Chapter 1 – The Dream or Nightmare

‘Neel… Neel…’ 

She shouted with enormous fury, as she continued to bang on the door of his room. ‘Will you open the door now or have you died?’ 

Within seconds, the door was opened to an angry woman who stared at him so hard as to feel as if she had killed him with her glares.

‘I went to sleep by mistake…’ he confessed before she could blast him.

But that didn’t save him from the rude words she lashed upon him. Have you really been sleeping or cheating on me?

‘What are you talking about...I can’t even think about that…’ he was badly hurt. His eyes burned with tears.

I see... men like you only do that, you guys think us a shit... let me show you what I do to you... next moment she hit him with her belt, pushing him down to the ground by her feet.

‘No…!’ he screamed in horror and got up sweating like anything… it took him a moment to realize that he was dreaming, no… Not dreaming but having the same nightmare again.

“It was the same dream again…’ he wiped the sweat from his face and left a breath. Just then he saw his Grandma and dad had walked in, probably hearing him shout.

‘Neel, what happened son? Did you have a bad dream again?' Dad asked worriedly.

He shook his head, 'now in my dream she was beating me with a belt.'

'What!?' exclaimed his father.

'I don't know why I'm the only one having those dirty dreams…' he cried angrily.

'Leave it son… now relax, go back to sleep.' His grandmother patted his head and wiped his sweaty forehead. He nodded taking a glass of cold water.

'You go to your room mother, I will accompany him tonight.'

'What! No dad, you go to your room and don't worry about me.' Neel was never comfortable sharing his room with anyone... he preferred their privacy.

Raj sighed agreeing to him silently and walked out of the room with his mother.

Don’t know what will he do after his marriage, the thought crossed Grandma’s mind, she had been behind him for marriage from last year but he was not ready for it yet giving lots of reasons but she wished to see him settle soon, maybe his nightmares will also disappear. She decided to pull the topic again before the father son duo. With these thoughts on mind she went to sleep.

…..

‘I can never forget her face.’ Neel said furiously while walking back and forth before the portrait of the beautiful girl hanging before him.

As he remembers what the doctor said about his nightmares.

“He must have seen her somewhere for sure…”

His friends got the clear look of the portrait, their friend had sketched and tried to remember had they seen her somewhere…?

‘Dude, I don’t remember seeing her anywhere…’

‘Even I don’t…’ others also joined; everyone nodded their head in yes.

Neel sighed in frustration combing back his hair…

‘Seriously dude, she must have been your wife in the past lives as your grandma said,’ He chuckled making Neel more irritated.

‘You are talking nonsense… I don’t believe those shit…’ he lashed out on his friend.

‘Even we don’t Neel, but seeing your nightmares and the face you see clearly in your dreams made us think so...’

‘On that you even don’t remember where you have seen her...’

‘That is the main problem. I don't remember where I met her or why I have been watching those nightmares every other night with having her abusing me like I am some damsel in distress.’

To his last words everyone muffled their laugh; after he gave his famous glare did they stop.

‘Seriously dude, why were you even getting beaten by your wife?’

‘KARAN!!’  Neel has had enough… ‘I don't have any hobby and no one has the courage to even look at Neel Oberoi.’ He was having furious red eyes ready to burn the girl of his nightmares to ashes. He just needed to find her.

‘Yeah that’s right!’ Neel pressed his shoulder, ‘but how can you be so sure about her existence. I mean, it is also possible that this girl may not exist in reality. Dreams don't come true. It’s only our hallucinations...our thoughts. That would just be your illusion.’

‘You guys say whatever you want but I am sure she exists. She is not just mere nightmare of mine. Just once, let me find her, I vow to show her the real hell, she would dare not to mess with Neel Oberoi again.’

There was determination in his voice and some kind of Obsession was there in his eyes which made his all friends to just nod at his words.

….

Anna watched with a frown as her mother paced around the room restlessly. She noticed the tension in her shoulders, the strain on his face.

She’s been suffering from chest pains for some time and the doctors diagnosed a heart condition at the moment it’s not too serious, but she’s been told she has to take things more easily not to worry so much.

Then why the hell her she is stressing herself this much, thought Anna rushing to her.

What happened mother?’ She stopped her holding her shoulder.

Anna, nothing is right...’ Misha breathed out anxiously as she faced her daughter.

To Anna’s confuse look, she said further, ‘your grandfather has called us for some work.’

Anna frowned innocently, “we have to go urgently, and he had sent the driver and car for us.

Anna just nodded sadly for she knew he had sent the car because they both can’t afford the expenses right now, nor have any penny with them.

It’s been a year now, her father left them alone with him everything was gone. Anna who had brought up with the golden spoon in her mouth had faced the real terror of life. Her mother was also just as innocent as Anna, she couldn’t do much to save the mansion they once lived in, which was on lease by Sanjay Malhotra.

He was working up to a heart attack. She had seen it eating into him the last four years.

At first, she thought it was an exaggeration. Now she knew that his insecurity had strong reasons for being.

Her father was slowly being destroyed, without mercy, overwhelming them. It wasn’t ever a clean, sharp kill.

It was her father’s life, the business he had spent over thirty years building, and his very reason for existing.

Loose everything we have, everything!’

Those words of her father, she could still remembered hearing, once he was discussing this matter with her mother alone.

The Malhotra Corporation had been climbing like a star, shining and new, secure at last after ten yean of hard work and scheming.

“Now the house would go with everything else.”

Anna sighed and shook her head, the feeling of helpless despair flooding over her again. There had been nothing she could do to shield them against the ruthless people. Today what she had witness in her one of interviews made her shudder through the spine.

She had been really innocent and indoor girl all those years of her life, her father had shielded her in his protective arms all those years and when today when he was not here how much she craved for those secure arms of her father, warm chest of him, so that she could shed her tears on his chest, even hit him complaining him for leaving them alone behind to faced the cruel world.

Anna dear, why theses tears, her mother wiped her cheeks that’s when Anna noticed she has been crying remembering her father.

‘Don’t cry dear, he is in our hearts, isn’t he?’ Misha tried to console her daughter and her as well.

But it made Anna cry further. She hugged her mother tightly shedding tears on her shoulder.

“What happened in today's interview?’

Anna stiffened hearing her, she remembered, how that disgusting man tried to misbehave with her.

Misha closed her eyes in pain, she could guess from her body language what must have happened, after a while she opened her eyes determined with something and pulled her apart.

‘Now you are giving no more interviews…’ said her mother determined.

‘Why?’ Anna frowned for that was no solution to their problems.

‘Yes, because you are getting married soon.’

‘What? But mother I don’t want to leave you, that’s why I am not marrying anyone,’ said Anna with finality however she was secretly dreaming about her prince charming but in this year she had faced the reality which was totally contrast to the dreams she had lived in her whole life.  

‘There’ll be no miracle, Anna.’ Dreams don’t comes true beta, we have to accept the reality and move on.  She said seeing her daughters lost look.

‘It's all just words to say, there’s nothing you can do.’

‘I know. But this is also true that miracle happens, you just wait and see mother.’ She said with strange glint in her brown eyes.