"Be my everything, for today, for eternity."

A week had flown since the major incident which shook everyone to the core. It was all sudden and unexpected. Nobody ever fathomed Urvashi to take such a huge step but she did and now she was dead.

Urvashi attempted suicide by taking a bottle of sleeping pills. She could have been saved but it was too late when she was taken to the hospital. Harshvardhan thought she was asleep but when morning arrived and she didn't open her eyes, he was puzzled. She slept past noon, very un- Urvashi like.

When he asked Nisha to arouse her mom, her silence was startling. He didn't know what to do. They rushed to the hospital but all that the doctor did was apologize.

Atharva and Aahana had been informed.

The revelation was met with stunned silence. Agreed, they hated the woman but why would Urvashi do so was still a question which the police were trying to solve.

Atharva had some idea, so did Aahana but they didn't want to overthink.

Atharva saw his father cry after years. He realized the man had fallen in love with Urvashi. His cries were of a husband mourning the death of his wife.

Nisha was sobbing miserably, her shoulders shook violently and no one was able to control her.

And he? He didn't shed a single tear.

He didn't feel any remorse. He didn't care.

His face showed nothing when she was being carried to the cremation pyre. He was made to perform all the rites, and he did but no emotions were involved.

His hatred for the woman was beyond his control and humanity.

People thought it was his way of coping through the grief, only if they knew.

When they returned home, no words were exchanged. There was nothing to say. Aahana was overly concerned, and every time she'd glance his way, he remained motionless with a vacant expression. As the days progressed, the only form of communication was hand gestures and head nods. Most of the time, it was Aahana trying to talk to him, asking if he was okay while he stayed quiet. Of course, he wasn't okay. Aahana was glad she'd sent her sister away the day they got the news; otherwise, Atharva would have felt even more suffocated.

There was a lot of thinking which didn't stop for a while, not until they finally decided to share it with each other. And when they did, they knew Urvashi's death was somewhat their fault.

The threats they threw were taken seriously by her and the fear that consumed her led her to her end. In a way, it was the result of her own deeds.

They didn't want to be heartless but they were relieved.

They decided to forget the mishap and move on.

It was difficult. They couldn't forget the presence of Urvashi in the house just a few days back. It haunted them. They felt like she was rounding them, blaming them for her death.

And the most important question still awaited. And Aahana wanted to ask him already. She would open her mouth and close it again. She didn't know how to approach the topic. She didn't want to come across too straight forward.

"Atharva?" Aahana finally found her voice. He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes and he knew what exactly she wanted to ask.

"Uh so are you planning to tell dad?"

Atharva's finger tapped on the laptop and he refused to answer her for a minute after which he shook his head slowly. "No. He is gone through a lot. I shouldn't burden him anymore."

Aahana understood. His father was already so guilty for not looking after him much and now if he told the truth, he was going to regret his every decision and doubt himself as a father. And now since he was so old, what he needed was rest.

She nodded at him. "Okay then, I'm going to office today."

Atharva's eyebrow rose in surprise and he immediately shook his head to which Aahana frowned. "Why not? I'm absolutely fine now."

She demonstrated so by jumping and running around him. Her cast was removed just yesterday and since Urvashi's death was before that, their idea of hiding the accident went futile. Everyone saw a limping Aahana and she had to behave like it was nothing. But she knew better. Atharva had already told her everything from how Urvashi had planted the plan into action to his visit to her.

It all made sense after that. She wanted to kill that bitch but she herself did the task.

Maybe they'd have given her a chance and let everything go if she left them in peace but Urvashi seemed to have her own plans. She must have been really scared.

He scratched his jaw and laughed, for the first time in days. "Okay fine,"

"Thanks," She grinned and hugged him. "You go ahead, I'll get ready and come."

Atharva nodded and stuffed his laptop into his bag. He picked his keys and brushed his lips against her forehead before leaving.

***
Atharva was in his office, sorting out some work when he received a call from Aahana. Her voice sounded really quiet and he couldn't help but worry when she told him to immediately come to his parents' house.

He asked her if something was wrong but all she did was tell him to hurry up before hanging up. He was confused alright, what was she doing there anyway when she should be here in the office?

For a moment he contemplated not going but groaning, he took off. He wanted to forget everything and since it had been days now, he didn't understand the sudden need to visit his father.

He parked outside the huge white mansion and stilled when his eyes landed on the police van, narrowing a bit in surprise. He got out and strode in calmly but inside he felt like exploding due to anxiety.

Everything was silent and everyone related to Urvashi was gathered in the hallway with the police officer standing in one corner and others searching around the house.

He looked at his father who looked devastated and puzzled like he couldn't believe something. When his eyes met Atharva's, he grimaced and looked down, somewhat in shame.

Atharva blinked and approached Aahana with his eyebrows raised in question. She shook her head and motioned towards the policeman with a look that made him gulp.

"Mr. Saxena, we would like to have a word with you."

He nodded and tilted his head to his father's study.

They both walked in, "We already told them before you came. So it would be better to talk here."

Whatever was to come couldn't be anything nice, he knew from the look of others.

"Urvashi was your step-mother, correct?"

"Yes."

"Hmm, how often did u see her?"

"Not much. Since my wife had a fracture, I had to take care of her and the office had me quite busy."

"Fracture you say? How did it happen?"

"She met with an accident a month before."

Something seemed to have clicked with the police officer. "Oh yes, the truck hit and run case. We will find out soon."

Atharva nodded. He didn't want to say anything more. He already knew who was behind it.

"About your mother, it is very important for you to know that she was unstable."

"What do you mean?" Atharva wasn't hearing right for sure. She seemed fine if you forget her brutal side.

"Medical reports say so. When we investigated further, we found her visits and calls were mostly to a psychiatrist. We met with her who told us some things which might be too difficult for you to handle Mr. Saxena."

"W-what is it?"

"She was mentally ill for 10 years now. She had stopped socializing with people and most of her time was spent on alcohol and drugs. She was visiting the psychiatrist very often and from there we caught on a piece of information. She was guilty about something which she refused to tell her doc but yes, she was very violent and she had even tried to harm other members in the clinic quite a few times. So since this is a deliberate suicide attempt, we'll have to shut the case."

He followed the policeman quietly, shocked to his bones. He had no idea about any of this. And even if he did know, he still blamed her. Mental sickness or not, she had no right to play games with people. Her actions could never be justified and Atharva would never forgive her.

He spotted Aahana sitting on the sofa with Nisha. She stood up and walked up to him, her eyes searching his face. They didn't talk.

After some time the cops left and Atharva didn't have any reason to stay. He squeezed his dad's shoulder softly and told him to take care. His father didn't stop him and just nodded quietly.

He felt bad walking away from his dad but he had nothing to give. Only the truth which couldn't be said. Never.

The ride home was yet again a silent one. Atharva directly headed to his room and shut the door behind him, leaving Aahana to herself. Night followed and for the first time in months, Aahana slept in the other room. Their insides felt cold and lonely, but space was needed and she had to give him that, for tonight at the least.

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