Khushi walked back to her room. She opened the door and felt very odd. One week of company spoilt her habits that she cultivated so carefully. Lado and Suri. Ratan... sometimes, even Vaishnavi called on her to enquire on her health and looked after her. She would never be able to pay them back for their affection and care.

The Prince however was too busy and she only saw him as he parked his car in the early hours. His garage was to the right of the outhouse with half a dozen vehicles that he used with a flourish. It was a strange feeling watching him discretely, as he mechanically parked the car and flung the keys at Raju or Ratan and walked to the main entrance whistling or sometimes speaking on his mobile. She would treasure her stay at Mehraana, as although it didn‟t have much to it, it was the best she could garner in terms of human interaction in the recent times.

After settling down, she grew restless. She just missed all the attention she received at Mehraana. Finally, she locked her room and walked out to spend her time roaming yet another Mall. She walked past brightly lit shopping stalls and tried to brighten her mood, which would not brighten up at all. By seven in the evening, she gave up and walked out. It was then that she realized someone was following her. Who ever it was!

She walked brusquely but the stalker was with her. She couldn‟t lose him. All her tricks went bust and Khushi knew she was in real trouble. It‟s just the occasional adamant one who is following you Khushi! C‟mon!" She egged herself on... it started drizzling and she took a bus to the outskirts, which was exactly opposite to the place she stayed at. She could see him now with a hood pulled on covering his face. She got down two stops ahead of the destination and started blindly running as she realized she committed a blunder. It was pitch dark, and there was lots of greenery. It seemed like a posh locality that housed havens of the elite.

She ran blindly and hid behind a bush and waited. The hooded man was there. After twenty minutes he trotted to the spot, looked around and moved in front. Khushi waited for five minutes and then ran back ...but instead of going to the bus stop, she ran to her left and into a colony with houses placed far and deep with huge driveways. She walked till the end and realized that the road went up the colony was built on a natural cliff and the end house was on its tip. It was unusually huge with thick greenery and a sprawling bungalow in the center. She waited in the shadows as she noted that the security was changing shifts. The colony was gated. And there was no security for individual properties. A patrol van with a searchlight scoured through, and she waited and slowly slipped in and breathed her relief. But now what? She walked to the property on cliff and knew she had few minutes before the patrol van caught her. It started pouring down and she could not walk anymore. She walked up to the building and she saw a faint light inside. Should she knock and ask for help? But... she was actually not supposed to get in. This was not a housing board colony that she could knock at the door and say, “Hi! I am lost and there is someone stalking me, and I need help.” They would first put her behind bars for tress passing. But she did not have any choice. She was cold, hungry and most importantly, exhausted.

She walked up to the front door and pressed the calling bell. Nothing happened. She pressed again, and after two minutes again.
She knocked on the door the third time round and when nothing happened, turned round to leave and then the door opened and an elderly gentleman asked her, “Who are you?”

Khushi looked around to check if the man was around just in case although it was unlikely... she then said, “I am sorry! I lost my way and I need some help.”
“But how did you come in? Who let you in?” The man exactly enquired about what she dreaded and she said, “I....” she tried to dodge the man, when a lady who was very scantily dressed walked into the hall asking, “What about dinner!”

The man turned and said, “Almost done ma'am” and whispered to Khushi, “Just go! Before someone sees you and books you for trespassing, “and closed the door.
Khushi did not know what to do! She turned and walked down the driveway, and it started raining in earnest. As she stood thinking about what she must be doing, headlights of a car blinded her, and she just lost her footing and the next thing she knew was she was fainting, as she did not have food the whole day and the stress took a toll on her.