'Aap hamari ammi ho na!'

Those words the moment out of Saira' mouth kills someone standing on doorstep of Naushad' bedroom.

'Ha beta...Hum hi Aapki aami he. Humse gunaah ho gaya tha jo aapko chhod gayi thi..Hum bewkoof the beta.. Jannat basane chale the jannat ko hi chhodkar..Hume maaf kar dijiye.'

A crying Arwa reaches to Saira and smothers her face with kisses. She picks her up and hugs like her life depended on this momentary hug.

All this being watched by naina.

A hammer suddenly burst his chest open and seeks her heart. No sooner did Saira hug Arwa back naina' heart was in pieces.

Last bit of her is now not her. Her last hope is also shattered. She moves back to her shell. Her blackhole...where she used to spend her time in this house. Back to her forever inferno. It seems perhaps she was meant to be perished. Like the biggest sinner present on earth. Her fate never coming around but pushing her around...Never she felt fortunate enough. Even for once she did the next moment she was back to square one.

She wipes her eyes and leaves.

Arwa is Saira' mom. For Saira there was only one Ammi in the world...Arwa. It is not her fault that she never tried to replace Arwa. She never wanted to impose herself on a child even if she loves her the most. If Saira is her life line it doesn't make sense asking Saira the biggest position in her life to give her.

She is biological daughter of Naushad and Arwa. She was mere responsibility of Naushad....as he told her.

And one more resolve added to her previous ones. This time a heart wrenching one....

She comes out of her room to take water as her throat is choked. She fills her bottle when she spots Naushad standing at Kitchen' door. She has no strength left for facing him. She just ignores him. Though she is sure she saw him trying to talk with her. But she has had enough kf sympathy. No...She doesn't want more. And if it is not sympathy what he will say to her!

That you decided to stay like a guest in this house so I officially made you one!

Or...That her idea of formal relation suited him too so he thought of doing something informal.

Or what....she doesn't want to predict.

Naushad no more intrigues her but tires her. She has had enough. He ran away whenever it was time for a closure. He pushed her many times. It was her decency that she still respected him when he treated her like a stranger and many times unknowingly or deliberately he chided her badly without uttering a word. Naina sighs.

It was plain and simple but now it is quantum physics. Going towards being string theory.

Her head hurts...badly.

She runs back to her room. No...Saira going back to Arwa was last nail in coffin. Now she has no strength left to face one more heartbreak or one more reaLity check that she is stranger in this house even after giving her precious eighteen months...

One more sleepless night comes but with nightmares...Her comfort and peace long gone...completely. she is on the verge of being insomniac.

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

Morning arrives so does a hesitant Naina in kitchen to take her coffee. She has decided to give up tea. Tea no more feels good to her taste buds.

She is pouring her coffee from coffee maker when a cranky Saira comes. Her hair scattered on her face.

'Naina...dekho na Ammi ne Saira ke saare baal bigaad diye.' She complains.

A heavy feeling sinks in her. She just nods..

'Tumhe baal banwane he? Yaha aao phir..' Naina calls Saira.

'Nahi. Ammi banayegi Saira ke baal. Saira ko unse hi banwane he.' And she like a chirpy bird flies to Arwa leaving naina petrified.

But again....Can she blame an innocent four years old? Can she blame Saira for fielding for her real mom? Can she do so? On what grounds?

She returns to her room...Packs her stuff and leaves for hospital.

Suddenly those huge white walls and strange smell of medicines, crying hopeless people and a nearby mortgage it feels so familiar and close to her. Even more than this house..which once she called her Jannat.

Where she dreamed if having a life...

...with him.

The dreams are dead so is her aspirations. Now what left is charted soul who many times feels so horrible as it wants to leave Shimla forever.

But She cant...

Not now..

**********

FOUR DAYS AGO.

MUCH AWAITED NAUSHAD' CIRCUMSTANCES.

Naushad is working in his office when a phone call is made for him.

An unknown number flashes on screen.

He is hesitant to pick it up.

But he does.

'Hello, Captain Rizvi here.'

'Hello. I am Dr. Anand Mehra. I am speaking from Leelawati hospital, Mumbai.'

Mumbai?

Hospital?

And call for him?

'Sorry. What can I do for you?'

'You know Ms. Arwa Siddiqui? She is hospitalized here. This was the only contact we could find in her phone. Her state is critical. You need come here asap. Please..'

The ground slips beneath him. Arwa? Hospitalized....

What exactly happened to her?

'Hello. Sir, are you listening? You have to come here and do some formalities. As here is nobody who can do so. It is stopping her treatment. Please..come here..'

Naushad listens and hums. Making a promise to go Mumbai..

And suddenly the thought of seeing Arwa snatches his sanity away. His feet stops moving. He feels vulnetable. He seeks a support..or something...more like someone.

But he has to go Mumbai, Hasnt he!

But what about Naina.....

Naina is not talking with him.

Should he call her and tell her that he has an emergency and he is leaving for Mumbai? And emergency  involves Arwa!

The inner battle goes on and he finally settles on leaving her a text.

He does...and waits...and waits.

Finally he gets no reply. And with a guilty heart he leaves for Mumbai.