I entered the house and found it to be all silent, which was strange, I looked at the kitchen, my parent's bedroom, and balcony but found them nowhere finally I spotted them in the study 

I went inside, greeting as I craved for a hug after a happy evening  but before I could hug my dad I felt a sharp tight pain on my cheeks and I fell down, 

I was slapped.... By my Papa.

I looked above to see their faces, I felt my eyes itch as tears came  out of my eyes, totally confused as to why he did that but when I looked at my dad he had red eyes and he was burning in fury and he threw a bunch of pictures on my face

"WHAT'S THE MEANING OF ALL OF THIS?" he yelled at me, I looked at Ma, I don't know what going on, slowly turning towards the pictures

and the minute my eyes fell on them I was shocked 

Somebody took mine and Sameer's picture in the mall, when I was feeding him,  we both were smiling and another picture of when he brought the spoon close to my mouth and me opening it with delight and some other few pictures of us smiling and laughing I looked down, tears ran down my eyes I closed them and more tears rushed,

I understood what it was and I couldn't help but just cry and feel miserable because I know at the end of the day it was all my fault 

Suddenly  when I yelped feeling  somebody pulling me by my arm roughly, I looked at my mother who held my hand as she shouted  

"What is this huh? YOU TOLD ME YOU WERE IN THE LIBRARY then how do you explain me the meaning of these pictures?" she questioned and more tears ran down my eyes suddenly dad pulled me

"TELL ME WHAT IS THIS RIYA BEFORE I DO SOMETHING WORSE" he shouted at me very ferociously and threw the vase on the table which smashed into a million pieces, I shivered and hiccupped because of fear and looked at him with terrified eyes

I lowered my eyes down and told them everything about Sameer....how we have been dating each other and its been an year, about where I went and everything that I didn't tell them

" ....but dad he is a nice guy....I-I love him.. you should meet hi-" I was explaining trying to convince when I again felt another tight smack on my cheek and I slumped down.

It was all quiet only sounds of sobs and furious breathing could be heard. Dad yelled at me again

"THIS HAS ALL BEEN GOING ON AND YOU ARE INFORMING US NOW HUH?! I WONDER FOR GOD SAKE HOW MANY LIES YOU WOULD HAVE TOLD TO US FOR THAT SON OF A BITCH!! IN FACT WE WOULD HAVE NEVER KNOWN ABOUT THIS IF IT WEREN'T FOR KAMLESH, HE CAUGHT YOU WITH THAT BASTARD IN HIS MALL LOITERING AROUND WITH THAT DISGUSTING CREATURE!! IS THAT WHAT WE TAUGHT YOU AND GOT YOU EDUCATED SO THAT YOU GO AND DO SUCH THINGS, AND DON'T I DARE HEAR HIS NAME FROM YOUR MOUTH EVER AGAIN, WAIT LET ME JUST KILL THAT SON OF A BITC-!!, I WOULD RUIN HIS CHANCES OF GETTING A JOB AND DESTROY HIMM!!" he roared and I sobbed I clutched his feet inorder to stop him from going and cried at his feet

"p..pls.. d...dad i..i'm so-rry.. I'm so sorry but pls don't do anything to him, it's not his fault..p..pl..pls" I pleaded and begged at his feet I cried so much that my eyes hurted and blood oozed out of the cuts caused by the pieces of vase that periced inside my feet while I tried to stop dad

" HAVE YOU GONE MAD?! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHOM YOU ARE TRYING JUSTIFY TOO???" my mom pulled me her side I looked at her who was fuming with anger and her hair were all ruffled I stopped crying and was confused for what was she saying, my face looked red because of that constant crying and the tip of my nose hurt. she looked at me and laughed

"I BET YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THAT BUT HE IS A CRIMINAl, A MURDERER, HIS FAMILY RUNS A RACKET OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND HIS WHOLE FAMILY COMES FROM A CRIMINAL BACKGROUND BUT YOU WOULD UNDERSTAND ONLY IF YOU COME OUT OF YOUR SO-CALLED LOVE PHOBIA" she screamed at me and then I was shocked and said

" what??...criminal....human trafficking how? No, no he can't be like that HE ISN'T like that its not true..... it can't be true" I looked at mom and dad with fear, mom grabbed my hand and explained

" come to your senses riya he is" then she threw a newspaper at me where a man who looked similar to Sameer was standing in a picture but it looked very old " remember the case of, Sudheer chopra and prakash chopra of massive bomb attack where 32 were dead and kidnapping case in 2003 and then ran to usa and were never found. Your Kamlesh uncle was suspicious of him when he saw you with him and when we did background research of him and we found out that bastard sameer is somehow connected to those two, he is the son of that bastard they just changed their names and" she got more papers and pointed out " see this.... And this and this one more.... All these human trafficking and kidnapping rape cases are supposedly lodged against that bastard's family" she completed and to say I was shocked was an understatement I was beyond shocked I looked at the paper carefully and the guy looked exactly like Sameer

So...was I... dating a criminal all this time...I wondered and tears again pricked through my eyes, I couldn't believe all that my parents told and I was heartbroken so many things were going in my mind but that was brought to halt by mom's next statement to my dad

" EY JI WE CAN'T TRUST THIS GIRL ANYMORE, WHO KNOW'S WHAT SHE DOES IN THE FUTURE..... ITS BETTER WE MARRY HER OFF TO KANIKA'S SON YUVRAJ" I looked at my parents with wide eyes tears still dripping I was thinking what were they saying suddenly dad boomed with his voice

" Yes, you are right ! it would be better to marry her off before she brings more disgrace to the family  YOU ARE RIGHT, IT WOULD BE BETTER TO MARRY HER OFF BEFORE SHE BRINGS ANYMORE DISGRACE TO THE FAMILY" I looked at him speechless and felt heartbroken at what he said

" PAPA..." I tried to come close to him and touch his hand, to ask him about what was he saying how could he say like that to his one and only daughter who loves him by her heart, but he spat my hand and angrily said

" Stop her college this instant, I don't want her to meet or go anywhere near that boy and Mind if i dare hear his name even for once, today you were only slapped but the consequences would be worse, LOCK HER IN HER ROOM" he screeched and I moved my head to stop this I joined my hands in front of him to stop him suddenly he grabbed my hands and ruthlessly dragged me to my room and threw me on the floor and wiped his hands and said to mom in an emotionless voice

" start the preperations of her wedding nothing should lack and let's get rid of this promise" he told to mom and mom just nodded, not a single tear or emotion on her face as well, he then closed the door and I heard the locking sound of it and the keys I ran towards the doors trying desperately to open the door my eyes blurred with tears that continuously ran I banged on the door

" MAMA....PAPA!!" I called them and shouted to open the door

" OPEN THE DOOR PLSS MA PAPA PLEASE" I banged harder and harder but they had already left I begged and pleaded them to open the door, I cried, wailed but it went unaffected to them, after some time my pleadings and begs lowered as I had no more energy from all that crying and I slumped down near the door, my face felt all hot and wet because of the crying and my eyes had swelled I cried hiding my face hidden at my knees folded by hands were bruised with all that beating and I felt hungry and all the shoutings were roaming inside my heard I cried even further blaming myself for all of it

Sameer....criminal...marriage....disgrace all these thoughts made me cry even more,I still couldn't happen to believe something like this Sameer could do. I had been crying it was midnight I slept there on the floor near the door in a fetus position still not able to think and sleep I felt numb when suddenly I felt a vibration in my pocket, it was my phone and took It out to see while wiping my tears it said

" Sameer CALLING...."

" h..hello sameer" riya quickly answered the call, still terrified of what she heard, but she wanted answers she wanted to prove her self and her family is that they think very wrong of Sameer, because he is an angel according to her.

" yes love, just called to know you if you are okay but.....what happened dove you sound terrified" he anxiously asked riya about her condition on hearing her voice so faint and sore and terrifingly dwindling.

" sa..sameer I need answers" riya led it out what she wanted to say she still had an hope in her heart whereas on the other side sweated anxiously worried what she wanted to know

" I have heard that your family is into illegal business and wante-" she was going to complete when he cut her off almost shouting " beilve me love it was not me, it was never me it was always them" Sameer said his voice came broken, riya's heart thundered and she asked him to continue he stayed quite for a while and said

" yess, it is true that my family or my uncle and father are wanted and into illegal crimes but trust me love I never part took in that heck I can't even imagine hurting an innocent soul, believe me love it was never, I am not a part of any of these things....." he sounded desperate as he tried to explain her riya was in a delima of who to trust somewhere she knew and supported that Sameer would never do any such thing but another part of her was horrified knowing about his uncle and father

Before she could say anything her phone was snatched away from her and was thrown hard on the floor that horrified her and scared her she looked to see it was her father who had sneaked inside her room to look at her daughter but got furious on catching her with Sameer

" i..i..i am so..sor..sorry Papa, please..." riya brutually shaked as she hid her face between her knees and covered her cheeks her father who was standing there slowly locked the door and stayed with her for a few minutes nobody said anything but then he said

" many relatives are coming tomorrow might as well your kanika aunty and has soon tomorrow would be a busy day so go and sleep" with that he got up to leave, riya who heard his calm and soft voice thought that everything was resolved and his father came back, so she thought to give it a try and held his hand, which surprised him and she said

" Papa...please" she looked at him with her doe eyes that shined in with the stars in the night sky and muttered a soft " I don't want this marriage", but her father at that raged and spat her hand which scared her, he never raised her hand on her and that disherteaned her even more.

" no more words, accept what you have gotten in life and what you will get, people are not fortunate enough as you who take it for granted" he angrily spoke to her and left her alone without forgetting to lock the door.

and riya felt so heartbroken and numb it was as if she was lost in the dark and she had nothing but to accept the truth