Hello everyone...

Thanks to all for voting and commenting on the previous story. Jeevan Saathi (Posted on 16. Jun. 2024)

The title of this story is from a book by Mary Balogh.

Confession time, I just had no idea what to write, so I was just reading through the synopsis of lots and lots of Mills & Boons stories. I got the idea for this story. Technically, this story has no troupes of MB story, since I got the idea from reading tons of MB synopsis, I'm categorizing this story in that group.

Please be warned, I've got couple of MB ideas, so can expect those kinda stories.

Please be warned, lot of trigger points for people who thinks a girl shouldn't change herself for a man. In spite the warning, if you have decided to read the story and is offended then...

This is a light hearted, no fuss, no plot, simple story of a couple getting to know each other after marriage.

And honestly, there isn't much story, but this story is pretty long. Even I don't know what I wrote.

Haven't proof read

Word count 24288

RK walks into the crowded house with Bittuji walking with him. Ignoring everyone, RK walks to the body kept in the middle of the room. As he quietly looked at the body, he hears the crying of children. He curiously looks around and sees a small boy and girl sitting near the body and crying.

"Her children." Bittuji whispers to him.

RK nods and asks curiously in a whisper. "Where is their father?"

"Don't know much. What I heard around here is that, he left home a few years ago." Bittuji informs him.

RK nods as he sympathetically looked at the children. "Is there anyone to look after them?"

Bittuji looks at him unsure then he whispers to RK "Do you want me to find out?"

RK nods. Bittuji walks off while RK turned to look at the children, orphans were his biggest worry now.

He was watching the children wondering what he could do to help them, maybe he can offer to sponsor their education.

"Isn't that Madhu?" He hears a loud whisper.

Curiously, RK looks around and sees a young beautiful girl in a old faded salwar walk in.

"Jiji." The young girl calls her and runs to her. The boy follows her.

Madhu immediately runs to them and hugs them.

"There is an argument going on here on who will take up the responsibility of the children. No one wants to, everyone is coming up with one excuse or another." Bittuji whispers to RK.

"Who is she?" RK asks him as he looked at Madhu.

Nodding, Bittuji walks off to investigate.

RK watched as Madhu consoled the children. She took them aside and was taking care of the children.

RK frowns a little bit in surprise realizing that Madhu hadn't paid her respect to the dead. Madhu hadn't even looked at the dead body yet.

"She is Leela's husband's daughter." Bittuji whispers to RK a few minutes later.

RK nods.

"After the husband abandoned them, Leela kicked her out." Bittuji tells him.

"So they are her half siblings." RK deduces realizing that the children had her, feeling relieved.

"From what I hear step." Bittuji informs him.

RK nods, feeling respect for the girl who had come for her step siblings after what their mother did to her.

"Seeing that, looks like the children will be dumped on her." Bittuji predicts as he pointed out Madhu feeding the children.

"Better her than everyone else." RK declares.

RK checks his watch to see if it was time for him to leave.

"Madhu..."

RK curiously looks up and sees a lady standing next Madhu. Madhu stands up to speak to the lady.

"Yes?"

"I know this is not the time, but then... I don't know how long you are here."

"What is it Yamuna Aunty?" Madhu asks her.

"I had lend Leela money. She had promised to return it." Yamuna informs her.

Madhu nods. "How much?"

RK shakes his head in disgust as he muttered under his breath. "Bloody doormat."

"Rs 15000"

"She always writes in her book all her income and expenditure. If she has mentioned this, I'll pay you back. But not now, I need time." Madhu tells her.

"What if she hasn't written it?" Yamuna asks offended.

"Then it is just your word. I can't help you." Madhu tells her shrugging.

"You owe me." Yamuna tells her frowning.

"I don't owe you anything. I have no relation with her. You very well know that. You were amongst those people who had watched silently when she had kicked me out of my own house." Madhu reminds her. "I am not responsible for her debt but if there is proof then I'll repay you. But only when I am able to."

"If not you then the children will." Yamuna warns her.

"Okay, wait till they finish school, college and get a job." Madhu tells her in a dismissing tone. "You can deal with them when they grow up."

"Sir..." Bittuji calls him scandalized.

RK looks at him curiously.

"You are smiling." Bittuji whispers to him worriedly. "It's a funeral."

RK quickly looks down to hide his smile.

"I'm leaving. You see if they need any help." RK tells him as he walked off giving him instructions.

After the funeral was over and slowly guests started leaving, Bittuji goes to Madhu. He requests her whether he could speak to her in private and Madhu agrees.

He hands her his visiting card. "I'm Rishabh Kundra's personal secretary."

Madhu nods as she looked at him with a confused frown.

"Leela worked in his company." Bittuji explains to her.

"Oh."

"Sir had come for the funeral."

Madhu nods.

"Can you give me your number? I will pass it on to the HR. The HR will call you after all the paperwork regarding Leela is done."

"Okay." Madhu nods and gave him her number.

**********

Two weeks later

"This month Leela had worked for 6 days. So, this is her pending salary." HR tells Madhu as she passed her the cheque. "I need your signatures here and here." HR says as she passed Madhu papers to sign.

Madhu sighs disappointed seeing the amount. This wasn't much.

Seeing her disappointment, HR explains. "Leela has been working here for only 5 months. She hadn't even completed her probation period, she is not eligible for any benefits."

Madhu nods and thanking her, she leaves.

As Madhu was walking out, she runs into Bittuji. Seeing each other, they politely smile.

"Everything is done?" Bittuji asks her.

"Yes, it was all very smooth. Thank you." Madhu tells him with a smile.

"Sir had given strict orders." Bittuji tells her smiling.

Madhu smiles and then she asks curiously. "What was her job here?"

"In the cafeteria. She was assisting the chef." Bittuji tells her.

"Oh." Madhu muses as her brain worked quickly. "Have you found a replacement for her?"

"Not yet."

"Can I speak to your boss?" Madhu asks him eagerly.

Bittuji looks at her surprised then he tells her, "You need to get an appointment."

"Oh... how can I get one?" Madhu asks him.

Bittuji starts to explain to her then stopping, he says. "Give me a minute."

Madhu nods as Bittuji walked off to RK's cabin.

"Sir?"

"Hmmm?" RK responds without looking up from the file.

"Madhu is here. And she was..."

RK looks up and asks, "Leela's?"

"Yes, sir."

RK was surprised that he actually remembered her, just by the mention of her name.

"She was asking whether she could meet you." Bittuji tells him.

"For what?"

"She had asked whether we found a replacement for Leela." Bittuji informs him.

RK leans back in his chair as he thoughtfully looked at Bittuji. "Hmmm."

"Should I send her off, ask her to meet the HR or give an appointment?" Bittuji asks.

"Send her in." RK tells him.

Bittuji nods and opening the door, he asks Madhu to come in. Bittuji leaves after closing the door.

RK gestures to the chair and Madhu sits down.

"How are the kids?" RK asks before she could say anything.

"Getting better. They started going to school. Thank you for asking." Madhu says, surprised that he had asked.

"How old are they?" RK asks her curiously.

"Viren is 8 and Aditi is 6." Madhu tells him.

"Their father?"

"Dead."

"Yours?" RK asks her curiously.

"As good as dead." Madhu replies.

The corners of his lips curl up hearing that.

"I wanted to ask you, if you could hire me as replacement for Leela." Madhu requests him.

"This is not a government job that you can get a job when your parent dies." RK reminds her.

Madhu looks down disappointed. She starts to stand up to leave.

"What work experience you have?" RK asks her.

"I was a maid. I am a good cook. I know all kinds of cooking. Just try me for a while, I won't disappoint you." Madhu eagerly tells him.

"What happened to that job?" RK asks her curiously.

"The salary wasn't good because I was a live in maid, so my food and shelter was provided by them. Now, with the children, I have to be at home. And I need a more stable and better job." Madhu explains.

"After all that their mother did, why do you care for the kids?" RK asks genuinely curious.

Madhu stops hearing the very personal questions, but realizing that if she needed a better job then she need to face these embarrassing questions. "The children are not responsible for their mother's actions. They are innocent. They have been through a lot in life. Their father died, the man they started seeing as a father abandoned them, their mother died. If I don't step up now, then they might lose each other. None of Leela's relatives are ready to take in both the children. Their father's family left them long ago."

RK leans back as he studied Madhu.

When he just stared at her without saying a word, Madhu uncomfortably shifts in her seat. "Sir?"

"RK. That's my name."

"I know." Madhu replies confused.

"I have no job for you, Madhu. But I have a proposal for you." RK tells her.

"What proposal?" Madhu asks frowning.

"As I see it, you are in need of stability, security and finance. I'll give you that and everything more." RK tells her.

Madhu frowns hearing that. "Why?"

"Obviously I want in return." RK points out.

"What?"

"Marry me."

"WHAT?" Madhu shouts in shock as she stood up.

"Sit, Madhu." RK calmly tells her.

"Marry you?" Madhu asks incredulously.

"Yes." RK replies as he gestured to the chair for her to sit. "I've been looking for a wife."

"I don't even know you." Madhu replies offended then she reminds him, "You don't even know me."

"True." RK agrees. "You didn't abandon your step siblings and that is all I need to know about you."

Confused and shocked, Madhu sits on the chair.

"I'll give you and the children all the comforts, all the luxury, I'll put them in the best school. You will never be in need of anything." RK tells her.

"Why me?" Madhu asks confused.

"Because you saw the innocent children for them. You didn't hold them responsible for their mother's crime." RK tells her. "If you could see their innocence and helplessness then you'll be able to see the innocence and helplessness of a baby too."

"Baby?" Madhu asks in a confused whisper.

"Yes." RK replies as he took his mobile and tapped on it. He turns the phone to show her a small baby. "Jai."

Seeing the months old baby boy, smiling, Madhu couldn't help but smile.

RK smiles seeing her smile.

"Your son?" Madhu asks him.

RK takes his mobile back and says as he kept it aside. "No. But for the world, he will be our son."

"What?" Madhu asks frowning in shock.

"I'll treat your siblings as my siblings and you'll treat Jai as our son." RK tells her. "And there will be a scandal, Madhu. I'll tell everyone that I had a fling with you and now I found out that you gave birth to my baby, so I married you." RK tells her. "It's a price you've to pay."

Madhu frowns hearing that. She is going to be looked down by everyone for being an unwed mother.

"When my sister got pregnant, and she refused to abort the baby because her boyfriend had died. My parents kicked her out. They might very well kick me out too for this." RK warns her. "Only house, not office. They can't kick me out of the company."

Madhu frowns hearing that. "You could tell them the truth." Madhu points out.

"Then I'll have to tell them that my sister is dead." RK tells her softly.

"Your sister... this is her son?" Madhu asks in shock.

"Yes." RK replies.

"You should tell your parents. They have a right to know." Madhu gently tells him.

"When I found out that my sister died due to complications from delivery, I was filled with guilt and regret because if I had stood by my sister then maybe she would have been alive. How can I knowingly give that pain to my parents? They lost their daughter and maybe they are responsible for her death." RK whispers as he shook his head.

"You are saying that you are ready to be embroiled in a scandal so as not to hurt your parents? Protect them from a bigger pain. Just so you can give a secure life to your nephew." Madhu asks him.

RK shrugs.

Madhu stares at the man in front of her, compared to the father that she had, who had abandoned her because he couldn't take the pressure of a family and wanted freedom, this man was a saint.

"I'll marry you." Madhu tells him.

**********

"We have some problems though." Madhu tells him.

"Like?" RK asks her curiously.

"Won't people find out about your sister?"

"Trishna had actually disappeared from public eye. Only once she had been photographed that too by a friend of hers. She had put it in her instagram about running into Trishna. Trishna is not on social media. The truth, people are starting to forget her." RK sadly tells her.

"How did you find out about her?" Madhu asks him.

"It was a year after she left that I hired private investigators to find her. I wasn't home when she left, and I thought she had eloped. When she tried to reach out to me, I didn't support her or listen to what she had to say. My father forbid us from mentioning her name, then I started to worry for her and finally I spoke up and that is when I found out the truth. My sister was pregnant and alone out there. I was determined to find her and bring her home. Then I found out that she had died 5 months ago and Jai is in an orphanage." RK regretfully tells her.

Seeing his eyes fill up, Madhu gently squeezes his hand.

RK looks up at her in surprise.

Seeing that, Madhu quickly moves her hand away.

To avoid the awkward moment, RK asks her, "what is the other problem?"

"I wasn't living under a rock. People had seen me the last year and they know I was never pregnant and never had a baby." Madhu tells him.

"Give me a list of all those people. I will get them to sign a NDA." RK tells her.

"You think they will sign?" Madhu asks curiously.

RK grins at her. "That is mine and my lawyer's headache."

"What about our contract? When do we sign it?" Madhu asks him.

"What contract?" RK asks her confused.

Madhu looks at him confused. "This is not a contract marriage?"

"Contract marriage?" RK asks confused. "I want you to be Jai's mother. Till he reaches adulthood he needs a mother. You want a contract marriage for that many years?"

Madhu stares at him.

Perplexed RK says "if we are going to be together for that many years, we might as well be together for life."

"So, you mean...we.." Madhu gulps nervously.

"We what?" RK asks her confused.

"We...er... we are going to be really married?" Madhu asks nervously.

"That's the whole idea, right?" RK asks her back.

"So, we.... Erm..we..." Madhu nervously gulps, her cheeks turning pink.

Seeing her blushing, RK finally realizes. "We will be having sex."

"Oh." Madhu turns completely pink, her heart skipping a beat.

"Do you expect us to be monks inside the bedroom our whole life?" RK asks her shocked. "Is that even practically possible?" RK asks confused.

"I thought you were talking about a temporary thing." Madhu confesses.

"Madhu, the children need stability and love. This marriage is the real deal. We're going the whole nine yards."

Madhu nods agreeing. "After creating a family, we shouldn't disrupt it."

"Yes."

"Is there anything else?" RK asks her.

Madhu shakes her head.

"I will go speak to my parents now."

"You don't want me to Come?" Madhu asks him.

"I don't know how they will react. Better you don't come."

**********

"What do you mean you have a child?" Mohan asks furiously.

"I've a son, Dad. I just found out now." RK tells him.

"Who is the girl? Where is she? Who is her family?" Radha asks him.

"I met Madhu on one of my business trips. Now I found out we have a baby." RK tells her.

"Some random girl? Are you even sure it is yours?" Mohan asks him furiously.

"It is."

"How could you, RK? I thought you were better. More responsible. You never did anything wrong. Then how did this happen?" Radha asks him hurt and angry. "You broke our trust."

"I am human, mom. It happened." RK tells her. "I am going to marry Madhu and bring home our son. And Madhu's siblings too."

"Siblings? Who is she? Who are her parents? What is her family?" Mohan asks him.

RK honestly tells about Madhu's family background.

"A maid? A father who abandoned his daughter? What kind of a family is this? Never. I will never accept her." Mohan declares.

"She is the mother of my child." RK reminds him angrily.

"We will provide for the child. We will not bring these people into our family." Mohan furiously says.

"I will not abandon Jai." RK furiously declares.

"Don't abandon him. And don't flaunt him." Mohan tells him.

"Jai will not be a dirty secret." RK tells him.

"That child and his mother will not come into my house." Mohan says in finality.

"Fine, I will leave."

"RK..." Radha calls him sadly in shock.

"Nothing is more important than Jai for me." RK tells her.

**********

Madhu opens the door and stops in surprise seeing RK.

"I left home." RK informs her.

Madhu nods as she stepped aside. RK walks in.

"I was thinking I will bring Jai from the orphanage. He has been staying there for so long." RK tells her. "I don't want him to stay there one more night."

"Where will you stay?" Madhu asks him.

"I actually expected my parents to react like this, I have already got a flat and set it up." RK tells her.

Madhu grins hearing that.

"What?" RK asks smiling seeing her grin.

"You had everything ready, all you needed was a wife to put the family picture in the photo frame." Madhu teases.

RK chuckles. "It's almost 2 months since I found out about Jai."

"How many girls did you approach before me?" Madhu asks curiously.

"You are the only one." RK tells her. "I never got the feeling that I did with you. That you would treat Jai well."

Madhu smiles hearing that.

"After what you went through, you will never treat Jai like an outsider." RK tells her.

"I won't." Madhu promises.

"I actually came because anyway I am taking Jai home. You, Viren and Aditi also come home today itself. Why wait till tomorrow after marriage?"

Madhu looks at him scandalized and shocked. "Stay with you before marriage?"

"Yeah." RK replies.

Madhu stares at him in shock, her brains coming up with one horrible scenario after the other.

Seeing the way, she was looking at him, he could easily guess what she was thinking. Offended that she is thinking the worst of him, he decided to payback in kind. "I can understand where your thoughts are going, Madhu."

Madhu stares at him.

"But I am sorry, I am not ready for sex. I need more time. I just met you. Please be patient, Madhu." RK tells her.

"WHAT?"

**********

"What are you thinking?" RK asks Madhu as he drove the car.

"Your parents kicked your sister and you out for the same thing. Now they have no one. Is this what you really want?" Madhu asks him gently.

"They are angry and disappointed. That is better than what happens when they realize that we are responsible for Trishna's death." RK tells her.

"You are a good son." Madhu tells him.

"I wish I was a better brother." RK says in disappointment.

"You can make up for it by being a good father."

RK smiles hearing that. "I hope so."

Madhu smiles.

"I never asked you, do you know to take care of a baby?" RK asks her.

"That should have been your first question." Madhu jokes.

"I was so relieved when I realized that you would be a perfect candidate, that the question skipped my mind." RK says. Then he looks at her and says. "I have no idea. We can work together and learn."

Madhu smiles hearing that. "I know a little bit. The house I had worked in, they had a baby so whenever I had no work in the kitchen, they asked me to take care of the baby."

RK nods.

"What did you study?" He asks curiously.

"I was in first year of college."

"If you want, after everything is settled, you can continue your studies."

"I intend to." Madhu tells him.

He looks at her surprised.

"Everything that I want, right? That was your promise." Madhu reminds him with a grin.

RK chuckles hearing that.

"How are the kids close to you? They might have been really young when you left home."

"Kicked out." Madhu corrects him.

RK nods. "Yes."

"My father couldn't handle my responsibility so when everyone suggest that he marry Leela, he agreed. She is our neighbor, Yamuna's relative. Anyway, they got married and my father realized that instead of taking me off his hands, he was now responsible for 3 more people. One day, he just left home, he gave our house to Leela and gave my responsibility to her." Madhu tells him.

"Asshole." RK says in disgust.

Madhu looks at him.

"Sorry." RK mutters.

"He was one." Madhu admits. "Then, Leela kicked me out because the house was hers now."

"And kept your house?" RK asks in shock.

"Thanks to my asshole father."

RK couldn't help but chuckle hearing that.

"I used to visit the kids when Leela wasn't around. Yamuna saw me and told her. She forbid me from coming home." Madhu tells him.

"So, you stopped seeing them?" RK asks her.

"Wednesdays lunch break, I used to go to meet them in school." Madhu tells him.

"You are a nice person, Madhu." RK tells her.

"They are my only family." Madhu tells him.

"Were." RK corrects her. "Now, Jai is also there."

Madhu smiles hearing that.

"Even me." He softly adds.

Madhu looks away, feeling a slight blush creep up.

"How old is Jai?" Madhu asks as they parked the car outside the orphanage.

"Almost 7 months." RK tells her smiling excitedly.

**********

They see a lady walking towards them carrying Jai. Excitedly laughing RK hurries to Jai and pick him up. Jai happily smiles at him as he kept his fist on RK's cheek. RK kisses him happily.

"He looks like you." Madhu says as she smiled at Jai.

"Yeah... right?" RK asks happily.

"He recognizes you. Do you come here everyday?"

"Yes, morning and evening." RK says as he settles Jai on his chest.

"Can I?" Madhu asks as she looked at Jai.

"Yes." RK says smiling as he offered Jai to her.

Madhu picks him up. "Hi, Jai..."

Jai curiously looks at her then he smiles as he jumped in her arms. Madhu laughs seeing that.

"I'll go take care of all the formalities." RK tells her then he whispers to her. "All the adoption paperwork is already done."

Madhu nods as she continued to pamper the adorable baby.

Within half an hour, they were on their way home with Jai.

RK sighed in relief seeing Jai sitting on Madhu's lap happily. The guilt he had felt ever since he found him and for having to keep him in the orphanage for so long, finally easing.

Madhu turns to look at him and sees that he was looking at them. She smiles at him and he smiles back.

**********

Madhu was packing up everything when she hears a knock, she turns and sees RK with Jai on the bedroom door threshold.

"The family that you were staying with, they signed the NDA." RK informs her.

"So fast?" Madhu asks surprised.

"Told my lawyers to not to bargain. Is there anyone else?" RK asks her.

"I rarely went out from there. Only to see Viren and Aditi." Madhu tells him.

"People might have seen you at the school." RK points out.

"Who is going to notice me? Even if they did, I can always say it was either after delivery or I was wearing loose clothes to hide the bump." Madhu tells him.

RK realized that these explanations could handle any minor issues.

Jai starts crying.

"I think he is hungry." RK tells her as he rocked the baby. "I'll get the milk."

"I'll give the milk." Madhu tells him as she picked up Jai from him.

"Are those the clothes? Shall I pack them?" RK asks her pointing at the clothes on the bed.

"Do you mind?" Madhu asks as she pulled out the milk bottle that the orphanage staff had prepared for Jai.

"Why should I?" RK asks confused as he walked to the bed and started packing the clothes.

Madhu sits on the bed, and settles Jai on her lap and starts feeding him.

"The kids need new clothes. All these are faded." RK tells Madhu.

"Yeah, I had noticed." Madhu says softly.

RK looks at her and tells her. "Madhu, you'll have to tell me what you, Viren and Aditi needs. I might not always know. You need to help me."

Madhu nods. "They need new school bags too."

"I've told Bittuji to get their admission ready. We'll get everything this weekend. They can start their new school from Monday." RK tells her.

Madhu nods then looking at Jai, she asks him. "You got all these for Jai?"

Jai was wearing good clothes, had branded bottles, diaper bag and all.

"Yeah." RK replies.

**********

Just as Jai woke up from his cat nap, the kids reached home from school.

"Whose baby is it?" Viren asks excitedly seeing Jai.

"Come meet Jai and RK." Madhu tells them smiling as she sat next to RK.

Aditi and Viren walks to them, though their eyes were on Jai.

"Hi baby." Aditi says as she waved her hand in front of Jai.

Jai laughs as he looked at her palm.

"This is Jai." Madhu tells them then looking at RK fleetingly, she adds on. "He is our son."

"Son?" Viren asks curiously.

"Yes."

"So, he will stay with us?" Viren asks her surprised.

"Yes."

"Can I play with him?" Aditi asks her.

"Yes. Before that, meet RK." Madhu tells them.

They look at RK.

"Hello." RK says with a sweet smile.

"Hello." Aditi says with a shy smile.

Viren smiles at him. "I'm Viren."

"I know, Viren." RK tells him as he sweetly smiled at him.

"Do you know my name?" Aditi asks him.

RK smiles at her. "Aditi."

"Yes." Aditi shouts in surprise, her eyes wide. "How do you know my name?"

Aww the sweet little thing just took away his whole heart.

"Your Jiji told me." RK tells her.

"I'll get them snacks. They will be hungry. Will you be fine for a few minutes?" Madhu asks RK, once the kids got busy with Jai.

RK nods.

Few minutes later, Madhu comes back with snacks for the kids. As they started eating, she offers RK also.

Seeing the snack, RK realized that he was famished. He hadn't had anything since morning. He had been busy ever since he met Madhu in the morning.

"Thanks." RK says with a smile as he took the samosa from her. He takes a bite and he turns to Madhu in surprise. "This is amazing."

"Told you, I am a good cook." Madhu cheekily tells him.

"Jiji is the best cook in the world." Viren declares with a mouth full of samosa.

RK smiles realizing that Viren was a total Jiji boy. Could he be any cuter?

"Do you want to have samosa, Jai?" Aditi asks him.

"No, sweetie. It is too spicy for Jai." Madhu tells her then turning to RK, she asks him. "Has he started eating solids?"

"Yeah. They mash it up and give him." RK tells her.

Madhu nods. "The baby at the house that I worked in, they started giving her solid food when she turned 6 months old. I used to cook special food for her. We can give Jai those food."

"That's great." RK tells her. "Tomorrow the cook will come."

"Got cook also?" Madhu asks teasingly.

RK grins.

"Found your wife at the very end. Should I be offended?" Madhu asks as a joke.

"Or you could be happy that I took my time and decided on the best." RK cheekily replies.

Madhu turns pink hearing the flirty answer, she looks away smiling. RK chuckles seeing that.

Once the kids had finished their snack, Madhu sits them down. RK sits next to Madhu with Jai in his hands.

"I want to tell you both something." Madhu gently starts, hoping that this change in their life, they easily adapt to.

They curiously looks at her.

"RK and I am going to get married." Madhu gently explains.

Viren panics immediately. He starts wailing as he jumped on to Madhu and hugs her tight. "Are you going away?"

Hearing his question Aditi starts wailing on top of her voice. "Don't leave us, Jiji."

"Ssshh... I am not leaving you both. I told you, I will be with you both. Stop crying." Madhu gently calms them down.

It took them a while to calm down, and Madhu had to promise to them, from their table top to on the God seven heavens above that she wasn't leaving them.

Once they were convinced that she wasn't leaving them and had calmed down, Madhu explains to them. "You both, Jai, RK and me, we are going to stay together. We'll stay in RK's house from now on."

They look at RK in confusion.

"RK is going to be my husband. It means he is going to be your elder brother. How you love me, you should love him also." Madhu gently tells them.

"And how your Jiji loves you, I'll also love you both like that." RK tells them. "I'll take care of you both always. Just like how your Jiji takes care of you."

They look at RK unsure.

"Everything is going to be fine." Madhu promises them.

Nodding, they lean on Madhu and hugs her.

**********

"Why don't you both go inside?" RK asks as he opened the door for them.

The kids look at Madhu for permission.

Madhu smiles and tells them. "Go."

They walk in, Madhu looks at RK and he gestures her to walk in. Nervous, anxious and hopeful for their future, securely holding Jai in her arms she walks in.

Taking a deep breath, and praying for their life and family ahead, RK follows Madhu in and close the door.

"We are going to stay here?" Aditi asks in shock seeing the luxurious flat.

"Yes." Madhu says smiling, seeing that the kids were getting excited about their arrangement.

"Did you like it?" RK asks them.

"Yes." Aditi replies happily.

"Your house is very nice, jiju." Viren tells him smiling.

"It's our house, Viren." RK lovingly tells her.

"My house also?" Viren asks shocked.

"Yes." RK smiles at him.

"Even mine?" Aditi asks eagerly.

"Yes." RK says chuckling.

"Where should I put him?" Madhu asks RK in a whisper.

Jai had slept off halfway through their dinner.

"That is the master bedroom." RK tells her pointing at a door.

Madhu nods and walks to the bedroom.

Seeing the bedroom, Madhu was not surprised to see that it was set up to welcome Jai. There was a crib, changing table and all necessary baby essentials. RK had been desperately waiting to bring Jai home.

Madhu places Jai on the bed. She keeps pillows around him.

As she watched the sleeping baby, her heart filled up and she felt so emotional. Her eyes filled up, worried whether she could be a good mother.

She had decided to be his mother, now she prayed to God that she be a good mother to Jai, like her mother was to her. Madhu leans down and kisses Jai on his forehead.

Hearing the door open, Madhu turns to look and sees RK at the door.

"All okay?" RK asks her worriedly.

"Yeah." Madhu replies as she looked at Jai. She takes his fist and kisses it. "He deserves the world."

"We'll give all three children the world." RK promises her.

Madhu looks at him, as she looked at him, she realized that it was the first time, any man had ever entered her heart.

**********

"For now, I have told the kids to sleep in the guest room." RK tells Madhu as he showed her around his flat. "I didn't expect them."

Madhu nods.

"I was thinking this room." RK says as he showed her a bedroom. "This was supposed to be Jai's room when he becomes slightly bigger but the kids can have this room."

Madhu looks at the room and smiles approvingly. It was spacious for the kids and looked cozy.

"I will have someone put up wallpapers and do kids decoration so they will like the room." RK tells her.

"They will love the room without that too." Madhu tells him smiling.

"Still." RK says. "Aditi is still small. We should make it kids friendly and safe too."

"Thank you." Madhu tells him smiling.

RK gives her a look then he says. "Thank you."

Madhu grins.

They walk to the guest room and they could hear excited laughter of the kids behind the closed door.

"Will you manage Jai for tonight? I will sleep with Viren and Aditi tonight, it is a new place for them." Madhu tells him. "Or Jai can also sleep with us."

"No, I will manage him." RK tells her.

Madhu nods.

"Tomorrow morning we have to leave at 11:30. Everything for the wedding is arranged." RK tells her. "Your clothes will be delivered in the morning."

Before dinner they had gone to buy clothes for their wedding. She had picked a nice saree, Aditi a dress, RK, Viren and Jai had chose patani suits.

"We will be ready."

"Good night." RK says and walks off to his room.

"RK..."

"Yes?" RK turns to look at her.

"Are you sure about this?" Madhu asks him nervously.

RK looks at the girl that he spoke to for the first time just today and tomorrow he was going to marry her.

He had been looking for a mother for Jai and a wife for himself. Even when he had been looking for, he really didn't know what he was looking for.

Today, with Madhu, he realized that she was what he was looking for.

Madhu is a kind, compassionate and loving person. Her relation to Viren and Aditi were the biggest proof.

Then there was that... Madhu's life was a parallel to his sister's. Both abandoned by their parents. Alone in the world.

Madhu had fought and stood strong in her tragedies, and he had this need to protect her from the world.

He had failed Trishna, but he will never fail Madhu.

"Yes. I am sure." RK answers her.

Madhu nervously nods.

"I want you to be Jai's mother and I want you to be my wife." RK tells her.

**********

RK wakes up with a start hearing the sound of cooker whistle. He turns to look at Jai and sees him sleeping. He closes his eyes and starts to sleep when he hears the second whistle.

Madhu turns off the fire and keeps the cooker aside. She turns and notices RK sleepily standing at the door.

"Did I wake you?" Madhu asks him.

"What are you doing?" RK asks as he walked in with half closed eyes.

"Making breakfast." Madhu tells him.

RK sits on the counter as he squinted at her. "Bittuji got grocery also?"

"No.. these are from home. I brought them. Why waste it?"

"You didn't have to cook. The cook is coming today."

"But kids have to have breakfast, right?" Madhu asks him smiling. "I've cooked few vegetables for Jai. Hopefully he'll eat it."

RK nods as he yawned.

"Jai kept you awake?" Madhu asks him.

RK nods. "I fed him then he slept. But morning, even after I fed him, he was awake for a long time. Then he slept off."

"Did you change his diaper?" Madhu asks him.

"You changed it, right?" RK asks her back.

"That was before I went to sleep." Madhu tells him.

"Was I supposed to change?" RK asks her, coming awake.

"Did he poop?" Madhu asks him.

RK looks at her confused and lost.

"He will get rashes if he is not cleaned immediately." Madhu tells him as she ran to the bedroom.

RK follows her hurriedly.

Jai was sleeping, so Madhu quietly sits next to him and peeps inside the diaper.

And the room was hit by the smell. Madhu quickly opens his diaper.

"Oh God..." RK gasps and gags as the smell hit him.

Madhu looks at him amused as she chuckled, he was covering his nose and mouth with his hand.

RK was gasping and his eyes filled as he tried to fight the smell and what he witnessed.

Madhu starts cleaning up Jai, then cutely tells a sleeping Jai. "Jai, your Daddy didn't realize that being a daddy means diaper duty too."

Realizing what he was doing, RK stops as he guiltily looked at them. "Sorry."

"It's okay. First time, right?" Madhu chuckles.

"What can I do to help?" RK asks the wall, he still couldn't look at the dirty diaper.

"I've got it." Madhu tells him as she rolled up the dirty diaper and grabbed the waste bag.

"Madhu..."

"It happens, RK. Even the first time, I had the same reaction." Madhu tells him chuckling. "But I couldn't show my reaction like you, because I would have lost my job."

"I'm sorry your life was so hard, Madhu." RK says softly.

Madhu shakes her head. "I was relieved to have a roof over my head."

"Your father and Leela..." RK whispers in hatred.

"They are gone. Leave it." Madhu tells him. Madhu puts the dirty diaper in the diaper bin.

"Shouldn't we wash him?" RK asks her curiously.

"Let him sleep now. Once he is awake, I'll give him a bath." Madhu says and turns to him. Then she stops in shock as realization hits her hard.

"What happened?" RK asks her seeing her staring at her.

"We are getting married today. In a few hours." Madhu says softly.

RK looks at her in shock then he says softly. "it's our wedding today."

Then they just stared at each other realizing their life was changing forever.

"I'll wake up the kids." Madhu tells him and starts to walk off.

"Madhu..."

Madhu stops and looks at him.

"You are sure, right?" RK asks her softly.

He had no idea what he would do if she says no. things had already set rolling. His parents knew about Jai, and thinks Jai's mother is Madhu. Viren and Aditi have become a part of his life now.

"I will not abandon Jai." Madhu tells him.

RK relaxes hearing that.

"And you need me just as much as I need you. We are together in this. All the way." Madhu tells him.

RK gently smiles at her as he took her hand in his and gently squeezed it.

Madhu blushes. "I'll wake the kids up. We've to get ready for our wedding."

**********

"Look at you two. So nice." RK says happily as he stepped out of his room and saw Viren and Aditi sitting there all dressed up for the wedding.

"Really, jiju?" Aditi asks as she happily jumped off her chair and ran to RK.

"Yes. Very pretty." RK tells her as he lovingly cupped her face.

"It's barbie dress." Aditi tells him excitedly.

"You look very nice, jiju." Viren tells him as he smiled at him.

"Thank you, Viren." RK tells him happily.

"Viren... has RK come out?" Madhu calls out from the bedroom.

"Yeah... do you need anything?" RK asks her as he walked towards the room.

"Can you take Jai? I've to get ready."

"Yeah, sure." RK walks in the room and smiles seeing Jai all ready for the wedding.

Madhu stops seeing RK wearing a simple but elegant Pathani suit.

Seeing her staring at him, he curiously looks at her.

Realizing he caught her staring, she says, "You look nice."

"Thanks." RK smiles happily.

"I'll get ready fast." Madhu tells him.

"We've time."

"Make sure, he doesn't get dirty." Madhu tells him as she handed Jai to RK.

"Okay." RK says as he picked Jai up. Jai smiles at him. "Look at you, looking all handsome for Daddy - Mummy's wedding."

Jai laughs seeing the faces RK makes.

Madhu looks at RK hearing him. RK looks at her then they both smile at each other happily.

RK leaves the room, and Madhu quickly hurries to have her bath.

Twenty minutes later, they hear the door open. RK curiously looks at Madhu and sees her walk towards him, wearing a saree and looking so gorgeous.

His breath gets caught in his chest.

Madhu blushes seeing the way, he was staring at her.

"You look so beautiful." RK murmurs to her.

Madhu blushes even more hearing that.

"Let's go, get married."

**********

It was just them, priest, Bittuji and a camera man to cover the wedding.

Jai was sitting on Viren's lap as Madhu and RK followed the instructions. Madhu and RK smile at each other as they did each ritual for their wedding.

And soon they were married.

The photographer asked them to pose to take a wedding photo. Madhu and RK stands up.

They stand close to each other and RK puts his hand around Madhu's shoulder.

Madhu turns to look at him surprised and shocked.

"What biwi?" RK asks her with a mischievous grin.

Madhu shakes her head as she blushed and looked ahead for the camera. They both smile as they took their wedding photo.

"Now, one with Jai." RK says. He picks up Jai from Viren and joins Madhu.

Holding Jai with one hand and Madhu with his other, RK asks the cameraman to take the photo. They took a couple of photos. Then RK handing Jai to Madhu, gestures the cameraman to come to him. RK asks him to show the photos. RK scrutinized the photos of Jai, Madhu and him for a few minutes then he finally finalized on one.

"This one." RK declares. "I need a soft copy of this photo today itself."

"Sure." The cameraman replies.

"Okay, let's take a family photo." RK says. "Aditi... Viren come."

Viren and Aditi runs to join them. Viren stands next to Madhu while Aditi stood with RK.

"I think better, we both kneel." RK tells Madhu realizing the height difference with the kids.

They both kneel down near the kids. But Jai was looking here and there, not facing the camera.

"Sit down." Madhu tells RK, as she sat down on her knees.

RK sits down and Madhu turns Jai on her lap almost making him sitting on her lap facing the camera, she holds Viren close to her with one hand, the other hand, she holds Jai securely. RK keeps one hand over Madhu and the other, he holds Aditi close to him.

"Smile."

They all smile except for Jai who was distracted. Bittuji finally started waving his hands behind the cameraman to keep Jai's attention, and thus they took the family photo.

**********

Tired and drained Madhu sits on the couch. It was a long day. They had got home in the evening. RK had took off immediately for some work and to inform his parents that he got married. She wondered whether he harbored a little hope that his parents have changed their mind. Then the cook had come and Madhu had spend the next hour coming to an understanding with their live in cook. Then she had to fill up the school application forms for the kids. Then Jai had got cranky. She had just put Jai to sleep.

Madhu closes her eyes to rest for a bit when she hears the loud argument. "Stop fighting, you two."

"He is not letting me play." Aditi complains.

"It is my yo yo." Viren argues.

"Please share, both of you." Madhu tells them.

"I'm playing now." Viren tells her.

They hear the door unlocking. Madhu opens her eyes and sees RK walk in.

"Hey." RK says as he walked in.

"Hi.." Madhu says as she sat up, adjusting her saree and hair.

"What are you all doing?" RK asks.

"He is not letting me play." Aditi complains.

"It is mine." Viren argues.

They hear Jai crying.

Madhu groans loudly. She gets up and runs to the bedroom. "Stop shouting you two!" Madhu tells them.

RK watches her run off then he looks at the fighting siblings and asks them. "Where is yours, Aditi?"

"I don't have." Aditi replies sadly as she looked down.

"You broke yours. Jiji got both of us." Viren reminds her.

"It fell out of my hand." Aditi sadly informs RK. "Ma didn't buy me another one."

"Awww baby, it's okay." RK tells her as he pulled her close. "We'll go buy toys for you."

"Really?" Aditi asks excitedly.

"Yes."

"Only for her?" Viren asks softly as he looked down sadly.

"No... for both of you." RK quickly tells him as he pulled him close.

Viren smiles hearing that. Then he asks RK. "Can we buy toys for Jai too? He will also want to play."

RK smiles, feeling proud of Viren. "Yes, we can."

"He doesn't want to sleep." Madhu declares as she walked out with Jai who had stopped crying and was jumping in her arms.

"Let's go out, Madhu." RK tells her.

"Out?" Madhu asks shocked.

"Yes, we are going to buy toys." Aditi informs her excitedly.

"For all of us." Viren informs her happily.

"Now?" Madhu asks tired to her bone.

"Yeah... is there a problem?" RK asks her.

Seeing the kids happy and RK also excited to take the kids shopping, Madhu gives in. "No... let's go."

**********

Madhu sat on a chair as she watched the kids. They were feeling lost and in awe seeing all the toys collection. They have never been inside such stores. For that matter, even she hadn't been to such malls all that much.

"We can buy new clothes for them after this." RK says as he sat next to Madhu, as he checked on Jai who was sleeping on his pram.

"Can we do it tomorrow?" Madhu asks him. "I'm so tired."

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" RK asks her surprised.

"You all were so excited to go shopping." Madhu tells him.

"Aditi was sad about her toy breaking." RK tells her.

"She never told me it broke. She thought I will be hurt. I found out only two days back. I was planning to go buy her a toy after coming to your office but then you proposed and I completely forgot about it." Madhu tells him.

"She has no other toy?" RK asks her.

"Leela didn't believe in wasting money on toys." Madhu tells him.

RK takes a furious breath. "I thought she was at least a good mother to them."

"Maybe in her mind she was." Madhu says shrugging. "She only cared about their studies. Kept pushing them to come top in class."

"They are kids." RK says shocked.

Madhu reminds him. "Even their class has exams and ranking system."

RK sighs.

"How did it go with your parents?" Madhu asks him.

"They are angry." RK replies with a sigh.

Madhu holds his hand. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I expected it." RK replies. Then he tells her. "I've put our wedding photo on instagram."

"On instagram?" Madhu asks shocked.

"Yeah. I don't want any kind of questions regarding Jai."

"Oh I thought you will have a press conference." Madhu tells him.

"That will be a little on the face. This way, I've announced I am married. We've a son. Rest the PR will handle about slowly leaking the news of our fling and all." RK tells her.

Madhu nods. "When you said photo..."

"You, Jai and me. I haven't put any photos of Viren and Aditi. I'll not compromise their privacy. I want everyone to believe Jai is ours. Otherwise I wouldn't have let out his photo also this early." RK tells her.

Madhu nods. "Have people started contacting you?"

"Yeah... but I'm not answering any calls. The media will have to work hard to get our story, uncover the scandal then only it will be believable. I'll maintain silence all through out, and people are going to assume the story that I am secretly feeding them is the truth." RK tells her. "Scandalous it is, people will have blind faith in it."

Madhu shakes her head, impressed.

RK takes her hand and holds it. "Thank you, Madhu. I know this scandal. People are going to think badly about you. Think that I had married you because you are the mother of my child. You've paid a huge price and I'll never forget it."

Madhu looks at him then she turns to look at Viren and Aditi as they excitedly looked at the toys. She points them to RK. "To give them this, it would have taken me years. And by then they wouldn't have these small wishes." Then she looks at RK and tells him. "We both have gained from this marriage. We don't owe each other anything." Then she adds thoughtfully. "The only thing we owe each other is that we make our marriage work and hold our family together."

"We will." RK promises her.

They were sitting together with Madhu resting her head back with her eyes closed while RK was reading all the comments people had posted on their wedding photos.

"Jiji..." Viren softly calls her as he stood next to her.

Madhu turns to him. "What happened?"

Viren leans towards her and whispers in her ears.

Madhu smiles and asks him. "Which one you want?"

"I don't know." Viren tells her. "What should I do?"

Madhu turns to look at RK.

"What happened?" RK asks Viren. "Come here." RK holds Viren and gently pulls him towards his side.

"I liked two toys. I don't know which one to pick." Viren tells him.

"Take both." RK tells him.

"Both?" Viren asks shocked.

"Yes. If you like more toys then take them too." RK tells him.

Viren looks at him thoughtfully then he asks worriedly. "What if I keep playing with all my toys and forget to study?"

RK gently smiles at him. "Your jiji and I will make sure you don't forget to study."

Viren smiles hearing that.

"Go and pick your toys. Tell Aditi also to pick whatever she wants." RK tells him.

Viren nods and tells him. "I saw three toys that have baby photo. I think it is for babies. Jai might like those toys."

"Take them then." RK tells him.

Viren smiles at him, he turns to walk off then he quickly hugs RK. "Thank you, jiju."

"You are welcome, Viren." RK kisses him on top of his head.

RK watches as Viren walked off. "He is a little mature for his age."

"He is. Leela made him responsible for Aditi. He had to watch her. Then he doesn't show his affection easily. I think he remembers a little bit of my father's and Leela's fights. Maybe that is why." Madhu tells him sadly.

"We should never fight in front of the kids, Madhu." RK tells her.

Madhu nods.

**********

After dinner, Madhu had put Viren and Aditi to sleep. Jai had slept off before they had got home. The cook had also gone to sleep. Madhu nervously walks to the kitchen and fills up warm water in a flask and the milk powder for Jai for the night.

"They slept?" RK asks Madhu as he stood at the kitchen door.

"Yeah." Madhu says as she nervously looked at RK. "Jai is fine?"

"Yeah. And I did check if he had pooped or peed, he hasn't." RK informs her, proud of himself.

Madhu chuckles as she grabbed everything. She nervously switches off the light as she walked out of the kitchen. "I think we should sleep... huh?"

"Do you want to sit outside for a bit?" RK asks her.

Madhu was really tired but then she realized that even he was nervous about them sharing a room. "Yeah."

"Do you want a drink?" RK asks her.

"I don't drink." Madhu tells him.

RK nods and walks into the kitchen to fix a drink for him.

"I'll keep these in the room and come." Madhu tells him.

"Get the baby monitor." RK tells her.

"Okay."

By the time, RK had come with his drink, Madhu had also come from the bedroom. They walk to the balcony and step out. Closing the door, they sit on the two seater facing the water.

"Did you fill the application forms?" RK asks her.

"I did... but RK, I was thinking." Madhu says as she looked at him.

"What?"

"There has been too many changes in their life. Should we change their school this year itself? We'll be taking them out of their familiar surrounding once again." Madhu tells him.

"Do they like their school?" RK asks her.

"Everyday have to force them to go." Madhu tells him. "The Principal walks around with a stick to hit naughty kids. So, you can imagine how the teachers will be."

"I don't want them studying there, Madhu. Without Leela knowing, you were able to meet them week after week in their school. That school is not safe." RK tells her.

Madhu stops in shock realizing that was true. She had always been relieved that Leela never found out about her visits. It was because the school hadn't informed her about it, the school didn't really notice her.

"Let's try this new school. If they don't like it, we will think of something else." RK tells her.

"Yeah, okay."

They sit in silence lost in thoughts.

"We got married today." RK reminds her.

"I know. Already feels like days ago." Madhu says chuckling.

RK chuckles. "Decade old married couple with children."

"Not that old." Madhu chuckles. Then she says softly. "Feels like I have known you for long. Been with you for a long time."

"Even me." RK says as he smiled at her.

They sat in silence as RK sipped from his glass while Madhu just looked at the sky. It was filled with stars as if they have come to celebrate their marriage.

RK asks her, "Why did you marry me, Madhu?"

Madhu looks at him and says, "I was at a point where I had no idea how the way ahead is. And that time you came and offered a good and easy life for the kids and me."

RK nods hearing that.

"Then you told me about Jai. Considering the father I had, you can imagine how I see you." Madhu tells him.

"Being compared to your father, and coming out the better man is no great achievement, it is the bare minimum." RK says unhappy with her answer.

Laughing softly, Madhu says, "when compared to my father, even a lamppost will come out a better man and it is not even man."

RK chuckles hearing that.

"I had no plans for marriage, RK. Then you came. You are willing to do anything for Jai. Even leave your home. And you are putting out your character to be questioned so your parents aren't hurt. You are an incredible man, RK. I have immense respect for you and faith in you." Madhu looks at him and says. "I never thought I will get married and I never ever dreamt that my husband will have these qualities. Somewhere in me, I think I did marry you for myself too."

RK takes her hand and kisses it. Madhu blushes as she smiled at him.

"I want to give you the world, Madhu. Keep you happy and safe. Not for the kids. For you, for me and for us." RK tells her.

Madhu smiles hearing that, she had the uncontrollable desire to kiss his cheek, but then she just didn't know how to go about it.

RK hears his mobile and checks his phone.

"They have sent the options for wallpaper for kids room." RK tells Madhu as he passed her his phone.

Madhu looks through the options and points out two, one was ocean theme and one animal. RK liked the ocean one more, they decided to go with it.

Then they talked about how to do the interior's of the kids room. In the end decided to get two separate cots for them instead of bunk beds. And the furniture for the room.

Then RK went about giving instructions and placing orders.

They sat in silence as RK had his drink and Madhu looked at the view. Then he feels her head on his shoulder and realizes that she had slept off. He sat like that, letting her sleep.

He was just finishing his drink when they hear Jai crying. RK was about to wake up Madhu so he could get up when she jumps and stands in panic.

"Jai."

"He is in the room." RK quickly holds her, lest she runs in her sleep.

"I slept off." Madhu says coming awake. "I will check on him." Madhu says and hurries in.

RK grabs the monitor, then locking the balcony door, follows Madhu to the room.

Once Jai had slept again, they look at each other.

"Good night." Madhu tells him.

"Good night." RK replies.

And they sleep on either side of Jai.

**********

The next day, they had gone to shop new clothes and school items for the kids.

Seeing the branded store, for a second Madhu was uneasy. These clothes were expensive, eons more than what the children normally wore but then she shrugs it off, realizing that this was something RK had offered to begin with.

Though their wedding and son were hot topic of gossip on social media, so far they weren't ambushed by media or people.

The children were excited about their shopping specially when they had a say in the clothes that were being picked. Though Madhu was picking the clothes, she picked the ones Viren and Aditi liked too.

She picks up a top for Aditi and turns to check whether it would fit Aditi when she realizes that she was alone.

"Aditi..." Madhu calls as she looked around. "RK..." Madhu calls out loudly as she turned to him.

RK who had been watching Jai, looks at her. "Yeah?"

"Did you see Aditi?" Madhu asks him panicking.

"She was with you." RK replies panicking as he picked up Jai and started looking for around.

"ADITI!" Madhu calls out as she looked around.

"ADITI!" RK calls out as he ran to the opposite side.

"ADITI, STOP! SHE IS HERE." Madhu calls out to RK and runs out.

RK runs to where she was and sees her running out with Viren running behind her, and Aditi running behind some balloon.

"ADITI!"

RK sighs in relief seeing Aditi stop and turn to Madhu.

"COME HERE!" Madhu scolds her as she grabbed her hand and walked back.

RK places Jai back in his pram as he watched Madhu scolding Aditi for running off.

"How many times have I told you not to run off like that? Why didn't you tell me if you wanted to go out?" Madhu asks as she took Aditi to where RK and Jai was.

"There was a balloon." Aditi tells her sadly.

"Why didn't you tell me? I was with you. You don't run off like that, Aditi." Madhu tells her, still reeling from her panic.

Aditi sadly holds RK's pants and moves to him, hiding her face on thighs.

RK keeps his hand over her head. "Madhu..." RK gently says in a requesting tone to stop.

Madhu closes her eyes to calm herself. "Now, stay here. Don't go anywhere."

RK gently runs his hand over her head and then he stops in shock. Viren was not there.

"Madhu, where is Viren?" RK asks in panic.

"What? He was with you." Madhu says in shock as she looked around.

"No, he ran behind you!"

"VIREN!" Madhu shouts as she turns around and sees Viren running out of the store. "He is running out! You watch them!" Madhu tells him and runs out shouting for Viren to stop.

RK turns to look at Aditi and she was very sad.

"We got scared when we didn't see you." RK gently tells her as he knelt next to her.

"I would have come back." Aditi tells him as she sadly looked at him.

"What if you got lost?" RK asks her gently.

Aditi was too small to think of that. Her main concern was something else. "Jiji shouted at me." Aditi says as her eyes filled up.

"Aww baby, don't cry." RK tells her as he picked her up and cradled her in his arms.

They hear Madhu's voice and they look and sees Madhu and Viren speaking to each other, as they walked towards them smiling.

"She didn't shout at Viren." Aditi says, her heart breaking, her lips pulling down.

"Don't cry, my love." RK tells her as he pulled her closer.

"Jiji only shouted at me." Aditi complains to RK.

By then Madhu and Viren reaches them. Smiling, Madhu tells RK. "He saw a man with a pram and he thought that man was stealing Jai. So he ran behind that man to get Jai back."

RK smiles hearing that. "Big brother Viren." RK says as he lovingly caressed his cheek.

Then he turns to explain to Aditi and sees her looking at him as if he betrayed her.

"Aditi..."

"You also didn't shout at him." Aditi tells him sadly as tears fell from her eyes.

"Oh no... oh no... don't cry." RK panics.

Aditi struggles in his hands and slides down. RK lets her down.

"I wont talk to you. Katti." Aditi declares as she showed him the finger action for katti.

"What did I do?" RK asks shocked.

"You didn't shout at him." Aditi accuses him.

But then RK had to be logical and he points out. "Madhu shouted at you. I didn't shout at you."

"And you didn't shout at jiji also!" Aditi accuses him.

"What?" RK asks in shock he turns to Madhu for help and sees her trying her best to bite down her laughter.

"Katti. Katti. Katti." Aditi declares then tying her hands on her chest, she walks off to stand next to Jai's pram.

"Madhu..." RK turns to Madhu for help.

Grinning cheekily, she asks. "Parenting is not easy... huh, husband?"

RK gives her a look. "Do something."

"Relax." Madhu tells him smiling. "She will be fine in a few minutes. I will finish Viren's shopping then."

Madhu takes Viren to finish his shopping.

RK walks to Aditi.

"Aditi..."

"HMPH" Aditi turns around giving her back to him.

RK goes around her to stand in front of her. Aditi turns around and giving her back to him again.

RK sighs and decides to give her a few minutes like Madhu said and sits on the seat next to her.

And RK realized that Aditi had more patience and discipline than him, because he gave up in 2 mins.

He stands up and asks loudly. "Who wants ice cream? Viren? Madhu?" And for good measure. "Jai?"

Aditi turns around hearing that.

"Yes." Viren replies happily.

"Even I want." Aditi says frowning in worry for being left out.

"But you are Katti with me." RK reminds her.

And Aditi realized that she had no choice. She quickly grabs RK's hand. "Batti."

"Promise?" RK asks her.

"Yes! I want ice cream." Aditi says.

"Okay." RK says happily as he lifted her up in his arms.

Aditi smiles hearing him.

"Then give me a kiss." RK tells her as he pointed at his cheek.

Aditi kisses his cheek.

RK smiles and kisses her back. "Now, go finish your shopping. Tell jiji what all you want."

"You come with me, jeeju." Aditi tells him smiling at him.

"Okay. Let's go." RK says as he with one hand pushed Jai's pram and walked to the kids clothes section.

**********

Viren and Aditi were looking at all the ice cream options and tasting samples.

"You know, you bribed her." Madhu softly tells him.

RK looks at her embarrassed.

"She is going to realize that if she cries then you're going to be putty in her hands." Madhu tells him. "That if she cries or make a fuss then she is going to get whatever she wants from you."

RK sighs and tells her. "Madhu, I can't be the strict parent. That you will have to be."

Madhu frowns at him. "You know, it is not fair that I've to be the bad one and you get to be the good one in their eyes."

RK grins and asks. "Can I entice you with an ice cream to agree with me?"

Madhu couldn't help smile hearing that.

RK chuckles seeing her smile.

"Jeeju, I want this." Viren tells him gently as he kept one hand on RK's palm.

RK quickly moves near Viren and place his order. By then Aditi had also made her decision.

The kids took their ice cream and went with Madhu to sit at one of the tables. RK makes the payment and with his ice cream, he walks to their table.

He passes the extra spoon he got to Madhu. Madhu smiles seeing him keep the ice cream between them to share. She takes the spoon and they have the ice cream. They start eating as they spoke about random things with the kids.

After Viren finished his ice cream, he whispers to Madhu who was sitting next to him.

Madhu nods and looks at RK. "He wants to go to the toilet. I'll take him."

"After Aditi finishes, we'll come there." RK tells her.

"Okay." Madhu says then she checks Jai's diaper to see if it was time to change it. "He doesn't need a change now."

"I'll bring him. You take Viren." RK tells her.

"Okay."

Madhu leaves with Viren.

**********

RK, Aditi and Jai reaches the toilet area and sees Madhu and Viren standing outside and they were in some kind of disagreement.

"What happened?" RK asks curiously.

"He doesn't want to go to the ladies toilet. He is a boy and he wants to go to the men's." Madhu tells him then she explains. "First time, they are using public toilet and I am not comfortable sending him in alone."

"You should have called me then, Madhu." RK tells her shaking his head. "Come Viren, I'll take you." RK tells him as he extended his hand.

Viren takes his hand and goes with him to the men's room.

Madhu turns to Aditi and sees her playing with Jai. Madhu lovingly ruffles Aditi's hair.

Aditi looks at her and smiles.

"Don't run off like that, okay baby?" Madhu gently tells her.

"I was going to come back." Aditi tells her.

"What if you forget the way? What if someone takes you away?" Madhu asks her gently.

Aditi nods though not really grasping the danger she could have been.

Madhu realized that she shouldn't expect more from a 6 year old, RK and she just have to be vigilant.

Jai makes sound as he tried to jump out of crib. Understanding he didn't want to sit in the pram anymore, Madhu picks up her son.

Jai laughs happily, for finally getting out of the pram. Madhu kneels down so Aditi also can play with Jai.

"Who is Mama's good boy?" Madhu asks him as she made cute faces at him. "Who is Mama's good boy?"

Jai laughs happily as Madhu and Aditi played with him.

Few minutes later, RK and Viren joins them.

"I want to go home, jiji." Aditi tells Madhu hearing Madhu and RK discussing about the next shop.

"Are you tired, baby?" Madhu asks her gently.

Aditi nods her head.

"We'll finish tomorrow, then." Madhu tells RK.

"Yeah." RK replies and he asks Aditi. "Do you want me to carry you, Aditi?"

Aditi nods.

RK picks her up and she straddles his torso.

"Viren, are you tired?" Madhu asks him.

Viren shakes his head in no.

RK and Madhu share a smile realizing that Viren would never admit he was tired, fearing they will offer to carry him. Because in Viren's mind, he was a big boy.

**********

Madhu kept all the new clothes in the cupboard then kept all the kids new things in the room. After that she goes to speak to her cook.

"Kaki, did you check what all you need in the kitchen?" Madhu asks her.

"I'm just finishing the list." Kalyani tells her.

"Okay, give it to me once you are done. Will order the grocery online. Rest I will get by Monday." Madhu tells her.

Madhu walks to the living room and sees RK on his phone while Viren, Aditi and Jai sat on the floor and played.

Seeing her come, RK gestures her to come sit with him. Madhu sits next to him.

RK turns the phone to her and Madhu smiles seeing that RK had taken photos of the kids together.

"We should frame these." Madhu says smiling.

"Even I was thinking the same." RK tells her. "The family photo we took, that also we should frame."

"We should have a photo wall." Madhu says excitedly.

Soon they were planning about the photo wall.

Just then, RK sees the cook come from the kitchen.

"Kalyani, i want tea." RK tells her.

"Yes, sir." Kalyani says then she looks at Madhu. "Madhu... do you want tea?" Kalyani asks as she extended the list to her.

"No, kaki." Madhu says smiling at her as she took the list.

Kalyani smiles at her and goes back.

"Why is she calling you by your name?" RK asks frowning.

"Because I told her to." Madhu tells him.

"Why?" RK asks confused.

"She is going to be living here from now, don't know maybe even for years. She will be a part of family. I am not comfortable with her calling me Madam and she is so older to me, I don't want to call her by her name." Madhu tells him.

RK frowns and asks her softly. "At your previous work... did you call them name?"

"No." Madhu says shaking her head.

RK's heart breaks hearing that. Madhu was living with a family but still was an outsider.

Before he could talk more on it she had quickly gone back to the topic of photo wall.

Few minutes later, Kalyani comes back with tea.

"Sir..." Kalyani offers the tea to RK.

"Thank you, kaki." RK says then he tells her. "You can call me RK."

Kalyani smiles and nods her head.

RK turns to Madhu and sees her looking at him with a surprised smile. He smiles back at her.

"We have to order these online." Madhu tells RK.

"My card is there in my wallet. Your card will come soon." RK tells her pointing at his wallet on her side.

Madhu looks at him and tells him, feeling uneducated. "I haven't ordered anything online before."

RK looks at her surprised.

"I never had the need to." Madhu explains. "I never had a card before. I used to tell Madam what I needed and she used to buy it."

RK nods and asks her to pass her phone. She passes her phone to him.

Her phone crashed twice. Once while downloading the app and second while loading the app.

RK realized that the first order of business was to get his wife a better phone.

"Your phone is really old. I told you, you have to tell me what you need, Madhu." RK tells her as he kept aside her phone and took his phone.

"I didn't realize that I needed a new phone." Madhu tells him confused.

RK didn't know how to react to that. So, he let it pass. Then on his phone, he showed her, which app to use, how to order and how to use a card.

Once that done, he started showing her phone options asking her to choose. After Madhu made her decision on the phone and phone case, RK calls up his driver and sends him to the store to pick the phone.

**********

"Some quiet." Madhu says in relief as RK closed the balcony door and walked to her with his drink.

RK smiles as he sat next to her.

Viren and Aditi had got into a fight regarding who gets to watch TV and their fights had gotten loud that Jai had started crying and was cranky for a bit.

Now all the children had gone to sleep, and RK and Madhu were finally able to spent some time with each other.

Seeing her new phone in her hand, RK asks her. "Did you like your phone?"

"Yes." Madhu says smiling. "I like it better than yours."

RK chuckles. "It is the same just different color."

"I like my color better." Madhu cheekily tells him.

RK grins.

"I saw the bill, RK. The phone is too expensive." Madhu tells him.

"I use the same phone, Madhu. And we are equals." RK tells her.

Madhu smiles hearing that, then she says. "When we went to the store today, for a second I thought that you were buying expensive clothes for the children. That we were taking advantage of you. Then I felt that is what you had promised. So it is okay. But RK when I was keeping those clothes in the cupboard, I realized that they are going to grow out of these clothes very soon. This is really over indulgence. You are wasting your money. The toys that you brought. They don't really need so many toys. They would be equally happy with half the amount."

"Madhu, I grew up with having these things, these were the things that were there in my life. And the things that I always considered normal and taken for granted..." RK sighs. "It breaks my heart to see that they are rewards for Viren and Aditi." Then he looks at her and tells her. "Please don't stop me from doing what was normal for me for them."

Madhu nods as she gently smiled at him. RK takes her hand squeezes it. Madhu blushes as she held his hand.

**********

Soon it was monday, and the kids were starting new school. Their first day, Madhu was anxious on how the kids would be in their new school, and whether they would be able to adjust to the new school and get friends.

Madhu sighed in relief when the kids had come back from the school, happy and having made friends.

From next day, their school bus would be coming to pick them up. The mornings were crazy for them all.

Waking up the kids in the morning was the biggest challenge. Then getting them to take a shower, get ready, have breakfast and leave in time for the bus. By the time the kids have their breakfast, Jai would also be ready to have his breakfast. Then RK will take over the duty of seeing the kids were ready for school. Kalyani would take the kids down to drop them off to the bus.

Once the kids left, and Jai had finished his breakfast, Madhu would leave Jai on his high chair while he played around, and RK and Madhu would have their breakfast. Then RK would leave for work while Madhu stayed home with Jai, and took care of him, and handle the work at home. The work on the kids room had also started, so Madhu had to oversee that.

By evening, kids will get back, Madhu would spend time with them, they would play with Jai, finish their studies and by then RK would reach. They started having early dinners because kids have to go to sleep early. Then when the house had gone to sleep and quiet, Madhu and RK spent few minutes together in the balcony, talking about their day, or the plan for the weekend or about their life.

**********

"Aditi, your class teacher has noted in the diary that you haven't cut your nails." Madhu says out loudly.

Aditi curiously looks at her nails.

"RK, can you get me the nail cutter?" Madhu asks him.

"I don't think we have one." RK says confused.

"You don't?" Madhu asks surprised.

"It is not time to cut my nails." RK says shrugging.

It's been almost a week since they started living together and Madhu always found it amusing, when she realizes something that RK forgot to buy while he set up his flat to welcome his son and wife.

"You can bite your nails." Viren says. "I bite mine."

Madhu and RK looks at each other.

"Never good in science. You get it." Madhu declares.

"You don't need to be a science progeny." RK points out.

"Still you get it." Madhu cheekily tells him.

RK sighs as he walked to Viren and pulled Aditi too, and started on a very boring lecture on the bad effects of nail bitings.

Madhu chuckles as she took her phone and ordered nail cutter.

Within twenty minutes, the nail cutter was delivered. Madhu cuts Audit's nails and checks Viren's, and she makes it into a neat shape as much as possible.

**********

Madhu yawns as she kept her foot up on the table.

"Long day?" RK asks her as he looked at her.

"Jai has started separation anxiety. He doesn't let me out of his sight." Madhu tells him.

RK smiles. "You are his mother."

Madhu smiles hearing that.

"He hasn't started teething yet. I checked online. Sometimes, they take time." Madhu tells him.

"Let him take his time. You relax." RK tells her reassuringly. "It will happen."

Madhu nods. She stretches as she sat comfortably.

RK puts up his foot next to her.

Then she feels him caressing her legs with his toes.

Madhu turns completely pink. She blushes as she looked at him and he was giving her a flirty smile.

She lightly hits him making him chuckle.

She knew their relation was moving to the next stage. She was starting to notice everything physical about him.

And she knew, even he was. If his long and linger looks were something to go by.

**********

One day, RK was going to take a swim in the pool in their building when he notices that Viren was awake. He invites Viren to go for a swim. Even though Viren didn't know to swim, he was intrigued.

So, RK took him, and he took the next half an hour in teaching Viren swimming and soon he was floating in the kids pool without RK's assistance.

They made plans to bring Aditi and Jai the next day to the pool. RK got the floats for Aditi and Jai. And the next day, they all went to the pool with Madhu merely going to watch.

"You are not coming?" RK asks Madhu as he got into the kids pool.

Seeing him in his swimming trunks, Madhu blushes as she shook her head.

Soon, Aditi and Jai were also having fun in the pool. Noticing Viren not swimming but standing near Jai and Aditi, watching them worriedly, RK realized that Viren was standing guard to save them if either of them drowned.

"Viren, you swim. I'll watch them." RK tells him.

"What if they fall out of the tube?" Viren asks him worriedly.

"I am here. I won't let them fall." RK tells him. "You go and enjoy your swim."

Viren looks at him in confusion.

"I won't move away from them." RK promises him.

Viren smiles hearing that and he starts floating and enjoying his swim.

Madhu watched as RK and their children played in the pool. Seeing him, teaching Viren to swim at the same time, playing with Aditi and Jai, her family, their family, Madhu realized that she was in love with her husband.

And nothing had made her more happier than that realization.

**********

"Hey..." Madhu answers the call with a smile.

"Hey... what are you doing?" RK asks her.

"Jai and I am listening to rhymes."

RK chuckles. "Listen... my chachi had called. They know about our wedding and Jai. They are coming home today."

"Today?" Madhu asks surprised.

"Yeah... I told them we have dinner early, they will come early."

"For dinner?" Madhu asks surprised.

"Yeah, can kaki cook dinner for them? 2 of them, chachi and chachu. If not, we can order or go out." RK tells her.

"Let me check with kaki." Madhu tells him feeling nervous.

"Madhu, everything is going to be fine." RK tells her sensing her nervousness.

"First time, we are meeting your family." Madhu tells him worriedly.

"They are the non prejudiced fun people. Don't worry. It will be fun." RK reassures her.

Madhu nervously hangs up the call.

Since Kalyani said that she can whip up the dinner. Madhu and she decided on the menu and Madhu quickly ordered the necessary items. That done, she goes around the flat checking whether everything was neat and in order. It would be neat because they had a maid, Geetha who comes and clean the house everyday. She went to the kids room, which had been done just two days before, and the kids had been over the moon seeing their room.

RK and Madhu had been so happy seeing the children's reaction that for them the trouble they took to get this room was worth it. On Madhu's end, supervising and handling the workers and the sound of the work and on RK's end the constant follow up, the back and forth regarding the work and issues.

Madhu sets out what the children are to wear. Then she goes to her bedroom, decides on Jai's clothes and a back up clothe incase the first one got dirty. Then she looks through her dress. And she was hit with regret and humiliation realizing that she didn't have a good dress to wear. She had been procrastinating shopping for herself that all she had were her old clothes. RK's family was coming to see her for the first time and she didn't have anything to wear that was befitting of Rishabh Kundra's wife.

What if they disapprove of his wife?

What if she humiliates RK in front of them?

Then she realized that every time she had gone out with RK wearing her old clothes, did she humiliate him all those times?

Did the people who saw them, think that she was his maid? Or the children's nanny?

Madhu shakes her head, realizing that there was no use in wallowing in self pity. First things first, she has to handle the dinner.

She decides to wear her wedding saree. It was elegant but simple enough to wear for a family get together.

**********

RK's chachi was a loud but warm woman, and chachu was a polite and reserved man.

They had been gentle with Viren and Aditi too. They were warm with Jai too.

The only dull moment was when Chachi had said that, 'Jai looked like RK though Jai had a little bit of Trishna in him.'

"You married the one you wanted. You should now, bring Trishna also home, RK." Chachi tells him.

Madhu had felt RK tense up. She gently holds his hand. RK tightly holds her hand.

"I am outside home, chachi." RK says in a joking manner.

"You two should get together and convince your parents." Chachi tells him.

"I don't know where she is." RK tells her.

"Yeah... it's been ages since I saw her." Chachi says feeling sad. "I miss her."

"Even me." RK says softly.

Then he had turned the topic. Soon they had started joking about old stories.

**********

"It went well." Madhu says after the guests had left and they got some time together alone.

"Yeah." RK says smiling. "They loved you."

Madhu smiles. "I was a little worried."

"You were amazing." RK tells her then he says softly. "I didn't get a chance to tell you before. You look beautiful today."

Madhu blushes feeling his intense gaze on her.

He leans to her and kisses her cheek.

Madhu blushes.

"Reminded me of our wedding." RK tells her.

Madhu smiles hearing that. "You remember this is our wedding saree?"

RK smiles. "How can I forget?"

"You like it when I wear saree?" Madhu asks him shyly.

"You look beautiful in saree." RK tells her then he hastily adds. "You look beautiful in salwar too."

Madhu nods.

"Even the night dress that you wear." RK tells her.

Madhu laughs hearing that.

RK blushes as he looked away.

"Don't you wear dresses?" RK asks her curiously.

"Haven't worn it before." Madhu tells him.

"Was just asking." RK tells her then he asks her curiously. "What suits me most?"

"You look dashing in your office wears." Madhu tells him shyly.

RK grins hearing that.

"You look very handsome in your casuals. The casual shirts that you wear when we go out." Madhu tells him.

RK nods.

"Even what you were at home. I like your home wears too."

RK starts grinning.

"I love the Pathani suit you wore for our wedding. You were looking amazing." Madhu tells him.

"Madhu, why don't I go in and wrap a blanket around me and come? Maybe you will find me amazing in that too." RK tells her grinning.

Madhu blushes hearing that as she looked away.

RK leans to her and kisses her cheek again.

Madhu blushes.

Chuckling RK puts his hand over her shoulder and pulls her close. Madhu blushes as she moves close to him and then she shyly kisses his cheek.

RK smiles and holds her tighter.

They remained silent for a while, lost in their bliss.

"RK..."

"Yeah?"

"Tomorrow I want to go shopping. I'll take Jai and Kaki also, she can help me with Jai. Will your driver and car be free?" Madhu asks him.

"Yeah... I should tell Bittuji to find a driver for you. So, you don't have to plan around my convenience.Which car would you like?" RK asks her.

"You think I know anything about cars to tell you that?" Madhu asks him back surprised.

RK chuckles hearing that.

**********

Next day, Madhu went for shopping with Kaki and Jai. She took her time and started picking clothes that was befitting her new status in life. Remembering what RK had mentioned about dress, Madhu tries a dress on. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she realized that how her upper lip was hairy, she had hair on her hands. Suddenly she started feeling conscious about herself. She not only wanted to look beautiful for RK, she wanted to look good for herself.

Making up her mind, she picks a dress that made her look as sexy as she could be without looking like a tramp. She decided to buy only one dress, and wear it on a special occasion for RK. If she liked and felt comfortable in the dress that time, then she will add dresses to her wardrobe. For now, she decided to stick to salwars and sarees. then on an impulse, Madhu picked a pair of jeans and a nice shirt to go with it. Then she he got a comfortable foot wear that would go with all types of clothes.

Leaving a sleeping Jai with Kaki, Madhu went to the parlour, and got herself a make over.

Waxing, threading and on an impulse, a hair cut too.

**********

Hearing RK walk in, Madhu takes a deep breath as she waited for him to notice him. Aditi and Viren had run to greet RK. RK had hugged them was asking about their day as he walked to Jai, and picked him up, and kissed him. He turns to look for her and stops seeing her.

Madhu looks at him with nervous excitement.

RK smiles in appreciation as he looked at her. He looked surprised too.

Madhu blushes seeing that.

"Was this for me?" RK asks softly later that night.

Madhu nods shyly.

"Did you think I didn't find you attractive before?" RK asks her worriedly.

"I wanted to look beautiful for you." Madhu shyly tells him.

"Madhu..."

"I wanted to look beautiful for myself too." Madhu cuts him off.

RK smiles hearing that. He leans towards her and gently takes her lips in his.

Blushing happily, Madhu reciprocates the kiss.

**********

Soon, they found a surge of guests that dropped in to meet RK's new wife and baby. Madhu started to meet RK's extended family and friends. They all were quiet sweet and polite, though some she had felt were just faking it. And RK had agreed with her assumption.

"Madhu..." RK one Saturday morning turns to her.

"Yes?"

"Today, why don't you take time out for yourself?" RK asks her.

"Huh?"

"Every time I ask you, how your day was, all you talk about is taking care of the kids and doing the housework. Why don't you take the day off? A break from all of us. I will watch the kids today. You do whatever you want." RK asks her.

It sounded delicious to take a day for herself. But what about the kids?

"Jai won't stay without me." Madhu tells him.

"I'll take care of him." RK promises.

"Viren and Aditi..."

"I will handle everything. You relax and take a break." RK tells her.

Even though nervous and worried about the separation from Jai, Madhu decided to give it a try. Last few days, she had reconnected with her friends from school and college. She messages them to meet up and two of them immediately responds and soon they had made plans.

Her sweetest surprise came when she got ready in her new jeans and shirt and RK had walked in and was wonderstruck seeing her.

And then he had spent the next ten minutes thoroughly kissing her.

Madhu had spent a wonderful time with her friends though every half an hour, she kept calling up RK to check on Jai and the kids.

After spending a relaxing day in a long time, Madhu was feeling rejuvenated. She happily opens the flat door and stops in shock seeing the mess there, if she wasn't mistaken then there was a broken vase amongst the mess.

Kalyani who was cleaning up the place sees her and tells her smiling. "They were having a party. I finally told them if you walk in to witness the state of the room, there won't be anymore party days. They stopped, I sent them to your bedroom."

Madhu smiles hearing her, "thank you."

Kalyani smiles at her. "You had a good day?"

"I did. I think that is why I am not blasting RK right now." Madhu tells her grinning.

As she reached the room, she could hear Viren talking excitedly. She opens the door and smiles seeing Aditi lying on the bed and playing with her toy, while Viren was sitting on the bed and narrating to RK about a funny incident at school, while RK was at the changing table, changing Jai's diaper.

"Jiji!" Viren notices her first.

Aditi and Viren run to hug her. Madhu hugs them and asks them what they did that day and sees RK smiling at her as he continued to put the diaper on.

Madhu walks to RK and Jai. Seeing her, Jai started excitedly jumping, flapping his hands and then crying to go to her. RK holds him and sticks the diaper tapes, and Madhu picks up Jai. She gives him her attention for a bit then she looks at RK.

"How was your day?" RK asks her.

Holding Jai in her arms, she leans to RK's chest, hugging him. RK hugs her.

"I had a great day. Thank you." Madhu tells him.

"Even we had a great day. Thank you." RK tells her.

Madhu laughs happily.

**********

RK was walking to his cabin when his phone starts ringing. He takes his phone and stops in surprise seeing Madhu calling. She rarely calls him while he is at work and this time it was a video call. He answers the call and he shouts in excitement seeing Jai crawling.

"When did he start to crawl?" RK excitedly.

"Just now." Madhu says excitedly.

They watched Jai crawl for about minute before he got distracted with his toy and had stopped.

"I was going to take a video but then I thought I'll call so we can see it together." Madhu tells him smiling at him.

Hearing her and the way she was smiling at him, RK's heart burst with joy. How he loved this woman. The mother of his children. His wife and better half.

**********

Madhu watched as RK poured his drink.

"What?" RK asks curiously seeing her staring at his glass.

"I was wondering whether I should try one." Madhu tells him.

"Ah... you want whiskey?" RK asks her as he took a whiskey glass from the shelf.

"No... something mild." Madhu says.

"Someone had gifted us wine, right? How about wine?" RK asks her.

Madhu nods nervously.

RK grabs a wine glass. Takes out the wine bottle. He opens it and pours for her.

They walk out to the balcony.

"Why the sudden curiosity to try drinks?" RK asks her as they sat down.

"My friend, Simran, I have told you about her."

"The one doing PhD?" RK asks her.

"Yeah... she was saying after a stressful day, she has a drink to unwind herself. So I thought of trying." Madhu says with a nervous smile.

"Did you have a stressful day?" RK asks her in concern as he pulled her close.

"Full day, Jai was not staying where he was put. He was crawling around the whole place. Sometimes, I had to search for him." Madhu tells him as she snuggled into him.

"Aww my poor darling." RK says as he kissed her on top of her head.

Madhu looks up at him, then keeping her glass aside, she takes his lips in hers. Leaving his glass aside, RK hungrily kisses her back.

Madhu gets on his lap as she wrapped her hands around his neck and hungrily kisses him.

RK gasps as they parted. "Wow drunken kiss even before your first drink?" RK asks grinning.

Madhu laughs as she got off his lap.

"It's our one month anniversary." Madhu tells him.

"What? Today? Why didn't you tell me?" RK asks her surprised.

"Not today. You forgot our wedding date?" Madhu asks him frowning.

RK cheekily grins then he quickly mentally calculates. "It's day after."

"Yeah." Madhu replies appeased.

"We should go out for dinner." RK tells her excitedly.

"But it's weeknight, RK. Kids have school the next day." Madhu reminds him.

"Not kids. Just us." RK tells her.

"Just us? Not even Jai?" Madhu asks surprised. They have never left Jai alone and the kids also alone at home.

"Kaki is here. She can watch the kids for a few hours." RK tells her.

Madhu realized that eventually they will have to leave the kids at home alone when she starts her college in a year or two. And she also has to be comfortable leaving her kids with someone else completely. She had to start somewhere and this was a good start.

Madhu smiles. "Date night?"

"Yes." RK replies as he took her lips in his and kissed her.

**********

Madhu decided to wear the red dress that she had got, to wear for her first ever date with RK. She took her time getting ready. She looked at herself in the mirror. She knew she was looking million bucks. First time, she was wearing such revealing clothes. From front, it looks all covered up with full sleeves while it was completely backless with just a V at her hips.

They had plans to meet at the restaurant. Madhu reached first and with nervous excitement she waited for RK to reach. Then to calm herself and distract herself, she went through the menu to decide what she would have for dinner.

"Sir... this is your table."

Madhu hears the hostess and she starts to turn when she hears RK says, "No.. no... The table is booked for Rishabh Kundra. My wife is already here."

Madhu looks at him and sees that he had also dressed up. Wearing a sexy suit. She smiles realizing that he had dressed up for her, like she had dressed up for him. Just then RK turns to explain the mix up when he realizes that it is his wife.

"Madhu..." RK whispers in shock seeing her face. His breath knocking him out.

Madhu smiles as she stood up. The hostess walks of after promising to send their waiter over.

RK moves to her and kisses her cheek as he groaned. "You had to do this to me here."

Madhu blushes even more feeling him run his hands over her naked back. Goosebumps all over her body.

"You knew, if I had come home then there wouldn't be a dinner." RK desperately says as he sat.

Madhu softly laughs hearing that.

RK smiles seeing her so happy.

Then like a Genie their waiter appeared next to them. RK got busy checking out the menu while Madhu called home to check whether the kids finished dinner and whether Jai was fine.

"Are they okay?" RK asks her.

"Yeah." Madhu says smiling.

"Do you want a drink?" RK asks her.

Madhu had decided after the first time she had wine that she didn't hate it at the same time she wasn't excited to have her next drink, so once in a blue moon she would indulge in a drink.

Since it is their one month anniversary, they decided to have champagne. They quickly places their order.

RK takes her hand in his and says "We should do this at least once a month. Just the two of us."

"Yes." Madhu says smiling happily.

Then they got to talking about how he had got dressed and how she had got the dress, just for a special occasion with him.

And the way, he had reacted seeing her in dresses, Madhu knew dresses were going to be a part of her wardrobe. Not just party gowns, but casual summer dresses too. She also liked wearing dresses.

Seeing her cutting a stake like a pro, RK looks at her surprised.

Madhu looks at him, watching her cut her stake in surprise.

"Sorry... I was surprised when I saw you do that. I didn't think you knew. I shouldn't have made assumptions." RK says feeling low. "At home, when you used to set the table up for get together, I thought you learned it all at your work."

"I didn't know." Madhu quickly tells him.

RK looks at her surprised.

"I learned it from YouTube. Do you know what all you can learn from YouTube?" Madhu asks him chuckling and proud of herself.

RK looks at her amazed, finally realizing that Madhu was blooming.

She had been a teenager when she was kicked out of her own and then she had to fend for herself as a maid. Now that she has become a stay at home mother and a full time housewife, she was not limiting herself to just that. True that he was bringing in the money, at present but she really didn't depend on him to get things done. She was her own person. Even though, he had noticed her groom herself, become tech savvy, build her friend circle, he hadn't put it all together. She was using this time to personally grow and groom herself so when she finally went out in the world for her education and career, she was not lesser than anyone else.

And he fell in love with her all over again.

**********

They were just locking the door when they hear their bedroom door open and Kalyani step out.

"He slept?" Madhu asks her smiling.

"Took a while but he is sleeping nicely now." Kalyani tells her smiling.

"Thank you, kaki. You go sleep. It is late." Madhu tells her smiling.

Kalyani smiles and walks off. Madhu and RK into their bedroom and for a second panicked not seeing Jai on the bed, then they realized that Kalyani had put him in his crib.

They walk to the crib and sees Jai sleeping peacefully. They realized that Kalyani might have assumed that Jai slept in the crib at night.

Feeling nervous and excited, Madhu softly whispers to RK. "I'll go change and come."

RK watched as Madhu walked to the changing room.

He realized that Madhu was so ready to consummate their marriage. Even he is, he has been for ages now. He didn't want to rush Madhu into anything and had been taking things slow. Now, it was their one month anniversary, they had their first date, Madhu was giving out signals after signals, and Jai was in the crib. It was like stars were aligning for their big night.

Madhu stood in front of her wardrobe wondering what to wear for their big night. She didn't have any sexy night dress for their first night together as man and wife.

She hears the door open, and she stills feeling nervous. Her breath increasing. She hears RK walk to her. She closes her eyes, as her heart beat raised. Then she feels his lips on her back. She closes her eyes tight as her body came awake with his touch. Then she feels his hand at the edge of her dress, as he slid down her sleeves to remove her clothes. Madhu turns around and hungrily kissed him, her hands frantically removing his clothes and his hers.

**********

"We didn't use protection." RK tells her.

"I'll get pill." Madhu tells him.

"Don't forget. We really can't have one more baby right now." RK worriedly tells her.

Madhu laughs hearing that. "Even if you want, I won't agree."

RK chuckles as he took her lips in his.

**********

The next morning, they woke up to the scandal of Rishabh Kundra's extra marital affair.

Madhu had laughed it off while RK was livid, furious, murderous and outraged.

The scandal regarding Jai and their marriage was just dying down. They were able to protect the children from everything, when this ridiculous story came out. Someone posted a photo of his and Madhu the night before at the restaurant and social media had gone crazy.

RK saw red, and reasoning was beyond him. And he made a post of his own.

THAT IS MY WIFE ASSHOLES!!!

Ten minutes later, he had come to his senses when he finally took the time to read the comments and realized many were saying that the girl in the photo was his wife and she was just looking different. And he had deleted the post.

**********

Unexpectedly RK had to go out station for work. Madhu and he had casually informed the kids about it during dinner.

Hearing the news, leaving their food, Viren and Aditi had wailed and ran around the table, throwing themselves at RK.

"Don't leave us, jiju." Viren had wailed.

"Stay with us, jiju. Please don't go." Aditi had wailed.

"I will come back in a day." RK tells them in shock.

"No.. don't go."

It took Madhu and RK a while to calm down the kids. Then he had to sit them down and explain to them that he was just going for work for a day. And that he will come back. And for work, he might have to travel like this but he will always come back. And when Madhu starts to work, even she might have to travel but she will also come back.

"Then take us with you." Aditi demanded.

Seeing her crying, and Viren also looking at him worriedly, he was going to say yes when Madhu says. "No, you have school. You can't go."

Aditi pleadingly looks at RK.

Before RK could be a puddle at Aditi's foot, Madhu gently tells them. "Jiju is going for work, baby. We can't go with him. He will be busy. And he will always come back after work. Just like you feel sad when he goes away, even jiju is sad he has to go away."

They look at RK for confirmation.

"I will miss you all and I will come back. Where else will I go?" RK asks them.

Appeased, they hug RK.

Once the kids had gone to sleep, RK turns to Madhu. "Maybe you all should come with me. They still look worried."

"For how long, RK?" Madhu asks him. "They have to feel secure that you will not abandon them, for that you have to go and come back. Only then they will believe it with whole heart."

RK understands Madhu had a point.

**********

The next day, RK had left early in the morning. Even though Madhu missed RK terribly, she was one man down and had been busy with handling things. Specially when Viren and Aditi kept enquiring about when RK would come back.

Finally, he reaches back, but since his flight was at night, he reached way after the bedtime of the kids.

He walks to his bedroom and smiles seeing his family sleeping on the bed. Viren on the end with Jai next to him, Madhu next to Jai and Aditi on the end.

Madhu smiles at him, as he walked in. Since Aditi was sleeping on her, she couldn't get up.

"They tried waiting up for you." Madhu tells him.

RK smiles as he leaned over the kids and kissed Madhu. Then he kisses the children.

"You sleep. I'll take a shower and come." RK tells her.

Few minutes later, he gets on the bed next to Viren. Feeling him next to him, Viren opens his eyes and turns to look at him sleepily.

"Jiju." Viren sleepily says as he threw his arms and legs over RK and hugging him, goes back to sleep.

**********

Madhu was feeding Jai his breakfast while Kalyani packed the kids' lunch, and RK got the kids ready.

"Show me your nails." RK says as he knelt in front of Aditi and made her wear her shoes.

"You checked yesterday also." Aditi reminds him as she showed him her nails.

"I know, still. Viren, show me your nails." RK tells him.

Viren shows his nails to him.

RK nods as he moved to him and tied his shoe lace.

"It is my birthday, jiju." Aditi tells him excitedly. "After two days."

"I know, baby." RK says as he turned to her.

"What birthday gift will you give me?" Aditi asks him excitedly.

"What gift do you want?" RK asks her smiling.

"Doll house."

"Done."

"My birthday is over. But even I want birthday gift." Viren demands.

RK turns to Viren in surprise. His heart bursting with joy. For the first time, Viren wasn't requesting for something hesitantly. He was demanding.

RK pulls him and hugs him tight. Then he leans back and asks him. "What do you want?"

"A puppy." Viren excitedly tells him.

"Done!" RK declares excitedly.

And he hears a plate loudly banging on the table sound. He turns and sees Madhu glaring at him.

He worriedly smiles at her.

"You both leave, bus will be here soon." Madhu tells them.

Once the kids had left, RK turns to Madhu and sees her glaring at him.

"Who is going to look after this puppy?" Madhu asks him pissed.

"First time, he was demanding something from me. As if he realized that he had rights over me. I couldn't say no." RK tells her worriedly.

"When have you ever said no?" Madhu asks him pissed.

"We'll manage, Madhu."

"Jai, Viren, Aditi, you. now I have to look after a dog also?" Madhu asks him.

"I will look after the dog." RK says.

"And when you are in office?"

"We could hire someone to look after the dog." RK offers.

"If I didn't mind one more person running around here, then wouldn't I have hired a nanny?" Madhu asks him murderously. "I have the responsibility of Jai, Viren, Aditi, you, Kaki, Geetha and myself. I can't take anymore responsibilities."

"Madhu..."

"Why couldn't you ask me before saying yes?" Madhu asks him angrily.

"Should I have said no?" RK asks her in shock.

"No... but you could have said something else." Madhu argues.

"Like?" RK asks confused.

"Like, you will think about it." Madhu explains.

"He would have been hurt." RK says shaking his head.

"Then say something else! Anything else! Not yes!" Madhu says Pissed.

"Like I love you?" RK asks.

"What?" Madhu stops in shock.

"Like I love you?" RK asks her again.

"Huh?" Madhu asks in shock.

"I love you." RK says as he kissed her lips then running off he says. "Viren and I will take care of the dog."

"This is bribing!" Madhu shouts at him outraged.

Madhu hears laughter and turns to Jai laughing. He had enjoyed his parents being comical for one minute straight.

**********

"I had been thinking." Madhu tells RK as she snuggled him.

"What?" RK asks her.

"We'll get the dog." Madhu tells him.

"I thought we were getting the dog." RK tells her.

Madhu gives him a look.

Grinning, he says. "Thank you."

"Viren would have been heart broken." Madhu tells him.

"I will explain to him and give him list of low maintenance puppy to pick from." RK tells her.

"Yeah good... but don't ask Viren to look after the puppy. He had been responsible for Aditi for so long. When he met Jai, he naturally started feeling he is responsible for Jai also. Now, he is relaxing and enjoying his childhood. I don't want to burden him with another responsibility. We'll take care of the puppy." Madhu tells him.

"Yeah." RK agrees. "We will take care of the puppy but keep Viren involved in everything regarding the puppy."

"Yes." Madhu says smiling.

**********

They had invited Aditi's and Viren's friends, RK's relatives, some of their neighbors and RK and Madhu's friends for Aditi's birthday party. The morning of the birthday, RK and Madhu had gifted Aditi with the doll house, RK and Madhu also secretly helped Viren pick a birthday gift for Aditi, which Viren declared is from both Jai and him.

The next morning, they all had build the doll house together. By evening, Viren's pup had reached. He had decided on having a French bulldog. Seeing the cute little puppy, everyone had fallen in love with him. RK and Viren had brainstormed and finally decided to name the dog, Thor.

Just as they were getting adjusted to the new member of the family, Madhu's much awaited moment arrived. Jai's teething.

And Jai had gotten cranky and fussy. Then the fever started. Madhu was a mess seeing her baby in pain that RK had no idea who to look after, Jai, the kids or Madhu.

Two sleepless nights later, Jai's fever had come down and he was calming down.

RK was at work. Stuck in a meeting. Their investors were talking about various aspects while RK struggled to keep his eyes open.

As the man kept going on talking and talking, and Mohan furiously glaring at RK for looking so sleepy, there was a loud THUD.

Everyone turns to the sound and sees RK sleeping with his head on the conference table.

"Sir... sir.." Bittuji shakes him.

RK sits up in shock. "What?"

"You slept off." Bittuji informs him, incase he didn't realize.

"Oh." RK turns to look at everyone staring at him in outrage. Amongst them was his father.

"Am I boring you, RK?" The man who had been speaking asks.

"Sorry..." RK sits up as he tried to clear his sleep. "My son started teething, he has been having fever for the last two nights."

Mohan looks at RK worriedly.

"Oh... poor thing. Is he okay?" The man asks understandingly.

"He is better today. Just give me two minutes. I'll come now." RK says as he stood up. "I am very sorry."

"We understand. We have been through that." Someone says reassuringly.

RK smiles and walks off to his cabin to use the washroom.

After washing his face, RK comes out and stops in surprise to see Mohan in his cabin.

"If you can't give your 100% then don't come to office or schedule these meetings." Mohan tells him angrily.

RK nods, not having the energy to fight his father.

Mohan turns to walk off then he hesitates and asks. "How is Jai?"

"You remember his name?" RK asks surprised and happy.

"I've good memory." Mohan replies in a round about way.

"He is better today." RK tells him, feeling happy to know that his father cared for Jai.

Mohan nods and starts to walk off saying. "I have rescheduled the meeting."

"You're leaving?" RK asks him. Mohan works in a different office.

"Yes." And Mohan leaves.

Half an hour after his father had left, RK got a call from his mother.

"Hello, Mom?" RK answers happily.

"How are you, Rishu?" Radha asks him.

"Good, Mom... how are you?"

"I'm fine... Mohan said that Jai is sick."

"Just teething. He is better today." RK tells her happily.

"Why don't you bring him home today?" Radha asks him.

"Is Dad okay with it?" RK asks her gently.

"Yes. He told me to call you." Radha tells him.

RK smiles excitedly. "We'll come in the evening."

After hanging up, RK calls up Madhu and informs about what had happened. And they decided that Madhu will go with the kids while RK will directly come from office.

**********

Though, Madhu was nervous, she was feeling hopeful after the way RK had told her about his father's concern for Jai. Maybe RK's relation with his parents will mend and Jai will also have his grandparents. She followed the butler with the kids. They were taken to the private sitting room.

They hear someone walk in. Seeing RK's mother, Madhu quickly stands up, Viren and Aditi also stands up seeing her do that.

"Where is Rishu?" Radha asks her as she walked to her.

"He is on his way. He will reach now." Madhu tells her smiling politely.

Radha smiles happily at Jai. She extends her hand to him, and Jai being in a better mood goes to her.

Madhu watches as Radha pampers her grandson.

"What are you doing here?" Mohan asks furiously as he walked in.

Madhu turns to him in shock and confusion.

"Who gave you permission to come inside my house?"

Aditi and Viren immediately hugs Madhu, getting scared. Madhu protectively keeps her hands around them and pulls them close.

"You invited us to come." Madhu reminds him.

"I asked Rishu and Jai to come. Not you lot." Mohan says furiously.

"RK thought the invitation was for his family." Madhu tells him.

"Family! Who? These kids and you?" Mohan asks in disgust.

"You've problem with me, keep my kids out of this." Madhu tells him furiously.

"You brought them into my house. Snatched our son from us." Mohan says furiously.

"I didn't snatch anyone. You refused to accept his son." Madhu reminds him.

"We all know how you got that son." Mohan says in disgust. "What kind of a girl are you?"

Madhu felt as he slapped her. She holds her children tighter to herself.

"Your father abandoned you. That itself shows what kind of girl you are and your upbringing."

"Jiji, we will go from here." Viren tells her as he started pulling her.

"I don't want to stay here, jiji. Jiju's Dad is bad." Aditi says as she cried.

"We're leaving." Madhu tells the kids reassuringly.

"Get out of my house. Never show your face to us." Mohan tells her furiously.

"Madhu..."

Hearing RK's voice, they turn to look and sees RK at the door.

Madhu's heart broke seeing him so hurt and his eyes filled up.

Seeing RK, Aditi runs to him and hugs him crying while Viren hugs Madhu tightly, refusing to leave her.

"I don't like it here, Jiju. Your Dad is mean." Aditi tells him as she cried.

RK lifts her up and hugs her tight. "Okay... okay..." he gently pats her.

"Take the kids and go home, Madhu." RK tells her.

Madhu nods and walks to Radha, she tries to take Jai from her. Seeing Madhu, Jai immediately tries to jump on her.

Radha pulls him back. "No... no..."

"Mom, give Jai to my wife." RK tells her.

"I just saw him." Radha pleads as she hugged Jai and Jai had started crying, wanting to go to Madhu.

"Jiji, don't leave Jai here." Viren worriedly tells her.

"I won't." Madhu tells him then she looks at Radha and says as she took Jai from her. "You can come and see Jai whenever you want. No one will stop you. But only you. I will not have any toxic person near my children."

Then holding Jai with one hand and Viren with other, Madhu walks towards RK. Carrying Aditi, RK walks out with them. He puts them in Madhu's car.

"You are not coming?" Madhu asks him worriedly.

"I'll come. You all go." RK tells her.

"Jiju... let's go home." Aditi tells him as she gripped his hand.

"Come, jiju." Viren also tells him.

"I'll come. You go. I'm right behind you."

**********

"When did you become so evil that you would talk like that in front of innocent children?" RK furiously asks his father.

"Why did you bring that girl into my home?" Mohan asks furiously.

"Because she is my wife." RK furiously reminds him.

"That disgusting girl will never be our daughter-in-law." Mohan says furiously.

"What do you know about my wife that you are calling her that?" RK asks him furiously.

"Oh I know about her." Mohan says in disgust. "Sleeps with a man before marriage to trap him for money. She trapped you with Jai. She married you for money and you left your own parents for her."

"Yes!" RK furiously admits. "Yes, Madhu married me for money. What is wrong in that?"

"What are you saying, Rishu? You are supporting her?" Radha asks him in shock.

RK looks at his mother and asks her. "When you were looking for a girl for me, didn't you look for a girl from a rich family? Would you even consider a girl from a poor family?"

"That is not the same." Mohan says indignantly.

"How is it different?" RK asks him. "You want your son to be married to a family with wealth. So, if Madhu decides to get married to a rich man, so her siblings can have a good life, she is a gold digger and if I marry a rich girl then I am not a gold digger, that is just how things are done."

"Would she have married you if you were not rich?" Mohan asks him challengingly.

"That day, Madhu wouldn't. But today, Madhu will because she loves me. That day, money and security was all I could offer. Today, we love each other, and under no circumstances we will abandon each other." RK says.

"What are you saying?" Radha asks him in shock. "You offered her money to marry you?"

RK looks at his mother hurt and says. "The day, Viren and Aditi met me. Madhu told them that I am going to marry her and I am going to be their family. No questions asked, those two kids accepted me as family. Loved me. They are children. They don't know anything. But you are grown up and you have seen world. Still you couldn't accept my wife because she is my wife?"

RK says as tears fell from his eyes. "I promised Madhu that I will love her siblings like my own siblings. But I don't know when they stopped being Madhu's siblings for me, and they became my children. Madhu's and my children. And you asked my children to get out of this house."

"How could you be cruel to children?" RK asks him hurt.

Mohan looks away in guilt and says. "I didn't mean to do that... when I saw that girl, I lost my temper."

"You lost your temper?" RK asks him outraged. "What right do you have to lose your temper at my wife?"

Mohan had no answer to that.

"You insult my wife. And this is the difference between you and my wife, she didn't lose her temper. She didn't speak against you." RK tells him.

"Didn't you hear what she said? She called me toxic." Mohan says furiously.

"Because you are toxic!" RK says furiously. "And if she wanted, she could have spoke against you. All that you accused her, she could have thrown those back at your face and you wouldn't have been able to look her in the eye."

"What are you saying?" Mohan asks irately.

"Remember, Trishna?" RK asks him.

Mohan gulps hearing his daughter's name.

"What does Trishna have to do with this?" Radha asks confused.

"Everything." RK replies. Then looking at Mohan, he says. "You accused Madhu of becoming pregnant before marriage. Trishna was pregnant without getting married. You accused Madhu was abandoned by her father, you abandoned your daughter."

"I never forgave my daughter and you expect me to accept that girl?" Mohan asks him.

"Madhu has made Jai her center. Every single thing, she plans according to Jai's comfort. If Jai is hurt, she feels the pain. And Jai loves Madhu the most." RK shouts out in fury.

"Mother and child are like that." Mohan says in a dismissing tone.

"But Madhu is not Jai's mother." RK tells him.

"What?" Mohan turns to him in shock.

"Madhu is not Jai's mother? Why did you marry her then?" Radha asks him in shock.

"You insulted her and humiliated her. If she wanted she could have told you the truth. But she didn't. Because she knew I would be hurt if you found out the truth so she kept quiet." RK says in pain then shaking his head, he says. "You insulted and humiliated my wife and children. I will not keep quiet."

Then taking a painful breath, fresh tears filling his eyes, he says. "Jai is your grandson but he is not my son."

"What do you.... Trishna?" Radha asks in shock.

RK nods as he gulped. He hated he was going to do this to his parents, but he owed his wife and children.

"She left her baby with you?" Mohan asks in shock.

"She died giving birth to Jai." RK informs them.

Radha quickly grips Mohan as she leaned onto him. "What? Trishna..."

Mohan froze completely, his eyes filling up.

"If you had supported her, maybe she would have been alive today." RK tells them.

He sees his parents break down, crying out loudly for Trishna. But right now, his wife and children needed him. So, he turns around and walks out.

**********

The moment he walked in, Viren and Aditi runs to him and hugs him.

RK kneels down and hugs them. "I am sorry, Dad shouted at you."

"It is not your fault." Viren tells him.

"Did you shout at him for shouting at us?" Aditi asks him.

"Yes."

"Then it is okay." Aditi says as she hugged him happily.

Making sure the children were fine, RK goes to Madhu who had been watching everything quietly.

RK takes her hand and walks to the room.

"What happened after we left?" Madhu asks him.

"I told them the truth." RK tells her as he turned to her.

"Oh my God, RK. They would be hurt. You should be with them." Madhu tells him. She couldn't imagine anything happening to her children and they were just told their daughter is dead.

"He shouldn't have said that to you, Madhu." RK tells.

"It's okay, RK." Madhu says without saying anything.

"Madhu..." RK calls her as he kept her hand on his chest.

Madhu looks up at him, and seeing him so hurt and broken, she breaks into sobs.

She hugs him and says as she cried. "It hurts, RK."

RK hugs her. "I am so sorry, love."

"This was part of the deal we had. I know that. I know people think I am a gold digger. I trapped you with a baby. But no one has said that to my face. It hurts, RK." Madhu says as she cried.

Seeing her cry, tears drop from his eyes.

RK hugs her tight, realizing that he had to come clean to the world so that no one hurt her again like this.

**********

Two days later, Mohan had called RK.

"Can we come to your house?" Mohan asks him.

RK was at a loss for words hearing that question.

"Only if Madhu has no problem with it." Mohan adds on.

"You can come." RK says.

Hanging up, he turns to Madhu and informs her. "Dad and Mom are coming."

Madhu nods. "You should have gone to meet them." Madhu tells him.

"Where you and our children are not welcome, how can I go there?" RK asks her back.

Madhu sighs hearing that. "I'll tell Viren and Aditi about the visit. I'll ask them to stay in the room."

**********

Mohan and Radha had come. RK sat with his parents but none of them said a word. Seeing that all three of them was suffocating in silence, Madhu goes to the kids room and bring Jai from there. She walks to Radha, kneeling in front of her, she offers Jai to her.

Radha picks up Jai and hugging him, she bursts out crying. Mohan also breaks down as he gently touched Trishna's son.

"I shouldn't have said all that to you." Mohan says as he looked at Madhu. "Will you be able to forgive me?"

Madhu nods as her eyes filled up.

"Will you let us be a part of your family?" Mohan requests her.

Madhu nods. "I want Jai to have his grandparents."

Mohan looks at her lovingly and says, "I don't want to be your father-in-law, I would like to be a father to you."

Tears falls from her eyes, as Madhu tells him. "My father never loved me."

Mohan cries as he confesses to her. "I never showed my daughter, how much I loved her."

Radha holds Mohan's hand seeing him breakdown. RK moves to him and wordlessly hugs him.

**********

After sometime, Mohan had asked whether they could meet Viren and Aditi. RK and Madhu, goes to speak to the kids.

"Dad wants to meet you both." RK tells them gently.

"Why?" Aditi asks.

"he doesn't like us." Viren reminds him.

"That was before. Now, he loves you both." Madhu gently tells them.

"And he wants to apologize to you both for shouting at you both." RK tells them.

Viren and Aditi looks at RK unsure.

"If you don't want to meet him or forgive him, then you don't have to." RK tells them.

"Do you want want us to forgive him?" Viren asks him.

"It is your decision." RK tells him.

"Do you want us to?" Viren insists.

"It would make me happy." RK admits.

"Then I will forgive him." Viren tells him.

RK smiles at Viren then he looks at Aditi and sees that Aditi was still confused. "If you don't want to, you don't have to, Aditi."

"I don't want to." Aditi tells him then smiling, she says. "But I will."

RK smiles, his daughter was going to be the end of him. He just knew it.

**********

Viren and Aditi joins Mohan and Radha who were pampering Jai. Seeing the children, Mohan and Radha smiles at them.

"Come here." Radha says as she extended her hand to them.

They walk to them. They look at Mohan and says, "We forgive you."

And Mohan had never been humbled like that in his life.

"I shouldn't have shouted like that. I am very sorry." Mohan tells them guiltily.

"It is okay." Viren tells them.

"Don't shout at Jiji again." Aditi tells him.

"Never. I promise." Mohan tells her as he pulled the kids close.

RK and Madhu watched as Mohan and Radha spoke to the children. Soon, the children were also pretty relaxed with them.

"Do you want to see Thor?" Viren finally asked.

"Thor?" Mohan asks curiously.

"He is my puppy."Viren tells him as he jumped off. "I'll bring him."

Viren had ran to his room and a few seconds later, Thor was running with Viren to greet the guests.

RK and Madhu watched as his parents got acquainted to the latest member of their family.

Later, they had all sat for dinner. Kalyani was bringing in the food when Mohan asks Viren and Aditi, "Radha and I would really love it, if you call us dadu and dadi."

RK and Madhu look at each other surprised.

Aditi nods her head as she smiled at them.

"Can Jai also call you dadu and dadi?" Viren asks them.

"No... Jai will call us Nanu and Nani." Mohan tells them.

Kalyani gasps in shock hearing that. Everyone looks at her and sees her staring at Madhu who was sitting with Jai.

Seeing her shock, Mohan and Radha look at each other, realizing that someone who was with Madhu and Jai, 24x7 hadn't realized that Madhu wasn't Jai's real mother.

RK clears his throat to gain his parents attention. "I want to clear the scandal and clear Madhu's name."

Madhu looks at him surprised.

"You two just found out about Trishna. I was waiting for you get back to normal before I held the press conference to clear this blemish on her character." RK tells them.

"Even yours." Madhu reminds him as she held his hand.

"You should. I will come with you for the press conference." Mohan tells him.

**********

It was Mohan who had spoke through out the conference explaining about Trishna's pregnancy, kicking her out of the house, her delivery and death, then how RK found out, and came up with the lie to protect his parents, and how he had met Madhu and convinced her to marry him.

After they had explained everything, one reporter had asked RK. "RK, so you are saying you didn't know your wife till a week before your wedding. You married a random stranger?"

Realizing the reporter had a hard time believing the truth, RK asks him. "Did you have an arranged marriage or love marriage?"

"Arranged marriage."

"So, your wife was a random stranger to you. I am assuming you met her and spoke to her for a few minutes and decided to marry this random stranger. How is my marriage any different from yours?" RK asks him. "I met Madhu. Spoke to her. We came to an understanding. We decided to get married. Only difference between your marriage and mine is that yours was arranged by family, ours was a decision taken by Madhu and me alone. And just like how you and your wife fell in love with each other after marriage, Madhu and I also fell in love with each other. Our marriage is no different than majority of marriages in our country."

**********

A few days later, RK was in office. As his meeting with Bittuji was wrapping up, Bittuji out of his own stupidity had made a general enquiry.

"How is Jai doing, Sir?" Bittuji had asked.

And RK got all excited. "You haven't seen him in a while. He has become bigger now. Just yesterday, Madhu was saying that his clothes have become small and she was going to get new clothes for him."

"That is nice." Bittuji says genuinely happy.

"Viren and Aditi are also doing well in school."

"That is amazing." Bittuji says happy for the children.

"Viren is so smart. Just the other day, he was telling me all the world capitals. Even I didn't know some of it." RK tells him chuckling.

Bittuji nods wondering where the conversation was going.

"And Aditi... she just joined school but she is there in the singing group already. They had a program for their class assembly and she was singing." RK says as he took his phone and showed Bittuji the video.

Bittuji tried to plaster a smile as he watched a group of small children singing so out of tune with actions some song that he couldn't even make out.

"Viren learned to cycle without side wheels. Let me show you that." RK says excitedly.

Bittuji tightens the smile on his face, worried that his boredom and disinterest would reflect on his face.

The landline rings, and Bittuji jumps on the phone. "Hello?"

RK frowns seeing the way Bittuji was frowning. "I'll call back."

"What is it?" RK asks him.

Bittuji looks at him confused and says. "It's the security, sir. A man is here and he is wants to see you."

"Who?"

"He is claiming to be your father-in-law."

**********

RK stared at Malik as he sat in front of him.

"It's been years since I saw my daughter. I was looking for her and found out she married you. Even my stepchildren are with you. I was.."

RK cuts him off. "Do you know where I live?"

"Yes." Malik replies and says his address.

"Yes, we live there." RK agrees.

"I'm so glad my daughter found you.." Malik says with tear filled eyes.

"Where are you staying?" RK asks him curiously.

"My house."

"But I thought that was locked."

"Yeah... but it is my house... so..." Malik says uncomfortably.

"You say you want to meet her."

"Yes." Malik eagerly says.

"You know where she lives, still you are here instead." RK points out.

"Er.."

"What do you want?" RK asks him.

"My daughter..."

RK cuts him off. "You don't want her. You want my money."

Malik looks at RK in panic.

"You want money."

"I've some debt." Malik says softly.

"I'll come to your house in the evening. Now, leave."

**********

Seeing Madhu with RK, Malik didn't know how to act.

Should he run to her, hug her and cry?

Or should he say sorry for leaving?

Or just speak to RK instead?

"RK said that you need money." Madhu says.

Malik nods.

"And what makes you think that my husband will give you money?" Madhu asks him.

"Oh you didn't understand that?" RK asks Madhu smiling. "He found out that I am married to you but like everyone he also thought that you trapped me with a baby. But after the press conference he realized that I was the one who had proposed and that I love you. He realized that he could bleed me for some money."

Madhu shakes her head in disgust. Then she asks. "Who gave you permission to enter this house?"

"This is my house." Malik tells her.

"It is not." Madhu replies. "You gave it to Leela. She died and now the house belongs to Viren and Aditi."

Malik furiously glares at her.

"You abandoned the woman I love and you think I would give you money?" RK asks him in disgust.

Malik looks at them feeling lost.

"The only thing I am willing to give you is let you in this house rent free for the rest of your miserable life provided that you sign on the papers that give Madhu and me legal guardianship over Viren and Aditi." RK tells him.

Malik smiles smugly hearing that. Being Leela's husband, it did make him legal guardian to her children as they had no other close relatives.

"What do I get in return?" Malik asks. "Not this house. I am their legal guardian so I have control over this. You'll give me 1 crore each for each child, and I will think of signing those papers."

"We don't want to drag the kids through court case. You better sign it." Madhu tells her father.

"Then give me what I want."

"You won't get a penny from us." RK tells him.

"Then I guess see you in court. I'll come to get the kids later today." Malik declares.

"You come near my children and I will kill you." RK furiously warns him.

Madhu gently keeps her hand over RK's hand to stop him. "Do you really think that you can win against Rishabh Kundra?" Madhu asks her father incredulously. "His lawyers will eat your lawyers up."

"You abandoned your daughter. No court is going to give you custody of two children." RK tells him. "If this matter goes to court then you can forget about living in this house. I'll kick you out this second."

"I want my house back." Malik says furiously.

"We can't do anything about that. The owners of this house are minors." RK tells him. "You can wait till they grow up and deal the matter with them but I doubt you will live that long. Some miserable disease is going to get you before that."

"Don't make us come here again. The lawyers will call and you be ready to sign." Madhu tells her father.

**********

Two days later, RK was in his office when Mohan had come to see him.

"Did you speak to Madhu?" Mohan asks him.

"I did, Dad." RK says as he put down the custody documents.

"And?" Mohan asks eagerly.

RK gently tells him. "They kids have been going through a lot of changes. Now, they have settled into this life. Now, if we move back home, it will be another change for them."

Mohan nods understanding. "You are right." Then he curiously looks at the paper and asks. "What is this? Legal guardianship?"

"For Viren and Aditi. Madhu's father agreed to sign." RK tells him.

"But why are you not adopting them?" Mohan asks shocked.

RK smiles seeing the change that has come over his father. Then he explains. "Madhu and I decided against it. "They had a father, then a stepfather, then I came as their jiju, and now if I say I want to be their father... it is too much for them. They are too small. They will have identity crisis. And the truth is we don't know what kind of a man their father is. Maybe he was a man who loved his children. We shouldn't snatch his name from them."

"Even if they call you jiju, you are the father figure in their life." Mohan tells him as he patted his arms.

RK smiles hearing that.

**********

Epilogue

11 years later

"Jiju..." Aditi calls him.

"Yeah?" RK walks to her.

"Come closer." Aditi tells him.

RK bends down to her majesty who was lying on the couch.

"Closer, jiju. It is secret."

RK moves closer with his ear next to her mouth. "What is it?"

"I think Jiji is pregnant." Aditi whispers to him.

"Who told you?" RK looks at her in shock.

"Jiji is not keeping well." Aditi tells him.

"I know." RK replies his heart slamming against his chest.

Almost 10 years later, Madhu and RK had started thinking of a baby. When Jai had turned 3, Madhu had rejoined college, then after she had finished her studies, she had joined their office. She was working with his father, as his father had decided that Madhu would take over from him once he decides to step down.

Once Madhu had got settled into office, they had tried for a baby. When she didn't get pregnant in the next couple of months, they had consulted a doctor.

The doctor had said that chances of Madhu getting pregnant was 40% and had suggested that they go in for treatment. Madhu and RK had talked it over and decided that they were happy with their three kids and both of them didn't want to go through the stress of fertility treatment, and if things happened naturally then let it happen otherwise it was fine.

She had been unwell the last couple of days, and Madhu had said it was because work tension.

"Did Madhu tell you?" RK asks her.

"She doesn't know." Aditi tells him.

"Then how do you know?" RK asks her confused.

"Dadi had come today. I heard her and Kaki discussing whether jiji could be pregnant."

"I will talk to Madhu. You don't tell anyone." RK tells her.

Aditi nods.

They had talked to the kids before they had decided to try for a baby and they had all been excited for it. When they told them about the fertility issue, Aditi and Jai had quickly accepted it even though they were upset but Viren had been heartbroken. So, he didn't want to give the them any hopes before it was confirmed.

He was about to go to his bedroom when he hears the doorbell ring.

"I ordered pregnancy kit." Aditi loudly whispers to him.

**********

RK walks to his bedroom and sees Madhu sleeping. He sits next to her and kisses her forehead.

Madhu opens her eyes and looks at him. "RK..."

RK smiles at her.

"I saw a dream and I was holding a baby." Madhu tells him. "Do you think I should take a test and see?"

RK smiles even more hearing that. He gives her the test kit. "Aditi overhead Mom and Kaki talking that you were having pregnancy symptoms."

Madhu looks at him astonished. She takes the kit and starts to get off the bed then she asks him. "What if I am not?"

"We have our hands full three children." RK reminds her with a loving smile.

Madhu smiles hearing that.

**********

The moment Aditi saw RK and Madhu's face, she jumps up shouting in excitement as she ran to Madhu and hugged her.

"What is happening?" Jai asks as he came running towards them with Viren behind them.

"Why are you shouting?" Viren asks.

Aditi excitedly looks at RK and Madhu.

Seeing RK and Madhu smiling excitedly, Viren says softly with a smile. "You are pregnant."

"How did you know?" Madhu asks him shocked.

"You were not keeping well last few days. You said it was work stress, but I googled and it said you could be pregnant." Viren says as he hugged her.

Jai runs to her and hugs her. "Mama, we want baby girl." Jai says as he scowled at Aditi.

RK rolls his eyes. "We don't get to decide it."

Madhu smiles hearing Jai's demand. Jai and Aditi had a love hate relation. Jai was the baby of the family and he demanded that he be treated like that but then Aditi has RK wrapped around her fingers. Jai gets jealous when RK always lets Aditi have her way.

Once the celebration had died down, RK and Madhu had sat down to discuss whether they should move back to his mansion. His parents were getting old and their family was growing.

The baby wouldn't need a room anytime now, but the baby would need one. Aditi and Viren had their own room. Jai also had his own room but that was mostly used as the guest room because Jai was scared to sleep alone.

He was like a refugee running between Viren and Aditi's room. He mostly slept in Viren's room, and Viren and Jai were as thick as thieves. Jai and Thor followed around Viren. Thor was getting really old and RK and Madhu knew that Thor wouldn't be with them for long. They had even talked to Viren and had prepared him for it. Viren had said that after Thor, he might not have another pet again.

And the off chance Viren wasn't home or Jai had fought with Viren, he will go to Aditi's room. Depending on her mood Aditi lets him sleep in her room. Aditi adored and dotted on Jai, but she was RK's princess and could be selfish when she is in a bad mood. RK and Madhu weren't really worried about it, as they understood that it was her teenage phase and she will get over it.

"Why are you smiling?" Madhu asks RK.

"I was just thinking. Our children, three of them have three different personalities. One is too sensitive, one is selfish and one is still a baby." RK says chuckling. "I am wondering how the fourth one will be."

Madhu smiles. "Do you want a boy or girl?"

"Boy." RK declares.

"Really? I thought you would want a girl." Madhu says surprised.

"When it comes to Aditi my heart is a marshmallow." RK says in dread. "My tender heart will not be able to handle the manipulation of one more daughter."

Madhu laughs and reminds him. "You are the one who wanted to be the good and fun parent. My heart says, we are getting a girl."

"Oh God. Save my soul." RK prays.

*** The End ***

*phew* that was unnecessarily long.

I have no idea, who all got here till the end.

Like I said, not much story.

Please vote and comment if you have read it till hear.

- Lazy