Ishita was shaking from panic, as she slid down the wall of the bedroom and ended up sitting on the floor, as she pushed her knees closer and hugged herself tight. The visceral feeling of bleeding couldn't help but take over her as if it was happening all over again. 

But she was brought back to reality, as she overheard a crying Jia. She laid in bed, kicking her tiny feet left and right, as she screamed in loud cries. 

Ishita was breathing heavily, as she slowly got up and shakingly walked over to Jia. She sat next to her on the foot of the bed, and looked at the little being. She caressed the baby girl's face gently, as she couldn't help but tear up looking at her. 

She touched the little hand of hers, getting more emotional. 

"woh bhi itni hi choti hogi...jab woh meri kok mein hi marr gayi...ya kya pata ladka hoon...main toh usse bacha hi nahi paye..jaane se pehle hi kho diya usse..." stated ishita morosely, her words were of excruciating pain. 

"aapki mumma toh aapko bachate hue marr gayi...aap se ek maa ka pyaar thodi chinna chahiye...main aapko kabhi unki kami nahi mehsoos hone dungi...pakka promise..." stated ishita, as she wiped off tears, and picked up jia in her arms. 

"aap bhi mujhe uski kami mehsoos nahi hone dogi na?" asked ishita rhetorically, sheer agony in her voice, pulling jia close to her chest, in a tight embrace. 

                                                                           ***

Purvi was ironing clothes on the bed of her bedroom, or honestly, what still felt like kavin's bedroom, where she was an uninvited guest, with an a forceable, unwanted presence. 

She looked at her clothes, her old clothes, that made her reminisce of an old life. 

Purvi sat in a simple but beautifully floral design embroidery, pink in color. Her mother was dressed mundanely, but it seemed like this is the first in a long while she had gotten ready for anything, maybe this was the first thing in a while she has actually been looking forward to. Kavin sat disinterestedly with his mother, who just awkwardly looked at what went on in front of her. 

"do mahine baad, 15 ka mahaurat shubh hai." stated the pandit, as clearly purvi's mother's face fell.

"pandit ji main toh agle mahine tak yahan  rahungi ke nahi yeh bhi nahi pata...thoda jaldi koi mahaurat hai?" asked her mother, as kavin was just plain astounded, while his mother just looked at him awkwardly, knowing exactly what he was thinking. 

"aaj hi ka tha..." stated the pandit sadly.

"theek hai phir, aaj ka din abhi khatam kaha hua hai...kardete hai aaj raat hi shaadi." ideated purvi's mother, as everyone was baffled. 

"mummy...aise kaise..." attempted purvi to rationalise with her, but it seemed like she was not at all ready for it. 

"purvi, dekh mere mann ka bhoj jitna jaldi halka ho, utni araam se main jaa paungi shanti se iss duniya mein, mujhe mat rok." pleaded her mother with such earnestness, that purvi was left in a spot that all her will to say no was completely robbed from her. 

Kavin just remained baffled, and got up angrily to leave the room, making his mother run after him. 

Purvi glanced at the suit again, one she used to actually like, but now just carries with it a memory she loathes. She sighed in disappointment, as she looked around the room, that seemed like  a prison she had been sentenced to while she did nothing wrong. 

                                                          ***

Kavin looked at his lunchbox, purvi would always make the most perfect looking lunch for him, but somehow he never in his heart felt the want for it. He wanted to just throw it away, but forcefully, he teared a small bite from the chappatti and dipped it into the daal makhani. But as he started to chew, he was taken to their wedding day, or in his head, nothing short of doom's day. 

Kavin got inside his room angrily, as his mother followed him behind, shutting the door close. 

"kavin..dekho, mujhe pata hai tum iss waqt khushi nahi dekha sakte par kamse kam iss tarah naraazgi dekhana band karo! unhe bura lagega!" exclaimed his  mother in a stern voice. 

"maa mujhe gussa hai aap par! kaise ruko usse! aap ne bas ek marti aurat pe taras khaa kar mere upar ek zabradasti ki biwi thop di hai! arre aapko pata toh hai yaar, main nahi karta purvi ko pasand! bachpan se hi...aap toh zabardasti humari dosti bhi nahi kara payi bachpan mein chahane par, ab seedha shaadi kaise karloon usse! humari nahi banegi! hum mein kuch bhi common nahi hai! taras se shaadi kaise chalaunga main!" yelled kavin, letting out his frustration, as his mother had no words left to argue with. 

"dekho, agar tum mana kardoge, toh tum keh rahe ho ki meri zubaan ka tumhare liye koi mayna nahi hai...tum meri insult karoge. agar tumhe manzoor hai toh theek hai, der kahan hui hai, kardo jake manna!" yelled his mother, clearly her frustrations coming out too, as kavin only facepalmed himself. 

"maa yeh sahi nahi hai..."  kavin said softly, hurt, as his mom only sighed in repent. 

"zindagi sahi galat pe nahi chalti mere bache." stated his mother tragically. 

 Kavin looked at the food again, seeming as bland to him, as his unwanted wife. 

                                                                      ***

Ishita was changing diaper of jia, making her lie on the bed, as she was constantly making funny faces in the middle to keep the baby entertained. Dushyant was clearly left surprised to see this when he entered the room. 

A tiny, tight lipped smile crept up on his face, as he walked over to ishita, which she quickly realised. 

"aap..kab aaye..." let out ishita awkwardly. 

"abhi, bas...jab tum apni jeeb nikal rahi thi, iske saamne..." remarked dushyant playfully, as ishita bit her tongue in awkwardness. 

"ab aapki bachi ko cartoonon jaisi harkatein karte log pasand hai toh main kya karoon...." responded ishita in her defence, embarrassed, continuing to quietly change the diaper, as dushyant couldn't help but let out a light scoff. 

"chalo, iska timepass hogaya aur tumhara bhi, cartoon bante.." stated dushyant jokingly, as he had a smirk on his face, and ishita just glared at him. 

"pure din nahi cartoon bani..." rebuked ishita in such an unironic way that made it very hard for dushyant to hold his chuckle, but he somehow managed. 

"acha, phir kya kiya?" inquired dushyant. 

"maine isse ghar mein hi jhulla jhula diya..." stated ishita proudly,as dushyant just raised his brow, making her signal to him to wait. 

After finishing changing the diaper, she lifted her in her arms, holding her such that the baby now lay in between both of her wrists joined together. then she rocked her back and forth, making dushyant immediately concerned, as he got hold of jia. 

"kya hua!" exclaimed ishita, astonished. 

"ishita, kuch hai jia ke baarein mein...joh tumhe pata nahi hai..." alluded dushyant, to a secret to be revealed to ishita, which she was in suspense to hear.