Aarohi's POV:

"Mommy!"

I smile as Zaara comes running into my arms. "Hey princess. How was school?"

"Rick and I sang a song in class today!" She smiles.

My stomach drops after hearing Rick's name, but I keep smiling for the sake of my daughter.

"Which song, princess?" I ask her.

"Johnny Johnny!" She says. "Nana taught me that song!"

My heart plummets further at the lyrics.

Johnny, Johnny, yes Papa...

Telling lies, no Papa...

It's like the Universe is trying to send me a signal or something.

I push that thought aside and say, "That's amazing, princess!"

Zaara smiles. "Mommy, how is Lizzie? I want to meet her!"

"Lizzie is with Nana and Grandpa", I answer as we walk towards my car. "Let's go home so you can play with her."

"Yayyy!!!" Zaara squeals. "Mommy, can I take Lizzie to the cafe? When I meet my new friend?"

I almost stop breathing. A very small part of me was hoping she would forget about the meeting.

"Honey, dogs aren't allowed in the cafe", I explain to her and her face falls.

"Okay..." she drawls.

"Come on, cheer up", I tickle her. "You are about to meet Lizzie!"

She squeals in happiness once again. "Lizzie! Lizzie! Lizzie!" She chants.

I laugh and drive her home.

I grit my teeth at the thought of dropping her off at the cafe in an hour.

I take a deep breath.

I really hope that everything goes well.

~*~

Karthik's POV:

I push the door of the cafe open, and I am immediately greeted by the sight I have been dying to see.

Zaara eating cupcakes, with a blissful expression on her angelic face. She looks so innocent and pure and beautiful that I almost feel like snatching her away and keeping her hidden from all the evil in the world.

"Hey Zaara!" I call out and she looks at me, and her eyes immediately shine in happiness.

"Hi!" She squeals and I can see Megan standing behind her, smiling at the sight.

"Hello Megan", I greet her politely. "Is Zaara finishing all your cupcakes today as well?"

Megan chuckles and Zaara sticks her tongue out, looking extremely adorable.

"Look, I have eaten all the cupcakes!" She giggles. "Mommy will be very angry."

Megan sighs. "Mommy will definitely be angry."

~*~

Aarohi's POV:

I walk down the aisle of a grocery store nearby the cafe. I really need the material to bake a cake tonight.

Evan and I are having a romantic dinner date, and I had promised Zaara that each time I leave her and go out, I will make her favourite food and ensure her happiness, before enjoying myself.

Like I said before, she can be really a handful at times.

As my hand reaches to pick up a carton of eggs, another hand touches mine and I look up.

"Oh I'm extremely sorry-" the person begins and abruptly stops.

We both look at each other for a long time.

"Aarohi.."

"Hello, Raveena."

~*~

Karthik's POV:

"Speaking of which, where is her mommy?" I ask Megan.

Megan glances at me before looking away and answering, "She is coming for the night shift."

"Oh", I say, confused. "I thought she was coming right now."

Megan shakes her head. "She isn't. But she knew you wanted to meet Zaara so she dropped her off."

I laugh, "It's almost as if Zaara's mother does not want to meet me."

Megan gives a nervous chuckle, and all of a sudden, I wonder if it's true.

~*~

Aarohi's POV:

"Hello, Raveena", I say, clenching the carton of eggs.

"Oh my God, Aarohi!" She cries. "It's really you! Oh my God! Karthik will be so happy to finally meet you!"

I scowl and glare at her.

What does she mean by that?

Is she trying to rub the fact that she got the guy I love, on my face?

Oh my God, is Karthik really here?

Why would he want to meet me? He is the one who broke everything off in the first place.

"Why will Karthik be happy to meet me?" I cross my arms, and ask her coldly.

The smile from her face drops. "What do you mean? Don't you know?"

I frown. "Don't I know what?"

"Haven't you read your emails?" Raveena asks me.

~*~

Karthik's POV:

"Thank you so much for Lizzie!" Zaara says and I scoop her in my arms.

She fits perfectly over there and I sigh in contentment.

"You really liked Lizzie?" I ask her.

"She's so cute! Even mommy and Nana and Grandpa love her!" Zaara gushes and my smile widens.

"I am really glad they do", I say. "I am really happy you love her too."

"Do you really have a dog named Lizzie?" Zaara asks me and I smile, thinking of her.

And my mind immediately drifts to Aarohi.

Lizzie brought Aarohi again in my life.

"Yes", I say, as I remember her fondly. "She is very beautiful and sweet. Just like you." I nuzzle her tiny nose and she giggles.

"Where is she now?" Zaara asks.

"She is in India", I say.

"India?" Zaara asks surprised. "Has she met my daddy in India?"

~*~

Aarohi's POV:

"What emails?" I ask, confused.

Raveena sighs. "If I tell you, you would want to punch me in the face. Anyway, you should check your emails immediately. I have to leave now, I am in a hurry."

Before I can say anything, Raveena turns to leave.

What does she mean by that?

Why would I want to punch her in the face?

Good rhetorical question, Aarohi.

Raveena suddenly stops and turns around. She then says, "Just so you know, Karthik and I aren't married anymore. The rest you will find out in your emails. Goodbye Aarohi. Take care. Don't give up on Karthik just yet."

She then leaves.

What does she mean by all of that?

What does she mean I shouldn't give up on Karthik just yet?

Are they really divorced?

I think it's time to see what emails Raveena is talking about.

~*~

Karthik's POV:

"No sweetheart", I shake my head. "Lizzie hasn't met your daddy in India. But why don't you tell me more about your daddy."

Both of us are sitting at a table and Zaara has ordered French fries while I have ordered a burger.

"My daddy is very handsome", Zaara smiles. "Mommy says daddy is a really nice man. She says he loves me, but he cannot meet me because he is busy."

"She is right", I say. Her mother knows how to handle things tactfully. It makes me want to meet her mother more than before.

"Mommy says she met daddy when she was small like me", Zaara says. "But she gets angry when I ask her too many questions about daddy. So I don't ask her anything."

I raise my eyebrows at that. Seems like her mother has had a rough past.

"Tell me about your mommy", I say.

~*~

Aarohi's POV:

I stand there in the aisle and open my email account urgently.

I have checked it just yesterday and I know there are no new emails. However, I still open it, and am disappointed to find nothing.

I then scroll down and check if I have received Karthik's email.

I find nothing.

Then it strikes me. What if his emails are in the Spam folder?

I quickly open it and sure enough, there are around 70 emails from the same source.

Karthik Pratap.

I open the first email and read it.

The further I read it, the more my heart clenches, and tears inadvertently fall down my cheeks.

Oh my God.

~*~

Karthik's POV:

"Mommy is beautiful", is the first thing that Zaara says and I chuckle.

Ofcourse she must be beautiful- look at Zaara.

"Mommy loves me very much", Zaara continues.

"And you love mommy very much", I say, to which Zaara nods vehemently in agreement.

She is such a sweet child.

"Mommy does not have time for me", she then says, and her face falls. "She is working very hard. And she is very busy. But she always picks me up from school. And she is tired at night, but she listens to all my stories. She even sings to me at night."

"Your mommy seems really wonderful", I say, a smile automatically appearing on my face.

The sudden urge to meet this mysterious woman increases.

I don't know why I want to meet her in the first place.

Maybe I just want to meet the person who has brought up such a beautiful and well mannered child.

"She is very wonderful", Zaara agrees, smiling. "Mommy has many friends, but Uncle Dean is my favourite."

I frown. "Who is Uncle Dean? Mommy's boyfriend?"

A sudden flicker of irritation passes my face.

I haven't factored the possibility that her mother has a boyfriend.

"No", Zaara laughs. "Uncle Dean is mommy's brother."

I heave a sigh of relief.

"Uncle Evan is mommy's boyfriend."

~*~

Aarohi's POV:

Dear Aarohi,

I don't know where to begin. But I do know what to say. I know exactly what to say, exactly what I should have said to you five years ago, when you ran off. Or when I met you for the last time.

I love you.

I have always loved you.

Right from the time when we were kids.

Do you remember the first time we met? You were wearing a light blue frock, and sitting in the playground, on the swings.

I thought you looked really pretty. Like a tiny little fairy, who was just smiling away and laughing at whatever her mother was saying.

I remember telling my mom that I wanted to talk to you. But I was very shy. What if you didn't want to talk to me?

But you did. You looked at me, and you smiled, a smile so beautiful, that I fell in love right there and then. And we instantly connected. I knew you were someone special. Right from the beginning.

As we started growing up, I started falling for you even more. Harder. Faster. Deeper. But can you blame me? You might think that nobody noticed you, but everybody at school did. Most guys wanted to date you, but none of them had the guts to, because they thought I was your boyfriend. Or brother. Either one of those. I never corrected them, because it made me happy.

You were like a forbidden fruit for them and I took advantage of that. I admit I was insanely jealous of the few guys who tried to ask you out. I just wanted to punch the living daylights out of them. Because, how could they try and ask you out, when I have been gathering the courage to do the same all these years?

You may not remember the time we spent, but I remember every bit of it. Every single bit. How we used to play together, do homework together, watch movies together, with your head resting on my shoulder and my arm around you, how you used to cry in my arms when something upset you, how your eyes twinkled when you were really happy, how your lips curved into that beautiful smile, how we almost always fell asleep next to each other during a sleepover.

I remember it all. But then I also remember 11th grade when I acted like a complete jackass. To tell you the truth, I was only trying to get your attention. I didn't like any of the girls I dated. I hated the group I hung out with. I was trying to see if you would be jealous. Because, hell, I was. More and more guys had started to notice you and that freaked me out. But I couldn't blame them. You are unbelievably beautiful.

Then our friendship fell apart because of that incident. And I had been trying to get you back since then. I took admission to the same college as you. As fate would have it, we ended up choosing the same branch. And I am very grateful for that. Because I desperately needed my Aarohi back. And I was trying very hard to catch your attention, but you hated my guts, and I couldn't blame you.

And then there was your trip to Goa. Everytime you so much as mentioned Mayur, I wanted to find him and pummel him into the depths of the ocean. And I wanted to take you in my arms and keep you safe. It also did not help that you looked so gorgeous each time I looked at you, that I had tremendous difficulty trying to control my emotions and not confess there and then. I was losing my mind every time I looked at you. But we had bonded over that trip and you had decided to forgive, so I wasn't planning on ruining anything.

I remember that dinner at Taj, when we almost made out. God, Aarohi, you have no idea what you do to me. I would have taken you there and then if we weren't interrupted, because I was so pissed at Mayur, and so crazy about you, that I had lost control on my thoughts. But after I finally came to my senses, I immediately backed off. We just got back to being friends, and I wasn't going to let anything ruin that.

Countless times I dropped subtle hints about my feelings for you. Countless times you overlooked them. Until the day you finally confessed. When you told me you loved me, I first thought I hadn't heard right. But then I was overjoyed. I can't tell you how happy I was. And I wanted to tell you that I loved you too, but you got a phone call about your grandfather. Can you believe the timing? I had just got you, but you ran away. So far from me. I was going insane trying to get in touch with you. Because I was crazy in love with you. I still am.

You are the only person who knows me. The real me. Who has accepted me the way I am. You are the only person I can talk anything to. I can share anything with. You are my happy place, Aarohi. And this is coming from a guy and sounding very Twilight-ish and cheesy, but it is true. It is the only truth I have ever known.

By some miracle, or chance, or fate, or God's grace, or whatever, we met in America. And I wasn't going to let you go. Not again. Not ever.

I remember every second of the time we were together. I remember every inch of you. I remember falling in love with you all over again. On a deeper level.

And then Raveena and the baby happened and it shook my world. I had no idea what I was supposed to do. You stood by me like a rock, and I never got to appreciate how brave you had been, when I knew how difficult it must have been for you. I did not want to get married to Raveena. I wanted to be with you. I didn't care about my reputation. All I knew was that I wanted to be there to raise the baby, but I also wanted to be there with you. But then Raveena's reputation came into question. And I had no option but to agree. For her sake and for the sake of the baby's future.

I just wish I hadn't agreed. We wouldn't have lost so much time. We could have been together.

Because I am not the father of Raveena's child. She lied to me and faked the DNA reports. The real father of the child is Raveena's ex boyfriend. Mayur.

Raveena's parents hated Mayur and they would have never accepted him or the baby, had they known the truth. Raveena lied to protect her child. But when I found out, I forced her to tell Mayur.

Right now, Raveena and I are divorced. She and Mayur are married, and they, along with their son Ritwik, have emigrated to the States.

And I have been searching for you. Trying to contact you. Right from before my marriage to Raveena, actually. It's almost like you have disappeared from the face of the Earth. Nobody from your family is willing to tell me where you are. I don't know what to do.

All I know is that I'm not giving up on you. I will keep finding you even if that's the only thing I do. No matter how long it takes. I will soon be flying to Boston to seach for you. I hope I will find you.

Because I miss you. I need you.

I love you.

Karthik.

~*~

Karthik's POV:

"Uncle Evan?" My voice echoes, as if from a distance. "Who is Uncle Evan?"

"Uncle Evan works with mommy", Zaara says. "Everyone says he is her boyfriend."

"Oh", I am unable to say anything else. It's like something inside me crumbles a little.

Why am I feeling this way about an unknown woman? It's almost as if she isn't really unknown. It's like I have a connection with her which is unexplainable, just as it is with Zaara.

"But I don't think so", Zaara continues, thoughtfully. "I don't think Uncle Evan is really mommy's boyfriend."

"And why is that, sweetheart?"

"Because mommy still loves daddy", Zaara says firmly.

I hold my breath for some reason. My gut instinct is agreeing with Zaara. For some unfathomable reason, I want Zaara's mother to be with her father.

The way I want Aarohi to be with me. It's like they are meant to be together the way we are.

"How do you know that, Zaara?" I ask.

"Mommy talks about him when she thinks I have fallen asleep", Zaara says. "And sometimes, Nana and Grandpa talk about him too. They think I can't hear them."

"What do Nana and Grandpa say?" I ask curiously.

"Nana and Grandpa think that mommy should take me to India to meet daddy", Zaara replies. "They think I should meet daddy and daddy should meet me. They say daddy is married but they say daddy should know about me. And they say they know mommy loves daddy even though Uncle Evan is her boyfriend."

Oh. Now I know the whole story. Her father doesn't know Zaara exists. Because he is already married.

But why couldn't her mother have told him? What stopped her from telling him?

"Why doesn't daddy know about you, princess?" I ask Zaara.

Zaara giggles. "Mommy calls me princess."

"Ofcourse she does", I smile. "You look like a princess."

Zaara smiles widely. I repeat my question. "Why doesn't daddy know about you, Zaara?"

"Nana and Grandpa say daddy told mommy not to meet him again", Zaara thinks a little before telling me. Her beautiful face is cutely concentrated as she is trying to remember. "Nana says daddy has another baby, and that is why he got married. Grandpa says daddy should be with mommy."

I agree.

"And what does mommy say?" I ask.

Zaara's smile slides down a little from her face. "Mommy is sad, and she cries at night when she thinks everyone is sleeping. But I can hear her cry. Mommy misses daddy. And mommy loves daddy a lot. She says daddy should not have left her. She says she does not want daddy to hurt me like he hurt mommy. But I don't think daddy will hurt me. I think daddy loves me."

"I'm sure daddy loves you", I assure her. He would be blind, dumb and deaf not to.

Zaara smiles. "I like it when mommy is smiling. And when daddy is smiling too. Like in the photo."

I frown. "What photo?"

~*~

Aarohi's POV:

I scroll down the rest of the emails, my breath coming unevenly, tears running continuously down my face.

I had no idea. I had no idea that Raveena had lied.

And she was right. Had she told me this earlier, I would have punched her in the face.

And I had no idea Karthik loves me. So much.

As I scroll down the rest of the emails, I find them to be similar to the first one.

Until my eyes land on the last email he had sent me, dated only yesterday.

Dear Aarohi,

I will be leaving Boston soon, because I have lost all hope of finding you here. In fact, I have a flight to catch tomorrow at night. But before that, I have to meet a special someone. I will meet her and leave immediately. I am going to New York to search for you.

Her name is Zaara. And God, she reminds me of you. She is the sweetest five year old I have ever met. She is adorable. Her bright eyes shine the way yours do when you are happy. Her hair is wavy and bouncy like yours. And she is just as bubbly, happy and excited, the way you were when I first met you.

She is so much like you, it's almost as if she is your daughter or something. I know she isn't. But, when we get together, Lizzie- not if, but when- we will get married, and I hope that one day, we will have a daughter like Zaara.

Just as innocent. Just as beautiful. Just as pure.

If you are reading this email, Aarohi, please reach out to me. I miss you more than ever. I love you.

Please give me another chance. Please tell me you love me too. Please come back to me.

I love you.

Karthik.

Oh my God.

He is with Zaara right now.

And he is planning to leave.

No. That cannot happen.

~*~

Karthik's POV:

I frown. "What photo?"

The sky suddenly rumbles loudly and it starts pouring heavily. Oh shit, I have to get to the airport.

"Listen, Zaara-" I begin, but she interrupts me.

"This", Zaara removes a photo from the pocket of her little coat, and gives it to me.

I look at the photo and my world stops.

My heart threatens to jump out of my throat.

My head begins to sway.

No way.

This is impossible.

Zaara is oblivious to my reaction. "This is my mommy, and that is my daddy."

My eyes water and my vision turns hazy.

It's a photo of me and Aarohi, taken in college. I am sitting on my bike, and she is sitting behind me. Both of us are facing each other. She is laughing, with her head thrown back, and I am smiling at her.

The minute this photo was clicked, the both of us were so in love with it, that we made two copies of it. One for each.

And I know I have the exact same copy in my wallet right now.

I look at Zaara, who smiles. "Look! Doesn't my mommy look happy? And I think daddy loves her too!"

Yes, he does. He really does.

And that's when it hits me. Like a bolt of lightning.

Zaara is my daughter.

I have a daughter.

I have a daughter with Aarohi.

Aarohi, who is the love of my life.

And she never told me.

Five years, and I never knew I have a daughter with her.

With my Aarohi.

My Zaara.

My phone pings, as it starts to pour even heavily.

My breath hitches as I see that it's an email.

Karthik,

I'm here. I'm right here. And I love you. I love you so much. Please don't leave. Zaara is our daughter. I'm sorry I didn't tell you this before, but I was mad at you for leaving me. I read all of your emails right now. I found out the truth right now. Please don't go. Don't leave me. Don't leave Zaara. She's our baby, Karthik. Don't leave. I love you. I'm right here.

Aarohi.

Suddenly the door of the cafe bursts open with a bang, and everybody looks at the entrance.

Standing there, in the pouring rain, shivering from head to toe, with her phone in one hand, is the mother of my child.

The woman I have always loved.

Aarohi.

"I'm here", she whispers, but the entire cafe has fallen silent so that her voice is carried to me very clearly.

Without hesitation, I stand up, walk towards her, taking long strides, in a hurry to reach her, and take her in my arms and kiss her.