From a heartless, cold beast, the one she ought to loathe,
To a man who becomes her shield and armour—her life.

From an arrogant, spoiled princess, the one he must hate,
To a woman who becomes his strength and weakness—his heart.

~*~

Living with the scars from her past, the last thing Meghna was looking for was love—especially with a man who seemed an embodiment of her heartless father.
Burning with hatred and out for revenge, the last thing Raj wanted was to get married—especially to a woman who represented everything he despised.
One mistake is all it takes for their lives to collide and collapse.
But when love knocks on their door, will they ever be ready to welcome it with open arms?
And even if they are, will a fate that brought them together tear them apart forever, proving that they were never meant to be? Or not?

A Woman with a Shattered Soul,
A Man with a Heart of Stone,
When Hatred ties these two people together,
Can Love work its Magic?

‘Once Upon a Time’ is a heartwarming and emotional tale of how two wounded souls find solace in each other, how two walled up hearts learn to love and live. It is by no means a simple story because Meghna and Raj are complex characters. Both of them have tragic pasts that hold them back from living happy lives. But what happens when a mistake brings them together against their wishes? Do they fall in love? Can they fall in love? And even if they do, how will they fight against fate, which has its own plans?

“Why are you so soft-hearted?” he whispered. “If only I could build an iron wall around your heart and—”
“—and make it like yours, right?” she whispered back. “The fortress with the tallest walls and the deepest moats.”
“I am supposed to be a heartless man, remember?”
Her fingers stroked his chest—right over his drumming heart—before she slid her palm all the way up to his cheek. The way he flinched, she might as well have branded him with her touch. “There was a wall around mine too, remember?”
“Then build it again,” he implored, squeezing his eyes shut. “Do not make the mistake of entrusting me with something so precious; I will never be able to protect it.”

Note: This is a clean marriage of convenience romance novel set in India. While it is a standalone story, it is strongly recommended that you read the Fate’s Decree series in order, both to avoid spoilers and to better understand the characters.