Dedicated to a dear reader rkala1524 for decoding nearly all clues, well done Sherlock!😎
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Lucknow, Feb 2022
'You betrayed me. i should have never trusted you.' he shouted at her
'I will tell him about you.' she screamed only to hear a loud laughter
'please let me go. please' she was crying, standing on the terrace, trying to stop someone but it was useless..
And Khushi woke up sweating. What was that nightmare? Why couldn't she see the faces of anyone in those dreams ever? Was it from some movie she had watched, like her amma used to console her with? But why did she feel pulled to sheesh mahal and then ran away from there as soon as she looked at its beautiful backyard? It reminded her of something but what? and that man's voice from her dreams, it felt so familiar. Whose was it? she had no answers so far.
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Lucknow, July 1997
Sheesh mahal was hosting its most awaited event of the year, birthday of Tamanna Malik! Every year this day saw a huge celebrations hosted at Sheesh mahal, guests from politicians to businessmen in invitation and a grand feast for the whole city! Arvind malik would leave no stone unturned for his sister's birthday.
But today, he saw his sister glowing with a different kind of happiness, a glint in her eyes which was never seen before and the fact he could read her face like an open book, this alarmed her. He decided to check with his wife after the party was over. Ratna had avoided to come downstairs stating their daughter Anjali was fussy. The reason however, was a guest in invitation today, someone who self invited herself in his party and his life! Soumya Garewal. For a while now he was thinking to break his relation with her, but every time he decided, soumya would be in such an emotional state that he would have to give up and console her. After all he was equally guilty of this as much as her!
Soon he was pulled by Tamanna aka his gudiya for the cake cutting and like every year he held her hand as she cut the cake. 'never leave my hand, gudiya. Happy Birthday! May you get all the happiness in this world.' he wished her as he fed her a piece of cake. Least he knew, her 's as well his happiness were short lived.
Tamanna managed to sneak out from the guests surrounding her and went near sagar who stood in the corner, looking nervous and out of place. She smiled at him as he wished her and gave a small gift wrapped box.
"what if your bhaiyya doesn't approve of me doll? I don't belong your posh world. Will you leave me?" he asked the most nagging question
"Sagar, always remember this. Class, money, society nothing matters in our love, only thing that matters is I love you. and I will always choose you, every single time, over and over again." her words brought him some peace.
After the party as all guests had left, Arvind was outside the sheesh mahal bidding them goodbye, when Tamanna introduced him to someone. A boy probably of early 20s, and from his clothes looked like he belonged to poor background. Arvind frowned. But seeing her happiness he didnt say anything at the moment. He understood the boy, Sagar, lived in the servant quarters of Sheesh mahal, making him more and more disappointed.
Later that night, Arvind Malik called Sagar to meet him in his study.
"you have to leave this town and never meet my sister again." he simply stated.
"Sir? I am sorry but i can not do that. i love her and she also loves me." came Sagar's determined reply and Arvind Malik got up from his chair, his face showing immense rage,
