Tigger warning ⚠️

He stood rooted to the spot, not moving an inch. The scent felt too familiar, the smell he remembered from his childhood. Looking at the person in front in flesh and blood form. His adrenaline perked up, increasing his heart rate. His body felt like floating in the air, his limps stopped sensing the outer surface of the atmosphere. His eyes wandered around the bureau, his dadi was shredding endless tears. His badi maa, Jhanvi breathed heavily convincing herself that her husband was alive, in front of her. And lastly, his wife was ready to pounce on him like a tigress.

His hands were clammy. He tried rubbing them off on his pants. Perhaps that seemingly didn't work. He sensed slender fingers run on his arm, automatically he knew it was his wife. He whirled to face her, she smiled saddened oppressing her tension. His heartbeat raised all of a sudden as his uncle took his name. The voice was shaky, it didn't hold power like the voice previously had. Gulping down the chunk formed in his throat, he looked to meet his eyes.

Absentmindedly he tugged his collar, covering his neck. The blue block printed formal shirt he wore was uneven, crumbled as he gripped them to ease the anxiety. He breathed unevenly when the in front individual stepped ahead. Clamping his wet fingers around each other, he tried concentrating at different levels, counting the numbers in reverse order on the count of twenty as Dr Anirudh had advised.

"Don't come. Ple-a-se. An-nika. I ha-ven't done any-thin-g. H-om-e." Omkara continued to look at his elder cousin, who was by now clenching the ovulated table. His eyes filled with layers of salty tears.

"Paani. Someone pass the water." He looked as Khanna ran to grab the water bottle. His heart ached to see his brother in this condition. Rubbing off his tears, he stepped forward only to be stopped by Chachi Ji.

"Please don't." Her mere whisper crackled his soul. He wasn't allowed to meet his brother, even after growing up together, even after laughing together, complementing.

"Deep breathe. Do with me, see even I am doing it." Annika controlled her flowing tears and glanced at her husband, who was by now curled into a ball and muttering that he wasn't wrong and her name.

"Take small sips Shivaay. I'm here." She nudged the opened water bottle to his pale, shuddering lips. Clinching her moon (chand) bracelet, on her right hand, he tried composing himself by taking harder breathes.

"Sir could you please move Mr Tej Oberoi away." Bhavya pleaded with Arjun Shastri after looking at Shivaay. Unable to see his trembling figure, she turned her face.

"Deep breathing."

"Baby I love y-ou. I'm not wr-ong." She nodded with tears rolling down her crust. She vigorously bobbed her head understanding his plight.

He could hear her muffled voice, his vision clouded with white patches. His body seemed less heavy, moved swiftly through the clouds.

Everything turned into pitch black.

Sounds stopped.

Memories returned.

.

"Shakti Ji, who's baby is this?" His mother asked peeking out, to his father. Looking at his father's arm.

Keeping his books aside, she walked out of his room adjusting her heavy embroidery veil around her neck. 10 years old Shivaay didn't understand anything and decided to follow his dear mother.

"I- her mother died." Shivaay hid behind the door frame and paid attention to his parents. His mother grasped hearing her husband, Shakthi and abruptly her brows rose with wide eyes. As if she realised.

"Is it true? Wh-at I am think-ing of." Pinky shuttered. He hung his head low, ashamed to meet his wife's eyes.

"Maa" Shivaay softly murmured walking to reach out to his parents.

"Shiv you go inside. I will come." His mother pushed him inside his room and locked it much to his dismay.

Seconds passed by minutes, and minutes passed by hours but the argument never halted. Instead, their sound grew louder with each second. He could hear the words. His mother's varied voice, his father's shameful tone.

All.

"No, leave me." He perked his ears. "How dare you cheat me? What was wrong with me? What about my son? Shiv?"

"I'm sorry Pinky Ji. I'm shame full. However, this baby didn't do anything. I love my, Shiv like you do. But even she is my daughter."

"No. I didn't approve of this. She might be your daughter not mine. I'm leaving for my maternal home with Shiv. Thank you."

Little Shivaay didn't know what to do. He was locked inside. With bubbling curiosity, he peeked through the keyhole of the door only to find his mother aiming the gun on her forehead. Next, the bullet sound resonated all through the walls of their home. Father there stood stocked with endless tears streaming seeing his wife lifeless.

The next second his room door was opened, and he saw his father. His drained face, bloodshot eyes carrying the wailing baby in his arms.

"Shiv. She is your sister. Please take care of her, she has none."

"What's her name?"

"I don't know. You can name her."

"Priyanka." He smiled not realising the gravity of the situation. He remembered his friend named Priyanka in his previous school and back then he had grown too fond of her.

Minutes later he found his father beside his mother lying dead. He stood waiting for his father's family to come and see what happen.

•••

"I'm not against you. I want the property and you are against it." Shivaay flinched hearing his uncle speak.

"Anyhow, you don't have a child nor a wife. A wife you are not in the best relationship with. If you die none cares." Shivaay looked at him with wide eyes as he pulled out a revolver and pointed at him.

With passing seconds he knew his uncle wasn't joking, he was serious. Tej's fingers wrapped around the trigger.

"Ohh impressive," Tej commented seeing him duck his head and missing the bullet meant for him. He was ready to pull out the trigger but was ceased by Shivaay, who was trying his best not to get hurt.

"Ahhhh" Shivaay shouted as the pain arose from his joints of shoulder and neck. He didn't even have the time to shout, by then another bullet was shot.

Shivaay cried with significant pain.

.

"Sir I am here." He heard Khanna's voice.

He was shaking, sweating tremendously.

With heavy eyelids, he struggled to open his eyes. When he did, the light source wasn't too harsh, it was dim so that he could adjust.

"Annika?" He asked with a shaky voice.

"She is with others inside. You passed out, it's been 23 minutes since then." Khan's deeply explained.

Shivaay rubbed his eyes and sat straight. Looking directly into his eyes he realised, how sacred Khanna was. And Annika he had no idea.

"You recorded the time?" Shivaay furrowed his brows looking at the hulk man, who tends to behave like a child sometimes.

"Yup. I was bored. So I played songs from my Spotify playlist. There were 7 songs, which states 23.45 minutes." Shivaay looked at him with a blank expression. He was thinking if Khanna was true or the person in front was his spirit.

"I'm real" Khanna smiled sheepishly.

"Let's go. We have guests to interface." Shivaay stops on his feet and stretched a bit. Relaxing his tensed muscles.

"Where? Who guest I didn't know?"

"Dumb. I'm talking of Tej Oberoi. Let's go."

"But you just now woke up. You will be triggered." Khanna said blocking his path. He was tense for his employer.

"One or the other day I have to face him. Let that day be today. I want to get free from this torture." Shivaay breathed heavily before continuing "We can go on honeymoon together if this is solved." He winked at Khanna.

"Yuck no. I have no plans with you." Khanna shouted throwing his arms in the air.

"Fuck not with you. With my wife. You with Mitali." Shivaay vigorously nodded in negative and pointed in understanding him.

"Ohh that's relief now." Khanna exhaled with his mouth and passed a huge grin to Shivaay.

"But before that, this bade papa problem has to be solved."

*****

Hello. It's a short update.
It was hard to write, I was technically sobbing imaging Shivaay (well, of my plot). I was devasted.

Do tell me how it was. I'm waiting.
Everyone wanted the family reaction after meeting with Tej, but this was equally important. So it's next chappy.

:-P