INDI A

SINGAPORE

M A L AY S I A

Notion Press No.8, 3rd Cross Street, CIT Colony, Mylapore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu – 600004 First Published by Notion Press 2021 Copyright © Deepa Sridhar 2021 All Rights Reserved. ISBN 978-1-63606-960-9 This book has been published with all efforts taken to make the material error-free after the consent of the author. However, the author and the publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. While every effort has been made to avoid any mistake or omission, this publication is being sold on the condition and understanding that neither the author nor the publishers or printers would be liable in any manner to any person by reason of any mistake or omission in this publication or for any action taken or omitted to be taken or advice rendered or accepted on the basis of this work. For any defect in printing or binding the publishers will be liable only to replace the defective copy by another copy of this work then available.

DEDICATION To my parents – Because of whom, I am! & My husband and daughter – Because of whom, I love!

PREFACE

Motherhood made me create stories for my child, awakening the storyteller in me. My daughter would call it ‘mouth stories’ different from the ones read off a book. Most of the stories I made up for her were short and sweet. I decided to push myself by writing an entire book and was not sure if I would be able to do it. But all I needed to do was listen to my characters, and they took me through their journey. Once I finished, I decided to share it with my friends and family. I was ecstatic, when everyone who read the book encouraged me to publish the book. Here I am putting forth my new baby, my book for the world to receive. I hope you enjoy reading the book as much as I enjoyed writing it.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank 1. My family and friends who encouraged and supported me to publish my book 2. All my beta readers, you know who you are, for your time and honest review! 3. To Notion Press and team for helping me publish my book 4. To all the readers of my book – this one is for you all!

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FOREWORD

“Deepa Sridhar is a consummate storyteller who holds you spellbound as she weaves a tale around characters that come to life vividly. Twists in the narrative keep the reader on edge, even as the connection with the protagonist deepens and takes you on a roller coaster ride. Racy, yet detailed, the images stay long after the action is done. An unputdownable read!” – Tara Kini “This debut novel, Two Faces of a Coin, contains everything you could want for an enjoyable and fast-paced read! With a romance at its core, it also contains twists to surprise and please any reader! I highly recommend picking up this novel for your next fun read!” – Camaron Vallepalli “An intriguing novel with a balance of romance, crime and interesting timelines written by an author who loves to read and encourages everyone to. A very different style of writing 9

Foreword

that brings the characters much more life and color. The book keeps you hooked and makes you want more.” – Nithya Arun “A fantastic read with characters that grow on you. It is packed with intrigue and romance and had me hooked from the very first page. Unputdownable! Difficult to believe this is a first-time author.” – Sheetal Rao

“Anger, Fear, Disgust, Happiness, Sadness, Surprise, Contempt, Sensuality Ever experienced all these emotions at once, YES!!!!! It’s possible through this book. This book builds up slowly and takes you through roller coasters of emotion. Amazing balance struck here. Could not put the book down once I started reading. While reading this book I could not believe at one moment I had tears in my eyes while very next moment I was raged with anger.” – Anagha Komawar “Deepa’s debut novel explores the depth of what is otherwise simplified in one word; relationship/marriage. She relates a phase in Ashish and Anjali’s life where due to their unique circumstance, prejudice and hurt are suspended and they are forced to live in the present. 10

Foreword

Through this, she prods her readers to evaluate the purpose of such baggage in their own lives. And just when they get comfortable with the wonderful form it takes, she tosses them back into the deep seas of emotional turmoil. She makes you aware of the effort it takes, given that humans are ever-changing and a relationship is a moving target. Ashish and Anjali’s setting in a typical Indian family system adds its own set of complexities with society bearing its own forces. Deepa uses the complexity of Indian society’s assumed agenda behind everyday actions and how it adds trouble. One can see personal experiences and close observations of the Indian familial archetypes that play out well in the story. It is an entertaining read with twists and turns with possibly a dose of introspection.” – Harsha Prabhakar Rao Absorbing, fast moving,with suspense and colorful characters. A must read for fiction lovers – Mala Kothandaraman It is just fantastic storytelling that brings in mystery, drama and intrigue in a romantic tale. That vagaries and twists that can be part of any life is explored in a manner that is gripping to continue reading without a break – Sridhar Ranganathan 11

PROLOGuE

The lady was bleeding from her hands and legs. She had to run fast to save herself from the men chasing her. She was out of breath and wanted to rest, but could not take a chance. The road ahead was dark, and on either side— wilderness. She did not know how long it would take to reach a village or town for help. Suddenly, she saw a car coming towards her and was relieved. She waved her hands asking for help. The vehicle swerved towards her to avoid hitting a truck coming from the opposite direction. The car hit her head-on and threw her afar. She lost all consciousness.

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ChAPTER 1

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he was in hell, and her whole body was on fire; every inch hurt. God! Why was she feeling this pain? Where was she? Hearing voices, she wanted to open her eyes and speak, but the darkness was beckoning her to fall into it. She forced herself to stay awake and open her eyes. Were they talking about her? She tried to listen in but was unable to. She finally gave up and slipped into the darkness to not feel the pain. The nurse checked on the patient to see if she was awake, and found that the patient was in a deep sleep. She felt sad for the woman, who had gone through so much during the past few weeks. She had arrived at the hospital a month ago severely injured, her face almost destroyed. It had taken expert plastic surgeons to fix it with the help of old photos. She looked mostly her old self now but for a few scars that had to heal. The photos showed a woman of beauty. She was tall, had long, beautiful brown hair, smooth radiant skin and high cheekbones. Her eyes were light brown, covered with long eyelashes and thick eyebrows. The doctors had been happy that the bone structure had been intact, with only tissue damage. They had been 15

What will you do, when you wake up with no memory, a new face, and discover you have a family you don’t recognize? Anjali Mehta has to piece together her life after a terrible accident. Her husband is cold and indifferent towards her. Will she be able to convince him that she is not a manipulative and selfish person? How will she handle the attraction between them? Will her life be the same again if she gets her memory back? Ashish Mehta, an aloof and handsome businessman, has given up on love and wants no second chances with his estranged wife. Why does he then feel compelled to help her? Are the changes he sees in her real, or is it all an act? Can he turn away from his attraction to her? How long can he hold the secret he carries from her? An unexpected twist throws them in jeopardy. Will they be able to fight the danger they face? Two Faces of a Coin is the journey of Anjali and Ashish, as they struggle with both their past and present to define their future together.

Deepa Sridhar, Director of the Shankar Mahadevan Academy, has made a switch from Engineering to Creative Arts over the last few decades. She’s an engineer, who completed her Master’s from the USA. She lived there for a decade until she moved back to India at the turn of the millennium. The move changed her in many ways. She discovered her creative instincts with the advent of motherhood as she started creating stories for her daughter. There has been no looking back since. She finds characters with their stories running in her head to be told. Her new venture with her husband in the field of music tapped into her creative side deeper, and over the years, she has left behind the logical mind of an engineer to discover and nurture her creative side. She currently lives in Bangalore with her husband and daughter. All three are avid travellers who love to learn from the sights and stories around the world. Price 300