"Shivaay. " Annika nudged him for the nth time. Still, as a response to her, he hummed. Wrapping his arms around her petite figure, cradling her.

"I need to tell you something." Annika started sceptically not knowing how he will react to the truth she needs to reveal. She struggled to get out of his strong, possessive embrace.

"Batao. I'm all ears" Shivaay turned to her and started drawing patterns on her bareback. She whimpered with his cold fingertips coming in contact with her warm skin. The sensation arose.

"I'm serious." She murmured unable to shout due to his sweet pleasure torture. Her mind wanted to speak but her body told something. She arched her neck to him.

But she has got to speak. This can be done later.

She pushed him with her whole capacity and draped her nude body with the sheet which previously covered both of them. Shivaay jerked with her suddenly push but organized himself, and looked at her.

"Annika, yaar I'm similarly like you. Nude." Shivaay groaned before picking his track pants from the farthest corner of the room and pulling it to his waist.

"I will fresh up and come. You can also use the other room to wash okay? I need to speak." Annika fixed her hair into a bun before stepping into the bathroom.

Shivaay snorted in disturbance but acknowledged her. With a scowling mood, he washed his body, bathed and sat reckoning her sudden change in mood. He jerked when he heard the door clicking. He jacked up his head only to see his wife opening the cupboard.

"What to do want to speak Annika? And why are you opening the wardrobe?" He asked eyeing her, as she unlocked the safe and pulled out a file.

"Here" she passed the file. He suspiciously scanned the file before receiving it. The filed looked like it belonged to the industries. Bearing the same logo. Truth be told he was scared to death. Why would she use this type of file? What is in there? Numerous thoughts filled up his head.

He read the reports very casually, amusing Annika. She slumped down to the bed and started biting her nails anticipating his reaction. She noticed, his body had stiffness as he read further. His eyes never moved away from the words.

"Then?" She identified that his voice was unusually hoarse and not like his normal one.

"Next page." She guided him in turning the pages. His eyes were fixed on the bold underlined fonts. He looked at her for answers, he widened his eyes as she lowered her eyes.

"I had asked you a million times. Didn't I? Yet you covered up. Didn't I have the right to know as a father? How can you take this step without my opinion?" He tossed the file into the ground with much force. Annika shuttered with his high raised voice but comforted herself to face him.

"How long?" He simply asked glancing at her shivering body.

"I... I... Sorry, Shivaay. I can explain." Annika slowly with her tiny step walked to reach him. He held his fingers balled up, controlling his bubbling anger and not to yell at her.

"How long?" He repeated himself. Annika shuddered again with his cold tone.

"About 10 weeks. I went for the surgical procedure as I passed 7 weeks. It was recommended for termination within 3rd month for the safest way." Annika softly mumbled.

"Why did you lie to me when I asked? You could notify me? You could have trusted me? I wasn't so bad. It hurts badly." Shivaay walked to the nightstand and brought a glass of water to her, unable to see her trembling hands and shaking voice. Was he so horrible? That she couldn't answer him.

She gladly accepted the glass without looking in his eyes, and drank in one go to quench her dry throat. Her eyes lowered at ground level, watching his barefoot as an interesting topic to debate on.

"I didn't lie. That day it showed negative only. After many days of you getting arrested, I started showing symptoms." Her voice was sincere, he saw the pain as she talked about it. He knew she wouldn't do anything without a proper reason and decided to listen to her. Shivaay pulled her into a warm and allowed his emotions to flow. He needs her as she needs him.

"You met me on numerous days when I was in custody. You could have talked to me once, I could have done something." Shivaay wept to realise that he was about to be a father, and he didn't know. And it was gone too. He didn't know it's coming nor its vanishing.

"My husband was busy grieving for his cousins. He forgot about his wife, he forgot that he was with her waiting for some results. He ignored his life. All he cared is his brothers." Annika shouted pulling herself from the hug.

She felt offended as he blamed her to lie. And most importantly he was talking as if it was all her mistake. No, she was not wrong at places. He was.

"I trust my husband perhaps I don't trust Shivaay Singh Oberoi who is the eldest brother of his cousins." Shivaay wasn't shocked by her outburst. He knew something was coming up next, from the very beginning. From the day he was released on anticipatory bail.

"I didn't know that he would do something like that. I swear Annika. I swear to you." Shivaay tried holding her but she jerked his hand away.

"Why do you hide things? When you got to know about him from PI you should have informed us. You always cared about your brothers and sister. You forced me for your sister, but where is she now? She is in the Philippines, chilling out with her new boyfriend. Did she come to see you least? No. At least Rudra was better, standing without doing responding. I hate your family."

"You know how your family took care of Gauri. She was threatened to eat food, she was the Queen. Though I was the elder daughter in law, none of them behaved. They didn't care if I was there or not" She continued speaking whilst Shivaay was immensely affected.

"One day, I saw Jhanvi aunty running behind Gauri. Forcing her to have meds. That day I realised that my husband will only care for me and our child, not others, hell they didn't even care to speak to me. Somehow Chachi Ji got to know about my pregnancy and urged me to keep the baby. How can I? You will also miss the fatherhood, and importantly, we were not having emotional support. So mein ne terminate karva diya. That was the best option." Annika whimpered clutching the bed sheet beneath her.

Shivaay didn't say anything, just moved out of the room and cried his heart out. He never imagined from her place. How wrong he was, favouring his brothers ignoring his life from the start. He leaned against the wall the wailed. Again his life was covered with dark clouds.

.

"Sir chaakoo chodo, main kaat doonga" Khanna snatched the knife from his hands and started slicing the fruits kept in the basket.

"Main phir se khud ko nukasaan nahin pahuncha raha hoon. Annika will beat into a pulp." Shivaay tried joking about the issue. But as Khanna scowled he understood it was too lame.

"You scared us a lot. Two days she didn't have a proper meal." Khanna passed a sliced piece of watermelon as he advised.

"Accha? She is not speaking to me. Aaj shaam ham ghar ja rahe hain. Pata nahin mere lie kya rakha hai." Shivaay pouted at the thoughts, still nibbling on the fruit.

"I'm on her side. What you did was wrong. Main aapako ma'am ke saath maaroonga. Bohut." Khanna pulled out his index finger and gestured in a warning.

"You should be on my side." Shivaay sneaked at him. Both fell into a playful banter pulling each other's legs. Seconds passed by minutes. Minutes passed by hours, none of them realised the passing of time.

"Sir this is my new year gift for you." Khanna tugged a brochure from his jeans pocket and pushed it to Shivaay.

"Baking course? Cake" Shivaay read with amusement.

"Yup. 3 months. I will attend as your companion, at least from this, I will learn some basics. Shadi jo kar raha hu." Shivaay laughed at his comment. He smiled greatly appreciating his efforts not to knock the past.

"When is it from?" He asked after settling down with his fits of laughter.

"3rd Feb." Khanna responded to him.

"Listen? Who is with Annika? Kya vo ghar mein akelee hai?" Shivaay asked with a concerned laced voice.

"Nahi Sir. Rehaan hein. Plus Mitali is giving company to her." Khanna said with a smile.

"Rehaan?"

"Arhee Sir woh chess wala. You lost to him in a game right? Remember?" Khanna said innocently while Shivaay was flushed with the embarrassing moment.

"Ha. I know. Not everyone is an expert in-game." Shivaay crossed his arms across his chest and huffed in irritation.

"Okay. I won't say that you lost. But don't worry about ma'am. She is in safe hands. Why fear when Khanna is here?" He pulled his collars and beamed with proudness.

"That's the fear," Shivaay murmured.

"You said something?" Khanna asked with suspicion.

"Nothing. Just reminding myself that you are so great at work." Shivaay gave a huge fake smile before answering sarcastically.

"Sir" Khanna cried. He was going to ask for an explanation but, his phone ring disturbed him.

"Nahi. Don't allow. Not without my further information." Shivaay looked down at him as he took over professionally.

"Who was it?"

"A couple came to meet ma'am. I discouraged my men. Don't worry." Khanna assured him.

"Annika se?" Without his knowledge, Shivaay was putting his thoughts out.

"Vipul Bajaj and his wife Anuradha Bajaj." Shivaay's eyes went wide with the names.

"Never allow her to meet Annika. She is already disturbed by me. We should go home." Shivaay hurriedly walked to the table and started stuffing his things.

"Who is she?" Khanna asked.

"Her mother. She left her daughters behind to get married to another man. Annika hates her."