A/N: Make sure you pay attention to the dates this time around... There's a flashback of sorts so... :) ENJOY

May 1, 2017: Shanaya and Abhi's Mansion:

She was numb. So numb that she hadn't even registered the date, let alone what was going on around her. The past two weeks without Abhi had plied her with memories of her kidnapping and the subsequent horror. Without the willpower or strength to fight them away, she suffered on in silence.

Every day, she would get up, and proceed through her day in a detached and rote fashion, doing her best to prevent herself from feeling. Because she knew, the moment she let herself feel would be the moment she collapsed. Inside and out.

She was grateful for her lack of work this particular day, as she wasn't sure how to continue keeping up her barrier. She was capable of the feat when it had just been her feelings for Abhi that she was guarding herself from. Adding, as she had finally noticed, Rohan's birthday to the mix seemed impossible.

She could feel her eyes getting ready to cry, but she did not get teary, nor did her eyes even water. She must have been out of tears, Shanaya deduced, her mind focusing on the smallest details to avoid jumping back to the cause of her distress.

And then her eyes caught a mangled piece of fabric that had at one point been a dress. Her eyes scoured the garment as she did her best to avoid laying eyes on the stain. But when the alarmingly large blood smear ensnared her gaze, she couldn't fight the flashbacks any longer.

January 9, 2017: Unknown Location:

Shanaya involuntarily shivered as a wave of cold air swept through the room, leaving her with pronounced goosebumps on her arms and legs.

Her vibrant blue dress had lost its shine, now dull and lifeless. Glancing at the strap excuse for sleeves, she grimaced at her choice of outfit, wishing she had had the hindsight to at least shrug on a sweatshirt.

Then again, who could have had the hindsight to see or even prepare for what had happened? Who could have foreseen the danger she was now entrapped in?

She shook her head, as if to cast the thoughts from her mind, allowing her to clear her head, though the fog of fear refused to shake. Though she refused to consciously admit it, she knew that this fog would only lift when she was with Abhi.

Abhi made her happy. Made her feel loved. Made her feel secure. Made her feel safe.

She smiled at the thought of him, but the smile soon dropped as an even colder wave of air flew through the vents above her. She would have attempted escape, but her height was nowhere near enough to reach the ceiling, and there was no foothold nearby. She wasn't foolish enough to waste her energy on such a fruitless endeavor.

She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her torso, attempting to conserve heat as she rocked back and forth.

She was feeling slightly warmer, her teeth chattering just a little less, when she heard a splash. Before she could move herself from beneath the vent, which, she later realized, she should have done much earlier, a cascade of water that had most certainly been chilled with ice poured down upon her, soaking her to the bone.

She shuffled toward the corner of the room, wanting to strip off the dress simply to be rid of the danger of a cold, but knew very well that there were likely to be cameras recording her every move.

So she suffered along in silence. Until her captor walked in with an iron rod. That had an orange tip.

January 10, 2017: Unknown Location:

Abhi had been able to snag a knife from his captor's back pocket the last time he or she had visited. He wasn't really aware how he had done it, only that hearing Shanaya's scream of pain the previous day prompted him to act as fast and alertly as possible.

He had been slowly sharpening it every time he was brought food, scraping the knife across the metal surface of the plate, thanking God every second that the video cameras did not provide sound transmission.

He hid it behind himself, waiting for his captor to come in, as he heard fumbling behind the door. When the door opened, he sprung to action, grasping the captor, placing the knife at his or her throat.

He yanked her out the door, pausing, his eyes filling with disbelief when he looked at his surroundings.

He was in his own home. His own mansion. The house that he had resided within for nearly 4 years now. With Shanaya.

The thought of his fiancée spurred him into action, knocking his shock and anger at his own ignorance out of his mind for the time being. He dragged his captor towards the door of the room next to his, pulling the key out of the captor's hand and twisting it into the lock, wrenching the door open.

He shoved the captor down, not bothering to look as the head cover fell off, rushing towards Shanaya who was cowering in the corner, her dress torn and burns lining her arms. He didn't even notice the knife fall out of his grasp.

He pulled Shanaya close to his chest, breathing in her scent, not saying a word.

Until Shanaya screamed, blood spreading over her dress.

He turned, blurrily seeing Anjali's face before the world went back.

May 1, 2017: Shanaya and Abhi's Mansion:

Shanaya was shaken from her memories as she heard a door open a someone slowly step in. She wasn't too scared, as she knew her bodyguard, appointed after the kidnapping, would not allow anyone dangerous near her.

When she heard shuffling in front of her, she looked up to greet her visitor.

"Hi."

She refused to dignify his greeting with a response, instead turning her head to the side, feeling the pricking of tears begin again. Apparently, she wasn't out of tears. She wouldn't allow herself to cry in front of him.

"I'm sorry."

She sniffed slightly.

Abhi took this as a sign to move closer, carefully and cautiously. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I love you." He paused, not sure if she was listening or not. "And there's no way to justify my leaving, but I hope you'll hear me out."

By this time, he was standing right in front of her. He dropped to his knees to be on eye-level with her, heart trembling. He slowly lifted his hand to her chin, turning her to face him, smiling slightly when she didn't protest.

Only to feel his heart drop to his stomach when he saw the tears in her eyes.

A/N: So?... I wrote this on short notice... Mostly because I procrastinated... Hopefully that cleared up some confusion. Social media and other stories on profile. :) Till next time! REVIEW!