S RUCK BY

Love

Y A G Y A P.

STRUCK BY LOVE

YAGYA PALIWAL

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to all the people who dream big and are willing to take a leap to achieve those DREAMS.

CON TEN TS

Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10

1 11 18 30 37 55 67 87 96 104 114

Acknowledgements

127

PROLOGUE

It was windy that evening, the sky was clear and half the sun was visible around the edge of the water while the other half looked as if it had submerged into the water; it looked surreal and even if Rosa had seen the sunset standing here thousand times before, it still took her breath away every single time. She would always find a new colour, a new pattern, a new shade that was not there the previous times she had watched the sunset; and it would mesmerize her every single time. This place has been her escape whenever she wanted to find peace in this city where hustle and bustle is a part of everyday life. There is something extra soothing; tranquil while listening to the waves and watching the sea; you

1

could look at the sea for hours and still feel that the time flew by quickly as if only minutes passed. And she needed this peace more than anything today. It had been an exhausting day which had drained her both mentally and physically. Rosa

had

longed

for

a

family;

&

someone’s

companionship because she craved familial love but it seemed that wasn’t in her stars after all. Not only had she lived in a dysfunctional family since young, she had also failed to make a family for herself. It depressed her and made her lonely like the endless ocean where there is nothing except water for miles and nothing else. Today, she’d realised how much alone she really was; realised that she’d been fooling herself all along. She should have known. She should’ve seen the signs. But she didn’t. She would’ve realised sooner ...but... was holding on to that last thread of hope; last shred of faith hoping, wishing.... that their memories would be enough...enough for them as a couple to overcome any crisis.. How foolish of her ...Ironic, isn’t it? She thought that they would get married soon! ........ Ha! She was walking towards the Brooklyn Bridge. She had fallen in love with it a glance when she moved here and 2

since then it became her favourite ‘go to’ place; that still hasn’t changed. The novelty of vast beautiful bluish black water in the evenings after the sunset hadn’t worn out after walking here hundreds of times. Sometimes the water is calm while other times, it’s roaring. But, she enjoyed all its forms. The sounds of waves soothed her whenever she felt the need to run away from all the bustles of the everyday life; it had been a splendid companion to her midst of chaos of the city. Today, the sea was tranquil and there were no turbulent waves but there were a sea of flames roaring in her heart, screaming, scratching at her to burn every single thing that see could possibly see. But who told her to be a sensible person? If it would have been another person; (s)he would have been engulfed in the pain and anger but she knew better; better to not regret anything done in a peak of anger and helplessness It’s just her time in this city; which she had come to adore for the past five years may have come to an end because of this and she was somewhat unwilling. She didn’t know where life would take her but she would find her way again; that she promised herself.

3

But how she wished that things were different! She sat there on a bench, looking at the sea now which looked as dark as the sky; it had been hours since the sun had set and she was tired and hungry but she was a long way from home. She had to get going, she thought. With new resolve and determination she stood up, ready to have some dinner first. A pizza she thought would be the best to lift her spirits and, because today was one of the worst days in her life, a double scoop chocolate ice-cream too; she could let go of her strict diet for today and enjoy these delicacies to her heart’s content for today. She had always tried to eat healthy because being a chef came with an occupational hazard of trying different greasy foods and deserts and had always loved wearing dresses and was mindful of her food and liked eating healthy but she would allow herself a cheat day today. With this thought, she headed towards the direction of her favourite pizza parlour; the night bought the chill with it and being not in her right mindset earlier, she had forgotten to wear her extra coat making her shudder with cold. She felt so cold inside so that she hasn’t been cognizant of her own surroundings. While walking, she thought she saw a silhouette of a man standing on the opposite side of the railing of the bridge; she did a double take again but couldn’t see anything so 4

she thought that it was a figment of her imagination and didn’t pay it any head. She had just walked five steps ahead when her gut told her to look back and so she did; turning back and heading towards the place where she thought someone was there. When she reached the side walk, there she saw a man who by the looks of it was trying to either keep his balance or gathering the courage to jump in the water; wanting to commit suicide attempt, she couldn’t really tell. When she tried to study his body language, it seemed that he was really contemplating whether to jump or not. His face looked dishevelled; shoulders slumped in defeat, wrinkled clothes and slurred incoherent words further proved that he was in a bad place mentally. This further confirmed her suspicions about him committing suicide; her body automatically was working on autopilot and she sprinted towards him; it was just an automatic reaction. She didn’t think, she just ran as if her life depended on it. She knew she didn’t have time to dwell upon or call someone for help. As so she didn’t and took control of the situation herself. Her heart was racing against her ribcage but she was also furious; she had always hated people who took their lives 5

for granted and killed themselves; she had always been one of those people who valued life and she really looked down upon those who didn’t. If it would have been someone else in place of her, the person would have taken a soft approach to coax the person to not give up their life so casually but she wasn’t; “What do you think you are doing?” She asked yelled at him barely containing her rage at all. A part of her was really angry and wanted to thrash him up but the another rational part of her also knew that the such people keep trying to commit suicide, in other wordssuicidal tendencies... even she somehow manipulate him with words today and saves his life today, those thoughts can kill him some time in the future. And she didn’t want that result at all. Sartaj was startled and when he turned he saw a small woman furiously glaring at him, she was practically spiting fire at him, wanting to engulf him in the flames. He would have told her to back off but she didn’t give him a chance and continued her rant.”Do you think so less of your life Mister? Is it really not important? What about your family? Don’t you know that each life is precious and you are going to waste your life, killing yourself for what? For getting dumped? Or losing a job maybe? If the woman dumped you don’t you think that she was a bitch and 6

didn’t deserve you at all! If you lost a job, can’t you just get a new one?” “No you misunder...” He wanted to refute her but his words were drowned again when she continued her rant. “What? Are you denying that you were committing suicide here today? Do you take me for a fool?” Rosa was spitting mad now and just wanted to strangle him herself “Are you that weak that you can’t fight back the atrocities life thrown at you? If things go bad, we can still make it you know. I lost my job too that too my dream job but like you I am not giving up on my life.” She softened her words now, her tone gentler, softer now, “I don’t know what happened to you but I know that if you have the willpower and determination, you can do anything in life. You may feel that you don’t have anything to live now but you will find a reason to live and be happy again, life is so long and we can all find our way someday in life, it’s just that we need patience to wait for it. Please respect your own life. Life is beautiful and the world is a sea of opportunities but only if you want to dive in it and live to the fullest and don’t give up on your life stupidly. There are thousands of people who die every day of sickness and accidents, they all wish to live, to tell their loved ones how much they love them and to fulfil the unfulfilled dreams, to become something but you are throwing away.” 7

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Yagya Paliwal, is a Chartered Accountant and is currently pursuing MBA in India. She currently resides in Indore with her family. She had always wanted to write a book since she was a child; this is her first book & her first step towards that dream. She believes that writing heals your soul and wants to share this beautiful gift with her readers. Love stories fascinate her and she thinks that they bring us hope; hope that everything’s going to be okay and we will all get our own ‘Happily ever after’ one day. She is an avid reader and can spent hours in a stretch reading; forgetting everything around her. She is also fond of trying different varieties of food and travelling to different places. Her favourite quote is, “It’s not about what you are, But what you want to be”. She strongly believes in this quote and thinks that there is nothing impossible in this world & with passion, will and determination; we can achieve anything and everything in this world. ...........................................................................................................

ABOUT THE BOOK

People envied Sartaj Singhania but only a few could reach him; most people knew him as a heir to the biggest hotel conglomerate in the state; but only few knew that his life wasn’t easy.....It had been already months but still the pain and humiliation over betrayal still burned him raw; he knew he had lost his passion for work anymore but no matter what he couldn’t seem to find it but who knew one chance encounter would change his life. Rosa was heartbroken after losing her job, her fiancé and her reputation the very day. She had nowhere to go and when she wanted to wallow in her sorrows, she had an unexpected encounter with a man who wanted to commit suicide. She was furious at him for taking his own life so granted and after giving him a mouthful she left with a mood worse than before. It was just she didn’t know that she had sealed her fate the moment she came in contact with Sartaj Singhania, the Hotel mogul. A serendipitous encounter sets them on a path that connected their fates together; join them on their journey- how they meet and achieve their dreams together.

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