Everywhere she turns, It was surprising, But none of them impressed her as he did. Nothing made her happier than he did. She could feel the child in him who acts like a matured person but inside, He's the same child who can't live without her. They stepped into the restaurant. Surprisingly! There were only 4 people in that whole restaurant which dimmed in the candlelight. He let her go forward and waited behind her to see her reaction.

"Beautiful." - She whispered to him, He smiled, He was relieved that his every effort brings back the smile in her face. She took the seat After naina and Arush took in the baby seat. Naina sat next to shivaay and Arush was in-between Anika and shivaay in the round table set.

"I should have dressed up for this treat." - Anika said gazing her casual top and denim jeans pouting her lips sadly.

"You look perfect whatever you wear. Looks don't judge the personality, Especially not yours." - He said, Her eyes got widened, Her heartbeat fluctuated. None could give you comfort than your partners. It's just your partner thing to make you feel like a queen of the earth.

"Okay, If it continues, I have to live with this pink cheeks for the rest of my life, I guess." - She said and took the menu from his hand. Her eyes again flickered in surprise when she found her name in every dish like she used to call. She used to call, Her favorite food in every cuisine listed in that menu. Her eyes welled up.

"Madam, First order. We all are starving here." - He said.

"You noticed everything." - She replied with the same welled up eyes.

"I was a very secretive, Introvert, and dumb person. Do you agree?" - He asked her. She nodded while wiping her tears with her hands. Seeing her in that state, He again got welled up recalling the moment, How he ignored and hurted her every time.

"What happened to you?" - She asked chuckling with welled-up eyes.

"Nothing. Order." - He asked.

"What's there in Anika's birthday meal. It didn't have any details." - She said showing the menu card to him.

"It's a surprise meal. Just order." - He asked. She smiled and ordered the dish. Within ten minutes, Her dish arrived. He asked her to guess, She tried saying all her favorite dish leaving one dish neglecting. He heaved out the breath and asked her to open it. The moment she opened it, Her breath choked, Her eyes welled up.

"Alo puri..." - She asked him.

"Yes. Remember our first night of the wedding in the hospital." - He asked her, She couldn't think about anything but immersed herself in that moment. On her wedding date, She kept fast for the whole day as a ritual, and also she had no mood to have any when she got the news that her mom getting operated that night. Even though she was hell-broken from the inside, Nobody cared to console her.

But shivaay did, Even he didn't know anything about her situation. But his consoling voice and words gave her strength. And when he parked his car before the hospital on their way to her in-law's house, She got her own heartbeat back. He stayed with her whole night hugging her sidewards when she looked at the operation theatre with hope. Over then, He got that food from the hospital canteen at the time of two in the morning.

"This is what I could able to find in the night. Have it, Wifey. Remember, This day officially should be the first night of our marriage, As a good wife, Have whatever I feed you." - He said when she denied eating. But eventually, She ate it. Whatever he fed. Even took a piece and fed him, He smilingly ate it. That was their first dinner date together, Even she wasn't in the position or feel the happiness, She smiled and felt happy only because of him. From that day, The dish, Alo Puri, Became her most favorite dish.

"Eat it." - He said. Nodding yes to him, She took a piece of puri and stuffed the dry potato curry inside it and took towards her mouth but she stopped when she felt another pair of eyes staring at her with delight. She looked at naina who looked at them with her beaming black orbs. She asked her, When she nodded yes, She fed her. She raised her eyebrows in the delight, Then she took another bite and fed it to shivaay with the teary eyes. He had it and took a piece from her plate and fed it to her. Emotion ruled and resisted them from talking. They reached the resort in a few hours, Arush fell asleep. Naina laid her head in her father's shoulder sipping a packed juice.

"Oh, God." - He exclaimed when the juice naina was holding fell on her outfit.

"I will clean her up, Ani. You take care of Arush, Till then." - Shivaay said and took her inside the washroom and took off her clothes, Placed her in the bathtub. She got excited when shivaay poured the bubble portion in the water. She splashed the water on him as he does. He took all the bubbles and grouped it as a mountain in her head and laughed at her.

"What happened?" - Naina asked him.

"Can't you feel it?" - He asked laughing. She nodded no, But when she placed her hand in her head, She felt it and laughed with him.

"Mumma. Pappa making fun of me." - She complained to anika while laughing.

"Shivaay." - Anika called his name in a warning tone.

"Hey. It's between father and daughter, Why are you interfering mumma here?" - He said looking at her and toying her nose with his index. She laughed cupping her mouth. Taking her away from the bathtub, He placed her in the place next to the sink and clothed her with a mini-bathrobe. And took a lotion and massaged her fractured leg. Naina eyes started to flutter in tiredness. He got into her comfy pajamas, took her in his arms, and walked out. He looked for anika who sat next to the sleeping arush when they moved inside. But now, She wasn't there. He didn't call for her because it might disturb his both sleeping kids. He placed naina next to Arush in the bed and surrounded them with soft toys and pillows, And went outside to search for her.

***********

Anika chuckled when she heard them playing in the washroom while folding Aarush's cloth, Both enjoying their moment together very well. And heard their chuckles non-stop. And that chuckling sound made arush smile in between the sleep. She bends down and kissed him on his cheek, He smiled even wider. Over then, She heard her mobile phone ringing. She immediately attended the call without even knowing who was calling. It was from Rakesh Mishra. Her grandfather's P.A. The only person whom she could trust in that house.

"Hello, Beta. How are you?" - Rakesh asked in a delighted tone.

"Good, Uncle. In fact, Happy. How about you?" - Anika asked him in a cherished tone.

"Very Very Happy to hear it, Dear. You're with shivaay, Right." - He asked him in a delighted tone.

"Yeah, In Lonavla." - Anika replied to him smiling.

"What he's doing right now?" - Rakesh asked her.

"Giving a bath to naina. Surprising, Right." - Anika asked her.

"For you, it's surprising, Not for me. I saw his yearning for the past one month." - He said. She remained stunned for a while.

"Indeed that astrologer was right, You both are soulmates, I wish you both be like this forever." - He added.

"What do you mean? Did you both talk? - She asked him.

"Yes, He came to meet your grandfather after knowing about the bond you have signed." - He said, Anika's heartbeat stopped for a while when she came to know that he knew about the bond she signed it before the marriage.

"I didn't see him like that ever, He was shivering in anger and his eyes were red. But he composed himself to talk with me. I told him, If he confronts your grandfather, Your grandfather will proceed legal actions against you. He was stopped at that spot. I told him about your condition." - He said.

"Did you tell him everything?" - She asked.

"I didn't tell him anything, Either about nivansh or Naina's kidnapping. But he came to know about nivaansh from his mom." - He said, Tears crossed her eyes next moment.

"Nivansh is still in the hospital because of him. He also went to jail for beating him." - He said, Anika couldn't able to speak anything but she desperately wanted to know how much she knew about it.

"Did he ask any questions to you when he met you?"- Anika asked.

"He asked when you decided to flee yourself from this wedding." - Rakesh said.

"What did you say?" - Anika asked him.

"I told him, It's before Arush's birth." - He said in a low tone. Anika rested the call without saying bye to him. She understood, It means he might have known about her selfish reason behind giving birth to Arush and the way she used him. Tears crossed uncontrollably from her eyes re-thinking that moment again. She was forced to that situation. She took every decision her own. Even he had the right to interfere. She felt so cheap.

She had no idea when she reached the terrace and sat in the table, Starring at the night sky unblinkingly. Tears sparkled out from her eyes. When she heard his voice calling her, She quickly wiped off her tears. But stayed there.

"Ani. You're here! I searched for you in the whole house. What are you doing at this hour?" - He asked walking towards her and taking the seat next to her looking at the view before their eyes.

"Wow. It's great, Right." - He said turning his face towards her, But she turned her face aside. He got some gut feeling that she's hiding something from her. He kept his hand above her hand, She immediately took off her hand and kept it in her lap.

"Ani. Is everything okay?"- He asked looking towards her, But she didn't reply anything.

"Ani. Speak to me." - He said turning her around, But he released the grip in her shoulder when she saw her crying. He was shocked. She didn't say anything but turned her body towards the view, Crossed her legs, and Crossed her arms, by the way, hugging herself.

"Did I do anything wrong? What happened to you?" - He asked her, She nodded no and glanced the floor, Tears shed automatically from her eyes. He held her palms and buried inside his fists and asked her again.

"I know you're crying because of me, Please tell me, What I did, now?" - He asked her again.

"It's not you." - She busted to cry and fell in his lap.

"I am crying because I feeling so cheap. You didn't even ask me about it even you know about it." - She cried speaking those words. He was confused seeing her broken state, He couldn't able to ask her any further questions.

"You know about the bond. Why you didn't ask anything about it?" - She asked him, He was shaking. That was the thing, He never wanted to confront her and hurt her more. He knows more he digs the past, She gets hurt more.

"Leave that, Ani. It's just happened. Let's forget and move on." - He said while caressing her face.

"No. Till we speak about it, I can't move on. I definitely can't. I was taking therapy in Log Angeles Because of these intrusive thoughts thinking about what will happen when you come to know about everything one day and hate me more. It took off my sleep for the most of the days."- She said burying her face in his lap crying.

"Why would I hate you more when all the defects are with me?" - He asked her caressing her hair, She didn't speak anything but sobbed. He made her sit and asked her to look at him straight. She didn't but he cupped her face and made her look at him.

"Look at me, I never hated you in the start nor now. Why are you even hurting yourself when you have all the defects in me? I was the only responsible person for that situation."- He said cupping her face.

"But I used you." - She whispered. In no moment, He hugged her tightly as she did.

"I left with no options, I didn't want to do that, But I was forced." - She said hugging him.

"You're no way responsible for that, It was me, My ignorance nature for you and naina made things impossible for you both. My ignorance is the reason for my parents to raise their fingers on you." - He said, She became silent in confusion. She didn't speak as she didn't want to spill any word.

"How did you know?" - She asked breaking the hug but didn't move away from him.

"My mom, Herself told about it. Saying rubbish about you and that bastard. If she didn't say about it, I never would have come to know about that. Why you didn't tell anything about it? I might have ignored you but never think about suspecting you with anyone. Why didn't you say anything about it to me?" - He asked, Now she should be careful with her words.

"It was not a major issue, They stopped speaking when they were satisfied with the tests." - She said gazing the floor. Now her pouring emotions came to her control.

"Which tests?" - He asked her shockingly. Her eyes got widened when she thought he knew about it. She gulped her the lump formed in her throat.

"DNA test?" - He asked her. She didn't speak anything. A person like who didn't raise up with a family only know about the value of the family. And he, With the god's grace, Blessed with a family who loves him to the extent. She didn't want to break that family at any cost. But now, Looking at his red eyes, She became spellbound.

***********