At the Darjeeling farmhouse, Anirudh had arranged for someone to come and cook for them everyday. 

However, Bondita insisted on making lunch that day. 

"But Bondita!" Anirudh was groaning. "You're preg --" 

"I'm aware!" she replied, as she took some flour in a large thali, and water in a small vessel.

She sat on a small cushion on the ground, and crossed her legs. The thali was on the floor, and she was leaning forward, ready to knead dough. 

Anirudh sat on the floor next to her, his knees up against his chest. He grabbed her hand from beside her and glared at her unhappily. 

"Who said you can sit on the floor?" he questioned. 

"Who said I can't?" she argued. 

"We have to be careful!"

"There's nothing careless about this!" 

Anirudh squeezed her hand gently and said, "I brought you here to be with me, not to cook!" 

"Don't you like my cooked meals?" Bondita retorted with a pout, although her heart was fluttering. "You always say you love the taste of my cooking!"

Anirudh let go of her hand and instead wrapped it around her shoulder from behind. Her pout, as always melted his heart!

He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "We're on our honeymoon missy. The only meal I like is you."

Her heart started to beat at a thousand miles per minute. 

"You have gotten out of hand lately Barrister Babu!" she said, her cheeks a faint shade of pink. "It's almost like you're an imposter!" 

After all, she had been used to Self-Control Babu for all these years! He used to make her go crazy with desire, and back out the last minute! And here... he was the one who was going absolutely nuts over her. It was like he had finally learned to let loose.

She certainly wasn't complaining!

"Says the naughty one who doesn't listen," Anirudh said, shaking his head. 

If Shikshak Babu wasn't on break right now, punishments would be in order! But the strict Shikshak Babu was in hibernation during the pregnancy! 

He could only be awoken in emergencies! 

Anirudh kissed her cheek as her hand dipped inside the dry flour. He brought his hand against hers in the flour, playing with her fingers. He started to kiss her all over her jaw, as he kneaded her fingers... instead of the dough. 

Bondita just moaned as she felt his soft feather-like kisses on her skin. 

"Your tummy is growing," Anirudh whispered against her cheek, "Slightly." 

"I know," Bondita moaned. "Our baby is growing!" 

Anirudh couldn't help but smile at the thought of his little Bondita growing. He nicknamed their baby Little Bondita, because he wanted the baby to be just like their mother. Absolutely amazing.  

He kissed Bondita's cheek again and whispered, "And you're teaching my Little Bondita how to be bad..." he shook his head, "Bad girl." 

"If you have two bad girls to deal with now, what will you do?" Bondita asked, turning her face and looking at him, barely any distance between their mouths. 

"I won't scold my daughter," Anirudh said breathlessly. 

"Hawwwww!" Bondita gasped. 

"I'll only punish her mother," Anirudh murmured, his breath fanning her lips. 

"You --!" he interrupted her by pressing his mouth on hers, catching it in a deep kiss. 

"How can I punish my baby?" Anirudh asked softly against her lips, "I can't be strict with her." 

Bondita furrowed her eyebrows, and broke the kiss! 

"And me?" she questioned, pouting with a slight tinge of jealousy, even though another part of her heart was warm! "I'm not your baby?" 

"Are you? You're too old to be a baby Bondita," Anirudh told her, looking serious. 

Her lower lip puckered out in the most adorable pout. 

"Hawww! So if you have a daughter, then I'll be replaced so easily in your life?" Bondita questioned dramatically. 

She removed her dusty hand from the flour, which had been tangled with his own hand, wanting to puff out her cheeks! 

"Who said you're replaced Bondita?" Anirudh teased, "You only got promoted... to a mother, that's all!" 

"Promoted?" Bondita asked, looking at him sadly, "So I won't ever get pampered anymore?" 

Anirudh just laughed, and he asked, "Are you jealous?"

Bondita huffed, "Why would I be jealous of my own daughter!"

"I smell something burning," he teased. 

Bondita looked at him... now with a strong sense of emotion in her eyes -- these were normal moodswings during her pregnancy! One moment she was in a joking mood, and the next she would get extremely emotional!

She said, sadly, "She can have you to herself... She... needs you. Just like I needed you. You'll be the best person for her to learn from. You'll be able to teach her and raise her perfectly. But...Pati Babu... I just have one request."

Her tone had taken a very emotional turn, and now Anirudh looked at her, his heartstrings pulled. 

Bondita said, "Pati Babu, our baby can have you... 99% of the time... but let me have you for one. Just one percent."

Anirudh looked at Bondita, stunned.

"Bondita --" 

"I know... that... I won't be able to be active in our baby's life. Even if I want to, I can't," Bondita whispered. 

She had to go to barrister college. She had to study. She had to get her certificates so she could practice and bring a revolution to the world, along with her Pati Babu. 

How could she possibly... be a full time mom? 

"Bondita... that's not true. You have the choice," Anirudh told her firmly. "The choice to be with our baby --" 

"I've made my choice," she told him, her eyes filling with tears. "My choice is that you'll raise our baby. Do you have any objections?" 

"Of course I do! You will be there in our baby's life too!" 

"I will... but... not actively! Why don't you understand?" Bondita asked, tears rolling down her cheeks now. "Pati Babu, right now we're having fun. The pregnancy is normal. We don't have a lot to stress out about. But taking care of a baby... it's not easy! The baby won't be able to have their Maa's divided attention! So they should rely solely on their Baba's undivided one!"

"Bondita," Anirudh said, his heart aching. 

This was one reason why Bondita getting pregnant at this age had been his biggest worry. 

These emotional decisions. 

These thoughts about having to have a separate world from their child. 

These hard moments for Bondita... only because she also had a dream. 

A dream that he had inspired her to see. 

"Please Pati Babu! I've made my decision. I won't raise the baby. You will raise the baby!" Bondita cried. 

Anirudh took her hand and squeezed it. 

"I will raise our baby," Anirudh agreed. "But, you will too. I will give our baby undivided love and attention, just like you said."

He continued, "But Bondita, even if your attention is divided through the day, I know one thing for sure. In the moments when you're with our baby, you will give only your undivided attention to them. You will spend every moment you're with your baby... truly with them. Even if it's for a few short moments a day." 

Tears rolled down Bondita's cheeks more rapidly. 

"Our baby will get both their Maa and Baba's love. I promise you this," Anirudh told her firmly. 

Bondita just wrapped her arms around him from her seat on the floor, and Anirudh hugged her back. 

To lighten the mood, Anirudh murmured softly, "But you're willing to share me for 99% of the time? Really Bondita?"

"Only to our baby!" Bondita sniffled, "Nobody else!"

"That's not nice Bondita. Sharing is caring," Anirudh teased, even though he was loving this sudden surge of possessiveness -- perhaps it was the pregnancy hormones, but she was behaving really attached to him lately. 

It was true. Her hormones were really different now that she was pregnant. The idea of being away from her Pati Babu for somewhat long periods of times (and she meant hours), was scaring her. 

It wasn't her fault, but she started to worry about scenarios. Perhaps it was the change of location -- she was in a place she didn't recognize... or maybe it was the pregnancy in general.

Her mind would come up with scenarios that involved their baby getting hurt... scenarios that involved her Pati Babu getting hurt too. 

A little while ago, she used to get nightmares. Nightmares about a warehouse where black market abortions happened. In those nightmares, there were always men who tried to snatch her baby from her...

But now, there was impending panic... 

Anirudh calmed her down one time when she told him she wasn't feeling normal. He told her that hormonal changes like this, even being irrational to a certain extent was normal during pregnancy. He told her that he was there with her... and he would always be by her side. 

And she never worried too too much. 

Because she did have her Pati Babu with her. 

She always did. 

--

Later that day, Bondita was in the bedroom studying. 

She was usually quite focused when studying. 

She could study for long hours at a time and wouldn't worry too much, as long as she knew that her Pati Babu was in the farmhouse somewhere. 

Anirudh was reading a book in the living room couch, when there was a knock on the door. 

Thinking that it was the maid who came for regular cleaning, he went to open the door. 

The person who was there... shocked him completely. 

Bhaumik Babu. 

Saudamini's father. 

"You...?" Anirudh asked him, his blood boiling. 

How could he forget all about him and his daughter's misdeeds?

"I had to use my connections to find out that you are here. Can we talk?" Bhaumik Babu asked. 

Anirudh reached for the door to slam it on his face, but Bhaumik Babu quickly grabbed the door to stop him. 

"Anirudh, listen to me." 

"I don't want to!" 

"Saudamini isn't in jail anymore," Bhaumik Babu said quickly. 

And Anirudh's hand shook against the door. 

Now he had to listen... 

What if this meant that his Bondita was in danger? 

But... what could Bhaumik Babu possibly want from him?

--

Precap: Anirudh and Bondita are sightseeing. They're on the beautiful hills of Darjeeling. 

"Bondita..." Anirudh says, "There's something I want to tell you. It's about... S - Saudamini."

Bondita freezes. 

She didn't hear that name in so many years... 

--

On the other side, Mallika is getting uncontrollable feelings for Batuk. Her crush is getting stronger. How will she deal with this?

--

Please press star and leave your comments! 

I'm so excited to hear your thoughts! 

Love you all, and I hope you're enjoying these quick updates! ♥♥♥