There are no happy endings

"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention"

-The Game of Thrones

Dark thoughts churned inside her head, manic laughter of crazed men resounded in her brain, and lifeless bodies lying flat on the floor, created horrific visions behind her eyelids. There was blood and screams, gunshots and cries echoing inside her, creating a maelstrom within her. A chilling cold swept inside her body and made her tremble with fear as things she didn't want to acknowledge tried to break through the recesses of her overwhelmed mind.

Mishti could feel herself slowly gaining consciousness and those dark nightmares became real images behind closed eyes, familiar faces, and all too familiar voices. She was aware of a faint beep and though her entire body was aching she fought to open her eyes and force those images away.

"Hi there baby doll," she heard the soft voice of her husband as her eyes tried to adjust to his form. He was sitting on the bed facing her, his hair was disheveled and his face looked tired and worn out, she felt him reaching for her hand as her eyes wandered around what appeared to be a hospital room, "You got us scared for a minute there."

Mishti felt the panic rising inside her as she remembered those last moments when she had felt the life draining out of her, "I'm sorry!"

He gave her a timid smile, "Don't be. It's all good now." His hand was tracing circles on her hand but not even his touch was able to calm her when the realization of everything that had happened, hit her.

"Ronobir she... Ganpati Bappa! Pari is dead!" she heard the machine around her beeping louder and louder as her heartbeat increased in its ferocity when the memories of that ill-fated night her with force. The body of her sister was on the ground, and her cries and the terrified look on her face as Veer dragged her into the warehouse.

"I know!" Ronobir said softly as he moved closer to her, his hands tenderly caressing her forehead as his concerned eyes focused on her face.

"He killed her right in front of me," her voice choked on a sob as she thought of her parents and how her family had been torn apart in a matter of months. She was the last remaining Khanna and that thought was too depressing for her to bear.

"Hey, It's going to be okay. I'm here now!" His words were meant to be soothing but Mishti wasn't sure if she could ever be at peace again. She kept remembering how she had felt when she had woken up and found herself imprisoned by the ruthless villains, the bone-chilling fear at the realization of where she was and what was going to happen to her.

"Ronobir, Shruti..."

"She's fine, Mishti, she is absolutely fine!" he reassured her as his hands kept playing with her hair. Mishti tried to move slightly and felt a sharp pain in her chest, her mind taking her back to the exact moment when the bullet had pierced her skin.

"I was so afraid, Ronobir!" she admitted after he told her to relax and not to move, "So afraid." She realized at that moment that nothing in her life had seemed scarier than being without him. Mishti had become so dependent on Ronobir that the idea of facing the world without him was too unbearable for words.

"I know sweetheart, I'm sorry!" regret and sorrow shone in his eyes as he spoke to her.

"And I... Ronobir, I killed him!" the realization left Mishti gasping for breath; she had pulled the trigger on the gun that had killed Veer Kamali, a man who had grown up with her. She had blood on her hands, she was a murderer now, just like the rest of them.

Ronobir eyed the beeping machine beside her and tried to relax her as best he could, "Calm down sweetheart!" The last thing he wanted was for her to injure herself further because of what had happened. He had been through literal hell these last few hours waiting for her to open her eyes and grace him with the sound of her voice once again.

"I did it Ronobir...his blood is on my hands!" her eyes looked hollow as the words left her lips, and her voice was mechanical as she spoke. "I'll never be able to wash the blood away!"

"No! don't say that!" he gripped her face with strong but gentle hands, his blue eyes boring into her, "He had it coming Mishti. You did it to save yourself!"

"I'm a murderer!" she whispered brokenly.

Ronobir shook his head and dropped his forehead onto hers, "No, calm down baby!" His words were gentle in a way Mishti had never heard before "Everything's going to be fine. Please, just stay calm!"

"Ronobir..."

"You're safe now, Salim is gone. They're all gone!" he said the words as if he was meaning to reassure not only her but himself as well, "I'm the King of the Jungle again!" the hint of a smirk played upon his face and Mishti started to feel at ease again at the sight of it.

"You're such an ass!"

The smile was full on now as he pressed his lips to her, "And you love it!" He stroked her cheek softly before leaning away from her, "Everything's going to be all right now sweetheart, you'll see!"

"What now Ronobir?" Mishti said after taking a deep breath as best as she could with the pressure on her chest. She saw the way his eyes moved away avoiding meeting her stare and a disquieting feeling started to form in the pit of her stomach, "Ronobir?"

He sighed as he looked at her again, his mask firmly in place, "Now you focus on getting better so you can go back to being all bossy and moody again!" he joked and Mishti felt amazed at how easily he could make things better for her.

Although dark thoughts kept swirling around her head, trying to drown her constantly, whenever he was next to her all she could focus on was him and the light he carried around when he was close to her. For her, being with Ronobir was like being near the sun.

"Don't be a jerk!"

"I was only being honest sweetheart!" he shrugged seconds before his eyes went serious again. "You need to get better."

"Is it bad?" Mishti asked with a bit of fear in her voice.

He shook his head and gave her a reassuring smile, "No, the worst is over. You just need some time to heal yourself but it'll be all piece of cake."

"Yeah right!" she rolled her eyes as her hands moved to the bandage she could feel on her chest.

"It will. I already went through it remember? I know better," he said nonchalantly and at that moment Mishti felt a surge of love for her husband that was so strong it threatened to overwhelm her.

"I love you, you know that?" she told him as she stretched her hand and cupped his cheeks tenderly.

He smiled sweetly, "I do, I love you too sweetheart!" There was something in his expression that unsettled Mishti like he was hiding something and it had been a long time since Ronobir had hidden anything from her.

"Ronobir? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Mishti!"

She meant to interrogate him further but a knock made them both glance at the door and Mishti saw the head of her mother peaking inside, a tentative smile on her lips as she regarded her.

Mishti felt emotions rising in her chest as she went back to being the little girl that needed her mother's comfort, "Mommy?" she whispered and in no time Mauli was stepping inside and running towards her only remaining child with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Oh baby!" the older woman reached the bed and leaned down to hug Mishti as best as she could without hurting her. Ronobir looked at the heartbreakingly intimate and painful scene between mother and daughter and felt awkward and out of place so he stood up and excused himself.

"I'll just go and check on some things!" he said although he was pretty sure they weren't paying attention to his words anyway.

Her mother fussed over her as tears streamed down her face continuously, "Are you truly alright my baby?"

"Yes mommy, I'm fine," Mishti nodded and gave her mother a watery smile trying to reassure her that everything was fine, "Mommy I..."

Mauli shook her head as she took a seat on the side of the bed Ronobir had just vacated, "No, no more Mishti!" The older woman reached out and took hold of her daughter's hand, "We are going to leave all that pain behind."

Mishti saw that very same pain and anguish reflected in her mother's gaze and wondered whether it was ever possible to completely forget the deep pain and destruction, the actions of men seeking power had brought upon them, "But how can we?" she voiced her concerns out loud.

Mauli smiled sadly, "With a lot of work my dear!" Mishti let herself close her eyes as she felt her mother stroking her hair softly, "We are here and we need to make the most of it."

Mishti's eyes welled up with tears as the horrifying images of her siblings' cold, dead bodies came to her mind. A part of her felt that she was to blame for everything that had happened, "I'm sorry!"

Her mother stared at her reassuringly, "None of this is your fault dear!"

"It's mine!" the strong voice of Ishaan Khanna made both women turn their heads to look in his direction. He was at the door of the bedroom and Mishti swore she did not recognize the man she was seeing. He looked defeated and she had always been so used to seeing her father as a force of nature.

"Daddy..." she breathed out.

She saw her father's shoulders deflate even more if that was possible as he approached them, "I'm so sorry, Mishti, I'm sorry for all I ever did to you!"

The young girl shook her head with a small smile, "It's fine, dad!"

Ishaan's jaw clenched as he stood next to the bed where his girl was lying, "No, it's not. It was my ambition and my blindness that ruined everything. I was even capable of selling away my daughter for more power." There was an edge of disgust in his voice and Mishti was surprised to see how much her father's stance had changed regarding his actions.

"No daddy! please don't blame yourself," she told him softly, "While we are not completely innocent ourselves, they were responsible for their actions." Bile rose to her throat at the memory of Veer and how he had deceived them so easily, "And while your decision might have seemed cruel and wrong in the beginning, marrying Ronobir was the best thing that could have happened to me." A dark shadow crossed Ishaan's face and Mishti looked at him questioningly but he decided not to pay attention to her.

Mauli spoke, "He loves you dearly, I can see that!"

"And so do I!" Mishti said with a smile. She would have never guessed this would be Bappa's plan for her and though her union with Ronobir had brought so much pain her initially, now she couldn't be more grateful to Him for making Ronobir a part of her life.

Ishaan sighed as if he was somehow uncomfortable with the topic, "We should leave you to rest!"

Panic gripped Mishti at the idea of staying alone, "No, stay a while longer please."

Her father nodded and sat on the bed on the other side of her mother. They talked for what felt like hours; they reminisced about old times and reassured each other that everything was going to be okay. A dark cloud lurked above them but they refused to acknowledge it, preferring to pretend even if it was for just a few minutes, that everything was all right.

Mishti felt like something was different about her father, it seemed that with every word or glance, he was saying goodbye, she couldn't understand what that was all about but decided not to dwell upon it, there would be time for that later.

The next few days were difficult ones for Mishti, Avantika told her that the wound was healing properly but it still hurt Mishti a great deal. The young doctor reassured her that the worst was over and not it would simply be a matter of discomfort till she completely healed. It seemed to Mishti that the other woman wanted to say something to her but didn't dare, she had no idea if it was only her paranoia, but it seemed like everyone around her was walking on eggshells and it was driving her insane.

Ronobir had visited her every day over the last week, but something felt amiss with Mishti. He was distant and while his words and actions were still the ones of a man in love, something in his eyes told her his heart wasn't one hundred percent in it. He had closed himself off once again and it worried Mishti to think of what could have caused such a drastic change in her husband.

On the fourth day of her hospital stay, Mishti was finally able to see her friend Shruti, she had been in observation as well since she appeared to have a broken arm caused by her fight with Salim when he had dragged her to the back room. Mishti had been glad to find out the man hadn't managed to do what he wanted with her friend and that she was bright and cheerful as always.

"I swear he might as well keep you in a glass box for the rest of his life," she whined to Mishti, as the brunette painted her nails since she wasn't able to do it by herself at the moment. "And don't even get me started with my mom; I'm never going to go out again at this rate."

Mishti chuckled as she exanimated the bright teal blue color on her friend's nails, "They just worry but give them time, it'll get better." The younger girl put some final touches on her friend's nails and smiled when her work was done

"You're a lifesaver!" Shruti said with a dramatic gesture before her eyes softened as she stared at Mishti, "I'm glad you're okay Mishtu, I'm glad we both managed to get out of there."

"I'm glad to Shruti!"

"And I'm sorry about Pari!" her sister's death was a subject Mishti had been reluctant to broach, even though Avantika had told her that it would be good for her to release some of what she was holding onto. But how could anything a shrink tell her, make the fact that she had been made to watch her sister getting shot, any better?

They couldn't understand it. But Shruti had been there and she had seen and experienced the horror with her. "She did not deserve to end like that," Mishti nodded at her words. It was her ambition that had brought her sister's downfall and she wished that they had been closer so she could have seen the signs and known that she needed help.

"Will I ever forget Shruti?" There was a catch in her voice and she felt Shruti's good hand squeezing hers.

"I don't think you can forget something like that. But with time the wound will heal a little, I promise," her friend gave her a kind smile and Mishti felt incredibly grateful to have her in her life.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome!" Shruti smiled, before lifting her legs onto the bed as well and extending her feet toward Mishti, "Now can you please do my toes." Both girls laughed and the rest of the afternoon went in the blink of an eye.

It was dark by the time Ronobir arrived; the minute he walked inside her hospital bedroom, Mishti knew something was wrong. His lips were set in a straight line and his jaw was clenched like steel. His brown eyes were cold and his whole stance resembled one of the men who had stood next to her at the altar of the church, not the man who had cried while he held her dying body in his arms.

"Ronobir?" her voice sounded tiny and afraid, like a little girl fearful of what might appear in the darkness.

Ronobir sighed as he leaned against the wall in front of her bed, Mishti wanted to reach out to him, tell him to get closer but the look in his eyes stopped her from making any comment, "We need to talk Mishti."

"Okay!"

Ronobir's jaw was clenched and Mishti could see the veins popping on his forehead as he spoke, "Your father and I have been talking a lot lately. He feels like the world has crumbled under him and in a way it has," Mishti nodded in understanding "He lost both of his children and the heir to his business."

"Yeah..."

His eyes pierced hers as he revealed why her father had been acting so weird a couple of days ago, "He wants to step back."

"He does?" Mishti asked with a frown. She knew that in a world like the one they lived in stepping out wasn't an option and as if reading her mind her husband uttered his next words.

"But you can't just step back in a business like ours."

A sense of dread overwhelmed her as she watched the cold stance of Ronobir, "What are you saying?"

His eyes looked down briefly as if somehow he couldn't hold the strength of her gaze on him, "Your father knows someone... he was an inside man in the police. He is to make a deal with this man in exchange for your freedom."

"What?" Mishti asked surprised, it seemed to her that all Ronobir was saying were just jumbled-up words, her mind couldn't quite grasp what he wanted to say or perhaps she just didn't want to comprehend.

"He is going to hand over himself to this man so he can make the catch of the century; do you have any idea how much attention a case like that could bring?" Ronobir stepped away from the wall and walked a few centimeters closer to her.

Mishti was shaking her head vehemently, "No, no why would he do that."

"Because in doing so, you and your mother will enter into the witness protection program."

All color was drained from Mishti's face as her eyes searched for Ronobir's who still refused to meet her gaze, "What..."

"This guy can guarantee that you and your mother will be safe, never to be heard from again. Your location will be out of the country and not even any of us will be able to know where that is," the words were clipped as if somehow it was costing him a great deal to say them.

Mishti's whole body was coiled with panic and confusion, as she sat up straighter in the bed, "But I am your wife, I can't just disappear."

"Nobody outside my most trusted circles knows you survived Mishti," his voice sounded cold and empty, "This is the perfect opportunity to make this happen."

"Perfect opportunity?" she was on the verge of tears as the realization of how huge this was dawned upon her, "Ronobir... I don't want to leave you."

He laughed sardonically and Mishti flinched at the sound, "But you do Mishti, you've wanted this since the moment this marriage was forced upon you remember?" His eyes finally rose to meet hers and what she found there shattered her. "You hate this life and everything that it brings; I am giving you the chance of having everything you always wanted. A happy life away from all this violence, the chance of finding a good man who is decent enough to give you a good life."

She shook her head as if somehow she couldn't comprehend what he was saying. How could she want a life in which he wasn't present? Didn't he realize he was so engraved in her skin that it would be impossible to keep going without him, "No, I don't want that. Not anymore."

"It's the best choice Mishti," his tone was cold and left no room for discussion but Mishti wasn't just going to give up.

"But my father..."

Ronobir rolled his eyes as if her words exasperated him, "Your father has nothing else to fight for; he's ready to give in."

A broken sob tore out from her throat, "But you said you would never let me go."

"Don't be melodramatic, Mishti!" he spat out as he turned around to stare at the wall. She could only see his stiff back, and she wondered when had things changed between them.

She gripped the sheets of the hospital bed as her eyes welled with tears, "How can you say that? Ronobir I love you and you love me," she was sure of it, in every touch and every glance her husband had shown her that she was his life, how could he stand in front of her right now and deny ever feeling that way.

He laughed again, that cold scary laugh Mishti hated so much, "Really... you truly believe that."

"But..."

He spun around so quickly she was surprised his neck didn't crack, "Look at me Mishti, I am a monster. I've never been anything else." His tone resembled the one he had used with her before their marriage but there was a hint of self-contempt that hadn't been there before, "Do you truly believe a tiger can change its stripes."

"But you said..."

"I say a lot of bullshit; I was infatuated with you but love? I don't love Mishti," his eyes were glacial as he looked at her, "I told you once and I'm telling you again, I can't love!"

Anger started to surge in her veins, overwhelming the grief that had been consuming her before, "Don't; don't try to make me believe that."

"Believe what you want Mishti!" he said nonchalantly. "There's only one thing that truly matters to me and that is my business, you've proven to be nothing more than a liability. I cannot lose my business over you I am finally King of the Jungle again and your presence makes me appear soft and I can't allow that. My infatuation for you has almost cost me the respect of my men and I have made choices that I would have never made before you. But I can never choose you above my business, no matter how good our sex life is. I will never choose you over my family... Never! So you have got to go, if there is a choice between my business and you, then I am sorry it has to be my business. Your staying with me can make me lose my place as the head Boss and I can't lose what I have built all my life for a girl who I haven't even known that long. Passion is one thing but my life cannot be sacrificed for a good time in bed. This may hurt you but in the scheme of things you will vet over it and I for sure will!"

"You bastard!" she spat at him as tears streamed down her face. She had believed in his words and had been proven to be the biggest fool of all. How was it possible that for just a moment she had thought Ronobir to be a decent man? All he wanted was power, to be the big boss!

"You and I both know you'll be better off without me, so run now while I'm giving you the chance."

"I hate you!" she yelled as she saw him straightening up.

"Good!" he told her harshly before storming out of the room and leaving her there in the cold hospital bed, grief consuming her as she cried for the happiness she thought she had and the one she was sure was out of her reach.

A naïve girl; that was all she ever was. Mishti had fallen madly in love with Ronobir despite all the warnings, she had given him her whole heart only to have him stomp it on the floor. As the darkness grew and the coldness in her chest expanded Mishti vowed to never allow anyone to hurt her that way again.