The same night.

Sarla was shown sitting on preeta's bed and preeta was sitting down on the floor with her back facing sarla. Sarla was actually massaging her scalp.

"Preeta!" Sarla called her dear darling daughter, who just hummed in response, still busy on her phone, checking her pictures out and posting them on her social media.

She just posted those pictures in which, she and her dear darling ring was visible, no traces of Karan in any of the pictures, just to make sure their college folks don't get to know it.

"Beta! M tujhse kuch kehna chahti hu. Jo mujhe lagta h ki shaadi jaise ek pure rishta jodne se pehle tujhe pta hona chahiye" Sarla said.

Preeta finally dropped her phone at a side and turned, facing her mother. Preeta held her hand and started listening to her mother.

"Boliye ma! Kya bolna h?" Preeta said.

Sarla smiled and said,

"Life lessons! Chinta Mt kr.. Pravachan nhi de rhi, bas need to discuss something, more like interaction." Sarla said and preeta chuckled and nodded.

"So..Tell me! Tujhe kya lgta h? Rishtey m pyaar jyada zaroori h ya vishwaas" Sarla asked.

Preeta's eyes went in deep thoughts before returning to meet sarla's As she said, "pyaar?"

Sarla shook her head in no and preeta frowned.

"Vishwaas! Kyuki Pyaar na ho to vishwaas ke sahare rishta chal jata h. Par vishwaas na ho aur pyaar Ho, to beech m aa jata h 'Shak' aur jis rishtey m ye shak aa gya, bas! Rishta khatam smjho" Sarla said.

Preeta felt her words too deeply, too very deeply. She memorize how Karan's mistrust messed her life.

"Par ha! Vishwaas krna! Atoot vishwaas krna! Par andha nhi! Ki uski galti hi na dekh pao aur fir kuch aisa ho jaye jo sabki zindagi tabah krde!" Sarla said.

Preeta nodded with her and started listening at sarla with more concentration.

"Secondly, Compromise! Humare time m to ye sab nhi hota tha, par aaj hota h! Aadhe rishtey inhi se toot jate h!" Sarla said.

Preeta chuckled as she remembers about whom she was talking about, her cousin brother.

"Tune suna to Hoga hi ki taali ek haath se nhi bajti!" Sarla asked.

Preeta nodded.

"Bss! Taali ek haath se nhi bajti. Compromise kabhi tum karo to kabhi wo karega! Par ye mt sochna ki har baar tumne compromise kiya h! See the things from the 3rd point of view. Hm?" Sarla instructed and preeta nodded.

"Aur...Aur kuch yaad nhi aa rha! Yaad aayega to batati hu hmm!" Sarla said and preeta started laughing. Sarla cutely glared her and she controlled her laugh.

"Aur teri shaadi ho jayegi! To m gyaan kise baatugi?" Sarla said with a cute pout.

Preeta looked at her mother with a 'aww' and got up to pull her in a soft yet embracing hug.

Both broke it after sometime.

"Meri shaadi issi city m to ho rhi h mumma. Aap mujhe kabhi bhi bula sakte ho. Jab man kare tab call kr sakte ho. M to yahi rahugi!" Preeta said smiling as affectionately as she could.

But sarla rolled her eyes and said,

"Chal chal Ave. Dikh rha h Teri shakal se man m kitne laddu foot rhe h shaadi ke naam se" sarla said. Preeta looked at her in horror.

"Maa hu m teri preeta. Now sleep! Agar kal college ke liye nhi uthi to batati hu!" Sarla said and went from there leaving a blank preeta behind.

Preeta came back to senses after sometime and looked at her face in mirror which didn't showed any such emotion on basis of what sarla said those words to her.

But nonetheless, she is her mother and mother will always be a mother.

She chuckled. Her eyes went on her engagement ring and she kissed it, feeling peaceful.

She kept her ring finger close to her heart and then went to bed.

Ending one of the most beautiful day of her life, a day filled with love and laughter.

Maybe, her happily ever after is soon to come.

•••
Next morning
•••

Preeta went downstairs after getting ready for college and as usual, her father was reading the newspaper.

"Good morning papa!" She chirped. Her father took his eyes away from the newspaper and looked at his daughter, smiling at her, as usual.

"Ahh! M late ho rhi hu. Bye bye byeeee!" Preeta was about to say this but heard her mother saying all this, coming from the kitchen.

Preeta made a cute pout and her father chuckled.

"Byee princess!" He said.

Preeta was about to say something but words didn't came out of her mouth.

Nonetheless, waving a bye at her parents, she left her place.

In college::

Preeta entered the college only to be welcomed by a group of college juniors whom she helped with their preparation with music in last year annual fest.

They congratulated her for being engaged and preeta being super shocked asked them how did they know about her engagement.

"Are kya di! Aap hi bhool gye? Kal aapne apne Instagram pe daali thi na apni pics!" One of them said and preeta remembered it and said an 'oh'.

Thanking them with a grateful smile, she moved ahead reminding herself that she had to say thank you to everybody like her birthday.

Gosh! Gonna be a tiring day.

Preeta was standing with Ranbir and prachi, thanking her other Mates who congratulated her when,

"Wow! Congratulations preeta! Kal tak Karan ke saath thi aur aaj kisi aur se engagement krli! Karan se jyada rich h kya wo?" The voice of Natasha reached her ears.

Preeta turned to see Natasha standing there with veer, both were Smirking. But today, preeta was no where near backing off, she was determined to answer them.

Ranbir and prachi's blood boiled seeing those people there but preeta signed them to be quite, taking the lead herself today.

Preeta stepped ahead folding her arms around her chest and says in a confident tone.

"Absolutely Natasha mam! After all aapse hi to seekha h!" Preeta's cold, confident and stern tone somewhere feared veer and Natasha and her words made them confused.

Preeta, understanding their confusion, chuckled and thought to clear it.

"Jee ha bilkul! Aapse hi seekha h. Aap bhi to Karan sir ki girlfriend thi na, aapne khud bola tha sabke samne aur ab aap karan sir se to koso door h, par veer sir ke bahut kareeb h! Veer sir is more rich than Karan sir I see!" Preeta said Smirking, dropping a bomb at veer and Natasha who surely weren't expecting this from preeta and pranbir felt proud of their friend taking stand for herself.

"Preeta Arora! Stay in your limits!" Veer spatted angrily, gritting his teeths which left absolutely no effect on preeta.

"Exactly sir! Abhi tak m limits apni limits m thi isliye aap log itna kuch kar paye. Par aap log meri limits jante kaha h!" Preeta said.

She turned to look at themselves. Whole college was watching them as they were in the campus, classes weren't started yet, so all the students were in the campus.

She felt it as the right opportunity and she can't let this go.

"Aap sab ko yaad h ki ek din meri aur karan sir ki ek photo college ke notice board pe lagi thi!" Preeta addressed to the college and the students present their nodded.

A sudden wave of fear passes in veer and Natasha's body as preeta brings that topic in limelight.

"Aur fir ye bhi jante hi hoge ki wo photos lene aur leak krne ka ilzaam mujhpe laga tha! After all, college m kuch bhi chupa kaha rehta h!" Preeta chuckled slightly and the students nodded.

"And Karan sir said ki aap sab ko answers jaldi mil jayege!" Preeta said again getting a nod from everyone, yet again.

"So here I am. With the answers! Ah.. Actually, with the culprits." Preeta said and looked at veer and Natasha's fear stricken face.

"Why are you looking at us?" A feared Natasha said.

Preeta smirked slightly and said,
"Aapko pta h na Natasha mam". Natasha was about to protest when preeta added, "i too have the cctv footage, to jhooth mat boliyega, that will insult you more!"

And that was it, veer and Natasha were standing there silently.

"Inhi dono ne..Ye veer sir aur Natasha mam ka kaam h and what they gained from it, that's a secret. I don't know yet!" Preeta said shrugging her shoulders. Veer and Natasha looked at her in horror as she told the truth in front of whole college, without even hesitating.

"Kya laga tha? M chup rahugi? Sorry to say par m chup rehne walo m se to nhi hu! But Nevermind, Aapki galti nhi h! Aap jante nhi h na mujhe, but aage se dhyaan rakhiyega! Preeta Arora! I feel, aap dono ke liye naam hi kaafi h!" Preeta whispered leaning closer to veer and Natasha and then moved back to her initial position.

And as a proverb States, history repeats itself! The history repeats indeed but, in the opposite manner.

Like that day, the whole college was gossiping about preeta, here today Veer and Natasha were the topic of the gossips, people were talking or badmouthing them we can say, which they deserve.

Preeta feels contented as she finally resolves this and proves herself to be innocent.

She looks at Ranbir and Prachi who gave her we are proud of you looks and she smiles.

Just then, she hears someone's clap sounds from between the crowd. Everybody's attention went there and saw Karan coming from the crowd while clapping.

"They deserve a round of applause! Don't they?" Karan said.

Coming in between, he stood between preeta and veer, Natasha. The whole college follows him in clapping.

Veer and Natasha glares preeta but bowed their heads immediately as they saw Karan glaring them.

"Itna acha kaam kiya h tum dono ne! You guys deserve a reward." Karan said, smiling as widely as he can.

Veer and Natasha scrunched their noses in confusion. Just then Karan passes them two letters, one for each.

Veer and Natasha opens the letters and their face turned completely pale. This made the whole college furious of knowing what's their inside the Letter.

"Suspension Letter h! You both are suspended for your stunt for 2 weeks." Karan announced.

"Preeta forgiving h! Sabke saamne sunake chod diya! Not me! M chodne walo m se bilkul nhi hu! Aage se kuch aisa waisa karne se pehle yaad rakhna with whom you are messing with! Karan luthra hu m!" Karan whispered in the same way as preeta and then leaned back to his initial position, as preeta.

The dean of the college came from his office on Karan's request and scolded veer and Natasha for what they did with Karan and preeta and asked them to leave immediately.

Their was dead silence in the college until veer and Natasha moved out.

After that, the bell rang and the students started moving to their respective lectures because the drama was almost over.

Preeta and pranbir too turned to go to their room when,

"Preeta!" Karan called out.

Preeta and pranbir stopped in their tracks and turned back. Karan came towards them, ahm, preeta specifically and Says,

"Its good that you took stand for yourself! Proud of you" He said and then giving Ranbir and prachi a look, moves towards his class.

Ranbir and prachi saw his retreating figure and then snapped their heads back at preeta only to see her still rooted to the place.

Ranbir sighed and shook her. Preeta blinked her eyes and processed his words.

"Unhone kaha he is proud of me?" Preeta asked to ranbir and prachi and they nodded.

And the very next moment, preeta was blushing like a red tomato. Unable to control her heated cheeks, she ran to her class.

Ranbir and prachi slapped their foreheads at their friend but also can't help smiling at her cute antics.

So madly in love she is.

The whole college time, preeta was just lost in her own world. Everyone who congratulated her, she just shook her head with a smile to them.

Even, Ranbir and prachi had to shook her sometimes to bring her back to senses.

"Abhi to Karan sir se isse I m Proud of you bola h! Ussi m itna khush ho rhi h. Agar kabhi I Love you bol diya to ye to mar hi jayegi" Ranbir said in prachi's ears who was smiling seeing preeta.

They were sitting in the cafeteria and preeta was eating her sandwich quietly, a soft smile over her face.

Listening Ranbir's words, prachi's smiling face turned to an irked one as she looks towards Ranbir with a annoyed expression.

"Wo khush h! Ab chahe reason jo bhi ho, tumhe kya?" Prachi said.

"Par itni se baat m kya khush hona?" Ranbir asked confusedly as he was neither able to understand preeta's reaction Nor he was able to process prachi's words.

Prachi just ignored him royally and continued looking towards preeta. Ranbir looked at both of them and slapped his forehead.

"Ye ladkiya prani hi ajeeb hoti h! Bhagwan inhe khud nhi smjh sakte. Inka bas chale to bhagwan se bhi bargaining krne lage" Ranbir muttered.

•••

Karan came back from his college and saw ruchika sitting on the sofa munching chips.

She squeals in happiness seeing him and waves a hi at him, which is absolutely unusual.

Karan narrows his eyes at her, thinking of the things she might want from him that's why she is trying to impress him but nonetheless, went towards her and takes a seat in front of her.

"Kya chahiye?" Karan asks raising his eyebrows.

Ru frowns listening him and glared him.

"What? Tu ye harkatein tab hi krti h jab tujhe kuch chahiye hota h!" Karan speaks as a matter of fact to which ru rolled her eyes.

"Bhai! Honestly tell me, kya hua h?" Ru asks, seriousness in her voice.

Karan looks at her confusedly, completely unaware of what she was talking about. Ru reads his expressions and says,

"What happened? Aap aisa kyu bol rhe the ki "Sab preeta ki engagement par aise dukhi ho rhe h jaise preeta ke alawa aur koi h hi nhi😑!" Ru said mimicking him.

Karan looks at her with widened eyes. How the hell she knows it?

"Aap bhool gye? Aap mujhse phone pe baat kr rhe the tab!" Ru said rolling her eyes.

"Ahhhh!" Karan groans and looks at ru with pissed off reaction.

•••
Flashback starts
•••

Today morning,

Karan was getting out from the car when suddenly, a bike came and got bumped with him. As the speed was less, it didn't hurt him much.

A junior, who was riding the bike looked at him fearfully and ran from there muttering a 'sorry' without even letting Karan react.

Karan looked at the bruise, it was a simple cut but blood was oozing out of it so he thought of cleaning it and headed towards the washroom.

As soon as he entered the washroom, he was a group of boys standing there with tensed expression. He ignored them and made his way towards the washbasin to clean the blood.

"Yaar! Preeta ne sagai kr hi kyu li? Abhi Umar hi kya h uski?" A voice reached Karan's ears.

He tried his best to ignore but can't ignore so he turned slightly and looked the whole boys gang was talking about it.

He wanted to ignore but his heart betrayed and he shift a little closer to hear it, although he maintained an expression as of he wasn't listening.

"I didn't even talked to her once. Bas door se hi admire krta rha usse" another one said.

"Abhi to Maine apne bacho ke sapne dekhna start kiye the uske saath, aur ab hi uski sagai ho gyi!" Another voice came.

At this statement, Karan's expression got hardened. He glared the boys gang and moves from there.

He was soo frustated. He was not supposed to feel that but still he was feeling. How dare they say that about his fiance and the irony was that, he couldn't stop them even.

Just then, ru's phone came and he talked to her.

And he didn't realised when those words got slipped from his mouth and the irony² was the phone call wasn't cutted.

•••
Flashback ends
•••

Karan looks at ru who was still waiting for the answers, but ignoring her royally, he went from there to his room.

End with the chapter.

Helloo!! How was the chapter?

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And and and! The most important thing.

Happiest birthday to hum sabki pyaari! magicxcreation Le Bhai! Aa gya Tera birthday! Jiske liye itni excited hori thi. I remember we met almost 7 months ago and from then till now, nothing changed between you and me. Hum dono abhi bhi waise hi pagal h aur ek doosre ko bhi pagal krte rehte h. I wish, aaj apna result aa jata to kitna acha hota🤣🤣 We talk so endlessly and senselessly ki kuch pta chala ho na chala ho, itna to pta chal gya ki hum dono hi nonsense baatein kr sakte h. 😶🌝Okay, Wishing you every bit of happiness and success and One more thing to tell, I love irritating you so muchhh!! Bilkul Tom and Jerry jaise ho gye h apn😂❤️Aise hi irritate hote rehna! Now, ending this not-so-lamba speech with your 3 fav emojis - 😒🙄😐

HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY TO YOUUU!!!