"Awww, he looks exactly like Arjun!" Sonakshi squealed as she carried the child in her arms.

Even when she carried the little infant, Sona could feel her fingers trembling in fear. Dev was the first to notice the shivering frame of Sona. But he made no attempts to carry that child away from her. He understood that Sonakshi needed to gather the courage on her own.

Sona licked her lips and stared at the child innocently. The size of the new-born baby frightened her so much. How could a person be so tiny?

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, he's so tiny, Dev...." Sona's lips formed a pout as she looked at the baby in her arms and then back at Tara who was laying on the ward bed.

"How else will a new-born look like?" Tara chuckled amusedly. Tara had never seen Sona's eyes spark this brightly before. Her friend was genuinely delighted with the new arrival and it warmed Tara's heart.

"He's so small and fragile. I am so scared" Sona looked at Dev while Dev just shrugged nonchalantly.

"Simi used to be like this when she was born too, remember?" Dev asked and Sona's lips lifted into a smile.

"Yeah... she was." Sona nodded, feeling so amused. She couldn't remember much about Simi's birth now.

Maybe last time, she was too indulged in her pain that she missed many beautiful moments. But today, when she carried Tara's new-born, a new feeling emerged through her heart. A feeling of warmth, homeliness and happiness spread throughout her body and sparkled on her face.

This feeling was so positive, energetic and new. She indeed loved feeling this way.

Asha, Arjun and Tara's family members were all inside the ward, crowding to see the baby. Everyone's excitement went out of bounds when they saw the tiny infant opening his eyes. The baby had huge eyes and every little action of his, excited Sonakshi.

"Oh my god Tara.... He is smiling. He is smiling at me!!!" Sonakshi beamed, gaining everyone's attention. Dev smiled as he saw Sona's actions. She was so amused like a little kid who has never seen a child before.

Arjun and Dev were indeed sitting there and observing Sona with amusement. They were so surprised with how Sona reacted with the child.

"He is frowning grandma! I have instructed him not to smile at you." Arjun quickened his pace and rushed to see his son again. Sona frowned and pursued her lips tightly.

"Shut up! At least don't call me grandma now. You have a son, Arjun!" Sona pouted and cajoled the baby in her hands.

"Well, then you're a great grandmother now!" Arjun chuckled.

Dev and Tara shook their heads, giving up on the duo. When Arjun and Sona started their banter, it was always never ending. Dev and Tara were now used to their nonsensical talks. Asha who was gazing at them, smiled and carried the child slowly from Sona.

"Aww, have you guys decided of a name yet?" Asha asked when Arjun decided to end his banters.

"Actually, maa I have." Arjun called out, making Sona scrutinise her eyes at him.

"What?"

"Vivansh. Actually, I was planning to name my kid after Tarun...but Dev was strictly against it." Arjun shrugged and spoke with a pinch of bitterness.

Asha looked at Arjun and back at Dev with raised eyebrows. Dev was uneasily quiet. He just couldn't imagine anyone being named after Tarun. He was done with bringing up Tarun from child. Now seeing another child name Tarun was too much of for him, emotionally. He was not ready to bring up another kid named Tarun.

It was not because of his brother's memories alone. Dev felt as though that name carried many memories as a baggage. He just did not feel like going through all of that again. Growing up a child again, named Tarun may become another nightmare and Dev was not prepared for that.

No matter what happens, he was not ready to replace Tarun's memories with anything else.

"Arjun, can you please don't start. I am really not ready to go over that topic." Dev sighed and Asha gave him a sullen look. Asha briefly looked at Dev and captured his entire grieve in that look. She knew what Tarun meant for him. Still, some things he did never made sense to her.

Sona pretended as if she was deaf for that time being. These were the times she did not know what she should say. Looking at Dev's face, she knew that his smile wasn't real. He had a half-hearted smile plastered on his face.

But those brown chocolaty orbs which diverted at the new-born with love, was real. Dev's eyes glimmered with joy when he saw Arjun's baby boy. More than happiness, there was so much emotions in Dev's eyes which Sona was unable to comprehend.

"Dev, see... he resembles Arjun so much, doesn't he?" Asha gleamed and Dev just smiled at her.

For the first time in his life, Dev was at loss of words. He felt so emotional for no reason. He was so overwhelmed to see another baby in their family. Tara gazed at him and chuckled.

"Dev bhai, has my son made you speechless?" Tara joked, making Dev's smile widen.

"Your son is really a bundle of charm, Tara. When he smiles at me, I swear something inside me melts. He has the power to control me and it's just too frightening." Dev's voice almost choked as he held the baby with tenderness.

Dev still recalled the feeling when he first held Tarun in his arms. It was somehow the same feeling. The only difference was, he used to be new towards parenthood back then. But now, he had the experience of growing up many children in his life.

-----------------------

Dev sat on the chair and slowly combed Simi's hair, using his long fingers. Simi seemed to be restless the past few days due to the lack of attention in that house. Therefore, Dev decided that he would spend some extra time on his princess.

Ever since Arjun's child arrived in the family, everyone were hyped and busier than usual.

Sona was more enthusiastic than everyone else in the house. Half the time she spent at home, was with baby Vivansh. She loved and adored the child so much that it scared Dev to bits. He was scared of watching her unconditional attachment towards the child.

Everyone had expected Sona to be traumatised by kids. However, she shocked everyone when she was spending the most of her times with the kid. Dev was fascinated with the fact that Sonakshi was happier in life after the arrival of baby Vivansh. Probably he had judged her too fast.

"Hey cutie pie! What do you want now? Why are you smiling cheekily? Are you taking after your father? Do you know, this is not a talk-time? It's time to have your milk. Don't sit there and keep smiling okay? I am not going to fall for it again like I did, just now." Sona spoke to the baby while Dev and Simi watched her quietly.

For once, Simi seemed agitated and Dev was the first to notice this. Simi didn't feel the kick until her mother had started shifting her attention to another child. Dev observed silently as he watched the exchange of glances between Sona and Simi. Sona was talking to the baby while Simi was pouting longingly at her mother.

"Mammmaaaa..." she pressed her lips so hard to utter that word.

Sona looked up and smiled at her daughter. "Hey Simi... Come here and see your cousin brother. Isn't he cute?" she exclaimed while Tara just flashed a lazy smile from the sofa.

While Sona thought of engaging Simi inside her conversation, Simi had other plans. Instead she walked up to her mother and grabbed her hands away from the baby. Simi quickly pulled Sona's chain and whined with a huge-adorable pout.

"Ouch... what's wrong Simi darling?"

"Mammma....Commme" Simi whined while Sona couldn't understand what was wrong with her daughter. She turned and caressed her face gently.

"What's wrong cutie-pie? Are you hungry? Don't you want to play with Vansh?" Sona asked. Instead of a reply, Simi started crying and huge, fat droplets of tears ran down her cheeks. She raised her hands to be carried by her mother adamantly.

"Mamma.... Mamma..." Simi cried furiously, making Sonakshi perplexed. She had no idea what Simi wanted. She just fed her a while ago.

"Dev, why is she crying?" she exclaimed while Dev just shrugged his shoulders.

"How would I know why everyone's crying in this house. I have given up on finding out the mystery about everyone's happiness." He answered carelessly while Sona looked at him and glared.

"You are just becoming another Arjun! You are making stupid jokes like him." Sona scoffed and looked at Simi again.

"Dev!!! Simi is crying." Sona gritted her teeth again. Dev has always been the one who had taken care of Simi. Sona never knew what she was supposed to do during Simi's mood swings. But the surprising thing was, Simi called for her when she was crying.

Usually Simi would always look for Dev when she wanted something. Today, the fact that she was calling Sonakshi, made Sona doubt her own self. Was she dreaming?

"I have ears Sona. You don't have to repeat." Dev spoke again, infuriating Sona.

"Well... you are the one who masters the knowledge of your daughter's moods. How would I know why she's crying now?" Sona asked with a stressful face.

"Just because I attend my daughter a lot doesn't make me the only parent. Go and check on her." Dev frowned and sat on his place adamantly. For once, he didn't want to interrupt and take over Sona's responsibilities.

He wanted to give her the confidence that she could do it by herself. He had to admit that most of the faults was with his side this time. He or his family had always overtaken the time that they had with Simi. Sona indeed spent little time with her daughter compared to all of them. Despite her complaints, no one took her seriously. But Dev wasn't blind towards it. He really tried.

This had always been a sore point for Dev. He had seen Sona grow silent ever since Asha kept Simi with her most of the times. No matter what he tried, he couldn't change the habits of people at home. Not Sona nor Asha either.

The only person who had to change was, Simi.

Sona eventually picked Simi up and cajoled her. Much to her delight, Simi clung onto Sona like her second skin. Poor baby, missed her mother. She rested her head in the crook of Sona's shoulders and allowed herself to be pampered by her mother. Once Sona patted her back, she became silent and hummed a tune on her own.

Sona was confused like hell.

Taking Simi to her room, she placed her child on the bed and carefully gazed at her daughter's bright brown eyes. Seeing Simi's eyes, Sona felt as though she was looking at Dev sometimes. Those eyes were so similar when they looked at her with love. She loved her daughter with all her soul. Thinking about her, Sona couldn't help but imagine how her son would have looked if he was alive.

The emptiness in her heart would always stab her sharply when the memories came. But Sona knew how to deal with that in silence. She suffered so much of pain in silence that others always thought that Sona was emotionless.

"Mammaa...." Simi giggled, bringing Sona out from her reverie. Sona's heart somersaulted at her daughter's voice.

Simi's eyes sparkled when Sona's fingers caressed up and down her body. She held her mother's pointed finger and giggled, making Sona smile for no reason. Sona's heart swelled and she felt as though she was flying above the skies. Simi's smile was everything she ever wanted in her life. Nothing more, nothing less.

Feeling like a failure all the time, Sona never thought she would get to see a day like this. She never thought that she would see her child craving to be with her. She thought that nobody valued her except Dev. Simi calling Sonakshi with adoration, stirred so much of emotional pain within Sona.

Although Dev raised Simi with Asha for more than a year, the biological mother was Sona. Seeing Simi fading away from her, Sonakshi felt as though her position had been snatched from her. But when Simi called her with love today, all that pain faded away.

It was as if so much of buried pain and wounds were licked up at once. Her eyes shed some tears that she was unable to control.

There was once a time, where she wanted to kill this life inside her.

However, her perspective about life changed when she started to live with Dev and his family again. When Tara gave birth, she understood the value and happiness that a child brings to the family. She understood that there were people who didn't even get the blessing of pregnancy easily like she did. How much she had taken this gift as granted?

Some people craved children and they suffer heavily when they are not blessed with that opportunity. Seeing people's sufferings, Sona understood how she must value every little thing that's given to her.

One of those, was of course Simran. Her beautiful child.

"Mamma.... I awwwww uuuuuuu" Simi mumbled cutely, making Sona chuckle amidst her tears.

She kissed Simi's cheeks and kept pecking her nose, making Simi scrunch her face with annoyance. Simi didn't like anyone kissing her too much. She would always rub away any traces from her cheeks immediately. But when Sona rubbed her nose with her daughter, Simi began giggling. Simi loved those Eskimo kisses that were given by her mother. It was only reserved for Sona.

When Sona was about to get up, Simi quickly held back her mother and frowned.

"Mummaaa..... NO BABYYY" she yelped, making Sona's eyes widened. Now she knew what was bothering her little devilish munchkin. It was of course, baby Vivansh. Simi was worried that her mother was going to see the baby downstairs again.

Since Simi was the only child in the house previously, all the attention were solely on her. Now that they had another kid, Simi couldn't take the attention which was being divided.

Simi was an attention seeker, just like Dev.

"Simi baby? What's wrong sweetheart? What happened to your papa mantra? Did he abandon you?" she chuckled while Simi just played with Sona's chain.

Dev entered the room just at the right time. When he came inside, he saw Sona hovering above Simi and speaking in their own language of love. Dev leaned against the wall and just watched them. The sight there was a treat to his eyes.

"Looks like both of you forgot me, huh?" Dev teased as he came forward and sat on the bed.

Sona looked at him and smiled. She blinked at him and wiggled her eyebrows as if she had won a challenge. Dev couldn't help but feel a little proud at Sona and Simi's growing bond. Sona really earnt the prize for herself.

"Simi jaan, come to papa" Dev raised his hands. When Simi looked at his way, her smile quickly diminished. What she did next, shocked both Sona and Dev. She clutched Sona's arms and hid her head inside her mother's body.

Dev's eyes widened and he looked at Sona who mirrored the same expression as his.

"What did you do to my daughter, Sonakshi Sharma?"

-----------------------

Arjun sat on the bench and looked at the swaying trees in a daze. He didn't exactly know what he was feeling. Was it despair, regret, guilt, unhappiness or just irritation?

He didn't know the exact feeling. But the fact that the feeling was nagging him like a disease, made him frustrated. He felt like killing someone for no reason. There was so much of pain and anguish behind his feelings. He thought that all those feelings had died long ago.

But no...

They came back like a Tsunami, shattering his life into millions of pieces.

"Arjun, what's wrong with you?" Tara's voice jerked him out from his reverie. He looked at her and forced a smile out of his lips.

"Nothing, feeling a bit low. That's all." He said and looked back at the trees, which had stopped swaying. He had a blank look and a stressed-out expression plastered on his face, that made Tara worry a lot.

She walked closer to him and massaged his neck slowly.

"You can let me know if there's anything, okay?" she whispered and Arjun felt his guilt rising ten-folds. He quickly pulled her hands forward and made her sit on his lap.

Tara thought that he was back to his usual playful mood. But one look at his face, she knew that something was wrong.

"Tara, have you hidden anything from me so far?" he asked.

"Hidden?" Tara repeated.

"Yeah, have you hidden anything from me throughout our marriage? It could be anything... like a secret?" Arjun asked, holding her palms tightly in his. Tara looked at his eyes and understood that he was not joking as usual. His eyes held a serious darkness in them when they looked into hers'.

The intensity which his orbs held felt like they could kill her.

"No, I haven't hidden anything-"

"Not hidden Tara, maybe like....forgot or you didn't think it was necessary to tell me? Do you have a dark past which you never wanted to say?" he asked, making Tara's face scrunch in confusion.

Seeing her confused face, Arjun sighed and smiled. "Don't worry, I won't ask you to reveal anything." He said, making Tara chuckle.

"No Arjun, it's not about that. My life is not so interesting, you know? There's nothing much to hide from you." She admitted. It was true that she had a simple life in the past. Everything was open in the world and she had nothing much to hide from anyone around her.

But Arjun had.

He had a past that not even Dev knew.

Closing his eyes, he sighed heavily.

"But I have a past that I never wanted to share with anyone." Arjun said, feeling his heart weighing him down. His expressions proved how much he hated to talk about it. He expected Tara to be mad or upset.

Instead, Tara just gave him a poker face. She was not surprised in the least. She just smiled and brought her palms up to caress his face. She wasn't that oblivious to Arjun's feelings. She knew that he had something, but she was used to it. After all, Arjun's job came with secrets attached.

"If it doesn't bring you happiness, or it makes our life miserable, then I would rather not know it Arjun. You don't have to feel guilty about not telling me anything." She spoke softly, making Arjun's eyes widened.

"You won't be upset?"

"Nope." She smiled and Arjun leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

----------------------

Dev pulled up his sleeves and checked the mirror for the hundredth time. Sona sat on the bed and glared at him for the past twenty minutes. She had never seen a guy as self-obsessed like him. True, he was good-looking and hot as hell. But the time he took to get ready was worse than any other female on the planet.

Sona was pissed with his constant change of looks. She quickly woke up and hugged him from behind to distract him. Dev was startled at first.

"Dev, you know.... If you start looking so hot, then I may need to change my plans. I feel like locking ourselves inside the room." She whispered, making Dev laugh lightly. He slowly turned around and allowed himself to be hugged by his beautiful wife.

"Hmm, looks like we had a soul swap? Why are you speaking my dialogs, sweetheart?"

"Because you are not saying it." She frowned cutely.

"But this is an important wedding, sunshine..."

"Dev, do we really have to go here. I mean, I am not against this. But I just feel like we are hurting others by going here." She explained and Dev just rolled his eyes.

Bingo! Yes, Dev was expecting this speech from Sona way earlier. It's been three years and his predictions were always spot-on. Dev knew that Sona was going to try to dodge this wedding today... And dang, she didn't disappoint him at all.

"Sonakshi Sharma, one more time you speak about attending this wedding, I will tie you down on the bed and kiss you so hard that you will end up bruising your lips." He threatened and Sonakshi smiled cheekily.

"Seems like a plan, huh?"

"Come on Sona, it's Vikram's wedding. He's done so much help for us and you want to avoid this wedding? Think about how Vikram will feel when he comes to know about this. You are really childish at times." Dev groaned and Sona just sighed.

"Dev, can't you see Arjun's upset? Why are you doing this to him?"

"Arjun is upset and that's his problem to deal with. He's an adult who knows how to handle things. You don't have to worry about his issues and act like his grandma for real!" Dev spoke with a rough edge in his voice.

Sona did not understand Dev's frustrations. She was not even making a fuss. All she did, was ask him politely. Usually Dev was overprotective regarding Arjun or anyone in this family. However, now he was hell bent on attending the wedding happening that Sona couldn't help but feel suspicious.

"Can I ask you something, Dev?"

"If I say no, will you listen?" Dev raised his eyebrows challengingly.

"Absolutely not!" Sona grinned and Dev rolled his eyes. He couldn't help but feel a little disturbed. Nowadays, Sona was getting good at reading in between his lines. He was afraid that she would do the same now and break all his little secrets that he had kept from her.

"What do you want to know now?" he asked, buttoning his sleeves again.

"Did you know that Vikram loved Jaanvi earlier?" she dropped the bomb, making Dev freeze in his position. He looked at Sona and tried to gather his words correctly.

"Why would I know-"

"Why didn't you speak to Arjun about-"

"Arjun should gather his shit together!" Dev snapped and Sona stepped back in reflex. Dev rarely snapped this way and she was shocked that he did it when she asked the least significant question.

"Don't raise your voice." Sona spoke softly, fearing that she may get into his bad side again. The past few days, she was constantly getting on his nerves by doing unwanted stuff. However, today was different.

Ever since Vikram distributed his wedding card, Arjun's face fell like a wilted leave from a fresh tree. He looked extremely angry and disturbed. Sona did not want to go to this wedding and make Arjun upset too.

Although she loved Vikram and his wonderful friendship, she couldn't come into terms that he was getting married to Jaanvi. Not that Jaanvi was a bad person, but Jaanvi had set a bad impression on her mind ever since Arjun's wedding was called off. She had once betrayed Arjun. So, she was still considered a rival to the Sharma family, or that's what Sona thought.

"What's your problem now? Arjun or Jaanvi?" Dev was direct to his questions.

"Both." Sona slumped down on the bed and stared at him like a lost puppy.

"What?" this time, Dev was really getting confused.

"Jaanvi is not the right match for Vikram. I mean....just look at Vikram. What does he not have? He's handsome, rich, educated and even has a nice family with him. Why is he choosing Jaanvi out of all people?" Sona grunted in displeasure, making Dev frown.

"Sona-"

"You know how many times I warned him... He did not even listen to me once. He was so adamant on marrying her that it infuriated me to the core. I even told him that she was a drug addict. I mean... how can he like her? It's impossible, Dev."

For the first time, Dev was not impressed by Sona's statement.

"Just hang on there before you proceed. Let me ask you in reverse... What's wrong with Jaanvi?" Dev folded his arms and Sona looked at him with shock.

"What's wrong? You are asking me what's wrong? Don't you know what she did? She's a drug addict and liar-"

"Did you forget about your past, Sonakshi? Why did you think I married you then?" Dev suddenly cut her in, making her dumbfounded. Sona stopped talking and just looked at his face. She opened her mouth to retort, but when the words set inside her head, she was in loss of words.

Her eyes enlarged and she looked at Dev like he had grown horns. Dev showed no mercy when he was hitting her. Ouch.

"What are you trying to say?" Sona asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"I am trying to ask the same thing which you questioned about Jaanvi, minutes ago. You were asking why Vikram is marrying her, right? It's the same reason why I married you." he narrated, throwing Sona completely off-guard.

"No, that's not the same. I never betrayed you like she betrayed Arjun." She scrunched her nose, trying to prove a point that was non-existent.

"Don't try to damage my mood sunshine... My point here is, Vikram loves Jaanvi. End of topic. Don't try to bring her down because it's not going to work."

"Don't you hate her?" Sona asked in surprise. She had expected Dev to dislike her because Jaanvi was someone who had hurt his best friend. But it looked like, Dev had a soft corner towards Jaanvi for no reason.

"I do not hate Jaanvi. Even Arjun knows it." Dev sighed and sat next to Sona, who looked conflicted. He gave her soft smile and touched her hair.

Sona kept looking at Dev, expecting for answers. Dev sighed and decided to break some things to his upset wife.

"See, I don't hate Jaanvi because I believe that she is just another human who has erred once. Not just that. I won't hate anyone unless I have a strong reason. Even if she had betrayed Arjun willingly, I wouldn't judge her. Because every coin has two sides. None of them who take drugs, will want to take it willingly. They fall for that due to some reasons. Everyone has their reasons, sunshine." Dev explained and Sona listened quietly.

"Ohh..." Sona mumbled in disappointment.

"When I have forgiven girls like Natasha and Lina, can't I forgive Jaanvi who is much better than them?"

"So, you are trying to say that you forgave her?"

"Who am I to forgive? I am not a god, okay? All I am saying is that, I have nothing against her." Dev huffed and wore his designer blazer on top of his tailor-made shirt.

"I just can't understand you Dev.... I can't believe that you're supporting her. If you had a brother, would you get her married to someone like Jaanvi?" Sonakshi mumbled as she looked down at her intertwined fingers.

Dev smiled and turned to look at her. He couldn't believe that Sonakshi knew so little about him.

"Of course, I would."

--------------------

"Hi Vikram, congratulations!" Dev gave Vikram a friendly hug while Sona looked on. She couldn't help but take a second glance at the couple and feel so weird about the tension between them.

It reminded Sona of their forced marriage that they had years ago. They looked so uneasy and forced to be there. Especially Jaanvi.

Jaanvi looked so out of place. When Sona arrived, she was sure that Jaanvi's face looked terror-stricken. Wonder why she's so terrified? Sona was not at all impressed. But she swallowed her opinions and placed her best expressions at all times. She tried to ship them. Really tried.

Walking there, she smiled at the couple and congratulated them whole-heartedly.

Although she didn't approve them initially, she really wished that they have a happy marriage life ahead. Sona knew that everyone deserves a chance to enjoy their life like how she is doing now. Despite good and bad, life will still have a peace and prosperity which will come along when you travel with the right person.

Sonakshi did not hate Jaanvi. But she still had a small bad corner in her heart because of what Jaanvi had done to Arjun. Whenever she saw Jaanvi, it only reminded her of the times when Arjun was devastated and hurt. She wondered how Dev never felt anything towards Jaanvi.

"Is this the time to come for a wedding, Dr Sha?" Vikram whined, showing her his watch. He shook his head in disappointment.

"Vikram, I swear I was trying to be early. But trust me, Dev was the one who was fixing his damn hair for years." She complained, making both of them smile. Even Jaanvi couldn't help but smile a little when Sona said that.

"Yeah right, as if you get ready within seconds..." Dev said with sarcasm, making Vikram laugh.

"Anyways guys, this is Jaanvi. I know that this is not the first time you guys are meeting. But still... Now she is officially, Mrs Krishna." Vikram smiled proudly and Jaanvi gave a half-hearted smile.

Jaanvi was truly awkward standing there and Dev could feel it. He moved towards her and placed his hands on her shoulder. This action immediately caught Sona's attention. She narrowed her eyebrows as she watched Dev and Jaanvi's secret conversation from a distance. Dev leaned forward to Jaanvi and whispered something in her ears.

"Is this the first time they are meeting?" Sona whispered softly to Vikram, who was standing next to her. He grinned looking at Sona's expressions.

"Nope, Jaanvi knows Dev way earlier than me." He shrugged and saw Sona's eyes overflowing with confusions.

"Oh..." she mumbled in a daze, making Vikram chuckle.

"Are you jealous Sonakshi?" Vikram was quick to ask, making Sona alarmed.

"Umm... yes. I am." The minute those words left Sona's lips, she shocked her own self. For the first time in her life, she admitted that she was feeling a certain right over her husband. She had started to accept that it is not wrong to feel this way.

The minute she said that, Vikram's eyes widened. He never expected Sona's transformation to be this high. She would never admit her feelings of jealousy, hatred or even happiness to someone openly. Today, for the first time she had admitted it and he honestly felt happy for her. He grinned ear to ear and instantly gave her a hug.

"May I know what's happening?" this time, it was Dev's voice.

When Sona and Vikram looked at Dev, they couldn't help but laugh at that moment. Dev did not understand then, but when he saw Sonakshi laughing, his lips naturally stretched into a lazy smile. Sona's smile will always remain as his lifeline.

It was something that even the nature could not change for him.

Their laughter which was contented and blissful just continued the entire evening, lighting up everyone's life.

---------------

Sonakshi bit her lips and kept thinking of hundreds of possibilities. She was both shy and nervous to execute such a stupid plan. This was the first time she was going to try something in public and she was terrified of the outcome.

However, Dev was always worth taking the risk. Doing anything for Dev would eventually give her the motivation, because Dev was always warm and welcoming to new ideas. He always inspired her, boosting her inner confidence.

Vikram's marriage was over and the guests were slowly moving to the dinner area to have their meal. Sona had smartly excused herself to use the washroom then. She was sure Dev would come to search for her if she took long enough. So, she wantedly moved out and saw a storeroom just a few meters away from the restroom.

Grinning to herself, she entered the dark room and sat there idly. She did not want to switch on the lights yet. Finding herself a corner, she looked at her phone blankly. As expected, Dev called her within ten minutes. She leisurely rejected the call and looked around to make sure Dev wasn't nearby the room.

When she was in content, she sent her husband a text message

"Find me if you can – Your sunshine"

Within seconds, she heard the bing sound on her phone.

"I don't have time for games, Sona. – Your Asshole."

His reply made her grin for no reason. Dev always had something in his words and that was the secret behind his charm. His way with words would always make Sona give in to him. But this time, she was sure to stick with her game.

"If you don't find me, I will not come back home with you – Your wifey!"

She texted again and pressed the send button. This time, the reply was twice as fast, compared to the previous time.

"Are you testing my detective brains, baby? – Handsome hubby"

Sona resisted her urge to roll her eyes. Cocky much!

"Yes, it's time you put that brain to use – Dr Sha."

She felt as though she did an achievement when she sent that. However, the reply she got, just made the floor beneath her slip in a second.

"Ouch, fine.. Now switch on the lights, sweetheart. How long do I stand behind you in the dark? – Officer Sharma"

The minute she read the reply, she jerked from her place and stumbled to find for the switch. But before she could reach, her saree was hooked in a chair and she slipped forward. A loud squeak left her lips as she anticipated an ugly fall.

However, before she could completely slip off, a rough pair of hands held her by her waist.

Sonakshi was quick to inhale her breath. She thanked her stars and looked up at her saviour once again. He was indeed her knight in shining armour. Her hands automatically looped around his neck and stabilised herself. Even though she could only see his shadows, she knew that it was him.

His scent, aura and everything was just too overwhelming to her senses.

"What the hell? You could have slipped, Sona. Why are you so careless?" Dev chided as he held her safely in his arms. Her saree was tangled in his fingers as he slowly made her stand on her feet. Once she was stable, Dev gently caressed her cheeks.

Sona scrunched her nose, feeling utterly mortified. Luckily she didn't fall and injure herself. She quickly adjusted her saree and looked at Dev with an awkward smile.

"Sorry, my bad." She scratched her head and gave him an apologetic smile. Dev gave her a knowing glare while she smiled cheekily.

"So, may I know why are you here for?" he asked seriously. That's when he saw Sona's eyes lighting up with mischief. That look was enough to explain to him that she was up to something.

But her smile was so bright that it made his heart flutter with joy. Sona's smile was Dev's ultimate desire. It was just too infectious that it made his nerves blossom like flowers in the summer. Out of so many years, his responses to her smile never changed. Whenever her smile reached her eyes, something inside him would burst in joy.

Nowadays she was smiling more, which meant that they were finally succeeding in living a life that they have always dreamt of. Dev felt contented as he stared at Sona's beautiful face. The innocence, joy and curiousness was all back on her face.

"Dev, are you listening?" Sona asked and Dev blinked his eyes rapidly.

"Sorry, I was a bit lost. What were you saying?" he asked and Sona chuckled in delight.

She looped her hands around his neck and tiptoed to reach his height. Dev's hands surrounded her petite bare waist which was revealed by her saree. He was sucker for that midriff portion which would always tease him when she wore a saree.

"Dev, lets recreate out first meet." Sona suggested and Dev's brows furrowed in confusion.

"Which one? The one I broke your phone?"

"Nope. The time when you forcefully kissed me in the washroom during Natasha's boring interview." Sona reminded, causing Dev's smile to increase.

"Do you want me to kiss you again?" he raised his left eyebrow, making Sona shake her head.

She quickly parted away from him and looked around the room. On spotting a small stool in the corner, she rushed forward to pick it up. Bringing it closer to Dev, she dropped it on the floor and instantly stood on top of it to match her height with Dev.

Dev was honestly amused with whatever she was doing.

"Nope, I want to kiss you this time!" she admitted and Dev lost in covering his shocking expressions. His jaws fell in shock.

Before Dev could regain from her unbelievable words, Sonakshi had already completed the distance between them. Due to her clumsiness, Dev had to hold her firmly by her waist. He was more worried of Sonakshi slipping off than the kiss itself.

When her lips touched his, Dev felt the entire universe around them vanishing into thin air. She was firm, passionate and bold. Her lips were soft against his rough ones, as they swallowed his lower lips with desperation and love. Dev did not know what possessed her. But he was completely enjoying the secret romance that they were having in the congested store room.

Despite having a huge chance of getting caught, they enjoyed the thrill of doing what they wanted passionately.

Sonakshi was quick to run out of breath. She quickly pulled away. As soon as Dev opened his eyes to retort something, she kissed him back again. She didn't even give him a break to recover from the sweet surprises that she was pouring. Dev smiled amidst the kiss. He couldn't even remember him kissing her this way for the first time.

When she finally released him, he held her face in one hand and squeezed her cheek.

"Is this how I kissed you the first time?" he teased, making Sonakshi chuckle.

"No... Your kiss was much hotter than mine." She smiled and Dev shook his head in denial.

"Not at all.... Your kiss is sweet, admirable and seductive. Your kiss speaks your right that you have over me. It's everything I needed in life. I wish I kissed you the same way too instead of a forceful one." Dev pecked her lips repeatedly and Sona closed her eyes to savour every moment.

"Then lets kiss again." She grinned, making Dev completely dumbfounded. He could see the desire flames burning high in her eyes. As he pulled her closer to his body, he could feel the tension between them thick in the air. They both needed their release.

"You want to continue the rest at home?" he whispered near her lips and Sona just kept humming.

"No... I feel like we should just get it done here." She kissed him again, making Dev quickly bite her lower lips.

"Sss...ouch." Sona whimpered as she clutched her palms on his collars tightly.

"You know Sona...... you are completely in a different mood today." Dev chuckled and Sona looked at him with an annoyed pout.

"Well... Yes, I think so too. Nowadays I just feel so drawn to you. I just want to be held by you all the time. I feel jealous and cosy. I just..... I just want to keep making love to you that it scares me to the max. What have you done to me, Dev? This is all your fault." Sona whined, making Dev grin with delight.

For the start, Dev was not really surprised by this fact. He had seen the changes in Sonakshi the past few days. She was really being seductive the past few days. Her dresses and makeup was done on purpose to draw his attention. To add on to his misery, she would wear saree almost all the times when she was at home.

Her eyes would display how aroused she was most of the times, which he wasn't complaining at all. But his question was, how did this change occur all of the sudden?

"Well... Why didn't you tell me all this earlier?" Dev asked while he was still having her body crushed against his. Sona refused to move away from him even for a second.

"I wanted to tell you, but I was embarrassed. I thought that it's weird if a woman feels this way." She openly admitted and Dev smiled gently. He used his index finger to tuck the string of hairs that was falling down her face.

"It's not weird. It's honestly hot to hear such words. But what changed? Have I started aging backwards?" Dev answered cockily, making Sona smile.

"Nope. It's not that.... There's another reason too. Do you want to hear it?" She asked, as her entire body leaned more on him. She was still standing on the stool with her weight being balanced by her husband.

"What's that jaan?" Dev asked, feeling an unknown smile lingering on his lips.

Even in that playful situation, Sona felt his hands holding her securely to prevent her from falling down. He was standing in a way whereby his legs were grasping the stool and her together. The reminder of him naturally being so protective caused her heart to swell in happiness.

She finally decided to end the wait.

"Dev, I am pregnant."

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

By far, the most satisfying epilogue that I could think of. I don't think I need to go into a word-to-word detail of how happy Dev would be and how he's going to take care of her. You guys already know what Dev's reaction will be.

Dev and Sonakshi are finally Healed!

I love this ending. Cheers to everyone and let's look forward to another story from the Jewel series. Wait for my notification till then.👌

Ps, I am damn sad. Shaheer Sheikh got married!!!!💔💔💔 My heart broke, but I am happy for him 😊😂😂😂