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Manhattan, New York

Recap

Aayush buys an apartment in New york, because Sam had wished to live in such a place with him. He reveals this to Ashok, who is already worried about Aayush's life. Hearing this , Ashok becomes angry with him and strictly tells him that he had to get married right away to forget his pain. Aayush becomes extremely shocked and angry, and he hits a glass table with his bare hand , wounding his hand severely. Ashok gets terrified and after much begging by him, Aayush reluctantly agrees to visit the hospital .

Meanwhile, in another part of New York, a young lady, Anita , visits an orphanage to take out the children on a visit to Central Park. One of the kids there, Emily, feels left out because no one has come forward to adopt her. Anita consoles her by saying that God was still searching for perfect parents for her , after which Emily becomes cheerful .Emily suffers from bone cancer and thus no one was willing to adopt her. Saddened by this, Anita informs the caretaker of the orphanage , Mrs. Wells , that she was willing to adopt Emily as her own child, as she herself was alone and heart broken. Mrs. Wells obliges to Anita .

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Anita ' s POV

It was Emily's homecoming day. I was on cloud nine ! I had never been this happy for a long time. I drove to the orphanage to bring Emily to her new home.

I reached and parked my car near the building. After a few minutes, I walked inside to the waiting area.

"There you are!", Mrs.Wells beamed happily, "She is all set! Come in.", she ushered me inside.

The corridor was brightly decorated with murals and paintings of cartoons. A sense of inner peace and happiness filled me.

I was going to be a mother !

I had never been to this part of the building, over the few months I had visited this place.

There were many doors along the corridor and she lead me to one , at the far right end.

She opened the door and let me pass inside. All the workers of the orphanage were present in the room. They smiled at me as I entered.

A lady entered the room, bringing Emily with her. Emily looked like an angel, in a white dress.

"Miss Anita.", she shouted and ran to me.

I lifted her up and asked,"Hey dear. You look beautiful."

"Thank you Miss. Anita. Everyone here says I have a surprise. Do you know what it is?", she asked innocently.

"God has given you a mommy dear.", Mrs.Wells replied, smiling at her.

"Really? ", Emily asked her.

"Yes", I told her.

"Who is my mommy?", she jumped down from my arms and went towards the door, to see if her mommy was coming.

"Miss Anita is going to be your mommy !", Mrs.Wells replied.

"Miss Anita ??? Yipeeee !!!!", Emily ran to me and hugged me.

"She is yours, my dear.", Mrs.Wells said to me, "You are a mother now. Congratulations !"

Everyone clapped their hands and chorused "Congrats" !

I wiped my tears and thanked everyone .

"When are we going home Mommy?"

"Now dear ! ", I kissed and hugged her tightly.

She returned the kiss back and ran inside.

"I have already packed her things .", said a lady, handing over her bags to me.

"Thank you !"

"My dear, make sure that you take her to the hospital regularly and give her medicines. She is in the initial stages of the cancer and proper treatment and care, she will get completely cured."

"I will take care of that, Mrs.Wells. Where has she gone?", I asked, searching for her.

Just then , she came back to me and said,"Mommy ! I went to say goodbye to my friends. Won't we ever come back here?"

"We will Emily. Mommy will let you visit your friends. I promise."

"I love you Mommy.", she said.

"I love you too dear."

After sometime, we were on the way to home. A new home was awaiting her. On the drive home, she was surprised to see a lot of tall buildings and skyscrapers and she wanted to visit them all !

I assured her I would take her ! She kept asking me a lot of questions and I answered all. I felt like I was the happiest person in the world.

We reached home and I carried her bags on the shoulder and led her towards the house.

"Here we go !", I said as I opened the door.

"Surprise !!!!!!", a bunch of people shouted from inside .

There was a huge banner in the living room that read "Welcome Home" and the whole place was decorated with lights.

I had asked Chris to arrange for the Homecoming party and he had done a good job !

Emily gasped and hid behind me.

"You needn't be scared baby. These are mommy's friends. Say hello !"

She slowly came to the front, though she clutched my hand tightly.

"Hello dear. You look lovely.", said Mrs.Aditi , my neighbor, as she shook hands with her.

Everyone came and spoke with Emily. Most of my colleagues and neighbors were present at the party.

"Hello Princess !", Chris said, as he lifted her. He came last to speak with her.

"Mommy , is this Daddy?", Emily asked pointing at Chris when he carried her.

It was an awkward moment for both of us. Chris is my colleague and had supported me a lot since the day I had joined my office. He was my close friend and was always there for me in times of trouble, especially during my depression and nervous breakdown.

"No sweety. This is Uncle Chris. Daddy has gone away on work and he won't be back for a long time."

"When will Daddy return? I want to see him ", she asked sadly.

"When all his work is over, he will come back."

"Hey ! Look what I have got for the little princess.", said Chris, as he carried her to the dining room. He tried to distract her from all the "daddy" talk.

I followed them inside.

On the table, was a magnificent doll house, which was bigger than Emily.

Chris gently placed her near it.

"My own dollhouse?", Emily asked him surprised.

"Yes ! Do you like it?"

"I love it. Thank you Uncle Chris!", Emily hugged him.

He hugged her back and she went away to play with it.

"It must have cost you a lot!"

"Never mind. She is happy . Can't you see?"

"It wasn't necessary Chris !"

"I never asked your permission ! Let us eat ! I am starving !"

He was always like this !

"I have to feed her first.", I said, as I filled a plate with food.

Emily had been taught all the basic habits at the orphanage, including how to eat without spilling food.

When I asked if I wanted to feed her, she refused and prayed before eating.

I admired my little angel at her sweet actions. After she had finish eating, I left her to play with the other kids at the party.

I went to speak with all my friends at the party. Everyone congratulated me for Emily .

"Anita ! You are blessed to have her.", said Mrs.Aditi.

"Thank you Aunty. Would you like some more juice ?", I offered to pour her more.

"No dear. I am full. I was wondering, why don't you get married?"

I wasn't surprised at her question, because I expected it sooner.

"I am not interested Aunty."

"But, you can't take care of Emily all alone in this big city. You will need support. I know a lot of good men and I can suggest you someone who could take care of you well!"

"No Aunty. I can take care of her. Haven't you seen any single mother here? This is not our country Aunty. People here won't even bother if a woman is a single mother. You needn't worry about what the society will think about me."

"Yes, but..."

"I am strong about my decision Aunty."

"It's your wish my dear. Let me know if you change your mind.", she smiled and went away to gossip with a group of ladies.

I went outside to get some fresh air. I honestly could never think of getting married now. Emily and I are going to live happily ever after and that's it.

"I couldn't help over hearing what you and Mrs.Aditi were speaking.", someone said.

I turned to see Chris, with his hands in his pockets, coming towards me.

"Glad that I don't have to explain myself to you"

"Don't you think what she said was right?"

"Chris...I can't believe you think the same way too.", I was shocked at what he said.

"That's the truth , I am afraid."

I scoffed at him, "Seriously, do you think I can't take care of Emily alone?"

"You are capable of doing so, but you will feel lonely after sometime."

"I have been lonely for the past few years and I am used to it. So , it won't make much difference now.", I said and went inside.

It was nearly 9.30 p.m and the guests had already started to leave.

I thanked them for coming and gave all of them thank-you presents.

Chris offered to stay back for sometime to help me clean the mess. There was a huge pile of dishes to be washed and cleaning to be done. Emily was in the living room, surrounded by all the gifts the people had bought for her. Chris was behind this. He made her sit amongst the gifts while he captured photos of her.

Emily laughed and she was in a hurry to open all the presents. Chris kept on taking photos, every time she opened a gift and her face beamed with happiness.

While I was doing the dishes, she came running to me, with Chris behind her.

"Mommy ! Look at this !"

She was carrying a huge teddy bear.

"It is lovely. What are you going to name him?"

"Daddy!", she replied cheerfully.

I felt as if someone had poured a bucket of ice on my head.

"Till he returns, this will be Daddy. He will always be with me.", she said and dragged the teddy bear to the living room.

I went and sat on one of the chairs in the kitchen.

Chris hurriedly went to the refrigerator and poured me a glass of juice.

"How am I going to tell her that Daddy is never going to visit her, Chris?", I asked him, as I drank .

"It is going to break her heart Anita.", he said.

"I know, but I don't want to marry anyone. Ever ! I just can't !"

"Can we talk about your past, at least now?"

"Chris, I have already asked you not to talk about it."

"You have to Anita. You can't just keep it to yourself. Only if you share it with someone, you will have peace of mind! Why don't you understand?", he argued and banged the table .

"You needn't get angry for this."

"You won't tell me anything and you wouldn't let me care for you ! Are you stone hearted or what ?"

His words hit me bad. I couldn't believe he said that !

I was not able to get words out of my mouth. The only reason I was alive was that I promised "him" that I would never try to take my life again.

"Night !", he said and stormed out of the house. Before leaving, he kissed Emily good bye.

"Why are you sad Mommy?, she asked, coming into the kitchen.

"Nothing baby. Mommy was not feeling well.", I smiled.

"Now, let's put you to bed. ", I said and carried her upstairs to her room.

Chris and I had decorated her room with disney cartoons and fairy lights.

I gave her the tablets and she had them without any fuss.

"Do you like your room?", I asked her , as I tucked her into bed.

"This is the best surprise ever mommy.", she hugged me and she said her prayers loudly, "Thank you God for giving me the best Mommy. Please bring back Daddy soon. I miss him very much."

I kissed her good night , switched off the lights and left quickly.

I didn't want my baby to see me crying .

I went to my room and stood near the window.

How was I going to tell her she was not going to have a Father . How was I supposed tell her she was never going to have a little brother or sister ?

I realized that Emily was going to grow up without being able to experience a Father's love. How was I going to tell her the truth? A million thoughts exploded inside my head. Just a few hours ago, I felt like I was the happiest person on earth and now I felt broken again.

The atmosphere was chill and cold air blew through the window. So, I closed the window and pulled the curtains, when I noticed the ring on my finger.

I had completely forgotten about it. The one "he" put on my finger when he proposed his love to me. Should I even be wearing this ? I knew it was wrong, but I missed him with all my heart. It was hard to imagine why fate had been cruel to us. Whenever I felt low, the ring gave me a sense of hope and strength. Emily now became a valid reason for me to live and I am going to, for her sake.

For a moment, I pictured how it would be if "he" had been Emily's Dad. We would have been the happiest family ! But, I knew I imagined the impossible !

How I wish it was true !

Chris's POV

I was extremely mad at her ! She would never tell me about her past ! I came out of the house angrily and shut myself inside my car.

But, I regretted it the moment I came out. I wanted to go back to her, hug her tight and never let her go. When was she going to understand my feelings for her?

Right from the day she set foot in my office, I have loved her. I rejected all the girls who wanted to go out with me, just because I love her .I have been with her since then, but she has never revealed why she had come all the way from India to New York. She always bore a sad look, as if she had lost something.

I had asked her a thousand times about her past, but she never wanted to talk about it. I felt sad to see her in that condition. She had obviously lost someone, who had meant the world to her, but she wouldn't tell.

I looked out from the car to see the living room lights go off and I realized that she must be going to sleep. I started my car and drove back home.

Just as I reached home, I received a call.

I took out to mobile hoping it was her, but it was Alice.

"Hey. Good news eh?", she shouted .

"Nah ! I got mad at her for not telling me about her past and I came off."

"What the hell were you thinking Chris ?"

"But now I regret it Alice.", I said sadly.

"It was wrong of you to be rude to her. It's her personal life and you shouldn't compel her to tell you about it."

"Yes. I shouldn't have."

"It's not a good idea to confess your feelings for her now. Make up for the fight later. Take her out somewhere so that she can relax."

"Sure Alice .Thanks."

"Don't mess with it hereafter. And don't rush. You have a lot of time to tell your feelings. Plus, she has to trust you."

"Gotcha. I have no words to thank you."

"Oh please. Don't manipulate your attitude. Where is the "I know what to do so you shut up" attitude of yours ?", she laughed.

"It's because am not in a mood for that right now."

"Family's call .Gotta go. Catch up later !", she cut .

She is married and has a girl child. My sister Alice. I smiled as I put the cell phone inside my pocket and went inside my house.

I am going to tell Anita as soon as possible that I love her. I want to do something dramatic that would make her fall in love with me and also wait for the right moment to do it.
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Hope you have enjoyed the chapter guys !!!!!

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