It was Shakti Singh Oberois's birthday, the Oberois were holding a small party at the party hall in their mansion. 

Omkara was greeting the guests who were joining the party when he spotted Anika's mother. "Hello aunty," he greeted touching her feet.

"Bless you, Om, please don't touch my feet and make me feel like I am eighty." Mrs. Talwar muttered placing a hand on his shoulder. 

Omkara smiled, "as you say, aunty," his smile wavered when Gauri entered and stood behind Mrs. Talwar. She was dressed in an elegant salmon-red dress that ended at her knees. Her straight hair was left open. She wasn looking everywhere but at him.

"Mumma!" Anika squealed hugging her mother. Omkara glanced at Anika.

"Anu!" Her mother kissed her cheek. The two didn't part. Omkara's gaze went back to Gauri whose lips now played a soft smile looking at the mother-daughter duo.

"Why are you late?" Anika inquired.

"Because of Chhoti, she was arguing with the cab driver!"

"Excuse me, Anika! This Mother India was chatting with the driver about traffic and how it contributes to global warming. His entire attention was on the conversation rather than the road and he drove at the speed of a snail. I seriously drive better."

Omkara's eyes wouldn't leave her. Her voice still got his heart to race, everything about her did. He quickly excused himself to greet other guests. Anika glanced at Gauri looking at him. "Hey, you okay?" She asked Gauri, giving her a quick hug.

"Now, I am. It was as though I was in a lecture class!" Gauri joked fixating her gaze on Anika. She felt him walk past her. He had changed so much. His body was well built, his hair was long. He felt more intimidating rather than approachable like he used to be. It was as though the existence of the man she dearly loved had been wiped away entirely from the face of the earth.

* * *

"Shivaay, is everything okay?" Omkara asked entering the terrace after the cake cutting was done and dinner had begun. He had received a text message from Shivaay to come up to the terrace immediately. His gaze froze as he saw Anika and Gauri present there too.

His gaze lingered on Gauri a little longer before he turned to Shivaay with a solemn expression.

"Your both should talk," Shivaay came straight to the point, as he glanced at Gauri. He had no clue how Omkara would face the truth. But he believed that Omkara should know what Gauri went through. He freaking lost a baby he didn't even know about.

"Shivaay," Omkara looked at him in the eye with a dead serious look.

"Jiju," Gauri spoke up knowing it would be futile to talk. It was clear from Omkara's expression that he didn't want this.

"Gauri please," Shivaay muttered glancing at her and then turned to Omkara, "you both need to talk. There are a lot of misunderstandings that are uncleared. You both need a closure. Talk." He glanced at Anika who nodded and moved towards the gate. "Just hear what she has to say," Shivaay mumbled softly while tapping Omkara's arm before following Anika's trail. He shut the door and sighed praying for Omkara. This would break him, scar him but then wasn't he already broken?

He looked up to find Anika's gaze on him. "Are you sure we are doing the right thing?" She asked in a feeble voice.

He nodded. Anika stared at the gate that opened into the terrace. "Come on, let's go," Shivaay spoke holding her hand.

"Shouldn't we wait here?" Anika asked anxiously.

"No. They will be fine,"

"But Shivaay, Gauri..."

"Omkara loves her, he wouldn't let things go out of hand. Come."

* * *

Omkara couldn't believe Shivaay would do this. He glanced at her. Damn, she looked so beautiful that his heart ached for not being able to tell her that. The woman, he had planned his entire future with, once upon a time, stood right before him.

"You've changed..." Gauri remarked softly looking up at him. As much as she wanted to hate him and hurt him, she wanted to hug him. She wanted to feel that age old comfort that she felt in his arms always. He was her home. She felt homeless without him. Having him so close was messing with her emotions.

Omkara's lips twisted in mockery. So she liked him like this. He freaking didn't like himself. "I could say the same about you!" He spoke glancing at her hair that was no longer reaching her hips. They were colored at the bottom. She had put on weight too, which was a good thing given she was really slim. She seemed more lady-like now.

"What's with that long hair?" Gauri asked softly. Had he forgotten that he needed to cut his hair once a while?

He smiled, glancing at her, "what's with that short colored hair?"

Gauri grinned and her heart ached. "Just experimenting..."

"I thought you loved your hair way too much..."

"Too much of anything hurts." Gauri cut him off  her eyes looking at him pointedly.

"Yeah, like loving..." he mumbled, looking at her, his eyes accusing her.

"If you loved me you would have trusted me!" Gauri snapped as her blood boiled at his audacity to look at her with blame and her heart felt heavier.

Omkara scoffed, looking away at the dark sky, "I did, and that's the biggest mistake of my life,"

"You still believe I cheated on you?" Gauri asked in despair.

Omkara glanced at her with a heated gaze, taking a step closer to her. "Believe? I know. I freaking have eyes. I was blind for a long time, I agree. But ..."

"Omkara, don't you, didn't you know me enough to understand that I would never cheat on you for the sake of my dear life?" She asked desperately cutting his sentence short, as her eyes grew moist.

"That's the problem Gauri, I thought I knew you, but... I didn't and the reality check was so horrible that I still feel the pain!" He spoke through gritted teeth.

"Not once did you try to prove what you knew of me right?" She asked painfully hurt.

"You think I didn't? My God knows I did, and I got a harder slap in return." Omkara answered his voice heavy. "So hard, that it still echoes in my ears. I wish I never fell for you. If I could reverse anything it would be falling for you!" Omkara's voice trailed off. A tear fell on Gauri's cheekbones.

"I hate myself for loving a person like you," Gauri spoke as tears streamed down burning her cheeks. " You didn't even look back once! Didn't even talk once before leaving. Just once...once Omkara. You should have, you owed me that much. I deserved that much," Gauri cried in anger.

Omkara's jaw tightened. He had wanted to turn back, to tell her the would start a fresh chapter and forget the past. But he was scared that would bring him more grief and more pain. "I wanted to Gauri. I freaking wanted to forget everything and come back to you. But I didn't want to be hurt again. It knocked all the air out of my lungs to see you with someone else."

Tears rolled down Gauri's cheeks, she stepped closer to him, tilting her head to look up at him. "You should have tried harder to see if I was with someone or someone was forcing me to be with them. Liam, you think I'd betray you for a man like that? I wouldn't betray you for anything Om. I love you... loved you. You saw only what Liam wanted you to see. Couldn't you read my eyes like you always did?" she held on to his shirt tightly and held back her tears.

He stared at her. His heart thudding crazily as Gauri went on to reveal. "Krishna came to apologize to me on the graduation day... for spiking my drink. I told you ...told you that I didn't know what was happening that night. Why would I cheat on you Omkara? You were everything I had."

"Yeah right, I saw the two of you kissing two days later, Gauri. Even I thought that maybe you were right about that jight, it would have been your drink causing the mess and all logic was wrong. I came to talk to you only to have my trust shattered into pieces. You have no clue how terribly it aches to see the one person you see as your soulmate with someone else. Being kissed by someone like there was no tomorrow." He screamed in agony.

Fresh tears blurred her vision. "He forced me once, why couldn't you just conclude he did that again?"

"Because you were interested in him. You think I don't know that you hanged out with him, sat next to him in the class, had study sessions with him. Admit it already that you were attracted to him."

"Are you crazy Omkara?" Gauri snapped, "I was in love with you! I was smitten. We made love, we understood each other so well. We were so close...Omkara. You knew me so well, I knew you as I know my own self. Everything was so perfect, why would I give up on all that? You have been the only man I have ever been with. If walking through fire could tell you that, I'd happily do it." She said desperately through her tears.

"I tried so many times to apologize and you didn't even wish to see me. I was pregnant with our baby...Om. I was freaking pregnant and you didn't even want to hear me out. You just left me... Graduation day, I tried again to tell you everything. To explain everything. You didn't give me a chance, Om. You just left, so what if a man tried to force himself with a pregnant me..."

Omkara was breathless hearing her qords. She was pregnant. And.. alone. With their baby. He stared at her.

"You were selfish Omkara, you didn't want to get hurt so you left. What about me? I am human too." Gauri muttered dejectedly. 

"You were never there Omkara. You had made a promise to be by me when I have nightmares... you weren't. You promised to hold my hand when I was lost... you didn't. You promised to be there for me no matter what... you were never there. And... I hate you for it." Gauri spoke fiercely, wiping her tears using the back of her palms. 

She felt much lighter throwing it all out. She stepped back a little and then looked away. She could see the hurt, the shock, and the pain on his face. It hurt her but she knew this was her healing. Hurting him would heal her. Although somewhere deep down she was digging her own grave. But for now, she felt better. She wanted him to feel all that she had felt. It wasn't right, but it felt so right to see him in pain.

She was about to walk past him when he held her hand. "You were pregnant... why didn't you tell me?"

"Did you even hear a word from me? Did you even want to see me?" She questioned him.

"There were still better ways to tell me..to let me know."

"What are you trying to get at Omkara? That I am lying?" Gauri scoffed getting rid of his hold. "Suit yourself, you're a closed chapter for me!"

"Gauri," he muttered.

She turned to look at him. "I never betrayed you Omkara." She said softly, "I am leaving you to believe whatever you like."

Gauri made her way out to the terrace to find Anika standing with a crestfallen expression. Her tears rolled down her cheeks, and she flung her arms around her. Her heart pained and her eyes hurt with all the tears.

Anika had just come up to check on Gauri. Her heart ached to witness her vulnerable side.

"I need to get out of here," Gauri spoke pulling away hurriedly making her way down the stairs. Anika turned to follow her but stopped glancing back. Omkara was alone too. She quickly pulled her phone out of the sling and called Shivaay.

"Shivaay, Gauri is coming down she's miserable. Please drop Mumma and her home, I am with Omkara," she spoke reaching the terrace door.

* * *

Shivaay looked at his mother in law with a serious expression after Anika's brief call. "Anika said Gauri's miserable..."

Mrs. Talwars got up in a jiffy, and Shivaay quickly made his way to the stairs.

"Gauri," Mrs. Talwar called out as she saw her reach down the stairs.

"Can we please go home?" Gauri said softly turning the other way to hide her face.

Mrs. Talwar nodded as Gauri turned her face away not meeting her eyes.

Shivaay didn't know what to say. The entire drive till their homes was silent. Gauri hadn't uttered a word. He couldn't even think of what would have happened. Did Omkara say something so bad?

"Don't worry Shivaay, I will be with her. You should go back. Good night!" Mrs. Talwar managed to give him a reassuring smile. He nodded and took leave.

* * *

Sleep was away for Anika. She hadn't expected Omkara to break down like he did. He was on his knees and tears kept flowing down his cheeks. Anika didn't even have the courage to walk up to him. The party was over and everybody at home was tired and off to their rooms. 

Shivaay still hadn't come to the room. Anika guessed he'd stay the night with Omkara. It was a few minutes past one. She just couldn't erase the scene of Gauri crying bitterly before Omkara. She had called her mother and the phone had gone unanswered. She understood that her mother was beside Gauri.

She decided to check on Shivaay and Omkara. She reached Omkara's room the door was slightly ajar. She peeped in to find Omkara sleeping while Shivaay sat beside him. He looked exhausted. His shirt's sleeves were carelessly pulled up. His hair was messed perhaps due to his fingers running through them. She silently reached her room and pulled out his night clothes from the cupboard. She walked down the corridor and entered Omkara's room stealthily.

Shivaay looked up to find Anika standing before him with his clothes in hand. He cautiously got up from the bed and stood before her. "You didn't sleep?" He asked softly. She shook her head in a no, glancing at Omkara.

"I let him drunk too much. He was miserable. Maybe you were right. This was a stupid idea. They both...just got hurt." He said softly.

"They'll be okay. Here," she said handing him his clothes.

He smiled a little taking it from her hand. "I will..."

"Yeah, I know," Anika said understanding that he'd sleep with Omkara. Shivaay put the clothes on the couch and stepped closer to hug her. 

Hope you are liking this one!

-Anami!♡