After losing his first love, Ravin finds happiness again in Belgium with Simar. But when they plan a future together, conflicting dreams and hidden conditions tear them apart. Based on a true story, this heartbreaking tale explores if love can survive a second tragedy and asks whether true love should ever come with “conditions apply.”
The story begins on a cold Valentine’s Day evening in Chandigarh. Ravin’s three best friends—Happy, Manpreet (MP), and Amardeep (Raamji), are on their way to a radio station for a special live show. They are supposed to be guests along with Ravin, the author of the bestselling true love story I Too Had a Love Story. However, Ravin is not with them.
At the radio station, the host, Shambhavi, is energetic and ready for the show. But when the friends reveal that Ravin cannot make it, she is forced to improvise. The real shock comes when a listener calls in to ask about Ravin. Amardeep sadly reveals the truth: Ravin is not the brave man the world once knew. He is suffering from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and has been admitted to a rehabilitation centre in Shimla.
The reason for his breakdown, the friends explain, is a second heartbreak. To the listeners’ surprise, they announce that years after losing his first love, Khushi, Ravin fell in love again. He was writing a second, unfinished book about this experience titled Can Love Happen Twice?. On this live show, for the first time ever, Happy, Manpreet, and Amardeep take turns reading aloud from Ravin’s handwritten diary, sharing his untold story with the world.
Part 1: A New Beginning in Belgium
A year and a half after Khushi’s tragic death, Ravin, still unable to cope with his loss, takes an opportunity to work on a project in Belgium, hoping a big change will help him heal. He settles into a beautiful apartment in Mechelen, living a quiet, lonely life.
One day at the gym, he has a small, sarcastic argument with a beautiful Indian girl over a treadmill. He later sees her at a local sandwich shop and learns her name is Simar. She is an MBA student from Gurgaon, living in a hostel nearby. Despite his initial reluctance to fall in love again, Ravin is drawn to her innocence, candid nature, and cute mannerisms (like tilting her head when curious). They become friends and soon start spending more time together.
Part 2: Falling in Love Again
On Ravin’s birthday, Simar visits his apartment late at night. After she leaves, she texts him, and they begin a long, intimate game of “Truth or Dare” via SMS. The game breaks down their walls, making them honest and vulnerable. Simar asks Ravin about his past, and he gives her a copy of his book, I Too Had a Love Story. Reading the book deeply moves her and brings her closer to him. She finally understands the depth of his pain and the purity of his love for Khushi.
Not long after, Simar confesses her feelings, calling him her “sweetest heart.” They share their first hug, a passionate kiss, and their relationship blossoms. They spend a beautiful summer together in Belgium, driving through the countryside, cooking meals, and making love. For the first time in years, Ravin feels truly alive and happy, daring to believe that love can happen twice. On her birthday, he sings a self-written song for her and formally proposes, to which she happily says yes.
Part 3: The Dreams that Drift Apart
Once Ravin’s project ends, he returns to India, while Simar stays in Belgium to finish her studies. The long-distance relationship is tough but manageable. The real problems begin when they start planning their future together.
Ravin visits Simar’s wealthy family in Gurgaon and introduces her to his simple, middle-class parents in Chandigarh. During a walk by Sukhna Lake, Simar drops a bombshell: she wants to settle down in Belgium permanently. Ravin is shocked, as he always assumed they would live in India near his aging parents. Simar’s reasons become clearer—and more troubling—over time. She doesn’t just want to live abroad; she wants a life free from family responsibilities. She confesses she is uncomfortable living in a joint family and wants a life with just Ravin, full of luxury, parties, and independence. She wants him to quit his job and join her father’s business.
Ravin is heartbroken. He has already made a huge sacrifice, agreeing to move to Belgium for her, but now he realizes her demands are endless. The issues escalate: she brings up his non-vegetarianism, his atheism, and even his past. In a moment of terrible pain, Simar admits she is uncomfortable being known as “the second girl” in Ravin’s life, as the world will always remember him with Khushi. This cuts Ravin deeply. He realizes that while he loved her unconditionally, she had a long list of “conditions apply.”
Part 4: The Tragic Fall
Unable to reconcile their visions for the future, Simar breaks up with Ravin. The date is February 24th—the same date Khushi died three years earlier. The double tragedy is too much for him. Unlike the first time, he does not have the strength to write his way out of the pain. He falls into a deep, debilitating depression. He loses his job, stops eating, and isolates himself in his room.
One day, after an argument with his mother, Ravin runs out of his house in a state of madness, screaming, “I don’t want to live!” He runs barefoot onto a main road, where a speeding truck runs him over. He suffers a fractured skull, brain injuries, and slips into a coma. After days of fighting for his life, he survives, but his mental state is shattered. His family and friends, with a heavy heart, admit him to a rehabilitation centre in Shimla to recover from his severe emotional trauma.
Part 5: The Aftermath
Back in the radio station, as dawn approaches, the three friends finish reading the diary. The listeners are left in stunned silence. Then, Happy reveals a final twist. Before the show, he had emailed Simar a link to the live broadcast, making her listen to the entire story from Ravin’s perspective. After the show, Simar calls Happy, crying, and asks for the address of the rehabilitation centre.
The book ends on a note of hope as Happy, Manpreet, and Amardeep leave the radio station and head to the gurdwara. The final line of the story is: “That very moment Simar left for Shimla. She drove back to Ravin …”
The summary concludes with the author’s powerful message to readers: True love is unconditional. If it has “conditions apply,” it is not true love but a transaction. The story serves as a wake-up call, urging lovers to be wise, honest, and committed before promising a lifetime to someone, as a broken promise can ruin lives.
