"Anika, Right? How are you?" - Tia asked with a calm smile looking at Anika. She was standing next to shivaay who was too silent seeing him there. Anika didn't even match the eyelids with shivaay to see his reaction because she knew if she finds any low and missing expression from him, It will haunt her throughout the whole life. 

"Good, You?" - Anika asked her with a smile. Shifting her gaze from shivaay to her, She replied she's fine with a smile. Both Anika and Shivaay didn't even spell a word. There was silence, Total silence. Neither Anika spoke anything nor shivaay did. They walked towards the ceremony stage together, Upto Anika's shock, Tia followed them staying in another side of shivaay. She felt so difficult to even digest it. Everything went so fast, Anika had no interest in anything even she was speaking and interacting with Priyanka mother-in-law, She was not doing anything full-fledged. The thing she thought of threw it away from her heart arises up when a guest misunderstood them as husband and wife. Anika badly wanted to run away from that place even shivaay didn't speak to her anything of her presence. 

"Excuse me." - She said and tried to leave from that triangle they were in. 

"Where are you going?" - He asked holding her wrist. 

"Washroom. I will come within a minute." - She whispered to him without meeting his eyelids and left. He immediately left her wrist, Even though she wanted him to leave her, She felt weak at that moment. She controlled her tears to an extent. But she couldn't stop it from flowing when she closed herself inside the bathroom. 

"No. No. No. You're insecure for no reason. Remember what he confessed to you, Last time. You have to believe him, Anika. He loves you as you do. Do think like this? Please." - She cried to herself before the mirror, Taking her tissues from her handbag and wiping her eyes which continued to flow tears. 

"Anu. Stop..." - She cried to herself kneeled down to floor crying. She opened the tap in his high speed and cried her hell out. Again wiping off her tears, She stood up from the floor and tugged all her hair to a bun and washed her face. 

"No more tears, Anu. If you decide to give another chance to your life, Give it full-fledged, Trust him. What did you think? leaving him before 8 months? He will get used to your absence and come out of his guilt. Did it happen? What does it mean? It means he loves you, Right. Trust in your love, Nothing else." - She said to herself before the mirror in a cold tone but when her eyes could sense the pain in her eyes. She busted out again. 

"I know it's difficult. But you have to do it, Anu. I would have asked you to speak directly to him if you have the courage to face his real answers. You will break down into pieces if your fears turned out as truth. So let it be, Okay. Don't ask him anything until he's ready to open up everything to you, One day." - She said again start putting makeup from foundation to kajal. 

"Relax. Smile." - She asked herself and put up a fake smile. Taking her handbag, She left out from the washroom. Her eyes searched for her husband as soon as she emerged out but she found him nowhere. She walked almost around the house for the second time, She even couldn't find tia either. Her heartbeat was beating so fast every passing second. She felt like going away from him every second. She became impatient but she didn't loose her mind in the party. She put up a smile in her face and wished everyone who speaks with her in the way. In the third round going around the house, She heard a weeping sound from the room. Her legs stopped working when she heard his voice consoling her. 

"I don't know what happened to me, Then. I shouldn't have done that. Oh my god, I ruined everyone's life." - Tia said weeping. Anika lost her balance and leaned back on the wall for support. Anika's eyes hit on the ceramic vase opposite to the room which reflected their image. For a second, She felt like the whole universe showing the truth behind her life in front of her. They both were hugging. But he didn't speak anything other than patting her arms. She started exhaling multiple times to control the tears from clouding her eyes. 

"I never knew you will get married on the same date. Everything happened because of me. I ruined your whole life." - She again spoke weeping. He reminds silent. Tears finally escaped from her eyes, Not for seeing them so close to each other, But feeling his silence when she claimed that his life ruined because of the wedding. Her legs started to walk, In fact, It started to run away from the place but she wiped off her eyes when she walked on through the crowd towards the exit. She walked out of the mansion and get into the taxi back to the hotel. In the fifteenth minute, She got a call from him. But she was in a worse state to answer. She replied back with a message. 

"Shivaay, I got my periods. Didn't have extra pads with me also didn't want to get embarrassed. And, I am in pain, Right now. Couldn't able to talk. Like me, Don't come from the party half-a-way, We shouldn't take a chance having the marriage too close. Bye, take care." 

"Oh my god, You should have told me before leaving. Where are you right now?" 

"I searched for you but couldn't find you anywhere. It just periods, You stay there and I can manage on my own. I am on my way to the hotel." 

"I will try to reach there as soon as possible. Till then, Take care, Sweety." 

"Don't rush! I will be okay, I don't need anyone, Right now."

"Okay, Take care." 

**************

If life gives us everything as our wish, Don't we feel bore to live. They decided everything for their unborn child from the day she/he born to the next five years. But the fate gave them a pause button to them in a form of a warning from the doctor. 

"It's really appreciatable that you both decided to have the baby. But I don't have to hide anything from you both. But the baby is too weak. You have to be so careful, Anika." - She warned her. Anika rechecked the reports and glanced at shivaay, who was also equally worried about seeing her. Both couldn't sleep for the whole night. 

"Relax Sweety, Even it's not healthy to take the stress about it." - Shivaay said and pulled her close to his chest and patted her arms while wrapping his arms around her. But that peace didn't go for a long time when she felt a slight pain in her stomach. 

"Shivaay, I am. not okay. Can't able. to. Breathe." - She said panting. He made her sit in the bed and gave her a glass of water to her while rubbing her back. She tried to get up even her head started to spin at that point. 

"What happened? Shall we go to the hospital?" - He asked her in panic. 

"Blood. Pressure. Hospital." - She keeps panting while falling in his shoulder. She understood her blood pressure must be oscillating and she also recognized she needs medical care as soon as possible to save the baby. Shivaay carried her in his arms and shouted Vishnu to start the car to the hospital. 

"Shiv... Soon..." - Her words started to fade away. He didn't wait for a moment but rushed to the hospital. Anika was in a conscious state until she was with shivaay, But soon she slipped to an unconscious state. All she could feel before falling into an unconscious state was his tight hold in her palm, She also intertwined her fingers tightly to her fingers. When she opened her eyes, Three days have passed and Shivaay was still holding her palm placing his head above it. For a second, She felt very difficult to understand everything. She had an oxygen mask on, Her veins connected to a blood bottle. She was stuck to see that. 

"Shi. Shivaay." - She called his name. He raised his head in an instant and arrived towards her. His eyes were swollen. Her brain can understand the reason but her heart couldn't. 

"Are you fine?" - He asked hugging her to the tightest. 

"What. happened. to. me?" - She asked him leaving him in stuck. He didn't reply anything but continued hugging her and showering her with kisses. But tears crossed her eyes breaking her heart when she went beyond his silence and heard those words from him. She lost her child forever. 

**************

Taking the extra keys from the reception, She rushed inside her room. She felt suffocating to be there, Taking her suitcase from the wardrobe, She started to pack with teary eyes, Her vision got blurred but she least care about that. She took every piece for her clothing from the entire room. She started to pack sobbing. Thankfully, She didn't have to hide her feelings in the closed room. Over then, She got a call from Nina. She attended the call wiping her tears. 

"Nina. Nothing is working here." - She said panting. Even though she couldn't able to speak, she continued to speak. 

"I am coming back. I made a very big mistake coming here." - Words escaped from her along with the sobs. 

"Anika. Anika. Relax. Tell me what happened exactly?" - She asked her but Anika wasn't in any state to listen to anything whatever she was saying.

"I thought I misunderstood. He regrets, Nina. He still regrets marrying me." - She cried bitterly holding the phone in her ear and slipping down on the floor. 

"How can you say that? Tell me what happened, Exactly?" - Nina asked.

"She's the one. She again came back. Nothing was a misunderstanding. He loves her, Till now, After everything happened. I don't want to be a barrier in-between. I am coming back. Right now. I don't want to hear anything. I will die if I wait until he asks me to go from his life. I am coming back. I am coming back." - She cut her call and continued packing the bag taking off everything. Everything single thing in that room reminded her about him which made her loose her mind every single minute. She took her phone, Wiping off her tears, She booked a cab directly to Chennai from Hyderabad. Cab shows it will take an hour to reach the destination since it was a long trip. It slowed down the impatience and she walked to the washroom to switch back to her comfortable dress. She keeps tracking the cab in her phone swiping all the messages and calls to left. She was not ready to talk with anyone and her eyes almost had gone blurred over then, She got a notification that her cab reached the hotel to pick her up and at the same while, The door opened. She immediately stood up from the bed and walked towards the door completely ignoring him. 

"Anu, Where are you going?" - He asked stopping her holding her wrist. She could only hear his words, She didn't even raise her head and looked at him once. 

"Chennai." - She said releasing her wrist from her grip and again walked towards the door, He again stopped her pulling her towards him forcefully, She almost lost her balance but he supported her and she stood up again on her feet.

"Suddenly, What happened?" - He asked her out of patience. 

"My cab is waiting downstairs. I am getting late. Leave me." - Anika said and tried to get off from his grip. 

"Anu, You're making me impatient right now. Please tell me what happened? Why are you hesitating to see me?" - He asked her raising her chin towards him. 

"There's nothing to talk, Right now. Please leave me." - She tried to get rid of his grip. 

"Is it about tia?" - She hesitated, But he cupped her face and made her face him. 

"Let me explain to you everything." - He said cupping her face. 

"It's just we both bumped to each other, Unexpectedly. I saw her after a long time. There's nothing between us. Trust me."  - He tried to explain to her. This time, Anika matched her eyelids with him. 

"Just because I lost my father, Baby and have no emotional attachment with my mother, You don't have to show any pithiness towards me." - She said in a cold tone. Her eyes were burning in anger and disappointment. He was shocked. 

"I know you are feeling so guilty and forcing yourself into this relationship. You know what, You really don't have to do that.  Now let me go." - She said, He couldn't able to speak anything but he didn't let her go.

"From where you got this feeling. Everything was good between us, Right?" - He asked her. Tears crossed from her eyes along with the anger. 

"Everything was good because I believe you like a mad that you need me like the way I do. But the truth is you don't need me." - She said releasing her from the grip and proceeded her way towards the door with her suitcase. 

"Anu. How can you so sure about that?" - He asked her stopping her way. She signed disbelief and tried to leave him again. But he arrested her in-between the door and cornered her. 

"Instead shall I ask you one question?" - She asked him wiping off all her tears. 

"Ask!" - He said with confidence. 

"When and where did you meet tia after our wedding?" - She asked him. He was quite for some time looking at her eyes. 

"Now." - He spoke which again provoke the tears in her eyes, She shut her eyes when she heard that answer from him. Her palms immediately cupped his face and he released her from the grip. 

"I know it's hard to forget someone whom you loved beyond limits. And you really don't have to sacrifice anything thinking about me. You may convince you for now, But, In future? So it's better to end it right here and right now. It's good for both you and me." - She said ignoring the tears from her eyes. Tears escaped from his eyes too but he didn't let her go. 

"If you let me go now, It would be a new beginning for both of us. If it delays, Everything will get spoiled, Shivaay. And we can't do anything then other than witnessing it. Please let me go and also you make decisions without having anything in your mind." - She said, His whole body went weak. She walked away from him. Away from his life and the sad part was he couldn't stop her from leaving.

***********