CHAPTER 1 - NOT AGAIN

Vincenzo's POV:

I saw her walking in the rain with her friends filled with happiness when I was in pain. The smile on her face is too real to be true. I want to get out of my car and hug her leaving no space. But, then I realized why I'm sitting here with his pain. I deserve this. I deserve all the pain in life.

But, I don't know what happened to my inner demon when I saw a man nearly my age walk towards her with an umbrella in his hands. He protected her from the rain but no one can protect him from me. Then I saw my girl trying to remove the umbrella and enjoy the rain but he pulled her towards him and said something to her to which she pouted cutely.

It's more than enough for me, I couldn't take it anymore. I can't see her with someone who is not me. She is smiling with others, talking to others where she is all mine. I unlocked the seat belt of my Lamborgini and went on to open the car door but, I heard my bodyguard who was sitting in the driver seat, looking at her.

"She is happy without you. Now, did you understand what you lost? You lost her. Never mind, I guess he got her. Look, how happy she is. I can say that he loves her a lot only by the way he is taking care of her. They both will become a perfect couple" My head bodyguard David said making me stop from what I tried to do.

He is right. If she is happy with him, I won't disturb her life. I realized what I lost and why I'm going through this pain. I sat inside watching that boy dragging what's mine. I lost her completely. I got down from the car and started to walk in that rain, in the opposite way to her. My other bodyguards who were in the other cars tried to hold an umbrella for me but my single look was enough for them to stop.

Not only my bodyguards but also the college authorities tried to stop me. But, when they realized that was not possible, they started to follow me. I walked to the same guest house in which I was staying at this college. As the distance was only small, I reached there within a few minutes. I went inside and sat on the center couch not caring about my wet suit.

All my bodyguards and the college authorities came inside with fear not knowing what happened all of a sudden. They must be confused because we were only going to some important meeting but now I'm sitting here. I saw David coming inside the house with tears which are sure happy tears. He must be happy seeing his friend safe and sound after years.

"Cancel all the meetings for the next two days" I ordered and went inside the room the college had created for me.

I removed the jacket and threw it across the room. As what I saw and what happened in the past started to run inside my brain, I sat on the black color bed holding my head with my hands. Tears started to roll down my cheeks remembering what I did. I want to kill myself for hurting her, hurting her to the level where she can't heal. But, she is healed and I'm hurting here. I deserve this. I slept on the bed decreasing the room temperature to the minimum level in the A.C. I don't care if I die frozen, but I don't want to live. Not after realizing what I lost.

Ahaana's POV:

Riyaz dragged me inside the canteen while yelling at me. I looked at him sadly, actually trying to act sadly because he was yelling at me. And those two idiotic friends of mine laughed seeing me that I suck at acting.

"Don't try to act, sissy. Are you behaving like a 26-year-old? You're behaving like a small kid. Yesterday only you recovered from your fever and today you're enjoying your so-called rain" He again yelled at me but this time, I started.

"Tell whatever you want to tell about me but dare if you say anything about my rain. I love that so much" I said as I only know the reason why I love this rain so much.

"You guys stop fighting. Riyaz, allow her to dry herself. Only you're going to cause her a fever again" There comes my sweetie, my Liya, my forever best friend, and my sister-in-law.

"Wifey, stop supporting her," Riyaz told her and here their glaring competition between husband and wife started and I knew finally my sweetie would win.

"Fine, I'm not yelling at her" Yeah I won.

I went inside the washroom and slightly dried myself. Liya and Ananya came inside and gave me a different look which I have been seeing whenever I was scolded by Riyaz because they know my past. They hugged me and I too hugged them back controlling my tears. But, I smiled more because I didn't want to burden them with my problems.

We three went outside and saw that Riyaz was still glaring at me. But, I'm not angry with him. He is the only one that is alive in my family. Yeah, my parents and his parents died in a car accident five years ago. He inherited my aunt's brown eyes, sharp nose, and black hair while I inherited my father's grey eyes and black hair and I and Riyaz almost look similar. We were only living in the hostels separately until we completed our degree. But, now we both are living in a house and he got married to one of my best friends a year ago.

I went near him and sat on the chair next to him in our usual place inside the canteen. Seeing my worried face, he smiled at me and patted my head. I too smiled and Ananya ordered snacks for all of us. We four are very close in this college. But, the thing is we are not students but we are professors. We only got appointed last year and we are still assistant professors. While I and Ananya work as a professor in the bio department, both Liya and Riyaz are professors in the computer department.

"Hey guys, did you hear the news that our college was sold and some billionaire bought this college" We heard one of my class students telling her friends and we became interested in the topic.

As we are only assistant professors, most of the official news will only come to us late. And, almost half of the higher professors hate us for becoming the student's favorite. What we can do about that? We all are friendly types, so it's becoming easy for us to interact with the students. We heard that billionaires would be seeing every professor tomorrow and all my friends became shocked, and I too became shocked.

I guessed that tomorrow would be a tough day as we know that our higher officials will do something in order to show us wrong in front of the new owner of the college.

The next day morning, we all professors were ready to meet the new owner of the college. We four are standing last in the line and I'm the last person as I don't want any of my haters to create a scene in front of the new owner. The door of the meeting room opened revealing him. My hands started to shake seeing him. Not because of seeing him, but thinking about the man who could be here with him. No, he can't be here, can't get inside my mind again, can't break me again.

No, this shouldn't be happening now…It must be my imagination…but I know, it's not…and I'm again going to fall into the dark past of mine and I can only wish that both of them wouldn't remember me which is completely impossible. I felt like I could pass out any time and I saw that some of the higher officials of the college were with him. Where are the others? Are they coming with him? No, please. I can't understand who actually bought this college. If he is here then HE must be the one who bought this college.

I saw him looking at everyone and started to walk inside the room everyone started to greet him but he ignored me. What happened to the playful man? And why he is behaving like HIM. When he came near Ananya, his ocean-blue eyes caught me and I ignored him completely. Ananya greeted him, he nodded his head and then Liya greeted him and he also nodded his head at her. Then he stood in front of Riyaz and I didn't know what happened to him, he literally killed him with daggers from his eyes. Then he came and stood in front of me.

I don't know what to do but I saw the sadness in his eyes. I know it's wrong to hurt him because of what his boss did. I smiled at him and I stretched my hands for a handshake as I know I can't hug him now. He too shook my hand but I didn't fail to notice a teardrop in his eyes.

"Ahaana Ravinchandran, Assistant professor in the zoology department," I said and I saw a teardrop leaving his eyes which must be because of my formal introduction.

"David," He said and wiped his tears quickly and left my hand.

All the other faculties, higher officials, and Riyaz are looking at me with confusion but Liya and Ananya are looking at me terrified. I think they guessed who he must be.

Then he went and sat on the right side first chair in the meeting room not before glaring at Riyaz and I guessed that I should be ready for the worst. The head chair in the meeting room must belong to that man, Vincenzo Dantzler.