AVANTHI
✨

'So....did you ma...ma...marry her?' I asked when there was pin drop silence in the room. Neil took a deep breath saying

'No I didn't!!! I played smart!!! This time Shanky Anna helped me.' he said with a quirky smile.

I looked at Shankar Anna who smirked and leaned back into his chair saying 'They say when you are dealing with a wolf you need to think like a wolf. And wolves have a pack. Camellia tried to use us to her advantage only because we were two separate individuals fighting her evil plans separately. This time we joined hands.' he smiled and Neil smiled back too and continued

'I kept a condition infront of her that we cannot marry until she delivers the child. She tried objecting to it but when we told her that she's someone we don't trust a tiny bit and we fear she can even harm the child and any and every legal procedure would happen only after she keeps a healthy baby in our hands, she was fuming. She was pissed. She even tried threatening me but we both stood tall and strong on this point and she agreed.

Just when all of this was happening I received the Ultra sound reports from you and I was speechless. I couldn't stop my happy tears knowing I was going to have a baby with you Avanthi' he confessed and I couldn't stop my tears. I wiped my face. How much I wanted to hear this from his mouth. How much I wanted to know if he wanted the baby as much as I did.

I was going to fly back to you that very moment but Camellia being Camellia threatened me again. And this time she threatened to kill not just her baby but also our baby. You were at their gunpoint Ava...One trigger and I would lose you. Here she had kept a knife at her belly threatening to harm her child as well. It was the need of the hour. I had to send you the message that you received. I called my own baby a bastard.

I knew no mother would be able to take those words for her child and you hated me too. And then you never reached me again. I had asked my men to keep an eye on you. I assured you were fine. But I couldn't do much because just like my men kept an eye on you, Camelia also had hired some men to keep an eye on you. One action from my end and they were ready to harm you. I was scared Avanthi. I was scared for you...for our child. But then you sent the DNA reports. I was knowing how you were struggling through everything. The morning sickness, office, home...I could feel your pain Ava...it's just that I was helpless.

You need not even had to send those paternity test reports Avanthi. I trusted you.' he said and I broke down badly. Kevin patted on my back and Shanky Anna offered me some tissues. I took a little time to calm down. Once I felt better he continued.

Then one day Shanky Anna heard Camellia talking to the men to try to crush you under a car and it has to look like an accident clearly. He immediately informed me and my men saved you from that murderous plan of hers. You had minor scratches and you thought it was just an accident. It wasn't. It was Camellia's way of telling us what she was capable of doing. By now we knew we couldn't sit quietly and had to somehow involve police but not without loosing Shanky Anna's child. She was a disgusting human, we knew what a terrible mother she would be and knowing she was going to have a baby girl worried us more. She was capable of doing anything so we started gathering proofs against her.

In the meantime we got to know Camellia has planned another attack on you and this time I had to stop it. I was satisfied about one thing is that you weren't leaving home and that was the only thing that kept me sane. But I was scared of what if those men enter your house and do something to you. And then I got to know you were traveling. You were better off in London but your sudden Bangalore plans were giving me restless nights. Because in India it was very easy for Camellia to attack you. The reason why I came to meet you but you were scared of me. I didn't know why but you somehow thought that I was going to take your child away from you!!! I was completely taken back by your behaviour. You were shuddering when I touched you!!! I wasn't even understanding anything!!!' he said and I quickly said

'Thats because I got a message from your phone that you will take away my baby from me and raise it with Camellia!!!' and his eyes widened in shock.

'Whattttt???' and I nodded. 'I was scared you will take away my baby.'

'I never sent any such message Avanthi. Trust me. I loved our child as much as you did!!!'

'Should be one of her filthy plans. It's not so tough accessing your phone when you stay in the same house.' Shankar Anna said when Neil wiped his face. I kept looking at me with a blank expression when said

'I came running to you because I had to keep you safe. I didn't have my men in India but Camellia did and I couldn't take any risks!!! But you saw me and ran away. I tried stopping you. But I couldn't stop what was in our destiny. That accident. We lost everything to that accident. Directly indirectly I was responsible for our loss Avanthi...I'm sorry' saying he broke down like a child and I shook my head continuously trying to tell him that we all were helpless. But tears didn't stop rolling down my eyes too. We had lost our baby.

Shankar Anna patted his back and whispered something in his ears and after a few minutes Neil was fine. He was still sobbing so Shankar Anna decided to continue...

'After Avanthi's accident we both brothers knew that we weren't dealing with just another crook, Camellia was a big player. She was here for something big so we also decided to weave a bigger web to trap her. Neil started to pretend that he was softening towards Camellia. But Camellia was a smart woman. She wouldn't fall for something that easily. We had to play and hide at the same time. We had to gain her trust as well as keep Roshni safe from her claws.

We waited for an opportunity and like expected we got one. Camellia had hired a gang of men who directly worked for the mafia. Initially she pretended to be the delicate poor woman who needed justice but after she planned the attack on you and wanted to always keep an eye on you, even the men who were professional criminals didn't like her. But then it was their job so the men who kept asking for a certain decent amount from her started charging a huge sum from her specially since she moved into Indira Nivas because I wanted my child's safety.

Camellia tried convincing them to continue with their work but when she slowed down and eventually couldn't pay their charges for more than two months, these men came back threatening her. Trust me we would have loved giving her into the hands of those men because she didn't deserve to live but she carried my baby. So I decided to pay the amount so they don't harm her further. But that's when Neil's brain kicked in and we made a fail proof plan to trap her.

Neil took a drastic step of selling his 30 percent equity in the market. And that was huge. It meant billions of dollars and like expected Camellia lost it. She called him a fool because no one sells equity in market just like that when they are so profitable. Camellia was pissed because she wanted Neil to transfer the shares on her name too but that's exactly what we didn't want !! We couldn't let the control of the organisation go to her. But when he gave her the money, she was shocked. She was thrilled seeing that much amount at the same time and slightly emotional too. That day we knew we made a dent. She started trusting Neil.

Then Neil started playing an emotional game with her where he told her that he hates me because I remind him of his father's deeds. He was worried for his mother and slowly Camellia started discussing her evil plans with him. Gradually her concentration diverted from Avanthi to Shankar. You were no longer her target now because Neil was hers but now I was a threat. Because I could take away her child from her. No, she didn't care for her child, all she cared was the money and property that would no longer benefit her. She started feeling all this pregnancy and baby making to be useless now. She wanted to profit from this. So Camellia being Camellia asked Neil to marry her which is exactly what we wanted her to do!!!' Shankar Anna said and I screamed

'Tell me once and for all... did he marry her or not? Why does the pendulum again started swinging in that direction again? Damn it!!! This is annoying!!!' when Kevin offered me some more coffee and said 'Relax!!! Patience!!! Let him finish' and I pouted and took a sip of the coffee when Shankar Anna asked

'If the lady hulk has left your body may I continue?' and I narrowed my eyebrows.

This man is at the peak of sarcasm. How did Camellia even pretend to fall for him. He's so rude and sarcastic. I wanted to listen further, so I nodded.

'Thank God!!! You sure Neil your wife isn't a werewolf or something? She is always angry!!!' he said again when I shot him a death glare when Neil cleared his throat saying 'Ummm Shanky Anna...I think you must continue. We know Shine can come back anytime. We don't want her to hear anything!!!' and I raised an eyebrow. Seems like my husband is playing neutral. The moment we go to India, I'm definitely feeding him Pattu's special food and Pakku's famous maggii recepies for atleast a week!!! Such a Dal-Badlu (defector).

Shankar Anna continued.

'Neil and Camellia's marriage preparations continued. She was heavily pregnant then. Let's say precisely 8 months pregnant. A church wedding was planned and...'

'And???' I felt like my hope was hanging onto a thread when Shankar Anna said

'And on the day of wedding police arrives. In NewYork state judiciary adultery is a huge crime. You can go to jail from months to years and the paternity reports and her pregnancy was more than enough proof that she was cheating upon me. Police also took Neil along for interrogation but like planned Neil denied that he didn't know anything about her and my affair. And that he also felt cheated. He wanted to press charges on her too.

Now that infuriated Camellia and in the verge of saving her already burning ass in anxiety she started confessing things infront of the police. She threatened Neil that she would tell everything to his mother and brother and to me she shouted and yelled to kill my child. And she tried to harm herself. In the police station. That was the last straw. Police saw how crazy she behaved. All of this was recorded on their interrogation cameras as NewYork police has cameras for recording in interrogation rooms.

And forged about me or Neil..Police themselves believed she wasn't mentally stable. But unfortunately that's when her labour pain invoked and she was rushed to the hospital. Although earlier than expected but a healthy and beautiful Roshni was born.

Roshni was kept under foster care for months and although Camellia was allowed to breastfeed her child but wasn't allowed to be with her. The court of law feared she may harm the child. Because she tried self harm which again is a crime in the court of law.

I continued fighting for my child. We had enough proofs to prove Camellia's imbalanced mental health, let's say each and every message she sent to me trying to blackmail me was enough proof to show what a mess she was. She was trapped in her own cage but in the verge of all this we lost Roshni's precious nine months. But nevertheless I finally got Roshni aka Shine's solo custody. I got my child and as per law Camellia doesn't have any rights on her child. And Camellia was so desperate to get rid of all these legal troubles that she went on to curse Roshni and tell that she never wanted her in the first place. She was happy to let it go. Court was totally convinced that she's unfit to be called a mother and that she would have no legal rights on Roshni ever.' and I was shocked. But I was also happy knowing the fact that Camellia isn't Roshni's legal guardian.

But I was still confused. If so then why is she around Roshni again?

'You must be confused thinking why has she re-appeared in our lives?' I nodded.

'The legal battle with Camellia was not the only battle that I had to fight. We had another one too. Camellia in the verge of avoiding the jail term proved that she has mental issues and court out of sympathy decided she needs medical help and was transferred to an mental asylum.

We thought Camellia's chapter had finished so Neil and I, we decided to go back to our routines but Neil had got attached to Roshni as much as me. If her first word was 'Dadda' which she still addresses me as, her next word was 'Popsy'. We were half brothers but Roshni's entry in our lives and now we have another bond holding us both together. So...we decided to let go off everything and joined hands in bringing up Roshni together.

Neil didn't want us staying in Newyork. He thought it wasn't safe for us to always live here. So he transferred the remaining fifteen percentage shares on my name making me the highest share holder for Shine Group on the board and exited the organization. Along with expanding IN Designs to the Australian market, we also decided to change Shine Group's headquarters to Sydney. Mom already had a base there and then Kevin who was Siddesh uncle's son also lived in Sydney in the Sehgal Group of Hospitals.

Other than being my good friend since childhood days, he was also a pediatrician. Kevin helped me settle down in his neighbourhood. Twice or thrice a year I would bring Roshni to NewYork for vacations. Neil would join us too. And my baby would have a gala time. If her Dadda was readily available for her, her Popsy was only a phone call away. She never missed existence of a mother in her life.

Until one day... Camellia... returned.' he said leaving us shocked.