~**NEW: Chapters 39-43 posted on page 6!**~ - Page 5

Chapter 34: Breaking Apart

It was finally Saturday, the day of the rendezvous between Rashmi and Veer. They both were trying to find each other on the opposite sides of a bridge that was over a stream. When they spotted each other, they ran up to each other on the bridge and embraced.

"Why did you do this to me, Rashmi? I miss you so much! I can't live the rest of my live without you. I don't want to spend my life with Suman!" Veer said to her, sobbing in her arms.

Rashmi grabbed Veer's arms and pushed them back towards him. She looked at him in a serious way with innocent eyes.

"That's what I'm here to talk to you about. We can't be together anymore, Veer. You had your Joraa with Suman, not me. If people see us together, they will get a bad impression of you by the fact that you had your Joraa with Suman, but only liked me. They'll start calling you a womanizer!"

"No they won't! That happened by mistake Rashmi! That wasn't meant to happen! I had no idea that was her! If I knew, none of this would've happened. She betrayed me and now wants me back. I can't accept this betrayal as a fulfilled Joraa!" Veer shouted at her, bringing out all his guilt.

"Veer, you need to forget me, and I need to forget you! There's nothing we can do to fix this matter! You have to accept Suman now."

"What are you saying? Don't you love me?"

Rashmi was feeling very sorry after hearing this. She didn't want to hurt his feelings but she had to tell the truth.

"I'm sorry, but how can I love you now? How do you expect me to even think about you, especially after all of this? Veer, please, I request you to accept my advice: It really is time for us to break apart. I'm sorry, but it has to be this way now."

Rashmi slowly turned away from Veer while shedding a couple tears, and ran. Veer continued shouting her name, but she did not stop.

"I have to get Rasham back. No matter how long it takes or how much we have to suffer."

Chapter 35: The First Attempt

A few minutes before Veer came home, Suman brought in a bunch of kids from Rashmi's old neighborhood. She knew that Rashmi really liked kids and especially loved to do fun things with them. She thought that if she could be like her, she would impress Veer. She brought around eight to ten kids into the house.

"Hey, kids," she said to them.

"Hi. What's your name?" one boy asked.

"My name is Suman, but you guys can call me Didi (older sister)."

She began telling the kids a story a lot like Snow White. They often got confused on some words she would say because she spoke in advanced Hindi. She often had to translate, which really bugged her. Veer stood at the entrance and watched everything. He came up with a plan when a girl glanced at him. He called the girl over. She came up to him and he whispered something in her ear. She smiled at him and then stood in front of Suman.

"Can I sit in your lap, Didi?"

Ew, no way, you ugly creep! "Uh, sure," she said as she gave a half smile.

She continued telling her story to the kids while Veer walked inside. When she saw him go into the kitchen she stopped telling the story and made the girl get off her lap.

"Alright creeps, get out of here, your work is done."

"Where's our candy?" asked one kid.

"What are you talking about?" she hollered.

"You promised you'd give us candy!" shouted another kid.

"That was for coming, not going! Now get out!" she hollered as she pointed towards the door. The kids proceeded towards the door but when they reached the door they stuck their tongues out at her. "Hey, stop that and get out! Don't come back here ever again!"

She turned around and started rubbing her head. "Ugh, stupid kids, they're such a pain!"

Suddenly she looked up and saw Veer standing in front of her.

"Hey Suman. You sure love kids, don't you?" he asked sarcastically.

"Um, yeah I do," she said, again making a half smile at him.

"Suman, I'm not some idiot who will easily be impressed by a girl like you. I know what you're trying to do. Looks don't matter to me; only actions do. You're trying to be like Rashmi to impress me. Well, let me tell you something:

First of all, you suck at that. Second of all, nothing you do will impress me. Third of all, don't even try to get close to me, because if you do, I'm only going to hurt you more. This is my last and final warning to you Ms. Suman Thakur!"

We'll just see about that Mr. Veer Singh! You just keep watching and see how much I can ruin your precious Rashmi's life! And when that day comes, you will regret ever meeting me!

Chapter 36: A Second Attempt

Mai and Baba were gone for the weekend. Veer and Suman were home alone with a couple servants, who stayed at penthouses nearby. Since it was just the two of them, Suman thought that this would be a great opportunity for her to try a second attempt on impressing Veer. It was pouring rain outside that night and Suman decided to go out and enjoy the weather. Veer was passing by and noticed her in the rain. He thought he should tell her to come back inside so that if she got sick, Mai wouldn't have to get all worked up about her health.

"Suman, come back inside! Your going to get sick!"

"Hi, Veer!" she shouted while waving at him. "I can't hear you! Come and enjoy the weather out here! It's so good!" she shouted again, enjoying the weather.

"Suman, I'm not coming out, you should come back inside."

"I don't want to come inside, you come out here! Trust me, you'll enjoy it!"

Veer turned around and was about to leave until he heard Suman shout. She pretended that she had sprained her ankle. He turned around and saw her on the ground massaging her foot.

"Suman, what happened?"

"Ouch, I sprained my ankle and it hurts so much! Ow! Veer, come and help me!"

"Try getting up yourself!"

"I can't, I'm too weak," she lied.

"Ugh, fine, I'm coming!" he shouted. He ran outside and tried to get her to stand up. She finally got up and she put her left arm around Veer's shoulders. He brought her upstairs into her room and put her on the bed. As he was about to leave, Suman grabbed his arm and brought him closer to her.

"Where are you going? You can't just leave like that," she said giving him a romantic smile. She suddenly got up, put her arms around him and held him close to her.

Hmmm, Veer thought. Maybe I'll just play along for a while and see what happens.

"I'll go close the door," he said. He went to the door and locked it. Judging by this, Suman thought that Veer was starting to like her and wanted to be alone with her. She smiled and began to blush. They were both in a dark room with candle-lit decorations from the Joraa still on the walls. Veer brought Suman close to him and smiled at her.

"You know, Suman, there's something that I have just noticed about you which I have never seen before. Maybe it's those daring eyes or those cherry gloss lips, no, actually, I like everything about you. You're just so perfect! I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I'm starting to fall in love with you."

Suman blushed a deeper crimson and turned around so Veer wouldn't see her face. Veer turned her around and looked into her chocolate eyes. "That's right, Suman. You've always wanted me to forget Rashmi and love you, right? Well, I'm all yours now." She started smiling and gave Veer a long-lasting hug. "Why don't you sit on your bed and I'll be right back. I have a surprise for you."

Suman sat on her bed and didn't bother to see where Veer was or what he was going to do. She could only think about what their future relationship would be like and how much she was going to ruin Rashmi's life. While Suman was busy staring off into space, Veer stood behind her with a bucket full of ice cold water and poured it on her head. When she realized what was happening she immediately got up and turned around.

"Veer! What the heck was that?" she hollered, looking tense with her hands balled. She was drenched in cold water and shivering.

"I was trying to cool you down before I started insulting you."

Suman stood there upset and tense with her eyes filled with tears.

"What happened? Did I break your heart? What were you expecting? That after today, I will forget about Rashmi and start a relationship with you that will last for generations? I warned you not to come close to me, but you wouldn't listen! You still want me to get over Rashmi and like you, and that day will never come. Do you even know what love is? Do you really think you love me, Suman? Do you want to see how other people portray you? Come, let me show you."

He brought Suman to her mirror at her dresser.

"This is you Suman. Look at yourself. Beautiful on the outside; but absolutely ugly on the inside! In these eyes, I see love; but only for yourself! How can any human being love themself so much as to not care about anyone else? You can only hate, not love! I hate demons like you!" he shouted as he stormed out of the room.

Suman was alone in the bedroom and stared at her face in the mirror again. She saw the worn off eyeliner dripping black pencil marks, dried out mascara from her eyelashes, smudges on her cheeks from the pack of foundation she put on her face, her hair all wet, gross, and in tangles, and last but not least, her fancy pink Indian dress all worn out, faded, with the color of the fabric completely changed.

"Am I really portrayed like this? Am I really that bad?" she asked herself.

No, of course not. What are you saying? You are perfect! You are nothing compared to what Veer says you are! You don't even need him to get your revenge on Rashmi! said Suman's conscience.

"You're absolutely right conscience. All I need is revenge from that maid's daughter, and I don't need Veer in order to do that. I hate him so much! He won't even get over her! Guys are so unpredictable! I give up! I'll live the life of a prisoner if I have to stay here any longer! I'm leaving this mansion tomorrow morning and no one will stop me!"

Chapter 37: A Couple of Visits

It was a hot and boring summer day. Rashmi thought she should go to her old neighborhood and meet some people there. She thought that this would keep her mind off what had just happened to her. First, she decided to go meet Leher, meet some kids, and then go see Sahir. She knocked on the door and Leher's Nani opened it.

"Hi, Rasham! What a pleasant surprise! Come on in."

"Thanks, Nani."

"I heard that your Joraa got broken. What happened, sweetie? I was there too, and I thought the girl under the veil was you. I'm really confused."

"I'd like Leher to be here too. I need to apologize to her."

Nani called Leher from her room to come see Rashmi. "Hey, Rasham. How are you feeling? I heard all about what happened at the Joraa. It's in the newspaper."

"Leher, I'm really sorry! I just couldn't stand up to her. I tried my best to make her understand but she started threatening me saying she would die if she never got Veer. She would have been dead by now if I was with Veer. I'm sorry, I should have believed you."

"It's fine, Rasham. I understand now. Is there any way you can get him back?"

"No,"

"Oh gosh, that's terrible! I feel so bad for you. I hate Suman so much! I wanna give that demented psycho a piece of my mind!" shouted Leher.

"Cool down, Leher! I'm fine."

Leher sighed. "Don't tell me you still like that girl?"

Rashmi wanted Leher to understand her weakness, but Leher wanted that weakness to be strength that would fight for itself.

"Well, Rasham, we all feel very sorry for you and I agree with Leher, what Suman did was wrong," said Nani.

"I know, Nani. What she did was wrong in a way, but we can't change the past; we must learn to move on with life. I'll be fine, don't worry! I have to go now. Bye!"

"Bye," they both said.

Rashmi continued passing by the neighborhood when some kids she knew came up to her asking about her Joraa. While this happened, she noticed some ladies across the street who were staring at her.

"Is that the girl who was supposed to have her Joraa with Baldev Singh's older son?" asked a woman sitting at her porch.

"Yep, that's her. I feel so sorry for what happened to that poor girl. She didn't deserve what she got," said another woman sitting with her. "Don't know what's written in her fate," she concluded.

Rashmi ignored their remarks and looked back at the kids.

"Where's your Joraa necklace, Didi?" asked one girl.

"Yeah, show us, Didi!" said the rest of them.

"I never had my Joraa." They all gasped. She explained the whole story to them and once she finished, the kids were left frowning and feeling very sad for her. Some of the kids told her that Suman brought them to Veer's house so she could pretend to be like Rashmi in front of him.

After her visit in her old neighborhood, she decided to go make her last trip to the disability center to see Sahir. When she reached the looming brick building, she saw Sahir sitting alone on a bench under a palm tree. She walked over to him and sat next to him.

"Hmmm, why the long face, kiddo?" she asked. He was looking in the opposite direction and didn't seem to recognize her voice. He turned around to see who it was and he was astonished to see Rashmi. A smile instantly split his face and he hugged her.

"Didi! Where were you? I haven't seen you in almost a month! I thought you vanished somewhere and wouldn't return."

"No, Sahir, I was always here and always will be," she spoke kindly as she smiled at him, petting his head. "Always remember that no matter what happens, your Didi will always be close-by. I'm so sorry I couldn't come, it's just that I was going to..."

"You were going to have your Joraa, right?"

"Yes, but how did you know?"

"There's a huge rumor spread in town. Almost everyone knows."

That means everyone from school knows too.

"How come you didn't have it, Didi? What happened?"

How many times do I have to explain this to people? Rashmi thought to herself.

Rashmi explained the whole story again to Sahir. There was someone standing in front of him and he looked up. He saw that one nurse was holding a medication which he didn't like, so he gave her a nasty look.

"Sahir, its time to give you your medication," said the nurse holding the medication.

"No! I won't have it! Let me be with Didi! I hate you people!" Sahir spat at them angrily.

"Sahir, you have to take that medicine," said Rashmi in a calm voice.

"No Didi, I won't have it!"

The nurses ignored his complaints and brought him into his room. They wouldn't let Rashmi in, so she waited outside. She was walking around the complex until she noticed that her dupatta flew over someone's face. She turned around and took a look at the person.

Chapter 38: Veer's Brother

It was a guy that looked like he was her age. His face had a slight resemblance to Veer's, but she doubted that he was anywhere near related to him. He seemed quite tensed and under pressure about something and Rashmi wanted to know what was on his mind so that she could help him. She placed her hand on his right shoulder to catch his attention. He looked at her with a distinct expression.

"Are you okay?"

"No, I hate my life! I hate this world! I hate everything!"

"Don't say that. If you hate everyone, does that mean you hate the family that gave you so much in life?"

"Family? What family? I lost my family the minute they forced me to stay here instead of living a normal life with this mental disability!"

"Look, I know how people like you feel. I've spent a whole year helping mental patients like you. I really want to help you out; get to know you; make you feel that there is someone who will always be with you and care about you. Please, I'd really like to help you out!"

Why haven't you come earlier in my life? You are like an angel who I've been waiting for my whole life, he thought to himself.

"You know, your not bad at all. I like you. Friends?" he asked while putting his hand up to shake hands.

"Friends," Rashmi agreed while they shook hands. "I'll see you later. Bye!" Rashmi said as she turned around. She continued walking until she heard his voice again.

"Wait!" he shouted. Rashmi turned around and came back towards him.

"You'll come again, won't you?" he asked, a bit worried that he might not see her again.

"Don't worry, I will. Bye!"

"Bye," he said, waving his hand.

Once Rashmi had left the center, Veer showed up. He had come to the disability center to get away from his drama-like life and meet someone special. He came up behind the boy and shook his shoulders from behind.

"Hey Rohit!" Veer shouted excitedly. He was very happy to see his brother after so long.

"Hey Veer! Where were you all these days? I missed you!" he said.

"I was busy with the whole Joraa thing, remember?"

"Oh yeah, I remember you telling me about that on the phone. Anyway, there's this thing I wanted to tell you."

"Sure, go ahead."

"Before you came, I met this girl who's a lot like you. Simple, sweet, nice, caring, just like you!"

"Really? Who is she? I might know her," Veer asked, surprised.

"I don't know, Veer. I never asked her what her name was, but I'll find out the next time she comes."

"Oh. So she comes here regularly; but how come you haven't seen her?"

"I don't know. I guess I never noticed her?" he questioned himself.

"Yeah, maybe. Don't worry, Rohit. I know once you both get to know each other, she'll start liking you too. I mean, your a great person. Who wouldn't like you?"

"I hope she will," he said sadly. "After all, who else do I have in life who would love me?"

Veer made a long sigh as he closed his eyes. Rohit is talking negative again, he thought. I have to get him out of the habit of doing this.

"Rohit, how many times do we have to go over this? Don't talk like that. Everyone at home loves you! Mai, Baba, Dadaji, and me - we all love you a lot! It's just that they wanted my Joraa to go smoothly, so that's why they put you here. But I came here to bring you back home. Everyone is waiting for you!" Veer explained to his brother.

After what Veer explained to him, he thought of something different. He thought that they just wanted him out of the house so that he wouldn't spoil anything. He looked back at Veer, but in an angry way.

"So basically you left me here so I wouldn't ruin your Joraa? Why the heck would I do that, Veer!? How could you think like that? I'm not that mentally disturbed!"

"No Rohit, that's not what I meant-"

"Oh, I know exactly what you meant! Just go home! I don't want to live with you cheap people!" he shouted angrily.

A couple doctors were standing outside and noticed the commotion. They quickly came and grabbed Rohit before he could do anything. He started hollering at Veer about how cheap and down-low they were to think such a thing. Veer stood there listening to his brother's arguments. The doctors took Rohit upstairs and Veer followed them. They put him in his room and told Veer not to worry.

I really think it's time we should bring Rohit home. He really doesn't like it here. Don't worry Rohit, I'll come again and get you, he thought to himself as he took one last look at his brother.

Chapter 39: I Give Up!

While Rashmi was on her way home from the disability center, Suman came home from Veer's house with a huge tantrum. When she arrived, she got out of her taxi and forced the guards to let her in, even though she wasn't allowed to be there. The front door was open and she ran inside. She panted loudly at the entrance.

"Rashmi!" she growled. "Come here! I wanna teach you a lesson -- a lesson you will never forget!" she shouted angrily. "Where are you hiding, you demon? Come out from wherever you are!" She looked around to see if anyone would appear, but the room was so silent that not even the air could be felt.

"Ma! Papa! Please come out here!" she requested kindly.

Nani came out from the kitchen seeing Suman growling in the family room.

"Suman, ever since you left, Sunil has gotten a special security system with cameras in every room! He will find out that you were here!"

"Nani, please just let me talk to Ma and Papa about Rashmi. Then I'll go back to my in-laws place."

"They aren't home right now. They and Rashmi's mom left for Sunil's business trip to help with things."

"What? They left without even telling me or at least telling Veer's family? Why would they do that? I know they are mad at me, but still."

"I'm sorry, sweetie."

"It's okay. Where's Rashmi?"

"I'm behind you," she said, standing at the entrance. Suman tightly grabbed her arm and brought her inside. She pushed Rashmi across the room, who nearly fell.

"How could you! How dare you put such a curse on me! I lost my family just because of you! Veer hates me now just because of you! I even got kicked out of my own house because of you! I lost my father's love and respect because of you! That's it! I can't take it anymore! Get out of this house and get out of my life! What are you? A maniac? Can't you see that I don't like you? I hate you! Get out right now! Now, now, now!" she shrieked in rage.

"Suman, you can't just kick her out like that. What about her mom?" pleaded Nani. Nani stared at Rashmi, looking into her innocent chocolate eyes. "Go away Rashmi, just leave us alone."

Rashmi's eyes filled with tears and she ran upstairs into her room. She slammed the door and leaned her back against the wall, continuing to sob. She thought to herself about what she wanted to do next.

"Suman?" Nani questioned Suman, raising her eyebrows. She put her hands on her shoulders while her bulky body tried to fit itself onto the couch. "What happened, sweetie? I know you're always upset with Rashmi, but what happened over there?"

Suman then explained how Veer was pretending that he liked her and then started abusing her by pouring a bucket full of ice, cold water down her back. Nani's eyes widened and her jaw dropped open. She knew Veer had hated her granddaughter but she expected him to have at least a little amount of respect for her.

"Oh my gosh! How could he do such a thing?"

"He says that he will continue to ruin my life and treat me like this until he gets Rashmi back, but what should I do? I don't want that to happen!" Suman started crying on Nani's shoulder. The kindly women started wiping away the distressed girl's tears and tried to cheer her up.

"Don't worry. Just give him some more time. I know he will accept you one day."

Chapter 40: Can Rashmi put Suman on the right path?

The next day, Suman was in her room, fixing her hair at her dresser. Rashmi knocked on her open door and Suman stared at her through her mirror. She stood up and scowled at the other girl's reflection.

"I brought you something to eat and drink," she said kindly, holding up the tray for her to examine the food.

"Fine, come in. I need to talk to you about something. Close the door after you leave the tray on the bed."

Rashmi obeyed, closing the door behind her. Then she went up to stand next to Suman. She folded her arms under her chest and looked at Rashmi from head to toe.

"Tell me the truth, Rashmi. Have you secretly been meeting Veer this week or anytime after the Joraa?"

"No, Suman. I don't secretly go to meet him. I only met him once only to tell him that you are his-,"

"Then why does he stay away from me?" she interrupted. "Why doesn't he just accept me and move on with life? I'm more beautiful and better than you. How can anyone not like me?"

Rashmi noticed the anger in Suman's eyes but stopped herself from looking down in front of her. She was ready to only tell what she believed was right. After all, none of this was her fault.

"That is a question that must be answered by you, Suman. Only you know the answer to that question. I'm going to tell you something, but this is not to make fun of you or abuse you. Remember how Mr. Thakur wanted you to have your Joraa with Veer, but you never liked Veer and asked me to be with him while you were with Karan? How is all this my fault? What did I do wrong? I just did what you told me to do."

Suman remained quiet and continued to listen.

"When I was ready to go downstairs for the Joraa, you started your drama and forced me to give Veer to you. I cried a lot that night, more than you can ever imagine. That pain, that guilt, those sorrows; you'll never be able to understand it! When you were downstairs having your Joraa you couldn't imagine seeing me crying nor could you have understood what I was going through. You didn't even care!"

"Shut up! Quit telling me all this nonsense!" she hollered.

"For the last time, I'm not lying and what I'm saying is not nonsense! If you don't believe me, then call your parents and ask them. Call Veer and ask him! We are both friends, and I'm the only one who has been accepting this friendship and trying to make it the best it can be! I did not steal your parents and your friends from you, nor did I steal Veer! For the sake of our friendship, I would have to come in and cover for you on every mistake you made in life!"

"You have made mistakes too, Little Miss Perfect! Remember when you purposely stole my game when you were eight? And when you stole my clothes and hair ties just so you could be like me? Look at yourself now, you're nothing like me! Your stupid love and affection has had a big impact on my life! From childhood to adolescence, you have stolen everything from me! And today, you think you have the strength to say such things face-to-face with me? You must be a hypocrite!"

"Why shouldn't I be brave enough to say anything while looking you in the eye? I never did anything wrong. This isn't my fault at all."

"Enough! I've heard enough for one day! Get out of my room and get out of my life! Get lost!"

"Fine. I hope that one day you will realize what you did wrong and apologize." She opened the door and walked out of the room. Suman continued babbling at her even though Rashmi was not listening.

"Apologize? You're the one who's supposed to apologize for ruining my life, you blood-sucking, low-class, maid's daughter! I want you out of my life! In fact, I want you out of this house! Why won't you leave me in peace?" she hollered.

I have to get rid off this girl, but I'll need the help of my special someone.

Chapter 41: Karan finds out Suman's secret

Karan was in his bedroom listening to music on his Ipod when his phone started ringing. He turned off his Ipod and picked up his phone. It was his friend Nitesh.

"Hey, Nitesh,"

"Karan! I have to tell you something you really have to know! You know your girlfriend, Suman?"

"Yeah? What happened to her?"

"You don't know what she did? Didn't you read the newspaper?"

"Dude, just tell me! What did she do?"

"She had her Joraa with Rashmi's boyfriend, Veer!"

Did this really happen? Or is Nitesh just joking with me? Karan thought. "Ha-ha, very funny. Nice one, Nitesh. I know how jealous you are of me because I have a beautiful girlfriend like Suman and you don't have a girlfriend! That's why you're saying this; so you could split us up just to get Suman to be yours! That will never happen!"

"Dude, I'm dead serious. I don't like Suman. She's not even my type!" he argued. "I've known Suman much longer than you and I know her more than you do! There are some things about her which you don't know, and I think now is the time to know."

"But what is it? And how did all this happen!? I'm so confused, Nitesh!" Karan shrieked.

"I don't know, dude. Maybe she was forced into doing it? You should ask her about it."

"Yeah, I will. who knows, maybe she was forced into it."

"Dude, maybe it was the scary grandma, that woman freaks me out. I mean seriously, that woman could kill someone and not bat an eye."

"Maybe. That old lady is kinda scary, now that I'm thinking about it."

"I went to Suman's birthday party when she turned 10, and that crow seriously creeped me out!"

"Why?"

"She just hovered there, like a vulture scanning for prey. And her nose is so creepy, its huge!"

"Whats her nose got to do with any of the things we have ever talked about?"

"Dude, it has everything to do with it. It is just that scary. Suman is just like that vulture!"

"What!? What are you trying to say?" Karan asked, not understanding what he meant.

"Let me explain this to you. Okay, so when Suman and Rashmi were little, Suman used to do horrible things to her. She used to dress her up like a clown without her even knowing about it, and when we went on a field trip to the amusement park Suman left her there."

"Are you trying to tell me that the girl who I like is a selfish demon? I don't believe this. Suman and Rashmi are best friends, how could you separate us?"

"No dude! I'm serious! This is true! Just read the newspaper from this week, then you'll believe me."

"Okay, I'll read it right now. Thanks for calling," said Karan in a serious tone and hung up. He ran downstairs immediately and looked through the pile of newspapers on the desk in the office.

"Karan, what are you doing?" asked his mom. "Why do you look so tense?"

"Mom, where's the newspaper from Sunday?" asked Karan in a scared tone.

"Oh you mean the one where the front cover talked about the girl who had her Joraa with her best friends boyfriend?" she asked alarmed. "Why do you want that one? I threw it in the recycle bin."

He dashed in the garage and stashed through the recycle bin. He looked through the bin for five minutes and finally found the paper at the bottom. He opened the crumbled paper and began to read it. The heading read, Girl who betrays her friend and family. He read the whole news about it and couldn't believe it.

"Suman, what have you done? And most importantly, why did you do this without telling me?" he said sadly. "I'll go to her house and see what's going on. I don't believe this."

Karan lied to his parents he was going to meet Nitesh. He took a taxi and left from his house. Suman wanted to go out for some shopping but Karan was on his way to her house to talk to her about the shocking news. They both were taxi's and the taxi's had just passed each other when he noticed that Suman was in the other car. He asked his driver to stop and honk at the other car. Once he honked, the other taxi stopped. Karan ran up to it and knocked on Suman's window. She rolled down the window and glared at him.

"Why are you here? Leave me alone."

Suman, please come out and talk to me. I've been trying to get in contact with you for two weeks and you were never available. Please, come out and talk to me for a minute."

She came out of the taxi and took off her sun glasses. "Okay, what is it?"

Karan stared at how well-dressed she was and was shocked to see her wearing a Joraa necklace.

"You already had your Joraa and you didn't even bother telling me? Why Suman? Why did you do this?"

"I'm sorry Karan, I was helpless. I did this for my dad's happiness. He wanted me to have my Joraa with him and I couldn't go against him. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Suman. I understand now. But you have to get out of this false relationship so we can be together. I love you Suman and I can't stand to be without you for a second."

"I know, I do too. I'll see what I can do to make everything better," she lied.

Chapter 42: The Secret Meet leads to a Master Mind Plan

It was 9:30 at night. Suman was in her room thinking of ways to get rid of Rashmi.

"Rashmi!" she heard Veer call from outside. Rashmi was standing outside about to enter the home. She looked back at him with a blank expression. "Rashmi, please don't do this to me! You know how much we both love each other!"

"Enough, Veer! I've explained this to you so many times! We can't be together anymore! You and Suman belong together and will spend the rest of your lives together! I'm sorry, but nothing can be changed now. Please, just leave me alone!" Rashmi said, pushing her hands away to make the point clearer.

She started to walk away but Veer grabbed her arm. She yanked her arm out of his hand and ran to the door. He kept calling her name but she went into the house and ignored him.

"That backstabbing cheat! She lied to me!"

Suman had so much anger within herself that she decided she really did want to get rid of her, but how? She decided to call Karan and discuss this issue to him. She knew that he was prepared to do anything for her.

Karan was sound asleep when he heard his phone ring.

"Who's calling me so late at night?" he asked himself in a tired voice. He quickly glanced at who was calling, saw it was Suman, and answered. "Hey-" he began.

"Karan, I want you to come meet me at that trail near my house right now!" she interrupted angrily.

"Now? Suman, it's getting late. What am I going to tell my parents? They're going to question me. Could we please just meet tomorrow? Is this that urgent?" he asked groggily.

"I don't care what you tell your parents! Just be there and I'll meet you in five minutes!"

"Okay, I'll be there, but don't make it too long. I don't want my parents to find out I left. But why are you so mad? Is everything okay?" he asked, sounding worried.

"Quit asking me questions! Just be there and I'll tell you everything!" she shouted and hung up.

Half an hour later, Suman and Karan were both at the trail near Suman's mansion. He was quite shocked to see her so upset and didn't understand what was going on. So many questions were crossing his mind, but he wasn't sure which ones would be appropriate to ask at the moment.

"What happened, Suman? Why are you so upset?"

"Why can't I be upset? My life is ruined! I hate Rashmi!"

"What? Why are you upset at her? Did she do something to you?"

"Karan, I lied to you about why I had my Joraa. I had it because Rashmi forced me to have my Joraa with Veer."

"Why? Didn't she like him? She always seemed so sweet and innocent. Why on earth would she do that?"

"It's all lies! That's what we all thought! It's really hard to understand that girl. She's playing a mind game with me. This was all a game she set up so she could end up breaking up the relationship and putting me into it! She pretended to like Veer to set this up. She never wants me to be free from this false relationship and she-!" she paused for a moment.

"She secretly meets Veer behind my back to fool Veer that she still likes him. I'm living like a prisoner and she's happy about that! I saw so many dreams about our future, but now those dreams will never be true. I betrayed you Karan. I'm sorry."

"No, Suman. This isn't your fault. What a cheat! How could any human do such things? I'll talk to her and ask her what she wants."

"There's no point in doing that! I already tried it but she won't listen to anyone. That's what I want too. I can't live like this anymore! There's only one thing to do: I have to get rid of her, but I need your help."

"How? I can understand your pain, but how? I don't see a way for me to help you get rid of her."

Suman pulled out a gun from her bag and handed it to Karan. "I want you to shoot her."

Karan's eyes opened wide and he put a very scared expression on his face. His arms started shaking and his teeth were chattering. He stared at her in disbelief. He pulled the gun away from him and stepped a couple steps away from her.

"What!? You want me to kill her? Are you serious? Isn't that a little too violent? I mean, killing someone? You can go to jail for doing that!" Karan shouted at her, rejecting the the very thought of killing her with horror.

"Don't you want me to be free and be yours forever? Don't you want to see me happy?"

"Yes, but... Okay Suman, I'll do this for you. I'm really scared though. What if I get caught?"

"Don't worry, you won't. Let me tell you the plan. Rashmi is going to the disability center tomorrow from 2 - 4 p.m. At 4, you should be near the forest across from the center. Rashmi usually crosses the street and passes a trail in the forest. You should hide somewhere and harass her when she passes by. Don't try to shoot her unless she goes overboard. If you shoot her, leave her body and remove all possible pieces of evidence there."

"Don't worry Suman. Everything should go as planned."

"Not should. It will. And make sure that when you grab her, no one else is watching or following you."

Chapter 43: Let The Plan Begin!

It was the day when Rashmi was at the disability center with Rohit. They both had lunch and she told him some simple ways on how to have fun in life with disabilities. Rohit had secretly started getting a crush on Rashmi and fell in love with her. He loved her sweet, soft voice and especially loved her beautiful smile. He couldn't imagine his life without her. He believed that she had brought colors to his dark, horrifying life.

"Alright, you take care. I have to go home now. I have some things to do. I promise, I'll spend some more time with you next week."

"You will come again, won't you?" asked Rohit, hopeful that she would.

Rashmi smiled at him and had a little laugh. "Will you always ask me that? Of course I will. Why wouldn't I? I will come and that's a promise."

"You never told me your name, what is it?"

"My name is Rashmi. You never told me your name either. What is it?"

"I'm Rohit,"

"Nice to meet you Rohit. I hope we can spend more time with each other next week. Bye!" she said as she waved at him.

"Bye," he said waving back, giving her a loving smile.

Rashmi left the center and crossed the street. She decided to take the shortcut through the trail today. When she passed a maple tree, someone hiding there came behind her and covered her mouth. The person had covered their face with a mask so she couldn't recognize the person. She pulled his hand off her mouth and pushed him away from her.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?"

"Why do you need to know who I am? I'm here to get rid off you. You've caused too much trouble in everyone's lives and you think you can get away with it just like that? No. You deserve to be put in misery for that!"

"What are you talking about? I don't understand. What did I do?"

"Don't try to act stupid with me. I'm serious about this. I'll shoot you if you don't cooperate with me, understand?" he pulled out his gun and showed it to her.

Rashmi's heart started beating quickly. She glanced at the gun and then at Karan. She gulped once and backed away from him. She was trying to figure out who he was and what she did wrong - if she did anything wrong.

"Please don't shoot me! I'm begging you! Here, take my money!" She threw some money from her wallet and threw it on the ground.

"Are you dumb or something? I said I'm here to get revenge for what you have done to everyone!"

Karan cocked the gun and pointed it towards her. She slapped the gun into a pile of leaves and ran as fast as she could. Karan picked up the gun and ran after her at a very fast speed. He grabbed Rashmi's shirt but then she picked up a huge broken tree branch and whacked it at his stomach. He fell to the ground and whimpered as he covered his stomach while Rashmi continued running. When it appeared that no one was in her sight, she hid behind an oak tree. She pulled out her phone from her bag and text messaged all recipients:

to: all recipients

subject: save me!

Message:

My life is @ risk right now! Someone is chasing after me and wants to kill me! I'm hiding behind a tree and trying to save my life! Plz come and save me! someone Plz come soon!

Within 30 seconds, she received a reply from Veer:

subject: Re: save me!

Message:

Rashmi, I'm on my way. I'm crossing the street. I'll be there in a minute.

"I'm crossing the street?'" Rashmi whispered to herself. "Was he at the disability center or something? Why would he be there?" she wondered.

Rashmi stayed silent behind the tree, but when she rested her hand on the tree, a thorn pinched her. She started shrieking, causing Karan to find her easily. Once he found her, he made her stand up. He pulled out his gun and aimed it towards her head. Before he could shoot, Veer leaped in front of him. He tossed the gun in a pile of leaves and they started to fight.

"Veer, stop it! Leave him alone!" Rashmi warned him.

"Why? He wanted to shoot you! I'll take care of him, get away from here!" he assured her.

"Veer, your my friend and I don't want anything to happen to you. Come on, let's go!"

"Leave, Rashmi! I'll be fine! Leave right now!"

As she turned away and ran a couple steps, Karan picked up the gun and pulled the trigger. Veer tried to stop him but failed. Rashmi felt a blazing pain in her left leg and slowly looked down. She saw big streams of blood gushing from just above her knee and she knew she had been shot. She fell to the ground, unconscious, but Veer caught her in his arms just in time. Karan dropped the gun and ran away, thinking that Veer would go after him. Veer would have, but he couldn't leave Rashmi alone in this condition.

It took Veer half an hour to find someone to help them out. He called a taxi from the street and asked the driver to help him bring Rashmi inside the car. The driver came out and carried Rashmi in his arms to the car. Veer sat inside first and the driver handed Rashmi over, laying her head in his lap.

"Can you please drive us to the hospital? She's bleeding severely."

"Sure," he replied.

"Don't worry Rashmi. Everything will be fine. I'm here with you," Veer exclaimed to Rashmi, who was still unconscious.

"What happened to her? How did she get shot in such a safe area?" asked the driver.

"I don't know. I got a message from her saying someone wanted to murder her, but I don't know why."

"Don't worry, kiddo. She'll be fine. Were almost at the hospital."

Within a couple minutes, they reached the hospital. The nurses and surgeons put Rashmi on an emergency stretcher and brought her into the Emergency Room.

Veer waited outside in the waiting room. He asked a nurse to call the Thakur's about the tragic event. She obeyed, picking up the phone and dialing the number.