Check if you've read the previous update.
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Sana excused herself and went into her room as she was reminded of her painful past which got triggered due to the same question on which it had all started.

Why did Sidharth ask me such question all of a sudden? Why did he say those exact words spoken by Shekar 'I have good physic and beautiful face and asked me why I can't persue career in modelling'? Did he come to know that I am Shanaya Kapoor? I trust Sidharth but I am afraid of visiting the old lane before making myself stronger.

Shekar surely must be insanely searching for me. After all he has invested his 10 years behind the million dollars worth property that I made over those year through modelling.

Though he spent cash lavishly, the decision of keeping our marriage a secret didn't benefit him in owning any property. I don't have any liquid cash in hand at present which makes me financially weak but I have huge amount of property in my name which he can never acquire without my will.

I am just gaining enough strength to destroy him fully until then I can't let out my identity.

Sana falls asleep lost in her thoughts. After 3 hours, she is woken up by crying Aadhya. She locks the door and feeds Aadhya. Post feeding Aadhya she goes out to find Sidharth in kitchen.

"Sidharth, what are you doing?", She asks.

"Oh! How is your headache now?", He asks while he was tempering mustard and cumin in oil.

"I am feeling better", She goes close to him and watches him cooking. He puts in a pinch of asafoetida into the oil followed by curry leaves and dry chillies. Sana starts coughing.

"Sana, go and sit over there. The smoke from chilli is making you cough.", He says by turning off the flame.

"For that you should turn on this exhaust fan, Sidharth", suggests Sana. He smilingly nods his head. They both touch the exhaust switch at the same time, causing his hands to be placed over her hand instead. She bites her lips and takes back her hand.

"Aaa.. sorry", says Sidharth hesitantly.

He pours the mustard tempering into the gravy. She sniffs and sighs. He smiles.

"I am making South Indian Sambhar today.", He tells her.

"Smells so good. The aroma itself has aroused my taste buds and doubled my appetite. I never knew you are an expert in cooking.", She said.

"Aren't you plastering me up more than required without even tasting it?", He asks with a blush.

She laughs.

"Okay, then let me taste it.", She says.

He picks up an spoon from the drawer and scoops a little sambar in it. He places his one hand under the spoon and carefully blows air to cool it down. While she was lost staring at him doing so, he takes the spoon closer to her mouth and his other hand below her chin. She smiles and opens her mouth to taste.

"How is it?", He asks.

"Ummm... Perfect! What are we waiting for? Let's have our lunch.", she says picking up two plates from the shelf. He laughs loudly.

"The rice.. the cooker is yet to whistle.", He says.

She makes a sad pout and he couldn't help but gawk at her cute antics. While they both had a little moment, the cooker whistled. Sana looks at the cooker.

"Pufff!! One whistle closer to hog", sighs Sana. He chuckles nodding his head.

"Since how long have you been cooking?", She asks.

"Hmm.. Since the age of 23. Hmmm.. so 7 years.. yeah.. Seven years for that incident..", he says with heavy voice.

"Which incident?", She asks. The cooker blows a second whistle.

"The incident which orphaned me once again. It was my master's degree convocation that day. They were very excited and had waited to witness this day always. I left early on my bike while they drove by their car to the hall. After the convocation ceremony, my classmates insisted me to join for a party while they started for home. They never made it back home. ", He said with moist eyes.

"I am sorry, Sidharth. I can understand the pain of losing our loved ones. I have always been on the losing end. So much so that I am scared of forming a new bond because I fear I will lose them as well.", She said with painful eyes.

He looked at her and he gets a feel of giving her a warm hug. He lifts his hand but the third whistle blows and Sana walks towards the stove to turn it off.

What's wrong with you Sidharth? You were going to hug her? What would have she thought if you had to do so?

He bit his lips and simply scrolled through his phone to divert the mind.

They soon sat together to devour the lunch prepared by Sidharth.

"Sampada loved sambar.", He says recalling his old memories.

"Sampada? Your wife?", Asks Sana.

"Huh? No, my sister and Aadhya's mother.", Said Sidharth.

"Huh? Aadhya is your niece? I thought she was your daughter.", Asks Sana.

"Though I was adopted, maa-papa never loved me less than Sampada. At the age of 10, she learnt that I was adopted and she started disliking me. It turned into hate when maa-papa passed away in the incident. She blamed me for their death as they had come for my convocation. She was 15 then. I was her only relative after maa-papa passed away. I tried my best to give her every happiness after maa-papa. When she turned pregnant at the age of 21, I freaked out. I blame myself for unable to upbring her the way maa-papa would have if they were alive. She wanted to abort her child and I stopped her from doing so. She was angry with me for doing so. 8 months back, on 5th Feb, while I drove my car through Kaali ghati in the evening, a car bizarrely ran infront of us and to save us from the accident, I turned the steering and hit a tree. She was brain dead but still survived until Aadhya's birth.", He opened up his hidden wound to her.

Sana was shocked.

5th Feb, evening Kaali Ghati, that was the same place and time when I had an accident. I had strangulated the driver to death who wanted to transport me to another country after Shekar had sold me to an NRI. The car that ran bizarre was the one in which I was travelling. That means, I was the cause for Sampada's accident indirectly.

How will I ever explain this to Sidharth that I was the cause of his sorrow? I have sinned unknowingly and I am feeling guilty now to even think of hiding it.

Tear drops fell on the table from her eyes. He looked at her, she was staring at a blank space. Her thoughts were broken the moment he places his hands over hers to calm her. She looked at him. He didn't know what to say at that moment as it was his story why would she cry so much. Normally, people cry narrating their own story while the other listening would console.

"Sana, food is getting cold. Please eat.", He speaks. Her sobs become louder looking at him

"I am sorry, Sidharth. I am sorry.", She  falls on the ground and holds his feet seeking apology. He stood up at once unable to understand why was she giving such reactions to him.

"Sana? Please! Why are you crying so much? What's your fault in all this?", He says sitting down on the floor at her level and holding her arms in both his hands to stop her from holding his feet.

"I was being kidnapped to be exported to another country by a bastard. To escape him, I strangulated him with my scarf from behind his seat while he drove the car. The other car in the opposite direction due to which your car met with an accident, was the same car. Indirectly, I am the one responsible for the accident and death of your sister Sampada.", She sulks uncontrollably.

"Huh? You?", He was taken aback. He had been struggling with the nightmare from the day of accident. He had been feeling guilty for not able to take care of his sister, whose parents gave him everything he ever needed. He leaves her arm and drags himself two step back from her reach to register totally what she just spoke.

She sobbed looking down on the floor while he stared blankly at her.

"Sana, you were kidnapped?", He asked.

She nods while crying. Though it was painful but he knew it wasn't her fault as she had all the rights to act that way to ensure safety. It would have been unjust for him to punish her for that.

"Even the car in which I was present met with an accident a little further and I fled from that place to save myself. If I hadn't done so then I would have been some NRI's sex slave by now.", She cried. He was shocked.

"Forgive me for the sin Sidharth", said Sana.

He moved forward and hugged her feeling sorry for what she went through.

"It wasn't your fault Sana. It was just our fate. I won't blame you.", He said to calm her. She was touched by his forgiving nature.

"Stop crying Sana and let's have our lunch", he said.

She nodded wiping her tears and they both sat to eat in silence.

"Sana, some rice?", He offered to serve her. She nodded no.

"Sidharth, I want to tell you something.", She says.

"I know you since my childhood but not just by your name.", She said. He was puzzled.

"I didn't get you.", He said.

"The small notes in your wardrobe drawer was written by me when I was in 2nd standard in the same government school where you studied, Sidharth.", She said.

"Annapoorna?", He said in a choking voice remembering the day he ate a first bite from her tiffin box.

"You are my Annapoorna? You were the one who kept the tiffin box in my bag everyday?", He asks.

"Except for Sundays", she nods. "I wish you didn't had to starve on Sundays.", She said. He sat on his knees and kissed her hands in happiness.

"I won't say thank you because I don't want to limit the gratitude I feel for your gesture. I always hoped to see your face. Why didn't you ever showed me your identity then Sana?", He asked.

"I didn't wanted to make you feel guilty. I just got one tiffin box so when you ate I would sit somewhere far and observe you smile while having that food. I felt so happy to see you smile. When you stopped coming to school, I became sad and worried for you. I prayed for your safety. That's how I started to fast on Sundays.", She said.

He was so overwhelmed by her talk that he hugged her by her waist and cried in her lap like a little Sidharth would have, who ate the food from her tiffin box.

"Sidharth, your smile is my solace so stop crying.", she said.

"I had everything after that day Sana but I so wanted to see you, all these years.", He said.

"I realised it when I saw how you had treasured those notes in your wardrobe with other important documents yesterday.", Said Sana.

"Why didn't you tell me yesterday itself Sana?", He complained.

"Because you were in a bad mood when you returned from office.", She said.

He remembered the reason behind his bad mood and cursed himself. She was truly annapoorna who not only fed him her tiffin box but was also breast feeding and nurturing Aadhya.

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To be continued.. ❤️❤️