Hlo darlings

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Ain't it fairly easy to call someone's deeds as sacrifice and so difficult in understanding those ? On the surface you can name it as a sacrifice but you don't or would never know what does it actually mean ? What that person has lost would forever be unknown to you or anyone else.

But she knew what he sacrificed and she wanted everyone else to know too. She wanted those people to know who were dear to him, those whose opinions matter to him, those who provide him strength and those who can complete his life, those who he love and those who make him feel happy.

The magistic Mansion looked as beautiful as it did a few months ago, when she had seen it for the first time. But it's beauty can not be fulsome as long as he is not here.

Shivaay Singh Oberoi ! That man with those handsome, aristocratic features and heart as soft as a flower deserves to be rewarded, his sacrifices need to be acknowledged and saluted.

That was her motivation to come here, the place that she thought might haunt her forever was not so scary all of a sudden because it was where he was born and brought up and the place couldn't be so cruel afterall. The circumstances were cruel, not the people nor the Mansion.

The security was as always, guarding the mansion like it was a jewel. She used to think this security was because of her, so that she wouldn't run but she was slightly wrong and it gave her any unknown relief. But the relief was shortlived. How was she going to convince these bouncers to let her enter the mansion ?

She didn't know what to do when her Khanna bhaiya's smiling face came to her mind. Who could stop her when she could twist the security chief around her little finger. May be she forgot or didn't know that she could do the same to their most senior chief too.

Khanna bhaiya was not that easy to be convinced but she managed it. A brother would deny his sister what she wants at first but eventually he would get it for her. One call from him and the bouncers took their former positions as if they did never move and let her enter.

She smiled and sent a prayer to almighty that Khanna bhaiya won't tell about her visit to his Bagadbilla boss, not until she was ready to face him.

The first person she came across was Janvi Singh Oberoi, just like last time. Last time too, there was confusion written all over her face after seeing Anika, just like now. The only difference is neither Tej Singh Oberoi nor Shivaay is here.

Just behind Janvi was Priyanka, and standing infront of the Krishna Idol in the temple was Kalyani Singh Oberoi who had turned to look who was at the door.

"I wanted to talk to you." Anika looked at Kalyani Singh Oberoi. The greetings, especially with Janvi or Priyanka seemed unnecessary. Their previous experiences related to each other were so painful that it was better not to pretend. She had a bit of courage left in her because Kalyani had nothing to do with her bad memories of those painful moments.

Anika didn't look at Janvi thus missed the look on her face showing how ashamed she was. She avoided looking at Priyanka who was equally guilty as her mother. She chose not to listen to her conscience, as a consequence her brother had almost killed her.

Kalyani Singh Oberoi gestured Anika to come in and stepped towards her room that was just beside the temple.

Sitting on the sofa infront of the bed where Kalyani Singh Oberoi sat silently, Anika waited for several minutes to see if the lady would say something or ask her about the reason for her visit. But she sat silently and waited for Anika to speak, which she did.

“I won’t beat around the bush. I just wanted to know what happened here after I left.”

Anika was surprised that she spoke so calmly. It was not really difficult to think about the day when she had been in hospital. Shivaay, in these past few days had healed the wounds he had given.

Gradually she’s realising what it is when people say my love had given me wounds and he is my healer too. Isn’t Shivaay the one who gave her the wounds and now, was healing those too ?

Keeping her thoughts aside Anika focused her vision on the old lady’s face. The same lady who hates Shivaay now. Not hate perhaps, it’s too heavy a word, disappointed, perhaps.

“Answer me, please. I want to know.” That was a lie on Anika’s part because she already knew what had happened but she wanted to know it from someone else’s point of view.

“Nothing much happened, dear. This house was already broken, it’s just, after that day the one who had always kept these broken pieces together was not the same. Because this time he was at fault.”

Anika very much wanted to interrupt the lady for she knew she was talking about Shivaay but she had to let her talk before she could do what she wanted to.

“I never knew Shivaay could stoop so low. I never taught him to be so cruel, I never taught him to play with someone’s life and respect. He disappointed me by doing what he did to you.”

Anika waited to see if there was something else coming but there was nothing. And it was good because she was dieing to speak, to support Shivaay, to make the lady understand what she was doing was wrong. She was not entirely wrong because she was supporting the truth and what was right but it had to had a limit.

“I don’t have much to say to you.” Anika started.

“Every parent, grandparent or even a guardian, teaches his children to be good. Somehow there are a few who tend to forget or, or fail to realise that being good, is not being perfect.”

“You taught Shivaay everything, from being a good son to being a good human, and he became what you wanted him to be.”

“He became a good grandson and walked on the path you and his grandfather showed him. He became a good son and took care of his mother, he became a good brother who played the role of a father in his siblings’ life.”

“He could choose a wrong path for the journey of his life. He could choose to be like his father, he could choose to get rid of all the responsibilities that fell upon you and his shoulders after his grandfather’s death.”

“But he chose to take those responsibilities all alone because he knew you were broken. He sacrificed his happiness by chaining himself in these responsibilities so that Tej Singh Oberoi won’t be able to snatch this family’s freedom.”

“That was probably his only mistake for you took it for granted that Shivaay should be faultless all the time. You forgot that he could be wrong and sometimes it’s okay to be wrong.”

"He was protecting his family. His sister tried to commit suicide, his mother was crying every minute. He had to do something, anything. If he made a wrong decision in his bid to save his family then it was his mistake but not a deliberately committed sin."

Anika never knew she could be so harsh to anyone, let alone a dear old lady who was perhaps supporting her but it was her love that was blinding her against everything but Shivaay. She could see the tear strained face of the lady infront of her but she was immune to those tears because these could return a smile on Shivaay’s face.

“Do you know where he is ?”

Kalyani nodded positively because she was speechless. How could she be so cruel to her favourite grandson who was a piece of her heart, the one who was the apple of her eyes.

“He.. He’s in Pune.”

“No. He’s not. He’s in Mumbai, living in a low class colony, where I live so that he could protect me from Tej Singh Oberoi.”

“He’s busy making sacrifices yet again, like he always did. He had sacrificed the comforts of his luxurious mansion so that what happened to me in the past won’t repeat.”

“I should leave. My purpose was not to hurt you. I know I was being harsh to you, And I’m sorry, but someone had to do it because Shivaay wouldn’t do it for himself, he respects you and loves you too much to do this to you. After his grandfather only you can be the guardian he wants. Don’t rob him of that.”

After coming out of the Mansion she felt like a heavy burden had been lifted off her chest. She rolled her eyes to stop the tears pooling in her eyes from streaming down her cheeks. Now she could only hope that that happens what she wanted, for which she did all of this.

Her phone buzzed as she sat in the rickshaw and the driver drove on.

“Anika, where are you ? Shivaay sir is going home, I mean your home. If you’re still not home then do come back soon or he’ll bring a thunderstorm.”

Before she could speak further the call was cut and it wasn’t surprising because that Bagadbilla might be rushing like a hurricane and poor Khanna wouldn’t have the time to say more than what he just did.

Fate, good luck or call it her fairy godmother’s magic wand that did some magic that she reached back home with only a few minutes before Shivaay did. She merely had the time to inform Gauri and Rudra that Shivaay shouldn’t know that she was not at home all this time.

When Shivaay came into the house he looked at the three faces- two confused ones and one that looked like that of a guilty child who had just stolen and then gulped a candy.

Om was a dear boy but Anika was glad he wasn’t here because the whole universe was on one side and Om and his truth at the other. She still had Gauri and Rudra’s questions to answer and not to forget, Khanna bhaiya.

“Why are all of you looking at me like you just did something I didn’t want you all to do ?”

“Now have you got the copyright of our looks ? That we can’t look at you ? And we’re not interested in looking at you, atleast count me out of those who want to.”

For once Anika was thankful to Gauri for being so talkative, angry, and impulsive. She could only hope that Gauri won't prove she's silly also.

“Why are you getting so hyper ? I just asked a simple question and you’re firing at me like a machine gun.”

Shivaay’s mind was diverted, good sign !

“Who are you to ask me questions, first of all ? You know what, if you were my teacher then I would have liked to fail but not answer you.”

“God ! How could Anika be your best friend ? She’s as cool as a ice and you are boiling like lava. And yes, you look exactly the kind of person who fails in all her exams.”

Anika was looking at both of them with wide eyes, ignoring Rudra’s happy face showing his interest in the fight. She had to stop these two before it got out of her hand but that wasn't needed because Gauri didn't answer back. She was looking at someone over Shivaay's shoulder.

Following the line of Gauri's vision Anika saw Kalyani Singh Oberoi standing at the the door looking lovingly at Shivaay's back and crying silently.

Anika wasn't someone to be happy seeing someone in tears but today she was because this was the outcome of what she did, not the tears but what was going to happen after this was what she wanted.

"Dadi !"

She heard Rudra's soft whisper from behind her and she knew Shivaay heard him too because his face became pale and sad.

Anika held Gauri's hand and then gestured Rudra to come with her while she dragged Gauri towards their own room. Rudra didn't move at first so she had to come back and drag him away too.

Shivaay was numb and his eyes welled with unshed tears. Only if he knew the reason why his Dadi was here.

"Billu !"

The gentle, quivering voice that uttered his name was his Dadi's voice. The voice he was longing to hear, and uttering the word he wanted to hear.

He stopped himself from moving. What if it was a dream ? It was not, he realised when his Dadi kept her hand on his shoulder and forced him to turn around to face her and then hugged him after kissing his forehead several times.

"Forgive this old lady for not giving you a chance to explain, for not hearing your side of the story. Had not Anika told me, not made me realise what I did, I would have ignored you God knows for how long. Forgive me."

He shook his face left and right, his Dadi's palms resting on his cheeks.

"What ? You won't forgive me ?"

She asked, her teary eyes seeing his face and he shook his head again.

"You don't... don't have to... you were right on your place. It was a big mistake. I had disappointed you. You have every right to punish me."

"No. I don't have any right to punish you when I couldn't understand you. You were always there when anyone in the family needed you but we couldn't do the same for you, especially I. I'm sorry, my dear."

"It's enough Dadi. Enough of this sorry game. You are with me, talking to me and calling me billu, that's enough for me."

"Now you don't any objection taht I call you billu ?"

He chuckled and nodded positively and then again negatively.

"But don't do that infront of anyone else."

He, laughed, kissed the wrinkled forehead, hugged her again and looked sideways to see the beautiful face of the one he loved dearly. The one who had become his world and the one he wanted to hug and kiss and kill right now.

She'll have to bear the consequences of what she started.

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