"Ummmm.. Yumm.. Ummmm.. Bunty give me your hand.", Chandini said licking her fingers.

Sidharth forwards his hand to her. Sana silently observes him and puts her head down in disappointment. Chandini holds his hand and inspects it front and back carefully while Sidharth looks puzzled at her.

"What are you searching Moon?", He asks.

"The magic.. Where is it? Because I know for sure that you have magic in your hands, Bunty.", Said Chandini. Sidharth nods his head in disbelief and pulls his hand back.

"By the way, I hardly cook these days. Since Sana does it for me. If you can praise my cooking then you will surely love her cooking because she cooks better than me.", He praised Sana.

"Hmmm.. lucky you! You know even I have learnt cooking in these 4 years. Initially, I ate pizza, burger, pasta for few days. Later, I started cooking myself some desi foods because I was feeling homesick.", Said Chandini with a pout.

"I told you I would teach you to cook before leaving but you didn't show any interest. Since you know to cook already, when are you cooking for me?", He asks.

"I am here itself, so will cook whenever you want me to.", Says Chandini.

Sana quietly circled the spoon in her plate lost in her thoughts without uttering a word. She mentally experienced a lot of emotional turmoil. Their laughs and giggles worked like daggers on her heart. Her mind asked her just one question.

Why are you feeling so hurt to see them together Sana?

"Sana.. Sana..", called Sidharth.

"Huh?", Sana looked at him.

"Why aren't you eating? Didn't you like the taste of the food?", Asked Sidharth.

"No.. it's good!", Sana nodded shoving a spoonful of food into her mouth.

"Hmmm.. Finish it quickly. I'll get the dessert.", Said Sidharth. Sana nods yet again.

"Wow! What's in the dessert Bunty?", Asks Chandini in excitement.

"Your favourite obviously. Can you guess?", he says going into the kitchen.

"Wow Bunty!! Pot Kulfi!! (He nods yes) You are such a sweetheart. You still remember? You know, I was dying to eat it all these years. Remember how we used to go to Nathurams to eat it during winter. I feel so nostalgic.", says Chandini resting her chin on her left palm reminiscing old days.

He keeps the little dessert pot on the table infront of her and Chandini opens it quickly and eats a spoonful from it. Sana had just shoved the last bite into her mouth when Chandini grabs his hand and kisses it.

"Thank you bunty", she says emotionally. He stood up and hugged her head to his torso and patted it gently with a smile.

Sana gets up from the chair at once, finding it intolerable to look at them so close.

"Sana.. kulfi?", He says looking at her.

"No Sidharth, I told you I ain't feeling well so I will skip the dessert. You two enjoy.", She bites her lips after speaking the sentence in one breath and walks towards the kitchen sink to wash her plate.

Sidharth and Chandini look at each other confused. He then shrugs and goes behind Sana.

"Leave the plate in the sink, I will wash it.", He tries to take her plate which she was about to wash.

"No, I can do it.", Sana speaks firmly pulling her hand along with the plate away from him.

"Okay, okay. Aaa... Sana, shall I take you to the doctor? You seem to be dull.", He asks yet again very calmly.

"No Sidharth, I am fine. I really don't need anyone's help. Please go back to her.", Sana speaks hurt without looking at him while scrubbing the plate harshly. The plate slips from her hand and breaks inside the sink.

"Sana.. ", he screams as he saw her touching the broken pieces instinctively without second thought.

"Sorry Sidharth.", She looked at him with a horrified and remorseful face for dropping the plate as she realised how unreasonably she had been behaving with him for no fault of his.

He grabs her hand which was bleeding and was gone unnoticed by herself. She had got a cut when she touched the broken piece but she didn't even realised the pain because her concentration was on her heart ache rather than the physical wound.

"Why did you touch them?", He spoke in a sorrowful tone. He immediately held her hand under running tap to clean the soap from her hand before pressing the wound with the tissue paper to wipe and stop the bleeding. He then dragged her by holding her hand to his room.

Chandini watched them silently without uttering a word. She was trying to figure out why Sana was behaving differently.

Sana quietly observed Sidharth doing her first aid while her tears poured out uncontrollably.

Why am I so unlucky? Why don't I deserve something as good as him in my life? Few drops of blood from my hand made him so restless whereas the person whom I married allowed me to bathe in the pool of blood of my unborn children. Everytime I bleed, everytime I see this red fluid, it reminds me of the incident. It reminds me of the blood soaked lenin and my dresses which I woke up to multiple times due to miscarriages. I forget my whole existence and what remains is just the hatred for the murderer of my child. He will have to rot, not in hell but right here, infront of my eyes. I will make his life miserable and a living hell. That's a promise to all my unborn children.

"Is it hurting too much, Sana?", Asked Sidharth.

"Life has given me much more pain than this Sidharth. No need to feel sorry for this little wound.", She spoke in an altogether different tone wiping her tears. The helplessness in her eyes on being unable to get something she desired was taken over by the raged fire of revenge. She got up and walked out of the room leaving a clueless Sidharth wondering about what pain she had been talking about.

Sidharth walked out towards the living room where Chandini was seated.

"What happened Sidharth? Is there anything wrong between you and her?", Chandini inquired.

"I am clueless myself. She is a mystery to me.", He said looking at her room door.

They heard Aadhya cry and Sana talking to her in a baby voice. She then picked up Aadhya and shut the door to feed her. While Aadhya sucked her breast, a calmness and a feel of motherliness took over and destroyed her angered emotions. No mother can feed her child in anger ever. The love for her child overrides every other emotions and Sana was enjoying the pure bliss while nursing Aadhya.

After few minutes, Sana opens the door and walks out with Aadhya. She knew that they would need to spend sometime with the child which belongs to them.

Aadhya wasn't comfortable around the new face hence Sidharth holds her in his arm.

"Sidharth, I will have to leave in an hour.", Says Chandini. Sana looks at her puzzled.

"How about dinner?", He asks.

"Don't try to make me fall in the trap of greed for another round of tasty food. If at all you had not turn down my proposal 4 years back, I would have savoured your handmade food everyday. On a second thought, I can still divorce my husband and marry you if you say yes.", Chandini laughs at her own joke along with Sidharth.

Sana was surprised. Her face glowed and her eyes shined to hear those words. A subtle smile appeared on her lips showing how happy she was to learn that Chandini was married to someone else.

Chandini and Sidharth chatted while Sana smiled inwardly stealing glances at Sidharth's smiling face. The smile which was etched on her heart when she was just 7 and remained there even after 21 years.

"Let's take a selfie.", Said Chandini.

She took out her phone from her bag and then took selfies with both Sidharth and Sana. Sidharth held Aadhya in his hand and Chandini played with her.

Chandini asks Sana to take some pictures of her playing with Aadhya. Sana nods and captures some moments on her phone when suddenly Chandini's phone starts ringing which startles Sana. The name flashed on the screen as Hubs and picture was of Chandini kissing a man.

"Who is it?", Asks Chandini.

"Shekar..", Sana muttered in feeble voice while she looked at Chandini shocked.

Chandini narrowed her eyes in confusion and took the phone from her hand.

"Tarun, my husband", she sighed looking at the screen.

"Tarun?", Sana looked perplexed.

_________________________

To be continued.. ❤️❤️