Third person's pov!

"I didn't think you would come running back like this, Siddhant ji." Shraddha said apologetically, as she placed the quickly made sandwich in front of him.

"I couldn't stay there after your phone call, Shraddha. I just had to come back.." Sid said in a defeated tone.

"But still.."

"How long did she cry?" Sid asked anxiously.

"Not sure. I didn't linger long. But I could hear her muffled sobs coming from the room. Yesterday too she was crying." Shraddha said with a sigh and Sid felt out of his depth.

"What am I supposed to do?" Sid asked helplessly.

"I already told you the solution, Siddhant ji." Shradda said with a shrug.

"How did I not realise this? I thought she was simply being stubborn and acting out. She had grown up in a privileged world. So she is a bit stubborn by nature. I thought this was also a phase of her stubborn nature." Siddhant said helplessly.

"Don't beat yourself over it, Siddhant ji. Not many people are aware of postpartum depression. Most mothers face it. If given proper counselling quickly, it can be cured easily. Here, it went unnoticed. With a demanding little kid and no elders in the family to help you out, you might have overlooked her state of mind. Many people tend to do that. Sometimes, it gets cured within a few months or within a year. But in Diya Ma'am's case, I don't know how it is. It has been nearly three years. So, I suggest you consult a professional immediately. We have no idea how bad it is." Shraddha said.

"You recognised within a week, Shraddha. How could I not recognize it in the last three years?" Sid asked, self deprecating.

"I recognised because I have learned about it. Before taking up the nanny job as a main job, I attended a crash course, to learn how to handle emergency situations. And postpartum depression was taken as a session for us. That's why I was able to recognise it, Siddhant ji." Shraddha said.

"I just want this nightmare to be over with.."

"How was her pregnancy?" Shraddha asked curiously.

"Terrible.." Sid said, his eyes filling up thinking of those nightmarish days.

"How?"

"She had three miscarriages before Ansh. Her uterus was weak. The endometrium was thin. I don't know. They said many medical issues and all I wanted was Diya to be safe. So I agreed for whatever treatment they suggested. She used to be given daily injections of some medicine. That too twice a day. She used to cry in pain. Her forearms and thighs were full of this bluish marks from the daily injections. But the pain was unbearable." Sid said, as flashes of those days came to his mind.

Shraddha listened patiently.

"Her morning sickness continued even after the first trimester. She had become very weak during the pregnancy. Towards the end, she looked as if she just wanted to end it all. Once the baby was born, I thought everything will get better now. But she couldn't connect well with the baby. And she started crying asking me why she couldn't love the baby. I thought it was all because Ansh was a huge responsibility and she had no experience of ever handling any responsibility. I blamed it all on her privileged upbringing and took Ansh's care into my hands. I never liked having nannies around, but I had no other choice. It slowly started straining our relationship because Diya was becoming increasingly disconnected from Ansh. We even fought over it and she would end up crying badly, which would further anger me. The probability of a postpartum depression never crossed my mind." Sid said with a heavy sigh, his heart breaking for the woman he loves.

"How about we tell this to Diya Ma'am's brother? He is here. Maybe he could be of help." Shraddha said.

"No.. Never.." Sid said vehemently.

"Why?"

"You don't know him. He is so protective of Diya. If he so much as gets a whiff of what's going on, he will take her away from me." Sid said.

"What nonsense! She is your wife. No one can take her away from you." Shraddha said.

"You don't know Dhruv. He doesn't believe in second chances." Sid said tiredly.

"Second chances?" Shraddha frowned in confusion.

"He gave me a chance when he agreed for our marriage. He never liked me in the first place. I know he has been waiting for me to mess up all these years. If he finds out that Diya is not happy with me, I will lose her for good. And I can't even think about it." Sid said and Shraddha held his hand, consoling him of his worry. She truly felt sympathetic for this man. But Dhruv didn't seem like an unreasonable man.

"Promise me you won't say anything to Dhruv." Sid demanded and Shraddha hesitated. She still believed that maybe telling Dhruv would be the better choice. As he seemed like a man who can take charge and make everything better.

"Promise me, Shraddha.." Sid demanded once again and reluctantly she nodded.

Dhruv woke up at night, feeling thirsty. He gets out of the bed and walks towards the door to get some water. When he opens the door, he sees light in the kitchen and he frowns. He walks towards the kitchen and stops on his track seeing Sidhant sitting there, with Shraddha.

Sid was having a sandwich and Shraddha was sitting next to him. They were having some serious conversations. Some very serious hushed discussions which had to be carried out in the midnight itself, Dhruv thought furiously. She was even holding his hands. What the bl**dy hell!

What was he doing here? Wasn't he supposed to be out of town?

He marched towards the kitchen briskly.

"Dhruv.." Sid tried to paste a smile on his face when Dhruv appeared in the kitchen. His smile seemed strained and Dhruv mistook it to be his guilt showing.

"Sid, what a surprise. I thought you were away for a week." Dhruv drawled, as he sat across from Sid.

"Yeah, I was. But then I was missing everyone, so I came back." Sid said, avoiding eye contact, which again Dhruv mistook to be because of guilt.

"When did you come? I didn't hear the doorbell." Dhruv said.

"Oh, it was past midnight. So, I didn't use the doorbell so as not to disturb everyone's sleep. I just called Shraddha to open the door." Sid said honestly.

"You should have called Diya. Why disturb Shraddha's sleep?" Dhruv asked sarcastically, but Sid was too caught up in his worry to notice the sarcasm in his brother-in-law's tone.

"Shraddha doesn't mind.." Sid said in an offhand manner, not realising the thoughts that were running in his brother in law's head.

Dhruv's eyes narrowed as he observed Shraddha and Sid. Something about their interaction didn't sit right with him. It looked too intimate. Dhruv felt rage blinding him. He wanted to kill Sid at this moment. He dared to betray Diya. But his hands were tied down by his sister, who wants her man back. His lips thinned as he tried to control his mounting anger.

"Shraddha, why don't you go and get some sleep? It's late," Dhruv said, his tone firm.

Shraddha hesitated, glancing at Sid for a moment before nodding.

"Of course. Goodnight, Siddhant ji. Goodnight, Dhruv."

She stood up, giving Sid a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder before leaving the kitchen. Dhruv watched that gesture with a darkening mind. He watched her go, his mind racing with questions. Once she was out of earshot, he turned his attention back to Sid.

"I- I will also get some sleep then. I am quite tired after the journey." Sid said.

"Of course, now you must be tired all of a sudden." Dhruv said sarcastically and Sid frowned in confusion. But he then shrugged it off and retired to his bedroom, leaving Dhruv to his brooding thoughts.

Shraddha! There is only one way to make sure that she stays away from Sid. That is to keep her close to himself...

And that is what he is going to do next..

A/N

Here it goes..

So, what do you think about the whole situation now?

And who is at fault? I believe, everyone is at fault in one way or other.. What do you guys think?

Please do vote and comment...

Love,

SF❤️