An hour later

       The Father and daughter were cooking together as if the day events had held no importance , when Lavanya broke out of the hug she expected her father to ask her questions . Instead he went back inside the  kitchen and she followed him as well .

" Do you want to mix the batter princess " he asked her and she could only nod her head in answer thankful for the brief reprieve. 

For the next hour , it felt like nothing changed and Lavanya adored her father for making her believe nothing will change in her life even if she did a huge mistake  .He didn't ask her any question , he simply assigned the tasks to her and cooked on his side of the kitchen .

             It reminded her of the time when her mom was pregnant with her brother Yuvraj.  That was the first time her father started to cook and she would always follow him around,  even if her presence disturbed his concentration he never once asked her to play in her room . 

       And a year later she began to help him  washing  vegetables or bringing the ingredients simple things but it made her feel like she contributed to the food in her way , then soon she was promoted with cutting the vegetables  and till now she had always been around  assist her father when he cooked because she simply liked spending those moments with him .

          During those cooking moment ,  her mother would always remain within eye sight  smiling at them and often shaking her head when her husband burnt something and at the moment she missed her mother more than anything. Because today her mother wasn't around them awhile they cooked and it brought back the reason of her absence as well .

  Lavanya had managed to hold back the tears till the food was ready and then waited for her father to speak up about her actions instead he asked her to call her brother to eat and Lavanya went to his brother room to bring him out .

" Come on Yuv, it time to eat " she called out to him as she entered his room to find him immersed in an comic book she brought him last month .

" Okay sis  , I will go and call mom " he said and raced to their parents room and Lavanya footsteps faltered at the thought of facing her mother , she stood rooted in the same place till her brother came back .

" Mom is crying again but she said it was because she got a headache " he addressed to no one in particular and went to the dining room .And Lavanya the coward she was followed him back without checking on her mother . 

            But when her brother relied the same information to their father , he immediately went in search of his wife while asking lavanya to keep an eye on her brother .

" Princess why don't you both eat up , I will be back in a moment " her father spoke up and headed towards his room . While Lavanya felt like the guilt would drown her. They adopted her and gave her a family and she caused their unhappiness .

       She could no longer pretend everything was okay ,so instead of sitting beside her brother , she went after her father who stopped and turned around when he heard her footsteps .

" I am sorry dad , You should have never adopted me .You would all have been happy without me " she spoke up and saw the surprise in his face at her words . Lavanya didn't know why she uttered those words either but she hated that she was causing them pain .

" If you really think that princess ,then you didn't even know us or the power you hold over us .You are the heart of this family princess don't you ever forget that . Now go on help your brother eat " He spoke up and left to his room .She heard the lock being turned in and she went back to the dining room as her brother continued to worry about their mother head ache while lavanya knew it wasn't the head but the heart that was hurt .

Her parents were missing throughout the next house and  while Lavanya managed to eat few spoons of food because  she didn't want  her brother to notice anything was amiss .When the breakfast got over , she and her brother washed the vessels together , a task he would have declined any other day except today he wanted to help their mother in his own way .

She kept the remaining food in the fridge and helped her brother with his home work as she often do ,she was thankful that it had been Sunday since she couldn't possibly imagine going back to school today .

                            When Yuv went back to his room to play after awhile.  She thought of knocking her parents door for the millionth time yet she couldn't find the courage to do so . So she walked to her room instead and contemplated on whether or not to call her best friend ,Gauri .

             But when a knock was resounded at her door. She realized she can no longer hide ,  She opened her door to find her father on the other side of it .

" Can I come inside for a moment princess ?" he asked and Lavanya opened the door and let him in all the awhile worried what he might reveal .

" I am going to take Yuv to Practice " he spoke up and she didn't expect it , in all her imaginations she didn't imagine her father would leave them alone together . Before she could voice a protest he continued speaking up .

" I Know this isn't what you want princess , but sometimes we need to do what was right , you need to hear everything from your mother not me.

We thought it was safer to let you know when you were eighteen but we forgot sometime age doesn't define us .

And today you proved to us you have grown up , let me tell you this we are not angry or upset at you princess , never you . 

But Promise  me one thing princess , you will listen to her with an open mind and I can't demand this of you but if you can please don't say any hurtful things to her .  She is worried about how you would react and she possibly dreads you will come to hate her and I love you and your mother too much that I can't bear to see either of you in pain " her father voice faltered as he spoke the last sentence that Lavanya rushed back into his embrace trying to reassure him that she could never hate them

" I don't want to know anything dad , i dont care about any of it . I only went because I wanted mom to stop worrying about me because i overheard you both talking on my  birthday last year  .I thoughts if I knew ahead and told her it didn't matter she won't be sad " the words rushed out from Lavanya as the tears continued to stream down her face .

She didn't know if he understood her but she can't let her father assume anything else .She saw the words register in her father mind and he smiled as if he was relived from a heavy burden .

" I thought that we have neglected you over the last few  years and worried that maybe it made you search for your birth parents . Princess no matter what you hear tonight trust me when I say from the day I saw you in the pink Cinderella dress you stole my heart . I will always love you my daughter." her father spoke up and left the room , making her wish she went with him as well but she knew she couldn't avoid her mother any more .

Few minutes later her brother rushed inside her room  to bid her goodbye and ask her to take care of their mother on his behalf as well and then  raced out to join his father . And Lavanya was left alone with her mother .

She didn't know if she should knock at her door or wait for her mother to come to her room and she had her answer ten minutes later  when another knock resounded on her door .

P.S :" That it for Now , Let me know your thoughts and Feedback .Hit the votes if you liked it "

Love

Nita