Days rolled quickly, there was no change in the equation between Ram & Priya. Ram kept on trying his best to woo her but no positive response from her. She keeps her talk to him as minimal as possible which makes him impatient with passing time.

But Ram was determined in his mission to woo her.

One of the random mornings, kids were ready for school.

"Aren't you coming to drop the kids at the school?" Ram asked, looking at Priya who was not ready yet.

"I am not coming today." Priya said.

"Are you okay?" Ram asked out of concern.

"Yeah, I am okay." Priya replied.

"Then why are you not coming along with us?" Ram had a confused frown.

"It's just that I don't want to pretend like a happy family by accompanying you everywhere." Priya snapped at him.

"Oh, okay, fine!" Ram raised his brows.

"I consider ours a happy family even though you don't want to consider it. It's about perceptions, darling." Ram said confidently with a smile on his face.

"I am not your Darling." Priya scoffed, looking at him in disbelief.

Ram just laughed it off.

Moving toward the kids, Ram said, "Let's go, guys. Say bye to Mumma." Said Ram.

Aryan, Amaira and Peehu said bye to Priya, kissing on her cheeks.

Priya kissed them back. Ram turned around to look at her.

"Bye, Angrybird. I will be back soon." He took her by surprise when he suddenly kissed her cheek.

Priya's jaws dropped.

"Yaay! Mumma, kiss Papa too." Aryan said, excitedly. Amaira and Peehu also joined him and they started giggling.

Priya glared at Ram and then at the kids. She couldn't say anything to him in front of the kids.

"Aren't you getting late to school?" Priya scolded them.

Smiling at her, Ram went to drop the kids to the school.

Mrs Gupta & Mrs Khurana were taking a morning walk in the colony when Ram and the kids stepped inside their car and drove away.

These two ladies decided that they will go and talk to Priya about him after finishing their walking.

On the way to school,

"Papa, when are we going to your house? I didn't see it properly that day." Amaira asked in a cute manner.

Ram glanced at her with a huge smile and said, "Soon, baby. I am just waiting for your mom's permission."

"Don't worry, Papa. We will convince mumma soon." Peehu said, confidently.

Ram's lips curved into a huge grin, seeing his kids support him.

"Papa, I want to see your office too!" Aryan said.

"Sure, buddy. I will take you to my office one day and show you around." Ram replied, focusing on the road.

**********

After an hour, Priya was doing her household chores when her doorbell rang. She went to check who's at the door.

"Hello, Priya." Mrs Gupta and Mrs Khurana greeted Priya as soon as she opened the door.

"Hello!" Priya greeted her neighbours and asked them to come inside.

"How are you doing, Priya?" Mrs Khurana smiled at Priya.

"I am good, how are you both?" Priya replied and asked them to sit on the sofa.

Priya was unsure why these ladies are here today all of the sudden.

"It's been a while since we had a chat so we thought of coming to your house directly and talking to you." Mrs Gupta said.

"Oh, that's so sweet of you." Priya replied. "Let me get something to drink, juice, tea or coffee?" Priya asked.

"Nothing! Let's just sit and talk for a while." Mrs Khurana said.

"Why are you not coming to the morning walk these days?" Mrs Gupta asked.

"Yeah, actually, I am unable to make it these days." Priya replied.

After dropping the kids to the school, Ram came back home. He just stopped outside the main door when he overheard the conversation from a slightly opened door.

"Right, you must be busy with some or other thing. Looks like there is a man staying in your house. Is he the owner of Kapoor Industries – Mr Ram Kapoor?" Mrs Khurana asked.

Priya gasped lightly when she understood the intention of their nosy neighbours who have come to know about her personal life.

Mrs Khurana and Mrs Gupta were a bit surprised when Priya nodded her head lightly in affirmation.

"Oh, really? My husband has been working for Mr Kapoor for a long time now." Mrs Gupta wondered.

Priya didn't say anything and faked a smile.

"If you don't mind, is he your husband or ...?" Mrs Khurana asked.

Priya felt uncomfortable with their questions but she didn't know how to answer them.

Ram wanted to step inside and rescue Priya from these kinds of discussions but at the same time he wanted to know what she had to say about him.

Finally, after a few seconds of silence, Priya said, "He is the father of Aryan & Amaira!"

Ram grinned when he heard this from her.

"Oh, there is one more little girl staying in your house. Who is that?" One of the ladies asked.

"She is Peehu, our elder daughter." Priya clarified.

Priya didn't like the way they were asking these questions. She realized that one or another person would ask her about these types of questions even though she wanted to ignore them.

"Why were you both staying separately till now?" the other lady asked.

Pushing the door ajar, he stepped inside the house at the very moment when he thought Priya might be feeling uncomfortable due to their questions.

Those ladies saw Ram coming inside the house. Priya too looked at Ram for a brief second before turning her gaze.

"Hello, Mr Kapoor, Good to see you here!" They said, rising themselves from the sofa.

"Hello!" Ram wished them back.

"Okay, Priya, we will meet you later. See you, Mr Kapoor." Those two ladies left from there.

After closing the front door, Ram asked, "Why did they come?"

Priya sighed deeply.

"They have keen interest in my personal life. They have a topic to gossip around." Said Priya before moving inside the kitchen.

Ram followed her to the kitchen and sat on the kitchen slab.

"Did you give them enough information? Otherwise, I can give them some spicy details" Ram said playfully.

Priya glared at him.

"Why are you looking at me angrily all the time? Tell me, what should I do to make you happy?" Ram asked.

"Do not disturb me if you want me to be happy. I am being a gossip & laughing stock because of you." Priya replied curtly before moving out of the kitchen.

Ram's smiley face turned into a frown.

Jumping on his feet from the kitchen slab, Ram followed her and grabbed her arm before facing her.

"What's your problem, Priya? I have been trying to convince you, woo you for a long time now. Whatever I do or whatever I say is a problem to you. I really don't know how to make you understand. Why can't you move on from the past and start a fresh life with me?" Ram asked, maintaining eye contact with her.

His eyes were filled with lots of intensity.

"Leave my hand." Priya wriggled.

"No, wait." Ram yelled. "I need answers to my questions. Don't you want me to come back into your life?

Do you feel that kids shouldn't have gotten to know that I am their father? Don't they have a right to be with both of their parents like any other kids of their age?" Ram asked.

"Don't try to emotionally blackmail me, Ram." Priya scoffed.

"What should I do, Priya? I am trying my best to rectify my mistakes and mollify you. I want to have a happy family." Ram said, jerking her lightly holding her both arms.

"Things will not be normal just like the way you want. I have my own reasons and I make my own decisions in my life." Priya yelled back.

"How long do you want to continue this friction between us? Can't you forgive my past mistakes? Let me remind you that you are equally responsible for what happened in the past. You didn't give me a chance to explain my point, all you did was to disappear from our life. You didn't even think that I deserve to know that you are pregnant. You could have waited till I came home and discussed with me; I would have explained my side of the story and we could have happily lived together with our kids and family." Ram bursted out, holding her tightly.

"There is no point in discussing the past now." Priya responded in short which irked him to the core.

"Enough is enough, Priya. Let's decide today. I think there is no use of me staying here if you don't want me to be around you. Tell me clearly, do you really want me to step out of this house and from your and kids' life too?" Ram asked in a serious tone.

Priya didn't respond to him.

Ram let out a disappointed sigh and his eyes got teary. "I think you won't even bother if I am alive or not. It doesn't even matter to you at all."

Ram released his firm hold on Priya.

"Okay fine, what about Peehu?" Ram asked. "Let me make it easy for you, I am the problem maker right, let Peehu also stay with you." Ram said while stepping back from her dejectedly.

"I just have one unfinished responsibility to take care of." Saying this, he stepped out of the house angrily.

Priya didn't quite understand what he was referring to. Priya just stood there looking at his retreating figure.

Ram was deeply hurt and drove away in his car from there.

Minutes rolled into hours, there is no sign of Ram. Looking at the wall clock, Priya decided to go and pick up the kids from the school.

She was thinking about Ram, "Will he come to the school or not?" she thought.

Keeping her thoughts aside, Priya booked the cab and went to pick up the kids but Ram was nowhere to be seen.

"Mamma, where is Papa?" Amaira and Aryan asked Priya.

"Papa is busy with work." Priya replied.

Priya picked Peehu from her school and they all reached home.

Kids kept on asking about Ram but Priya somehow convinced them that Ram is busy and would be late.

"Mumma, call Papa and tell him to come back home. We are missing him." Aryan pouted with a sad face.

"Yes, Mumma. Let's call, Papa." Peehu and Amaira also joined.

"I told you that Papa is busy. Let's not disturb him." Priya told them.

Kids didn't seem to be convinced and sulked.

Even though Priya was trying to convince kids, she was little worried about Ram as he left the house in anger.

Priya's gaze fell on her mobile, one part of her wanted to call him and ask his whereabouts but other part of her was holding her back.

After a long time,

Door bell started to ring and Priya quickly marched towards the door ready to ponder on Ram.

She was about to say something when she opened the door but kept mum when she found Meher at the door.

"Hello, Aunty!" Meher greeted Priya.

"Hi, Meher! Come inside." Priya let her come inside and looked outside one last time before closing the door.

Meher came to play with the kids and they all started playing in their own way. Kids were a little distracted from their current mood but it's the same for Priya.

Priya was getting negative thoughts on what Ram could have done to himself or something might have happened to him.

She hated herself for becoming too sensible and worried about him even after everything that happened between them.

*********

Kids were missing their Papa badly when he's not back even after their dinner. They pestered Priya a lot about their father.

Priya was getting impatient with the passing time.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang again and this time she looked into the peep hole before opening the door. She relieved seeing him.

Seeing him standing outside, she quickly opened the door and scolded him, "What's wrong with you, Ram?"

Her words stuck in her throat when she saw who's standing at the doorstep.

Tears started to trickle down her cheeks freely, she felt overwhelmed with a lot of emotions running inside her as soon as she spotted her parents in front of her. She broke down completely seeing her parents after ages.