Author's POV....

Recently, Arpana began her new venture, a restaurant. The restaurant is currently running smoothly with the help of wonderful staff. Not just that, Arjun and Arpana also moved into a bigger house as the memories in the previous house were disturbing for both of them. For the peace of their minds they moved.

After dropping Bhanumathi at Nikhil's flat, he arrived at Arpana's restaurant for lunch. He did invite Bhanu but she did not want to come therefore, Nikhil came alone. He was a regular customer at the restaurant.

Nikhil was quite disturbed today as he just got divorced even though Nikhil and Sakshi have been living separately for over a year and half now. More than anyone, Nikhil wanted a closure to the relationship but when it actually happened, Nikhil felt as if a part of him left forever.
Nikhil thought Arpana's restaurant was the best place to get some peace, especially due to the presence of some people....

Just when Nikhil took a seat, Shradda who has been working here since the start approached Nikhil to take orders. Shradda was Devi's friend and just like Devi, Shradda too was a bubbly girl with short hair and a dusky complexion.

"Ghee rice and vegetable curry?" Shradda asked Nikhil directly, as it is something Nikhil orders all the time.

"Yes," Nikhil replied, absentmindedly.

After bringing Nikhil his meal, Shradda looked at Nikhil intently, making him uncomfortable. "Shradda, Is there something wrong on my face?" Nikhil asked uncomfortably.

"Are you okay, Sir? You look as if you just cried" Shradda asked Nikhil.

"I'm fine" he replied bluntly

"No sir, you aren't fine" Shradda responded.

Suddenly due to his frustration, Nikhil slammed his fists on the table and stood up "Who are you to just predict that I'm not fine? Mind your own bloody business" Nikhil warned her and left the Hotel. Nikhil is normally a calm person but today is just not the day to mess with him.
Shradda was taken back due to Nikhil's sudden outburst. If it was someone else, she wouldn't have interfered in their business. However, even if she wanted to, she couldn't stop herself from interfering in Nikhil's business. Shradda does not know much about Nikhil nor his background but the only thing she knows is that she likes him.

Shradda took a deep breath and then cleared Nikhil's table. She did feel sad and worried thinking whether Nikhil will stop coming here due to her interference.

.................

"Diya stop! Stop making grandma run after you like this" Radhika told her very naughty granddaughter. Radhika was trying to feed Diya for the last hour or so but Diya was just playing around to avoid eating.
Eventually Radhika caught up with Diya and picked up her little munchkin in her arms. "If you don't want to be scolded by mom then finish eating your food" Radhika advised.

"I don't like it!" Diya winged

"At least have some milk, my child." Radhika said, placing Diya onto the kitchen counter.

"No, I want chocolate!" Diya replied as she picked up an orange and started playing with it.

"You know your Mom has banned you from it. Without her permission your poor grandma can't give you any" Radhika ma said whilst caressing her granddaughter's hair.

"Eyy is my baby orange playing with the fruit orange?" Arjun asked with a laugh. For some reason Diya hates being called orange and Arjun only calls her that just to tease her. Imagine what would have happened if they had actually named her orange.

"Papa, stop it! I'll tell mama" Diya winged on the verge of tears. Diya was a sensitive child. Maybe the trauma she experienced in her early months moulded her into a sensitive person.

"Ahh! Let's not tell mama. Look what papa has brought to you" Arjun said displaying a Kit Kat. Without wasting a second Diya grabbed the chocolate but she was struggling to open it.

"Papa, open it!" Diya demanded

Just in that moment Arpana entered the scene and of course she wasn't impressed.

"Arjun!" Arpana shouted

With a face full of guilt Arjun looked towards Arpana. "Just let her eat this once," Arjun said as he lifted his daughter from the kitchen counter onto his arms.

"She's been eating too much chocolate, Arjun. It's not good for her health" Arpana said, chuckling the kit kat onto the kitchen counter.

"Mama's mean!" Diya said and rested her face on Arjun's shoulders.

Arpana rolled her eyes "You and Nikhil are pampering Diya like there's no tomorrow. Look how spoiled she is" Arpana complained. Radhika ma chuckled at the little family drama.

"Come on Arpana. She's my only child. If not her, who else will I pamper?" Arjun asked, rubbing Diya's back. After making sure Arjun won't notice, Diya stuck out her tongue at Arpana to which Arpana widened her eyes due to shock at her drama queen daughter.

"Arjun, shall we go back to Bangalore tomorrow evening?" Arpana asked Arjun. Radhika Ma's face fell when Arpana said that.
"Devi asked me if we could come earlier because she is buying her wedding saree on Sunday. She asked me if we could come with her as well on Sunday along with Lalitha Ma, Devi, Madhav and his family" Arpana said.

"Hmm let's see. Actually Arpana I don't like the idea of Madhav marrying Devi. At the end of the day, he is Anjali's brother. If not all, he could possibly have some of Anjali's behaviour. We don't want Devi going through what we went through. Do we?" Arjun asked as he placed Diya onto the ground.

"I can understand Arjun but just because Anjali was the way she was, we can't see all her family members through that lens. They even stopped you from getting married not because of religion or status but because her daughter was about to ruin your life. From what I can tell, Madhav is a genuine person and Devi loves him. That's the most important thing Arjun" Arpana told Arjun whilst placing a piece of Diya's chocolate into Arpana's mouth. Gently Radhika ma slapped Arpana's shoulders playfully and said "You scold Diya for eating chocolate. Is it ok for you to eat that poor child's chocolate?"

"Ma actually..." Arpana began to speak but she was stopped by Radhika ma.

"No more telling my grandchild from now on to not eat chocolates!" Radhika warned Arpana with all the authority of a mother. Arjun laughed and knelt down to match Diya's height and said "if you see Mama stealing your chocolates again, tell her off. Okay baby?"

Diya smiled with her puppy eyes as a response

"Fine everyone gang up on me now!" Arpana said and walked away from the kitchen. The three of them laughed away seeing Arpana storm off.

Radhika felt sad when Arpana asked Arjun if they could leave tomorrow. Arpana, Arjun and Diya were just like her own for Radhika and she was never able to get enough of them whenever they visited.

Pooja was living with her husband and in-laws. Nandini was currently still living with them. Furthermore, she is currently practicing as a doctor in one of the nearby hospitals. Ram and Radhika want to get their daughter married as soon as possible as Nandini is 30 now. But Nandini was against it!

Radhika ma requested Arpana to speak to Nandini and convince her to get married. Due to that reason, Arpana decided to speak to her sister. Arpana knew a bit about Nandini's past as well. When it was evening, Arpana knocked a few times for Nandini to open her door.

"Did I disturb you, Nandu?" Arpana asked nervously when Nandini opened her door.

"No no. I was just reading. Come in Arpana" Nandini invited Arpana.

"Actually Nandu, I came now because Radhika ma wanted me to speak to you." Arpana said hesitantly.

"Is it regarding my marriage? Nandini asked.

"Yes, Radhika ma and bapu are very concerned about you" Arpana said.

"I don't understand why Arpana. I just don't why marriage is seen as the only goal in a woman's life? Instead of marriage why can't people give priority to other accomplishments in a women's life like education or career achievements and be happy for that! Ma is giving me no peace. There isn't a day where we don't fight because of this matter" Nandini vented whilst chucking her book to the side.

"I agree with you Nandini, marriage shouldn't be seen as the utmost priority in life but you and I are thinking in that way because of our progressive minds. Radhika ma or bapu is from another generation, they're upbringing involved thoughts and ideologies like that and Nandini, they don't know you were.... ummm raped" Arpana said this time with a lot of hesitation and nervousness.

Nandini's face fell upon hearing that...

"The act was done with my consent but he manipulated and threatened me into it. To please him I allowed him to do whatever he wanted to. After Rahul's lust was over, he abandoned me as if nothing happened" Nandini said, trying to control her tears. This was an extremely sensitive topic for Nandini ... It took her a lot of courage to come out of her depressive state after her ex left her.

Arpana hugged her sister tightly and said "I know how strong you are Nandini. Your pain and experience is ten times worse than mine. I know it cannot be compared. I was adamant to try my luck in a second marriage when I thought my first husband died. I was forced into my marriage with Arjun during a time where I did not believe in love but things happened after my marriage with Arjun. We fell in love and Diya was born.

I am aware that loyalty is rare in today's world but deep inside my heart, I feel as if someone is destined to be with you" Arpana said, wiping away her sister's tears which were running excessively down her cheeks now.

"When I was a teenager I used to dream of fairytale romance all the time. But he ruined it all for me by cheating on me. I do want to give love/romance one more chance but I'm scared, Arpana. I don't think I will be able to tolerate another heartbreak" Nandini sobbed.

"I get you Nandini, it's hard. The only thing I can advise you is to not lose hope. Maybe give it a try but be extra cautious for them not to take advantage of you or be careful to not be too emotionally attached unless you are 100 percent sure that he is the one.
Also, maybe just explain your feelings to Radhika ma and bapu. I'm sure they will understand. Arpana advised Nandini and went back to her room with a heavy heart thinking about her brother and sister's fate.

"Where's Diya?" Arpana asked questionably when she entered her room as there were no signs of her daughter in the room.

"She wants to sleep with her grandparents today" Arjun said whilst scrolling on his phone.

"Oh okay. That's a bit unusual though" Arpana said.
After tying her hair into a messy bun Arpana crawled into the bed alongside Arjun.

"Nikhil and Sakshi have officially divorced today" Arpana said in a low voice.

"Nikhil called me," Arjun said, putting away his phone.

"I still don't know how to process it, he loved her a lot," Arpana said.

"I think Nikhil deserves better" Arjun replied

"I'm sad thinking how it's because of me that they are divorced now" Arpana said.

"Well because of that, her true colours came out. If she loved Nikhil sincerely, then she should have been transparent instead, she hid Vihan's motives in front of Nikhil and in a way betrayed him. It's sad, I agree. She couldn't leave her brother to die but she shouldn't have considered keeping Vihan's murder plan a secret either. She might have told her brother no to but when she couldn't choose between her husband and brother, she should have chosen truth and right. It's not like Nikhil gave divorce all of a sudden. He tried to work it out but Sakshi and her mom made it impossible. So, in a way, Sakshi and her mother are responsible for her fate.

My personal experience has taught me that you cannot control someone's loyalty. No matter how good you are to them. Being loyal doesn't mean they will treat you the same. No matter how much they mean to you. It doesn't mean they will value you the same. Sometimes the people you love the most turn out to be the people you can trust the least" Arjun said, referring to the bitter experiences with Anjali.

"It breaks my heart when thinking about how it's always the people who genuinely deserve the world that get dealt with the shittiest cards in life. I hope God gives Nikhil the courage to move on. Not just Nikhil but Nandini as well. Poor Nikhil and Nandini...
Damini has now got the responsibility of Vihan and Anjali's child Shreya. Madhav's parents wanted to take Shreya's responsibility but Madhav was against it" Arpana explained.

"Hmm I hope Nikhil moves on as well and does not lose hope in love, just because of a bitter experience like Nandini did. Let's leave that topic for now.
Diya asked me for a wish today" Arjun said whilst playing with Arpana's hair which was all untangled now.

"She wants a sister or brother" Arjun said with a naughty grin making Arpana blush but she tried her best to hide it.

"I'm not in a mood to make babies now" Arpana said as she turned around to the other side.

"Diya doesn't always leave us alone and gives us these opportunities. It's wise to utilise it when she does" Arjun said with hope shining in his eyes.

"Arjun, you're annoying!" Arpana said whilst placing the duvet over her head. Slowly, Arjun inched closer to Arpana and encircled her waist from behind. Arpana could sense what was coming her way now.

Then slowly Arjun's hands crawled in an upwards direction through Arpana's t-shirt. Arpana noticed it but she did not react. Arpana tried to control her moans but she clearly failed, these signals encouraged Arjun to continue.

..........

How was this chapter ?

What do you all think of the new character Shradda ? Do you think what Shradda did is wrong ? Or is Nikhil in the wrong for reacting that way ?

Will Shradda and Nikhil ever fall in love ?

How was the bond between Nandini and Arpana ?
Finally Nandini's past's been revealed

Poor Radika ma, even tho Arpana isn't her own daughter she is loving and caring Arpana and Diya just like her own. It is something Arpana's own mother failed in !

Looks like Arjun wants to give Diya a sibling...  let's hope his wish will be granted soon ...

How was the scenes between Arjun, Arpana and Diya ?

Next chapter will be the epilogue. I'm thinking of adding a bonus chapter as well.

Do vote and comment ! Will mean a lot to me ❤
Was so happy reading all your response in the last chapter ...