"You sneak into his bedroom, that too every night?" Shivaay asked sternly. His nostrils were flaring in anger, yet he had to control his emotions. He doesn't want his son to witness another transformation of him into the beastly monster.

"Yes, Papa! I told you it wasn't monster and it as guardian Angel!" Ansh beamed in excitement as he hugged his mother and cuddled into her embrace on the sofa. Anika just awkwardly avoided Shivaay's gaze and looked at her son.

Shivaay was sitting right opposite them in the single seater while Ansh and Anika were cuddled up together. After the most unexpected meeting of the spouses, Shivaay and Anika mutually decided to keep the conversation and deal the issue like a grown-up would do. They settled themselves down in the living room after a silent family lunch. Their very first meal together.

Ansh had insisted that Anika feed him his lunch. Initially, Shivaay tried to stop him from being adamant, but he had to relent in the end as Ansh just wouldn't listen. Anika then made Ansh sit on the table and sat on the chair opposite him as she fed him. Shivaay was just a silent spectator amidst all this. He tried to focus on his food alone, but, failed miserably. He had always wanted his whole family, his complete family to be just the way it was right now. She and their son, being happy together. It's not just his wish, it's his only wish at the moment. He would give up anything to have that perfect family life with them. But, was it worth it? Does Anika deserves a second chance? The husband in him might forgive her, but he's no longer just a husband. He's being a father now and he's been a father for five long years that he had literally forgot what it was being her husband.

"You didn't answer me, Anika!"

"Yes, I did. I snuck into his room every night!" Anika answered in a monotonous tone.

She really hadn't expected to meet Shivaay this soon. At least, not the way they met today. It wasn't even in the plan. The plan was entirely different and she botched it up. If there was an award for 'The Best Person To Ruin Everything', Anika was so damn sure that it belonged to her and no one else can claim it. What was going to happen now, only God knows. The best part of all, even Om and Rudra weren't there to help her out. Can things get even worse? The only bright side is that Ansh is there else, she knows how viciously Shivaay could behave with her.

"Okay!" That was all the reply that Shivaay gave before averting his gaze towards the TV which was playing Spongebob Squarepants, his son's favourite cartoon. That was something that his son, surprisingly inherited from him. Shivaay tried to cool his brain down and decided to watch the show for a while. If not anything else, then at least this would keep him calm. Then, it as just silent in there for quite a long time, with just the TV show's sound in the background.

"Ansh, do you love Spongebob so much?" Anika asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes, Mumma! It's so funny and I just like watching it!" Ansh answered truthfully as his focus stayed still on the TV.

"Who's your favourite character in the show?" She asked yet again.

"I like Spongebob!" Ansh giggled.

"Why is it Spongebob?"

Shivaay was beginning to get irritated at that. Why can't people just simply watch a show without chatting? Well, how can he expect that from his wife and son who are just way too talkative.

Ansh then began explaining as to why he likes Spongebob a lot and even went to the extent of imitating Spongebob's weird laughter. Anika was quite amused by the way her son was animatedly telling about his favourite character. How much of his early childhood she had missed just because she was too afraid to come back.

Soon, Ansh fell asleep in Anika's arms while watching the show. Anika hadn't realized it as she was also somewhat struggling to stay awake. Cartoons were never something that she would enjoy. To her, cartoon shows are stupid. They do stupid things and show stupid things to kid which makes the kids stupid. Well, that was what she thought until she Ansh proved her wrong. His explanations on why he likes Spongebob the most left her mesmerized. He had told her that Spongebob depicts a true friend. He never left any of his friends alone and always cared for them. He is a very sincere and hard-working person at his workplace. Spongebob was also very persistent. Even if his driving school teacher, Mrs.Puff had given up on him, Spongebob still goes to the driving school to get his driver's license. He was also always there when someone is in trouble. He does causes trouble once in a while, but he solves them as well. He never runs away from his problems!

It might sound strange, but Anika learnt something from what her son had told about Spongebob. She learnt that she should stop running and face her problem. Only thing was that her problem wasn't any situation. It was a person. A person who has the capability to turn into Hulk when he's extremely angry and she posses the fine skills of driving him extremely angry. Even so, she had decided that come what may, she would face it. She was nearly drifting into a slumber when she felt someone lifting the weight on her.

'The weight on me? Oh no! Ansh!'

As a reflex, she got up with a jerk and held Ansh tightly in her arms. Once she was sure that he was safe, she looked up to see him. He was looking at her in amazement but hid it behind the constipated face that he pulled the very next moment he noticed that she was observing him.

"I'll just put him in his bed and come." Shivaay informed her as he lifted their son into his arms.

As Shivaay proceeded towards the staircase, he turned around and saw her standing awkwardly behind him. Her expressions were just like that of a deer's when it's caught between headlights.

"Stay here, I'll be back. We need to talk!" Shivaay told her as he walked up the stairs.

"You're dead. You're officially dead today, Anika! That Hulk is gonna come anytime soon and smash you into pieces. Adi will have to come and collect you in pieces to home. You're dead!" Her mind began plotting against the chances of her survival against Shivaay.

Just then, Shivaay walked down and nodded at her, asking her to follow him. He silently went inside the study and once she was in, he had closed and locked the door.

"Okay! You're officially dead! RIP Anika Singh Oberoi!"

"What do you want, Anika?" Shivaay asked in a very calm manner that Anika herself was surprised.

"Huh?"

"I asked, what do you want? And, you very well know that I don't like repeating myself. So, keep your ears open and answer me!" Shivaay instructed.

"I just want to spend some time with Ansh, that's all!" Anika stated as teaes begin to brim in her eyes. Why was she tearing up? Even she had no answer to it.

"Why?" Shivaay asked yet again.

"Because he's my son and I'm his mother?" Anika stated a question.

Shivaay let out a dry sarcastic laughter and turned around, letting his back to face her.

"Now you realized that you're his mother and he's your son?" Shivaay being Shivaay asked her in a very rude yet cold manner.

"Shivaay, please! I had already missed out 5 years of his life. Please let me be there with him. I won't ask for anything else. Just some time. That's all!" Anika begged as tears began to betray her eyes.

Shivaay took a sharp breath in. A lot of things had changed in the past five years, except for this one. He can never watch his Anika cry. It just breaks his heart when she cries. But, she had hurt him so badly that her tears, despite affecting him badly made him numb towards the pain.

"Stop crying and talk like an adult. Haven't you grown-up at least a little in the past five years?" He was being rude. He knew that he was being rude but he had no other choice.

"I'm sorry, Shivaay. I... I really... I really didn't want to cry. I didn't want to appear weak in front of you, but I failed miserably. I just love Ansh way too much. Please don't stop me from meeting him. Please!" Anika begged as she tried her level best to sustain her tears.

"Don't stop you from meeting him? Why? So that you can spoil him further? Did you know that he scared off his babysitter badly today that the girl was literally shivering when she called me up. And, I had to dash all the way from office leaving behind all my works and meetings. This was the result of you being in his life, just for one day!" Shivaay burst out, but still in a controlled voice tone as he didn't want to wake Ansh.

"Shivaay, I swear I didn't teach him or manipulate him to chase out his babysitter! I had no idea that Ansh would do that. I just got into the house at that time!" Anika explained.

"Really? If you hadn't manipulated or taught him, then how did he manage to pull the exact same prank that you pulled on your nurse, huh?"

"How am I supposed to know? It might be because he's my son and even despite being away from me, he's growing up like me which irks you to the max, right? Since you just loathe the very sight of me these days!" Anika retorted. She didn't want to give him a tit for the tat he's been throwing on her, but unfortunately, there was a limit to her relatively very low patience. Besides, Shivaay was being unreasonable when he accused her with that blame.

"You're right. I do loathe the very sight of you and I don't want my son to grow up into you. That is exactly why, you're not meeting Ansh ever again!"

"No! No, Shivaay. You can't do this!" She begged.

"Of course I can. Now, would you leave my house?" Shivaay coldly instructed her. He was still unwilling to look at her. He was afraid that her tears might make him change his mind. Anika being back together with them was the last thing he needed at the moment, though deep down he knows that his family is incomplete without her.

"You can't do this. What will you tell Ansh when he looks for me, huh?" Anika asked in a challenging way.

"That's my problem, none of your problem. You may leave!"

"I'll fight back for my son, Shivaay. Remember that!" Anika warned him briefly.

"The son whom you never wanted?" Shivaay chuckled in a challenging manner.

"Do whatever you want to!" Shivaay roared.

Anika knew that it was baseless to talk to him any longer and left his house. Having had no idea of where to go next, Anika just began walking until she reached her house. In the hurry of leaving Shivaay's house, she had left her jacket back there. Hence, when she reached her apartment, she was shivering. It was mid-Autumn and stepping out of the house without an extra layer of clothing was something that only an idiot would do.

With her nearly freezing fingers, Anika pressed the calling bell of her apartment. A tall man in his early thirties opened the door, being all panicked. A huge wave of relief hit him when he saw her at the front door. He was too relieved to notice that she had been crying all these while and pulled her into a warm hug.

"Where did you went of without even informing me Nick?" He asked her, once they were in and Anika was covered in a couple of shrugs to keep her warm.

"I went to meet Ansh, Adi. Om and Rudra had called me up and informed me that Shivaay scolded Ansh badly this morning. Ever since that, Ansh locked himself in the room and didn't come out. So I got worried and went there!" Anika explained.

"Okay, you went there. Then, what happened?"

"That Baghad Billa showed up all of the sudden, unexpectedly. He saw me and Ansh together!" Anika paused for a moment to take a look at him.

Aditya just nodded his head, asking her to continue.

"He... he forbid me from meeting Ansh anymore Adi!" Anika broke down in Aditya's arms.

"That Shivaay! How dare he! You know what? I was quiet all these years because you asked me to. Now, I can no longer keep quiet. Do you get that? We'll meet that Shivaay in court. I'll fight for you and get your son back. Okay? And, you're not stopping me this time around. Is that fine?" Aditya asked her.

Anika shook her head as she broke away from the hug.

"You'll do nothing such. It's my mistake. I'll have to pay for it!" Anika wailed as she ran into her room.

"Nick! What have you done to yourself girl? I had forbade you from getting married to that Shivaay. You didn't listen. I told you to not let go of Ansh, you didn't listen. I told you to fight for your rights, you never listened! When will you ever listen to me? I've decided, no matter what come may, this time around, I'm not listening to you. You'll be getting your son back, Nick. By hook or crook. This is a promise from Aditya Hooda!"

* * *

Shivaay was no longer himself and had turned into hulk after what he had witnessed. How dare she do that to him?

When Anika left earlier, he had noticed that she left her jacket behind and sighed before rushing behind her with that jacket. No matter how loud he called her out, she just couldn't hear him. She was walking fast as if she was in a spell.

That sight broke Shivaay's heart. He had never expected his decision to impact her that bad. He could just see her being completely broken, inside and out. Finally, he made up his mind to at least let her meet Ansh id not accepting her back in their lives. He was about to walk up to her and tell her that when another guy had pulled his Anika into his embrace. Shivaay had failed to recognize that guy. He seemed slightly familiar but then. Shivaay was so tempted to confront Anika then and there, but decided otherwise as he now knew that there was no point in confronting her. He had already forbade her from meeting Ansh. Now, he can just remove the character called Anika in his life with no guilt at all.

As soon as Shivaay reached his study, he took out an album from a hidden box in there which contained all of their photos together. He flipped through it angrily and tore them apart.

"How could you, Anika? How could you move on so quick? Weren't you never in love with me?" Shivaay cried as he fell onto his knees. He took out all the other boxes there which had Anika's belongings. He gathered them all up and brought it to the fireplace. Without a tiny bit of hesitation, Shivaay emptied all the contents of the box into the fire and wailed badly as he watch them all burn. Despite her leaving him long back, he still had a hope that she would return, realizing her mistakes and he would take her back-in, only after ensuring that she had truly changed, but, it was all in vain. There was no point of waiting for her anymore. She had moved on from him. He was now very sure that Anika is asking for Ansh only to trouble him and put him in misery. The exact same misery which she underwent.

"Whatever you're planning Anika, good or worse, I'll not let you win this. Ansh will be with me. You'll not have him!" Shivaay reaffirmed himself.

But one question still remained unanswered. How did Ansh knew that Anika was his mother?

- To be continued -