chapter 15

The next day dawned with Pragya standing on the balcony of their hotel room, taking in the bustling cityscape of Singapore. Ishan approached her from behind, enveloping her in a warm hug.

"Good morning," Pragya greeted him, her voice soft and affectionate."Good morning, beautiful," Ishan replied, planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Such a flirt you are," Pragya teased, her eyes twinkling with amusement."But girls like you are not made for flirting," Ishan countered, his gaze lingering on her lovingly.

Pragya playfully pressed her lips into a line, feigning annoyance.

"Awww, my angry bird. Girls like you are made for love," Ishan continued, his words melting Pragya's heart as she smiled in response.

"Thanks, my cheap copy of Ranbir Kapoor," Pragya teased, poking fun at Ishan's attempt at romance.

"What? I was being nice to you, and here you are choosing violence," Ishan protested, feigning offence."Love is a war," Pragya quipped, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Everything is fair in love and war," Ishan corrected her with a chuckle."Yeah, whatever," Pragya replied, rolling her eyes playfully.After their banter Pragya and Ishan got ready to explore Singapore.

Their first stop was a lively ice cream parlour, where Pragya eagerly anticipated indulging in a sweet treat. However, Pragya found herself struggling to obtain her ice cream amidst the interactive games and challenges offered by the parlour. Ishan couldn't help but laugh at her antics as she sat on the ground in frustration.

"I didn't want this. Why did you bring me here? Can't you take me to an ice cream shop where they'll give me ice cream without this game?" Pragya complained to Ishan

"Okay, my angry bird. Excuse me, please give her ice cream without any game," Ishan requested the ice cream man, coming to Pragya's rescue.

Finally, Pragya got her ice cream, her face lighting up with delight as she savoured the sweet treat, grateful for Ishan's understanding and willingness to make her happy.

In the quiet confines of the Malhotra mansion, only Divya and Anika remained at home. Anika, feeling bored, decided to take on the task of cleaning the house."I wish I could clean this witch too from my house," Anika muttered to herself as she began tidying up.

Making her way to Advik's study, Anika set about organising the array of books that adorned the shelves. She couldn't help but wonder why Advik had so many books when she had never seen him reading any of them.

As she dusted the shelves, a book fell to the ground. Anika bent down to pick it up, but upon closer inspection, she realised it was her own book, "Beyond Words." Her confusion deepened as she discovered her entire collection of books, both from before and after marriage, neatly arranged on the shelves.

When did he bring them? Anika wondered, momentarily taken aback by the unexpected discovery. Shrugging off the thought for later, she decided to confront Advik about it when he returned, resolving to focus on their planned movie night instead.

As the evening wore on and Anika settled in front of the TV, she felt a presence behind her. Turning around, she was surprised to find Divya standing there."Hey," Divya greeted her, her voice filled with an unexpected sincerity.

Anika, taken aback by the sudden conversation, struggled to find the right words to respond.

"I feel like you don't like me much, but never mind. It was my fault. I was being too clingy with him, like old times, and the laptop incident," Divya confessed, her words tinged with regret.Anika's mind raced with conflicting emotions, unsure of how to respond to Divya's unexpected honesty.

"Let's go shopping, please?" Divya suddenly asked, breaking the tension with a hopeful tone.

Anika hesitated for a moment, contemplating the invitation. Despite her reservations, she couldn't deny the allure of companionship in their shared solitude.

"Um...I..." Anika began to decline, but Divya's pleading expression softened her resolve.

"Please, we're both alone, and you are getting bored too, please?" Divya implored, her eyes pleading for companionship.

"Okay, give me a few minutes to get ready," Anika agreed reluctantly, realising that perhaps a shopping trip was just what they both needed to break the monotony of the day.

At night, Advik reached home and rang the doorbell. Divya opened the door, stunning him with her appearance in a tight-fitted dress.

Momentarily taken aback, he composed himself and stepped inside.

"Anika?" he called out, but there was no reply.

"Anika?" he called again, growing increasingly concerned. Turning to Divya, who stood nearby, he searched for answers.

He made his way upstairs to their room, only to find it empty. Descending back down, he scanned the kitchen, but Anika was nowhere to be found. Dialing her number, he grew anxious as she failed to pick up.

Glancing at Divya, who struggled to contain her amusement, Advik's patience wore thin.

"Where is my wife?" he demanded, his voice laced with danger.

"Far away from you, from us," Divya replied, attempting to placate him with a hand on his shoulder. But he shrugged her off, his frustration mounting.

"Where is she?" he pressed, his tone becoming more urgent, but Divya's laughter only fueled his agitation.

"Told you, far away," Divya chuckled.

"Divya, listen—" he began, pointing a finger at her, but his words were interrupted by the sudden ringing of his phone. An unknown number flashed on the screen, but he swiftly cut the call, his focus solely on finding his missing wife.

"Where is she? If something happens to her, i am not going to leave you. Tell me where she is!" Advik's voice trembled with a mix of anger and fear as he confronted Divya.

"I told you," Divya replied calmly, unfazed by his escalating emotions. Before he could demand answers again, his phone rang once more, interrupting their tense exchange. Irritated, he silenced the call.

"Where is she? What did you do to her?" Advik's tone grew harsh as he pushed Divya against the wall, his anger boiling over.

His phone rang again, adding to his frustration. This time, he grabbed the call, ready to unleash his fury, but paused as he heard a familiar, albeit cracked, voice on the other end.

"Advik," it was Anika, her voice barely audible but unmistakable. Relief flooded through him.

"Anika, where are you?" he asked urgently, his attention fully on the call. Divya's eyes widened, and she attempted to snatch the phone from him, but he pushed her aside, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground.

"Don't worry, Anika. I'll find you," Advik reassured her before rushing out of the house, leaving Divya seething with anger and frustration.

Flashback

Anika and Divya sat in the car, preparing to go shopping.

"Thank you for accompanying me," Divya expressed her gratitude, to which Anika smiled warmly.

"you are a really nice girl, just... you did one wrong thing," Divya stated cryptically, her gaze intense as she looked at Anika.

Confusion flickered across Anika's face as she tried to comprehend Divya's words.

"You snatched something from me. You snatched Advik from me," Divya's tone turned menacing, her eyes widening with an unsettling intensity.

Anika's mouth opened to respond, but before she could utter a word, Divya swiftly pressed a handkerchief over her nose, causing her to gasp in surprise before succumbing to unconsciousness.

As Anika slumped in her seat, Divya exited the car, coincidentally meeting the driver's arrival.

"Bhaiya, she's tired and sleeping. Please wake her up when we reach the destination, okay?" Divya spoke sweetly, her facade of innocence belying her sinister intentions, and the driver nodded in agreement.

With a calculated move, Divya disposed of Anika's phone in the garden, erasing any trace of her presence as she embarked on her ominous plan to keep Anika away from Advik.