When The Darkness Meets Light

Chapter 41

Arjun's POV

I hurried down the stairs after my long tiring session in my gym. Lily! I am dreaming that too early in the morning. I felt my eyes watering. She is not real, she is not real, I repeated to myself but then she ran towards me like a flash of lightening and locked me in her arms.

She is real! I am shedding tears of joy. She is actually standing before me and I have her in my arms.

"Lily, you are alive! How?! Where were you all this years?! How can you be alive?!"

I ask her to clear the confusion playing havoc in my head. I had cried with her dead body in my arms. We gave her a funeral too.

She cries harder and loud, "Yes they didn't kill me. They kept me in a cell away from the sunlight. Oh, Arjun, they use to starve me and thrash me when I use to take your name. I hoped, hoped and hoped you'll rescue me but you didn't come." Saying so, she weeps pushing her head in my chest."

I cradle her the way I use to when we were teenagers. She is only two years younger to me. She was my best friend but something I did back in past ruined everything.

I ask her, puzzled, "How is this possible?! I saw your dead body and I, myself attended your funeral. Till that I didn't give up on finding you but..."

She has totally thrown me off my balance by returning back to my life.

Mark steps forward and enlightens me, "Arjun, Lily was held captive for years and the dead body they threw out of that car was someone else. It was a trap set by them and we fell or prey to it. You remember the body was burned and we concluded it's Lily because of her charm bracelet."

Yes, that charm bracelet which we found on the dead body. She never use to take it off.

Lily sniffles woefully, "Yes, Arjun they snatched it from me. Mark posed as an imposter to rescue me. He took such a big risk to set me free."

Mark never told me about this. I would have gone myself to rescue Lily but never mind, important is that she is here right in front of me.

"I am so happy to see you, Lily."

I have finally pulled myself up from my pitying state. I say brusquely to hide the emotion ascending my throat.

"Me too Arjun. Now we'll be together forever."

Her words numb my insides. Fuck! Lily, how do I tell you that your dream of our marriage is as far as the sky from earth. My eyes shift from Lily to Radhika and she couldn't look more heartbroken even if she tried. Poor girl has tears welling in her eyes.

I use to tell Lily one day she'll be my queen but of course that was years ago. She is still holding onto my childish words. Hell broke lose when we got drunk for the first time in our lives and did an unrectifiable mistake. We slept together! To be honest, we were each other's first. I still regret it terribly. When I woke up with a throbbing headache, I was full of guilt so I said we'll marry one day.
I said it in flow of words of course. I had no plans of marriage with anyone that time but by any means I had to comfort her.

When I saw Radhika, something in me came alive. I married her to avenge my mother's death but those innocent eyes had cast a spell on me. I was sure about courting her and I did but now what?! What about lily?!

Lily meets Sam and hugs her tight. They were inseparable and I always use to feel jealous of their bond. Lily treated Sam like her little sister. She would tie her plats, feed her with her own hands, play with her for hours, helped Sam in her studies. She had an unique bond with Sam but I see Sam's smile is not reaching her ears after seeing Lily.