Sidharth picks up his phone and narrates the incident to the person on the other end.

"How do I take care of this little child alone? I have to work in order to earn for livelihood and I can't leave her with anyone else now.", He broke down in tears.

"She needs a mother Sidharth. You can't trust someone else then your own family. Give her the family she needs. She will be safe. Moreover, being a girl, they need mother at every stage of life. Who would she go when she attains puberty, who would she share her menstrual problems with, who would she share her little girly secret with, who will she look for help when she bears a child herself? In such cases mothers are the blessing. Give her the blessing she require. Don't let her feel like an orphan.", Said the person on the other side of the phone.

Sidharth heard every word uttered by the person. He was lost in his thinking. His thoughts were broken by Aadhya's cry. He excused himself and ended the call.

As he cleaned Aadhya's soiled diaper and changed it with a fresh one, he wandered into his past.

Flashback:

A little 6 year old boy, walked home from school with his mother. Their status was not so good that they could afford to send him to private school. All he attended was a government school where all the other kids who came were also from poor families like him.

"Maa, I went to play kho kho during the last period when the bell rang my slippers were missing. Since I got late, I wore somebody else's slipper and came.", He said. She looked at his slippers.

"Sidharth, that's stealing. Did you like someone taking your slipper without your permission?", She asked. He nodded no.

"Similarly the other person whose slipper you took will be sad. You should return this slippers to whoever it belongs to.", Said her mother.

"But Maa, my slippers?", He asked.

"I'll get you another one.", She said sadly.

The next day he returned the slippers to its original owner but his mother couldn't arrange another pair of slippers for him. She instead picked him up and carried him in her arms to home that day from school.

It took her few days to earn extra money to buy slippers for him because everytime she collected money, her husband would snatch it and spend it on liquor. She carried him to school and carried him back home everyday until then.

Flashback ends.

Sidharth took little Aadhya to the park in a pram. He saw a lady strolling besides him in the park, trying to get a glimpse of his baby. He quickly pulled the cover properly so as to hide Aadhya's face. He didn't wanted anyone to eye his baby after the incident.

He then sat on the concrete bench and watched other kids play cricket by parking the pram under the shade beside his bench. One of the kid with the bat hit the ball hard and it fell near him. The kids requested him to pass the ball and he got up from the bench to pick the ball and tossed it towards them.

The kids thanked him and he smiled back at them. When he turned around he was horrified to find the same lady holding Aadhya in her hand.

"What the hell?", He said ran with leaps towards her. He snatched Aadhya from her hand and pushed the lady hard making her fall far from them and hitting her head to the other bench.

"How dare you touch my baby? You were trying to steal my baby? I'll hand you over to the police.", He said pulling out his phone and went to place the little Aadhya inside the pram when the lady came running and pulled the pram away from him.

"Noooo!!! Move away", She screamed.

His eyes fell on the pram, inside which there was a snake crawling. He hopped away with Aadhya but the snake bit the lady's hand.

"Oh no! Help help! She is bitten by the snake.", He screamed holding Aadhya because he couldn't afford to leave Aadhya to attend. Few people present in the park gathered around. Among them was a snake charmer, who quickly grabbed the snake and put it into his basket.

"Sorry Sir, The snake belongs to me and it escaped from my basket. I had been searching for it from so long. It's non-fatal since I have removed it's fangs.", He declared by observing her hand.

Sidharth sighed in relief.

"How can the snake escape? What if it was fatal?", Sidharth yelled at him.

"Sorry Sir, Sorry.. I will take care of it.. it won't be repeated.", Said the charmer and fled away from the place.

"Are you alright?", Sidharth asked the lady.

She nodded yes.

"I am sorry, I pushed you away earlier as I thought you were kidnapping my baby. I am ashamed of my act because you were actually trying to save my baby instead.", He said folding his hand.

"Please don't feel guilty. I can understand your concern. I just happened to see the snake slip into the pram from the branch and immediately picked her up before it went inside.", She said pushing her hair strands behind her ear.

He saw her head was bruised and a little blood spots appearing from her forehead when she pushed her hair.

"Oh God! That wound is because of me. Please forgive me. Please allow me to do the first aid.", He said pointing at her bruise.

"Please don't bother. I have had many bruises which life has given me. This is nothing infront of it.", She said nonchalantly.

He sensed the unsaid pain in her voice. He wondered what bruises in life she had been talking about.

"I still insist. Please help me come out of my guilt. Allow me to do the first aid. My home is just nearby.", Said Sidharth.

She looks at Aadhya in his hand and nods her head. He places Aadhya in the pram after carefully observing it and then they both start walking to his home.

"Is it a boy or a girl?", She asks.

"Girl!", He smiles looking at Aadhya.

"She is gorgeous. What's her name?", She asks.

"Aadhya", he says.

"Beautiful name for the beautiful princess", Said the lady.

"Yes! Undeniably, girls are papa's princess." He said.

"Hmmm..", she hummed lost in her thoughts.

Flashback:

"Sakina.. Sakina.. where are you?", called Asim

Sakina dropped the cylindrical pipe which she was using to blow and light up fire in the old Chulha stove to cook food.

"I am here.", She said rushing out from the kitchen holding her 2 year old daughter in her arm.

"Saira, Reshma, Hamida, and Suraiyya come here all", he called all his 4 daughters in excitement.

They all left their job and ran towards their father.

"I've got a new job which will pay me decent salary. Here take the sweets", he said feeding all his daughters one by one the sweet.

"Let me feed my little princess.", He said taking a piece of sweet to feed the 2 year old daughter in Sakina's arm.

"No, please. She is allergic to cashew nuts.", Sakina stopped him.

"Just one piece Begum, it won't do any harm", said Asim.

"No please. She can't eat even a tiny bite from it. Last time she was at the government hospital for 2 days due to severe allergic reaction.", She said.

"Okay, then here Begum, sweeten your mouth atleast with this.", He said trying to feed her.

"I am fasting today.", She said stopping him mid way.

"What for? You haven't left your old practices yet?", He asked.

"It was for your job only. Today is my final day of fasting and look it worked. You've got the job. Let me eat this later in the evening after prayer please.", Said Sakina.

"Argghhh.. you don't want to celebrate my happiness neither you allow my kids to celebrate with me. You can't tolerate to see me progressing in life else you would have eaten this sweet now.", Asim spoke annoyed.

"No, you know how much I love you. I left everything to be with you. Even after 8 years of marriage, you question me like this?", Sakina cried.

"If you love me above all then just do as I say. Eat this sweet now.", He ordered.

"Okay, fine. I will eat.", She said.

He picked up a piece of sweet and went to feed her when suddenly Saira fell on the ground shivering.

Sakina ran towards her.

"Saira!! Saira beta.. what happened?", She said panicking.

"Asim.. Asim.. Saira's Abu.. let's take her to the hospital quickly.", She said but he didn't move from his place.

Saira's mouth was filled with foam. Sakina was shivering as she put down the child in her arm and picked up the 7 year old, Saira in her arm to rush to the hospital herself. But soon she found the two 5 year old twins, Reshma and Hamida collapse on the ground in the same manner followed by the 3 year old, Suraiyya. Everyone's mouth was filled with foam and they all quivered.

She trembled, her hands and legs were cold as she was shocked and horrified. Asim latched the door from inside and stood infront of it with crossed hands.

"Asim? What did you feed them? Please let them live. Help me take them to the hospital. Please Asim. I beg of you.", She said folding her hands.

"Eat the sweet Sakina", he said.

"No please, let me save my children. Then I will do everything you say please", she begged.

Saira stopped quivering and soon the other 3 as well. Their bodies lied dead on ground and Sakina froze looking at them. Asim moved closer to the 2 year old with the sweet. As soon as he tried holding her, she starts crying as he was as good as alien to her who never took her in his arms. Sakina looked at her crying baby and realized that Asim will kill her as well. She immediately ran and grabbed her and stood far from him.

Asim went back and stood infront of the door blocking her way.

"You both are not going out alive.", He said.

"Why are you doing this Asim?", She asked.

"Because you gave me 5 liabilities. 5 girls who are useless and I can't afford to take care of them and their education or marriage expenses.", He said.

"You could have divorced me then. I would have taken them away with me.", She yelled angrily.

"Alimony? How did you forget that I would have to pay you a huge alimony if I leave you? Instead if I will kill you and claim that you killed my daughters and committed suicide. All my headache will be over.", He said.

"No, you could have told me once Asim. I wouldn't have asked for any alimony and left you. Please leave us.", Pleaded Sakina.

He approached closer to her to feed the sweet forcefully when she pushed him with full force and somehow unlocked the door quickly, ran out with her little daughter and locked him inside.

The police arrested him and sentenced him to lifetime imprisonment. Sakina changed her name back to Sunaina but her parents didn't take her back as they had disowned her 8 years back since she got married to Asim without their consent.

Flashback ends.

Sidharth cleared his throat to bring her back from her thoughts.

"Aaa... I forgot to introduce myself. I am Sidharth Rathore.", Sidharth introduces himself.

"I am.. Sana.", Says the lady.

"Nice name..", he compliments.

A car stops infront of them and a person gets down.

"Excuse me, Ma'am are you Ms. Shanaya Kapoor?", Asks the man.

"Who.. who.. Shanaya? No, I am not..", says Sana.

"Ma'am please, I am your biggest fan. I came here on vacation. Please tell me you are Shanaya Kapoor, the beautiful ramp walk model.", He insists.

"I told you.. I am not.. Shanaya...", Said Sana.

"Please ma'am. I have been following you since so many years on every social media platforms, news and print media. How can my eyes betray me? Please ma'am, I will just take an autograph and a selfie.", He takes out his phone and tries clicking the selfie.

"No.. no.. no.. I am not Shanaya.. please leave me alone.", She yelled and pushed his hand which held the phone. His phone fell on ground. While he picked up his phone, she ran away quickly and soon disappeared somewhere.

Sidharth was perplexed.

"Listen Mr. her name isn't Shanaya. How can you try to click someone's picture forcefully like that without their permission? It's a crime and you can be behind the bars for this.", Scolds Sidharth.

"I am sorry but she looks exactly like Shanaya Kapoor. See, she is on my phone wallpaper as well. How can I be mistaken?", He displays his phone infront of Sidharth. Indeed Sana looked like a doppleganger of Shanaya Kapoor.

"I am sorry sir. Please convey my apologies to your wife. Sorry.", He said and got into his car and drove away.

Wife? This person seems to be mad who speaks out of his own imagination. But why did Sana get triggered and panicked so much and where did she disappear? I couldn't even give her a first aid.

__________________________________

To be continued.. ❤️❤️