-Numb-|AR-SS|Final Chapter-Page:48 - Page 25

-Chapter 8-

Riddhima leaned against the wall and dropped to the ground as her body could no longer support her weight. Her mind was still reeling with a million questions flowing through her mind. It had been a week and she could still feel the touch of his fingers gripping her arms and pulling her towards him. She could still feel the sent of his breath mingling with hers. She could still feel the touch of his lips coming in contact with hers. She could still hear her screams echo through the room. She could still picture how she had fought him off and run out of the room. She could still see how everyone had run after her asking what was wrong. She could still hear the banging of knuckles against the closed door. She could still hear everyone's voice's from behind it asking her to open it. Riddhima closed her eyes no longer being able to take it. She wanted to scream. She wanted to erase that day forever. She wanted to erase his touch from her body. She wanted this nightmare to end. The tears that she had been trying to control finally began to flow even faster and before she knew it Riddhima had wrapped her arms around her knees and began to break down once more as that horrid day replayed in her mind all over again.

-Flashback-

It was finally the day Riddhima had been waiting for. She was finally being discharged. She was finally going home. Yes after being checked up by Armaan himself he had finally given her permission to leave. She had been so happy when he had told her the news. She was finally going to be free. She could now go and do whatever she wanted. She didn't have to sit on a bed all day and be bored out of her wits. She was so excited that she had gotten up earlier then usual and had decided to say her goodbye's to each staff member of the hospital who had helped her recover. She had just finished meeting the staff from the children's ward when she felt a hand grab hers and pull her into an empty room. Riddhima was about to scream for help when then person who had pulled her into the room clasped their hand against her mouth and spoke up stopping her from doing anything.

"Hello Love."

Hearing that voice vibrate into her ears Riddhima's eye's not only popped out of their sockets but her whole body began to go numb. What was he doing here? Why couldn't he just leave her alone!

"Oh. Sorry. Let me move my hand."

"WHAT. THE.HELL.ARE.YOU.DOING.HERE.ROHIT!"

"Tch.Tch.Tch. Riddhima. Why are you screaming? You're hurting my ears. And as for what I'm doing here. Well I came to get you. See I heard that you were being discharged so I came to take you home.That's all."

"I.AM.NOT.GOING.ANYWHERE.WITH.YOU!"

"Now. Riddhima. Is that anyway to talk to your future husband."

"My.Future,Husband? How.Can.That.Be? We,Are,Divorced."

"Yes. That is true. We are divorced but see I realized how wrong I was to treat you the way I did and now I want to start over again. I want to be Eva's father. I want you back Riddhima. I want you back."

As she heard Rohit speak her blood began to boil and tears began to prink her eyes. How dare he say that he wanted her back! How dare he say that he wanted to be Eva's father! How dare he try to say that he wanted to start over! No she wasn't going to have any of it. No she wasn't going to let him hurt her or Eva ever again. And so not being able to control herself anymore Riddhima raised her hand and slapped him as hard as she could across his face.

"That.Was.For.Everything.That.You.Ever.Did.To.Me.And.Eva! Now.You.Listen.To.Me.I.Am.Not.Coming.Back.To.You.And.Nor.Are.

You.Going.To.Touch.My.Daughter.And.If.You.Try.I.Swear.I.Will.Kill.You!"

Her eyes were bloodshot red and she was heaving with anger but she didn't care. She had been through enough and there was no way she was going to take anymore. And with that Riddhima pushed him way and was about to make her way to the door when she felt his hand pull her back causing her to hit the wall she had just tried to leave from.

"Where do you think your going you *****! I'm not done with you yet...Come on Riddhima I come to see you after so long I think I deserve a welcome kiss."

Riddhima froze hearing him. No she wouldn't let him touch her. He didn't have that right anymore. She was about to push him away from her but before she could even raise her hands up he had grabbed them with his own and pinned them to the wall. Riddhima tried to fight him off but he was to strong for her. And before she knew it he had pressed his lips against hers. Riddhima closed her eyes and began to protest begging him to stop but it seemed as if her pleas were falling on deaf ears.

No I have to do something. I can't let him rape me. Her brain screamed at her. She suddenly felt his hands creep down her back and crawl inside her shirt trying to take it off. And that was all it took for her to lose it. She didn't know how or what took over her but Riddhima lifted her foot up as high as she could and with all the strength that she had she dropped it onto his foot stepping on it as hard as she could. Rohit on the other hand feeling a sharp pain on his foot came out of his trance and grabbing his foot fell to the floor screaming in pain. Riddhima seeing this took the chance and ran out the door with tears running down her face. She could hear everyone behind her calling her name but she didn't stop. She ran down the hallway and out the door of the hospital. She had run for hours not knowing where to go until she could no longer take it. Her feet gave way and before she knew it she had fallen to the ground.

It was hours later when she woke up to find herself in a room she didn't recognize. It was only when she looked around that she realized that she was in Armaan's house. She guessed that he had found her lying on the floor and had brought her to his house. She knew he would want to talk to her about what was wrong but she wasn't ready for that. She couldn't tell anyone and so getting of the bed she had run to the door and locked it.

-Flashback End-

The sudden knocking at the door brought Riddhima out of her thoughts and back to reality. She knew everyone was worried about her but why couldn't they just leave her alone. She didn't want to talk to anyone. It was too painful. Riddhima was about to raise her voice to tell the person to leave but before she could the door opened and the one person she knew would come came walking towards her.

"Leave.Me.Alone.Armaan."

"Why?"

"Because.I.Don't Want.To.Talk.About.It."

"Talk about what?"

"Stop.Playing.Dumb.You.Know.Excatly.What,"

"Fine. I'll leave. But before I go I just want to say one thing to you that my mom always told me when ever I didn't want to talk about something. She would always say.. "Silence is your worst enemy. It eats you alive and doesn't let you live.It keeps reminding you that you are not only hurting yourself but your hurting the ones you love by keeping things inside."

And with that Armaan got up from his spot and was about to walk towards the door when he heard Riddhima speak up.

"Wait. Come.Back."

Armaan turned around in his spot and went back to her. He was about to sit down in front of her when Riddhima got up from her spot and flung her arms around his waist and began to cry against his chest letting her tears soak into his shirt. It was then that Riddhima through her sobs narrated to Armaan what had happened that unfaithful day.

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"And that was when I ran away."

Armaan wrapped his arms around her and held her trembling body as she finished narrating her story. He could feel his blood boil and anger rise inside of him. He couldn't believe Rohit would do such a thing. How dare he touch his Riddhima. After everything that he had done he still had the audacity to keep coming back. He felt like killing him!

"Riddhima. Look at me."

Riddhima who had her face buried into his chest finally looked up hearing his voice.

"Riddhima. Why didn't you tell me this earlier? Did you think I wouldn't understand?"

"No. It's. Just.That. I. Wasn't.Ready. I.Didn't.Have.The.Courage."

"I understand that you may have not been ready. But next time please don't distance yourself from me. I can't take it. Next time you have a problem or something happens just tell me or someone. Don't hold it in. Okay."

"Okay."

"I love you."

"I.Love.You.Too."

And saying so once again Riddhima wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. Showing him just how much he meant to her. It was moments later when Riddhima finally came out of his embrace but didn't separate completely. She still had her arms around his neck but was staring him in the eye. For Riddhima it felt odd being close to a man in such close proximity after what she had been through with Rohit. But she knew that if she wanted to move on then she had to get over all these obstacles. She had to get used to being around a man. She had to get used to being hugged and kissed by a man. And so taking a deep breath Riddhima uttered those words of love that she had waited all her life to say to the one man that she truly loved.

"Armaan."

"Yes fruitloop?"

"If.I.Ask.You.For.Something.Will.You.Give.It.To.Me?"

"Of course I will. Just ask."

"Are.You.Sure?'

"I'm sure. What does my fruitloop want?"

"I.Want.You."

Armaan stared at Riddhima as she uttered those words out of her mouth. She wanted him! He had never thought she would want to move ahead in their relationship so fast. He had thought maybe Riddhima wasn't ready for the physical aspect of a relationship but it seemed as if he had been proven wrong. Maybe he had underestimated her.

"Are you sure fruitloop? I mean I don't want to do anything that you're not ready for."

"I'm.Sure. Make. Me. Yours. Make. Love. To. Me."

Armaan looked into her green eyes and he could see all the love she had for him shinning inside them. He could see how much trust she had in him and how big of a step this was for her and he respected that. He slowly then bent forward and looking into her eyes one last time to make sure that she was okay he placed his lips on hers. The kiss started as a slow and passionate one but as the urgency between them for each other began to surface the control that they had tried to keep a hold on unleashed it self and before they knew it everything had became a total blur.

Armaan slowly moved his one hand across the fabric of her shirt and slowly moved it to the back of her body and wrapped itself around her. Riddhima felt shivers run down her spine as she felt his fingers slowly make there way towards her back. She felt sensations erupt in her that she had never experienced before. She felt as if her body was on fire. Riddhima was slowly losing her self into the kiss and she slowly felt her hands creep up his muscled chest and make there way around his neck.

Armaan then slowly picked her up in his arms as they began to possess each other and placed her on the bed. Feeling a soft landing against her head she opened her eyes and found him on top of her with a soft smile playing on his lips and yet there was a sense of trust in his eyes that Riddhima couldn't help but be grateful for. She realized that he respected the fact that this was something she wasn't used to and he through his eyes was reassuring her that everything would be fine. Armaan then lowered himself towards her once again until there breathes mingled with each other. He knew he wanted to keep going but he wanted to once again ask for conformation that she was okay with it. He didn't want her regretting anything later on. And so he spoke against her lips asking for conformation.

"Are you sure you want to keep going? Cause if you're not we can stop right now."

Riddhima looked into his eyes and she could see that he really wanted to make sure that she was okay with everything. He really did care about her. All her life Riddhima had never been asked about what she wanted but to be asked today and that to by the one person she trusted and loved she knew she was doing the right thing. And so simply nodding her head in yes she allowed him to once again place his lips on hers. They soon lay naked beneath the black slick sheets lost in each others embrace trembling with desire, passion and need as they made passionate love to each other exploring a whole new world where only they existed and the fact that they had finally become one.

It was hours later when they finally detached from one another and were just wrapped in each others arms with a feeling of content. She had her head against his bare chest and he had his arms wrapped around her waist as they fell into a deep slumber.

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As the morning sun began to rise through the open window. Riddhima blinked her eyes as she stood in front of it looking out at the morning sky wearing one of Armaan's oversized batman t-shirts and a pair of his clean gym shorts. She stood lost in her thoughts as flashes of the previous night flashed in her mind like a movie that was stuck on replay. She couldn't believe she was finally his. She couldn't believe that she was finally in love again. She couldn't believe that her little Eva finally had a father. She couldn't believe how lucky she was that she had found a man like Armaan who accepted her for who she was. Riddhima had never thought that after everything she had been through with Rohit that she would be able to move on. She had never thought that she would be able to be physical with another man. She could still feel the warmth of his lips on her skin. She could still see the concern he had in his eyes for her and how much respect they held. She looked up into the sky and thanked god for bringing Armaan into her life. Riddhima continued to stare out of the window lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed when a warm pair of fingers crept around her waist and a moist pair of lips touched her bare shoulder. It was only when his voice vibrated into her ears that she turned to her right and came into contact with his light grey eyes filled with nothing but love.

"What are you thinking about fruitloop?"

"Nothing I was just thinking about how lucky I am to be with the most amazing man in the world, who stands by me through thick and thin and loves me and my daughter for who we are. And for that I love you very much."

"Omg. Fruitloop! You just spoke with out pausing."

"I did?"

"Yes you did!"

"OMG! I DID! AHHH! ARMAAN! I LOVE YOU!"

"I love you too fruitloop and I'm so proud of you!"

Riddhima turned around in his embrace and hugged him resting her head against his bare chest with the biggest smile ever. She was so happy today! She not only found the man of her dreams but she had finally broken through all of those obstacles that had stopped her from being truly happy.

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Rahul stood in the doorway as he watched her jumping around in the puddles. He couldn't believe she was going to be his wife soon. Rahul had known Muskaan for the past 4 years and everyday he learned something new about her. She was one of those people that just when you thought you had them figured out, they would surprise you the next second and leave you dumbfounded. He still remembered the first time he had worked with Muskaan on a case. It had been back when they were still interns. They had been given the case of a 12 year old little boy who had broken his arm in a game of soccer. He could still picture the way Muskaan had been so scared. She wasn't used to being around kids as she was used to adults. But somehow unknown to Rahul Muskaan had swallowed her fears and went ahead to treat the little boy back to health. He had never been so proud of her. He had thought she would have chickened out and run away but she had proved him wrong. Rahul had after that day not only gained a new respect for Muskaan but he had developed a sense of liking towards her. It was then 4 years later that he had now asked her to be his wife. How time had flown he would never know. But one thing he did know was that he loved this woman with all his heart and he couldn't wait to be her husband.

Suddenly feeling a cold drop of water hit his face Rahul came out of his thoughts to see Muskaan flicking drops of water towards him and giggling her head off.

"Oh that's it! You're dead!"

And with that Rahul chased after a already soaking wet Muskaan not caring about how childish they were behaving.

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Eva sat on the bed staring at her tower of blocks. She had been diligently working for the past 10 minutes trying to make the structure stay still. But no matter how hard she tired the blocks would fall down. She had just finished placing the last block only to see her tower fall right back down.

She banged her hands on the bed and cursed at her blocks in her own child like language that only she understood.

"I TELL On YOU!"

She then looked around the room hoping to see her daddy or mommy there to help her out but seeing no one Eva decided she would take matters into her own hands. And so she climbed off the bed and walked out of the room in search of her parents or someone who would help her.

She had just walked into the hall way when she heard sounds coming from one of the rooms close by her. She followed the voices towards the room and peeked her head from the side of the door frame to see her mommy and daddy sitting on the floor laughing at something. Eva smiled watching them. She loved it when her mommy was happy. It made her happy too. But then she remembered how her blocks had fallen down. And the smile that was on her face turned into a frown. I tell mommy! She thought and marched into the room.

Armaan and Riddhima who had been watching t.v. turned to the door way hearing the sound of tiny feet banging against the floor. There walking in with her hands in tiny fists and her tears ready to flow down at any second was Eva.

"What happened to my baby?"

Riddhima asked as her little girl made her way towards her.

"Mommy! I no like blocks. They pall down."

"Aww I'm sorry baby. Come I'll help you."

"No! I shtay here. I no pay blocks."

"Okay. Fine. You can stay here."

"YAY! I love you mommy!"

"I love you too princess."

"Hey! What about me?"

"Uh Oh. You forgot daddy!"

"Shorry! I love daddy 2!"

"I love you too sweetpea! Come here!"

Eva got up from her mommy's lap and jumped into her daddy's arms and gave him a big kissie on his cheek before settling down in his arms and watching t.v.

Riddhima stared at her two favourtie people and smiled. She had always wanted this and now that she was getting it she prayed to god that nothing would caste an evil eye on her or her loving family.

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He sat back into his chair and smiled. The day he had been waiting for had finally come and now that it had he couldn't wait to see how it would unfold. He picked up his phone from the table in front of him and dialing a number he spoke into it upon hearing the voice on the other end.

"Is everything set?. Good."

Pressing the red button ending the call he tossed his phone back onto the table and returned back to his original position once again returning to his unfinished thoughts.

"I'm coming Riddhima. I'm coming home."

Phew! Another chapter done. I was going to rant but I'll bore you so I will just let you all read. Anyway I hope you all enjoy it. Let me know how it was and I apologize for any errors. Index and Pm info is on page:1.

Okies I go now. Bye.

-Tashu