Madhav limps towards Shree. She was wearing a pink cardigan with a pair of black sweatpants. Her shoulder length hair was left loose.

He stopped when he was one step away from her. After so many months of agony, he was close to his wife.

She was standing still, looking at him fixedly. She stared at him the way she used to when she first saw him in the middle of the road—mesmerized and overwhelmed by his handsomeness and his very size.

He wipes a drop of tear from his eyes and smiles, his heart light and leaping in joy. He was running his cold fingers over her face, remembering the features. Shree gasps as he runs his shivering fingers from her face to her arms.

He takes two more steps forward, coming close until they are only a few centimeters apart. He looks at her adoringly before embracing her in a flash.

"I love you! I love you! I love you so much!" he cries amidst his tears and feels her arms begin to wrap around him in response. She fit snuggly into his arms even after gaining some weight. She smells of the same sandal scent and her hair smells of fresh honey. "Chellam, I am so sorry for being awful to you. I am so so sorry."

He said against the unshed tears that collected in his eyes as he relished their warm embrace.

Shree breaks away to answer the phone in her hand.

"Hi Olivera. I'm fine, there's nothing to worry about. I'll be coming up in a few minutes." Shree says and cuts the call.

Shree looks up at Madhav.

"I can't believe you actually came." Shree says as he caresses her hand. "I can't believe you found me."

"It wasn't easy." Madhav says. "Especially in this weather."

"You look terrible. Why aren't you wearing a coat?" Shree asks. "You must be freezing."

"I am cold and starving but nothing precedes this feeling." He says holding her hand. "I finally found you."

"You look awful- you really need a warm meal and a bath." Shree says softly. "Let me take you up to my apartment."

"I thought you would be in the campus hostel." Madhav says as he walks into the elevator with Shree. "Why did you leave?"

"Uh-um-because I needed space." She says pressing the button to the 3rd floor. "This is a nice spacious place to live in. Three bedrooms and three bathrooms, also a lovely balcony overlooking the quiet neighborhood."

"The rent must be-"

"It is high but it's all worth it. I can afford it with the business I'm running." Shree says as the elevator opens in the third floor. She walks in and Madhav follows.

"It looks quite cozy and comfortable." Madhav says as he looks at the apartment. There was a black couch along with an antique armchair widespread on the grey cotton carpet that rested on the tiled floor. In the middle of the living room was a big undecorated Christmas tree, the decorations were lying on a big cardboard box on the wooden six-seater dining table close to it. The apartment thermostat was set to a slightly warm temperature.

Olivera looks up from the couch.

"Madhav, this is Olivera Jiménez. She's my friend, roommate, and business partner. Oli, this is Madhav, he's -"

"The husband?" Olivera asks standing up. Shree nods. "It's good you finally showed up, but you look so dreadful!"

"I've been having an unlucky turn of events." Madhav says. "Finding my way back to Shree is the only good thing that has happened to me today."

"Uhm- Oli, is it okay if he can use the bathroom in your room. The water heater in mine isn't working and-"

"Can't you let him have the one in the guest room?" Olivera says. "I'm planning to take a shower right away."

"Great, we'll use that one." Shree says and walks towards the guest room that's beside the kitchen.

"Wait, he needs a fresh set of clothes to change into." Olivera says as he walks to her room. "I think some of Nick's clothes will fit Madhav, except the sweatpants. Your husband is taller."

"I think I met Nick on the way here, near the bus stop. He's the nice man who directed me to this apartment." Madhav says as Olivera returns with a black sweater and a pair of brown sweatpants. "Is he British with brown hair, freckles and a stubble?"

"Yeah, he's a frequent guest." Shree says. "Go and take a nice warm shower and trim that beard a little. Put your wet clothes in the washing machine. I'll make you a hot cup of tea which we can have while we talk."

She switches on the light to the guest bedroom- or in other words, the business meeting room. The bed had cardboard boxes filled with many varieties of Happy Cookies. There were printouts, labels and small wrapping-parceling equipment on the bed as well as the floor. The walls had whiteboards with sales figures and bar charts.

Madhav returns half an hour later, wearing the clothes Olivera lent him. His beard was trimmed, and his damp hair was smelling of the honey shampoo that Shree uses. He walks to the kitchen and finds it empty. The living room was empty too. He walks towards Shree's room and opens the door.

Her room was dark, except the LED night light that was glowing beside the bed. He smiles at the photo frame, standing erect on the bedside table. It was a picture of Shree from their wedding preshoot in Goa. She was wearing a white sleeveless dress with her hair left untied.

Madhav looks around the room and his eyes fall on the nursery bed near the study table. He softly walks towards the nursery bed, his heartbeat growing louder and his heart becoming heavy in his chest. He holds the railing and looks into it to find a baby fast asleep.

The baby was wearing a yellow woolen onesie and a matching hat. She was swaddle safely in a pink blanket.

The baby's chubby face was pink and fair- like Shree's. Madhav marvels at the baby. A thin layer of dark black hair that matches his own was upon her head- and a chin just like his.

"Madhav?" Shree calls out for him and enters the room, noticing the door open. "Madhav are you in-"

She notices Madhav stand beside Madhushree's nursery bed. She softly walks towards him and holds his arm.

"Is-is-is this our-our baby?" He asks looking at Madhushree with eyes welling with tears.

"Yes, Madhav." Shree says. "She's our baby."

His eyes widened and he put a hand on his wide-open mouth. His senses were now reeling, and his knees barely supported him. "She's wonderful." Madhav whispers wiping the tears that had started to overflow.

"I was two weeks pregnant when I found out." Shree says. "I found out a few hours before leaving India. I wanted to tell you, but-"

"I didn't want to speak with you." Madhav finishes her sentence. The guilt sat on his chest. What he had done could not be undone.

"I tried so much to tell you, Madhav." Shree says holding his arm. "Everyone in the family knew but I wanted to be the one to tell you."

"I missed the birth of my first child. I wasn't there to see the baby we created grow in your womb and come out as a beautiful child." He muttered to himself. Regret washed over him like the long slow waves of a shallow beach. Each wave being icy cold that sent shivers down his spine. How he longed to go back and take a different path, but now that was impossible. He sinks down to the cold carpeted floor. "I missed over a thousand memories and moments."

Shree takes the parchment scrapbook on her table and sits down beside Madhav. "I made a scrapbook of Madhu. I tried to include everything to reminiscence my journey with her." She shows the scrapbook with the words 'MADHUSHREE RAMAKRISHNA' written in cursive.

She opens the scrapbook and shows him the sonograms that she took every trimester. Madhav marvels at how their baby grew from the size of a pea to a baby with little arms and feet.

She had nine polaroid photos of herself taken every month.

"My friends from university threw a baby shower for me in September." She turns the pages and shows pictures of her wearing a tule pink bohemian gown with a flower crown made of autumn leaves.

"You look so radiant and so ethereal than ever before." He says tracing his finger on her full rounded belly. "I really wish I was there with you. To hold you close like this."

He says pointing at the picture of Olivera and Shree sharing a hug during her baby shower.

"I can't believe I wasn't next to you when I was most needed. I should have been there next to you, looking after you, showering you with a lot of kisses, indulging you with a lot of gifts, accompanying you for your checkups, giving you a foot massage every night, feeding you with all the food I can cook."

He intertwines his fingers with hers.

"I let you go through this all alone."

"I was never alone, Madhav." Shree says. "Olivera and her boyfriend have always been a great helping hand. They took turns taking me to my checkups. Amma and Devi would call every night and they'd visit occasionally. I got help from my friends at uni too."

She smiles and shows the other friends who she had taken pictures with. "Nick and his parents live in Camberwell; very close from here. These are a few of the friends I made at UOL. Olivera, Helga, Vanessa, Agata, Andrés, Sumaiyah, Senuri. Also, this is my obstetrician Dr. Hannah and that's her husband Dr. Winslow. He is Madhu's pediatrician."

She turns the pages to show her the pictures Olivera took when Madhushree was just born. There was a picture of Madhushree, wrapped in the hospital blanket, pink and small. There were a few strands of black hair. Her eyes were narrow slits, unopened and her hands- so small and delicate. There was another picture of the nurse giving the baby to Shree. Another picture of Shree holding the baby with Olivera and Nick standing next to her.

"I'm so glad to know you achieved this milestone all by yourself." Madhav whispers looking at her, adoringly. He tucks the strands of her short hair behind her ear. "You're doing your degree and running a successful business as you raise our baby. I don't think I can even do two of them at the same time. I'm so proud of you."

"Do you want to hold her?" She asks Madhav.

Shree stands and carefully scoops the sleeping little Madhushree into her arms. "She's fast asleep. I'd hate to wake her up right now. I'll let you hold her again when she wakes up in a few hours for her early morning snack."

Madhav gets up and extends his arms shakily reaching out for his daughter from Shree. Their arms brush as Shree transfers Madhushree into Madhav's arms, helping him to find the best position to hold the baby.

His heart and mind raced fast within his body yet reaching for her felt as slow as time could ever possibly go.

He could smell detergent, baby powder and lotus scent on the baby.

"Hi princess, it's me, your father. I have waited so long to meet you, sweetheart. Finally, here you are, in my arms." he said, eyes full of tears, taking his finger to caress her cheek. "Daddy loves you so much, little Madhushree." He whispers as he looks at her innocent face. She was in a deep sleep, but her lips were curved upwards, in a beautiful smile.

He runs one finger on her little open palm. He is surprised as all of her fingers wrap around his, grasping his finger tightly.

He felt like holding the child forever in his arms. So many emotions washed heavily over him.

He held Madhushree to his chest and she snuggled in comfort. He placed his lips upon her head and kissed her carefully, making sure his stubble did not prick her.

To be continued....

Glossary (to be added later)

The part where Madhav holds Madhushree for the first time is directly taken from one of my earliest collaborated works "Product of True Love": A Mahabharat fanfiction that I wrote in 2015. It's on this writing platform called AO3 (Archive Of Our Own)

PS: even though I have deleted my account the story is still available.

Stay in touch! I'll see you soon with Chapter 38!

Keep the votes and the comments flowing!