We can't expect everything to happen according to our wishes. God has other plans. He might have helped Shivaay find out about his family, but he didn't make him stay with them. With a heavy heart, Shivaay walked away from his love and his son. But soon, a hand reached out and stopped him from leaving.

"Please..." Nisha cried, grabbing his wrist. The emotions Shivaay had been holding in began to pour out when she asked him to stay. Even though he wanted to stay, he knew he couldn't. He gently took her hands and held them in his.

"I have to go, Nisha... I can't see her in pain anymore... I've already hurt Ansh... there's nothing left to do," he said, tears streaming down his face. Seeing him like that, Nisha couldn't hold back her own tears.

"Why didn't you tell her the truth?" Nisha asked, but Shivaay didn't respond. He simply kissed her forehead, got into the car, and drove away. Meanwhile, the nurse informed Anika that Ansh had regained consciousness. She rushed inside to see her son.

Ansh was confused when he saw himself admitted to the hospital. He felt very weak and could sense that something had happened, but he couldn't figure out what. Soon, he heard the door open and was shocked to see his mother rushing toward him. In no time, she hugged him tightly, as though she was afraid he would disappear. She cried uncontrollably, her sobbing frightening him. He tried his best to console her, but nothing seemed to work.

"Maa, please, Mom..." he said, but nothing registered in her mind. She continued to cry, pulling him closer.

"I'm sorry..." she said, though her sobs swallowed most of her words. He broke the hug and looked at her.

"Ma, why are you saying sorry? I'm the one responsible for all of this. I shouldn't have done it. I'm sorry, Mom. Please forgive me if you can," Ansh said, folding his hands before her. She quickly grabbed his hands, shaking her head no, and hugged him tightly again.

"It's my fault... I should have told you the whole truth... I'm the one responsible for all of this..." she said, still holding him.

"Do you know what my mom taught me?" Ansh asked after breaking the hug.

"What?" she asked.

"She didn't teach me to hate anyone. She taught me how to ignore people, as if they don't exist in the world. I neither hate him nor love him. To me, he doesn't exist. Let's just ignore him and move on with our lives," he said, wiping her tears. Even though Anika hated Shivaay, her heart ached when she heard those words from Ansh. Did she still love him?

"Ansh..." she began to say something but stopped.

"What, Mom?" he asked, noticing that she was avoiding the topic. He held her hand tightly.

"You told me we're friends. So why are you hiding things?" he asked, making it impossible for her to continue avoiding the subject.

"I... actually... don't..." she stammered.

"Ma, tell me," he encouraged her.

"I don't want to repeat the same mistakes," she finally admitted.

"Mistakes?" Ansh whispered.

"You deserve to know everything... EVERYTHING..." she began, and Ansh listened closely.

*****

Shivaay arrived home, where everyone in the family was eagerly waiting for him. Om and Rudra were overjoyed when Shivaay finally agreed to meet Anika. For 14 years, they had begged him to meet her, but each time, he had resisted.

Shivaay's car pulled up inside the Oberoi mansion. Pinky was thrilled that her son's life was finally going to return to normal. When she heard the car horn, she ran to the entrance with a *pooja* thali to welcome them. She had longed to see her son's smile, and knowing that time had finally come, she couldn't hold back her excitement. She hurried to the door.

Shivaay got out of the car and walked inside. Pinky scanned the area, searching for Anika and Nisha.

"What happened, Mrs. Oberoi?" he asked coldly.

"Where's Anika, Shivaay?" Pinky asked, confused. Shivaay cupped his mouth and gave a small smile, which confused her further.

"What happened, Shivaay? Why are you smiling?" Pinky asked in a low tone.

"Nothing... just admiring your acting skills. How can someone change so easily? First, you did everything you could to separate me from her, and now you're acting like this..." he said, still smiling.

Pinky was speechless. Shivaay, shaking his head in disbelief, said, "Congratulations, Mr. Oberoi... she finally hates me. You won. Go... go and celebrate," and then he left for his room.

After hearing that, Pinky lost all strength. She dropped the *pooja* thali and collapsed to the floor. She felt like dying at that moment, but she couldn't. Just then, Shakti came to her side and helped her up.

"I deserve this, Shakti ji..." she whispered to him, but he shook his head no and led her to their room.

Om and Rudra, having seen the entire scene, rushed to Shivaay's room and found it locked from the inside.

"Shivaay/Bhaiya!" they knocked on the door.

"Omru... I need some space... and don't worry, I won't attempt suicide... just leave," Shivaay yelled from inside.

"Bhaiya... what did we do? Why are you punishing us? Please open the door," Rudy cried from outside.

Hearing Rudy's sobs, Shivaay couldn't hold back anymore. He opened the door and hugged Omru tightly before they all went inside.

"What happened, Bhaiya?" Rudy asked, and Shivaay took a deep sigh before answering.

"I went there and found Nisha alone in the house. Anika and Ansh weren't there," he said.

"Ansh?" they both asked.

"My son..." Shivaay replied.

"And Nisha?" Om asked.

"Ansh's childhood friend," Shivaay said, which shocked them both.

****