, playing with her hair.

'Don't!', she swatted his hand away, 'Rikara will come any moment looking for me.'

'Why?'

'Mr. , she has left her sketchbook here, I just found it,' Gauri smirked.

'So? What are you waiting for? Give it to me right now, I will give it to her and make sure she sleeps this time', Omkara snatched the sketchbook away and ran out.

Gauri was leaning upon the swing in the balcony, looking forlornly at the moon washed garden of tall eucalyptuses, their leaves glowed as silver blades. Cool night breeze blew softly brushing her ghostly white skin, and her eyes were glowing as chocolates wrapped in silver ring.

Omkara put his head in her lap coming back, and she silently ran her fingers through his silky hair, sighing.
Like a lovesick cat, he pushed his face further in her lap.

'Wifey', he said in a low voice, 'Don't you think you should sleep early, so that you can attend the party for whole night?'

'Hmm', she answered absentmindedly.

'Gauri, is everything alright?', Omkara asked worriedly looking up at her.

'Huh? No.. I mean, yes', Gauri stuttered, 'I'm not good with so many people gathered round me.'

Omkara caressed her thighs, drawing faint soothing circles, relaxing her nerves, 'Don't worry, Shivaay and Anika too would be there, they will handle things with us, okay? Now, don't think of it too much, else you'll lack your beauty sleep and your face will be filled with wrinkles.

Habits never die, Gauri glared at his shamelessly smirking face, her lips pressed in a thin line.

'Now, now, please don't get so angry on me', he cheekily smiled and picked her up in bridal style.

She wounded her hands round his neck and he pecked her nose, 'Good night Gauri.'

'Good night Omkaraji.'

*****

The grand hall of Oberoi Grand was decked up as a newly wed bride. The theme of decoration was lilies, and the whole hall was decorated with different kinds of lilies, and of different colours. The faint smell of those fresh flowers intoxicated the senses of the guests, along with the media personnel, who were running here and there to find small bytes of other than the big event of Oberois.

The big event was, that the CEO of OberoiTech, Omkara Singh Oberoi had finally collaborated with an upcoming operating system provider and launched the joint venture, introducing the laptops under Oberoi's brand name. OberoiTech was now also a laptop maker, along with games. Obviously, the junior Oberoi clan was here to celebrate the big news, they never imagined that a schizophrenic artist would shine himself to this extent, just by working his ass of. Luckily for him, there was his wife, who was still working under him and was promoted manually to the marketing department.

And, as the brand ambassador of this freshly launched laptops, there came the heartthrob of the country, SuperStar, Abhimanyu Raheja and his manager cum wife Nisha Raheja.

At around 8 O'clock at night, the aristocracy was in high swing.. Men and women, dressed in tuxedos and elegant gowns were sweeping over the marble floor, making it shine as mirror.

The kids were left in charge of Khanna and Dandi in Omkara's bungalow.

The Oberoi's men were dressed in crisp shirts and finely tailored business suits, Shivaay's one was grey, Omkara was in black and Rudra was in a light blue suit, each of their coat pockets had a white lily tucked in. The women chose to dress similarly, wearing off shoulder gowns, complementing the shirts of their husbands. Anika wore a green gown with silver lace works, Gauri wore a red gown with black lace works and Bhavya wore a white gown with light blue lace works. Three of them wore their hairs in beautiful Dutch hairdo, decorated with white lilies. They entered together hand in hand after their husbands, and all eyes turned at them along with the blinding flashes of cameras.

'Ooh's filled the hall as soon as Abhimanyu and his wife entered hand in hand. Waving at the reporters and the guests, he started walking towards the dias to join the Oberois. When he was done shaking hands with everyone, he stole a few glances of Gauri, who was surrounded by her in-laws.

Oh, how delicious it would be to have her in my arms, Abhimanyu thought with a smirk, but his face changed into a scowl when he saw her husband lacing his hands with her and parading around proudly, or occasionally kissed her cheeks for PDA.

He was fuming in frustration, as he gulped down glasses after glasses of alcohol to behave himself. After posing with the new laptops and delivering a small speech, thanking the Oberois for letting him present this huge venture.

When it was time for everyone to gather around the buffet, Abhimanyu was pacing around to grab a chance to get Gauri alone. Suddenly a shy voice came from behind him,

'May I have a selfie with you?'

He turned at Gauri back in a lightening speed, oh what an angelic voice, I wonder, how it would sound when you'll scream my name and beg me not to stop, 'Of course, my pleasure', he grinned excitedly, his eyes radiating off the cunning happiness of a wolf.

She stood by him shyly and clicked a selfie. But he insisted on clicking more, as his hands slowly started to roam on places of her body. It started with a decent side-hug, but soon she started squirming in discomfort as his palms touched and gripped at inappropriate curves.

Taking her phone away he started squeezing her breast lightly, 'I can't tell you how much seduced I was to see to you in office. I came to every meeting just to see you once', he swatted furiously away Gauri's claws aimed at him as he shut her mouth up and whispered in her ear, 'Just one night baby, I swear, I will make you scream in pleasure, so much that you'll forget your husband's name'.

The moment he walked a bit away to asses Gauri's raged beauty as she turned mute in immense hatred and anger, Omkara's voice came, 'Oh! There you are Mr. Raheja. I'm so sorry, but your wife has been looking for you for a long time', from behind him, came out Nisha who held his hand lovingly, 'Abhi, come, we'll eat together', she pulled him away with her, much to his despise.

As the couple went off, Gauri looked at Omkara's eyes, waves of pain, hatred, insecurity, anger, fear, dread, and gratitude ran down her cheeks as she hugged him tightly, hiding her face in his suit jacket, not letting him see her tears.

'Someone missed me very much', Omkara chuckled and patted her head, 'Gauri, please eat something and go home. I will be late, because the three of us will be busy in some office works and Rikara is acting very stubborn without us.'

'Oh, then I have to rush', Gauri wiped her tears hastily within the blink if an eye, but halted as Omkara lifted a slice of pizza and small box of chocolate sundae.

'Eat first, then you are allowed to leave', he ordered with a mock glare, and Gauri's face broke into a grateful smile, though a raging storm was rending her heart into shreds.

*****

'Enjoyed the party, Mr. Abhimanyu Raheja?'

Abhimanyu pressed all the switches of lights together, surprised of the deep baritone that rippled through the cold darkness of his presidential suite.

'You', relief washed over Abhimanyu as he saw Omkara sitting cross legged on the sofa of his allotted bedroom. His head was pounding as he had drunk a bit much to subdue his anger. He just had spanked Nisha with his belt for ruining his fun with Gauri and left her raw with bleeding skin in her bedroom of the suite. Their marriage was a namesake and he always did this whenever Nisha dared to utter even a word against him.

'What? Are you not happy to see me? Did you expect someone else?', Omkara flipped the position of his crossed legs, hands gloved, and his tone tinged with teasing.

His voice brought Abhimanyu back from his dreamland where he was taking Gauri hard. Cackling nervously, he collapsed on the opposite sofa, 'No! No! Not at all.. I was startled to hear your voice in the darkness.. But wait', he struggled hard to keep his eyes open and his vision clear, 'how did you get in my room? I swear it was locked.'

'Everything is fare in love and war', Omkara smirked as he took out two glasses and bottles of whiskey, the drink Abhimanyu was gulping down by litres, 'I can do wonders at certain times,' he chuckled coldly. If Abhimanyu was in his senses he would have gotten his spine chilled by now, but he didn't seem to notice the raging flood of lava beneath the thin layer if Omkara's patience.

'Let's celebrate your life!', Omkara raised a toast, so did Abhimanyu, with a frown, 'Why?'

'Oh, do I have to tell you? You know your achievements, you have fulfilled your every dream', Omkara made him drink two glasses simultaneously, 'but you know, you should never desire something that would be forbidden for you.'

Abhimanyu was struggling to see things before his eyes, 'What are you talking about?'

'Oh my! You still have the guts to lie to me! You know, even she doesn't lie to me!!', Omkara raised Abhimanyu by his collar on his buckling legs, 'I really want to rip you alive to shreds, but I have to take precautions.'

For a moment a deafening thunder hit the sky, cold air howled past the three hundred years old city, took with it, the withered leaves, the old yellow papers, the feathery light ashes, the whirls of dust. Startling the city again, another thunder cracked upon.

Now Omkara had pushed Abhimanyu in the attached bath.

'Are you angry that I was with your wife? Don't be. 'Cause she is the slut who seduced me', Abhimanyu slurred.

Omkara gripped his coat in a white knuckle grip, breathing deeply, trying to calm his nerves down. He couldn't let his anger overpower him and make him do mistakes which would be a lead for investigators. He would never believe that his wife could do something vile like this.

He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, 'Strip and get into the bathtub.'

'No', Abhimanyu feebly protested.

'Then strip only. I'll do the rest', Omkara opened the taps and the bathtub filled with glassy clear water. He looked at a statued Abhimanyu with an intense fire of a jealous alpha male in his eyes, 'Strip now, or I'll make your end worse.'

Intoxicated and scared out of his wit, he stripped his clothes off and Omkara placed them before the cupboard. Well, drunkard people don't care of keeping their clothes into the cupboard before bathing, right?

When the bathtub was over brimmed with lukewarm water, Omkara pushed Abhimanyu in, and he landed diagonally. He tried to struggle out of the giant tub, but Omkara pinned him by his shoulders in proper position.

'You'll not escape this', Abhimanyu feebly slurred.

'Oh really?', Omkara let out a devil's laugh, 'Then let me tell you, Dandi, can work wonders in finding such magicians who can manipulate the CCTV footages, instead of deleting them. The staffs didn't see me, why? Because this is fucking my hotel. And, even if there is something left, I have my ways. So, close your eyes, because you will drown accidentally', he gave him a very placid lecture.

Holding his hairs in a tight grip, he slammed his head in the edge of the tub and drowned his face completely in water, 'Do you know, how afraid she was? Do you know how much she cried in disgust? Do you know the amount of hatred burnt her when you touched her in such vulgar way?', he shook his head in the water. Slowly Abhimanyu's struggling hands and legs fell limp, he tried to say something from under water, as water rushed in his nostrils and mouth, due to his desperate breathing.

'Are you in pain? Good. I want to feel you her pain, both physical and mental', he left his head after he was sure that Abhimanyu was dead as a ugly doll.

He slowly walked away, leaving the door open. Behind him, lied the lifeless body of Abhimanyu Raheja, his eyes wide open like a fish, his mouth ajar, bubbles of the last air in his lungs slowly sipped out.

*****

He dried his rain drenched clothes with a hair dryer, after air drying them in the washing machine. Dandi, who helped him to escape the whole place till his house, took the dress trembling from his hand and went off silently to press them and wear it again for sometime, so that no one suspect that the suit was washed once or got drenched. Shivaay and Rudra came after sometime, they were gone in Priyanka's house for a reunion. Anika and Bhavya was sleeping in a room and Ansh was sharing Rikara's room with her.

He kissed a sleeping Rikara's face tenderly and mumbled while patting her hair, 'I'll never let you fall prey of these vile men, ever.'

Coming back to the master bedroom, he saw Gauri sleeping like a kitten in winter night. Her brows and for head were creased and her cheeks were stained with tears.

He stared at her for sometime, his heart wrenched painfully seeing her in such state. Not to disturb her sleep, he slowly wiped her face with a scented wet tissue, mumbling, 'I don't like your crying face. Now you'll look like a cute matryoshka doll with your red button nose', he carefully kissed her nose.

Picking her up in bridal style he laid on his favourite armchair facing the heavy downpour in ghostly darkness from the balcony and laid her head on his chest. Stirring a bit, she clutched his t-shirt and pressed her face further in his chest. He started caressing her hair, 'I came back from dead for you, how could I let some stray dog lay their dirty eyes on you? Don't worry, your Omkaraji will wipe off every scum from the face of this earth who dare to scratch you even in their dreams. But yeah, I'll miss saying this to you every night,

I LOVE YOU, JAAN..'

He closed his eyes, cold wind ruffled through his head. Would this untimely rain of winter wash off the struggles that are to come their way?? May be.

😂😂😂😂😂

This epilogue is the last blow for those who still haven't understood that Omkara gained back his memory in chapter-17.

Anyways, epilogue too is out. I've planned a character interview because I think many of you have many questions. So, ask in comment any question you want to ask to any of the characters. Just mention the character's name and write the question(s) you want to ask him/her.
Excited??
I don't know.. 😢I'll miss my babies so much.

Here comes the new book which will be updated after some days, maybe on Thursday. Please wait for my public message.

Thank you 😚😚😚
To you all for bearing me throughout this journey
❤× infinity
😢😢 happy tears.

Happy reading!

~ With love,
Sarani.