The last 2 weeks were such a blur for Dhvani, and she wasn't sure if it was because she was so busy, or because she felt so lost and overwhelmed with sadness. Everything almost seemed mechanical for her as she went about her tasks- nursing her son back to health, answering his numerous questions about why people were taking his pictures like that, ignoring the constant urge to check the online chatter and media coverage, attempting to find a new job, and crying herself to sleep every night and telling herself that the decision they had taken was correct.

Dhruv was finally allowed to be taken home, or their new home, last week. They all figured it was for the best if they moved to a different residence just in case the media harassed them and their neighbours at their older apartment.

Dhruv grinned at Lucky when the later stood up to leave. "Can you give Papa this card?" He asked as he held out a hand made card in his left hand. He had made Dhvani write it out since his right hand was still in a cast.

"I surely will." Lucky smiled and ruffled Dhruv's hair. "He has told me to tell you how proud he is of you for being so brave at the hospital."

"I miss him." Dhruv sighed and played with the tussles of his blanket. "I really wish his secret mission could finish quickly."

Dhvani averted her eyes to avoid Lucky's accusatory glance. She was lying to her son again. She had told him that his father was on a super-secret assignment where he couldn't be contacted by anyone except Lucky. Thankfully, Dhruv had been too excited about the fact that his father was chosen for a mission before his cricket match to ask any questions.

"Okay, now go to sleep." Dhvani softly instructed as she tucked him in further.

Dhruv groaned. He hated that all he was forced to do was sleep. He couldn't play with his friends or even the PlayStation, and on top of it, his mother had barred him from any source of entertainment like watching TV or YouTube. He wasn't even allowed to explore the house yet. "Can I watch TV?" He asked with his puppy dog eyes.

"No," Dhvani shook her head and gave him a firm stare. "Remember what the doctor said? You have to sleep for at least 15 hours every day."

"But-"

"Nothing doing. Do you want to get better or not?"

"I miss Papa. He always says yes to everything." He grumbled again and pouted up a storm, but did close his eyes as per his mother's instructions.

Dhvani softly shut the door behind her and followed Lucky out of her bedroom.

"Thanks, Lucky," Dhvani said as they stood in the drawing-room. "You have been such a huge help, and I haven't had a chance to thank you properly." She hugged him tight enough for him to feel her gratitude and appreciation. 

He laughed lightly and shook his head as he hugged her back. "Don't be stupid. You and Shaurya mean so much to me, and this is nothing."

"You are the one who is being stupid." She smiled and hit him on his arm in a playful manner. "You helped at the hospital, got us a new apartment, and most importantly, you managed to get rid of the media for the most part, and you don't know how much that means to me."

"I am glad I could help." He grinned back at her. "Let me get going then. The movers will be here later tomorrow to help you unpack." He said, waving his hands at the packed boxes lying all around the room.

"Wait! Let me at least make you coffee." She insisted, and disappeared into the kitchen, ignoring Lucky's repeated refusal. 

Twenty-five minutes later, Dhvani and Lucky sat at the table with two empty cups that once contained hot coffee.

"Have you decided what you are going to tell Dhruv?" Lucky asked as he watched Dhvani tracing the top of her cup with her fingertips. "Eventually, the mission will end. Dhruv will go out and people are going to ask him."

"I know," Dhvani whispered as she studied the tiny colourful patterns that dotted her cup with more attention than necessary. "I'll explain why we as his parents took the decision. I know he'll understand. If not today, then sometime in the future."

Lucky stayed quiet for a few moments before he spoke again, "I asked Shaurya this too, but do you realize how incredibly selfish you both are being right now towards your own son?" 

"We are just trying to protect him," Dhvani said defensively.

"Then why did you give him hopes and dreams of having a 'normal' family? You knew how much you all living together meant for him, but -"

"Lucky, you know why we took the decision." She interrupted. "Shaurya's world is very different from the world that Dhruv and I know."

"And you didn't know about Shaurya's changed world before you both decided to give each other a chance?" He countered with a scoff. "Anyways, you both are mature enough to know that all your actions will have consequences. I should really get going now." 

"You are mad at us, aren't you?" Dhvani asked when Lucky returned from the kitchen after placing the empty cups in the sink. 

"I am not mad at either of you," With a sigh, he walked towards the main door. "Because I understand what you guys are trying to do. I might not agree with you, but it is your life." He leaned against the main door and there was silence before Lucky began speaking again, "When I was offered that job in the States, I thought it would either be Trupti or the job. In my attempts to justify the correct decision, I began to force myself to see only the positives that came with my immigration. I refused to let myself ever think about Trupti and my lost relationship with her. By the time I realized that what I gained may not really be worth what I lost, it was already too late."

Dhvani was stunned for a while as she tried to process what Lucky had just told her. She hadn't expected Lucky to talk about his relationship with Trupti to her. 

"Right now, you are only seeing what you are going to gain from your decision to go your separate ways, but I don't think you still realize what you are going to lose. I just don't want you both to regret this impulsive decision of yours every single day like I do."

She wanted to ask him if he still loved Trupti, but the quiver in his voice and the pain in his eyes was enough for her to know the truth.  "I told Shaurya this too, but don't put yourselves or Dhruv through this pain." He said with a small smile.

She slowly rose and walked over to the door to see him out. 

When he opened the door, they were startled by Trupti standing in front of the door. Clearing her throat, Trupti turned away from them and took a deep breath. "The pollution is so bad outside, always making my sensitive eyes water." She grumbled and squeezed through the space between Dhvani and Lucky and beelined towards her room with the bag of groceries. 

"Do you think she heard that?" Lucky asked after a moment of uncomfortable and awkward silence. 

"She does have sharp ears," Dhvani said with a smile in an attempt to lighten the mood. "I have tried to talk to her, but-"

"Like I said it was too late for us." He said and patted her arm, in a friendly manner. "Shaurya leaves two days later for the Asia Cup. Promise me you'll re-think your decision again."

"What did Shaurya say?" She mumbled as she pushed her loose hair strands behind her ear in a jerky motion.

"You know he won't change his decision. He loves you both too much to impose this lifestyle on either of you. It is going to be your decision at the end of the day. Do you think Shuarya is worth all this 'trouble'?"

"Good night!" He nodded and padded over to the elevator, but not before he looked at the door that Trupti had disappeared into with a deep longing in his heart.

~~~●○●~~~

Dhvani shook her head when Trupti ran away into her room again when she tried to broach the topic of her rekindling her relationship with Lucky. Why was she frustrated with Trupti anyways? It wasn't like she had maturely handled her reactions when Shaurya re-entered her life. That reminded her... the Indian cricket team was going to have their pre-season press conference that night. For the past few years, she had purposely ignored everything related to cricket because it would remind her of Shaurya, but today, she wanted to see him in 'professional avatar'. 

She sucked in a huge breath when she first laid her eyes on Shaurya. He sat amongst three other players as their coach answered the questions by the press. While the others could see a confident and skilled player sitting on the podium, Dhvani could the sadness lurking in Shaurya's eyes. She knew how angry and helpless he probably felt as he sat in front of the reporters, who could have potentially been the ones who had caused the upheaval in their lives.

~~~●○●~~~

Shaurya sat quietly trying to be a part of the buzzing activity on around him, but he just couldn't do it. Faux smiling and giving interviews to the media would never be the same again for him. The only reason he agreed to not back out from the series was that that would be insulting to all the hard work that Dhvani and his fans who loved his game had put in to get him back on the field.

This was going to be the last time he played cricket!

When the floor was opened to the press to ask questions, he sat up and tried to look interested as he could without giving away how shitty he felt.

"Sorry." He murmured to the Captain of the team when he nudged Shaurya with his foot.

Nearly after fifteen minutes of interviewing, one reporter raised his hand, "My question is for Shaurya," he announced. Shaurya squinted his eyes to see the reporter better with the bright white lights shining right into his face. He immediately recognized who it was. "Shaurya, you have been in the news for a few controversies and you still haven't issued a press statement. Is there a reason why?"

"No personal questions, please." The media coordinator for the team announced and tried to cut off the reporter who had just asked the question.

"It's fine." Shaurya leaned forward to the mic and laughed dryly. He could hear Dhvani's voice in his head, telling him not to do this. However, he wouldn't listen to that right now because his hackles rose as soon as he saw who the reporter was. Looking right into the cameras placed in the front, he spoke, "I am so glad that all of you have taken such great interest in my marriage, my divorce and my family has become a topic of national interest. Something that you all think is so... so...frivolous that you can all gossip about it while you drink your evening tea." He shook his head in disbelief and then immediately changed his tone to light hearted. "Sorry... that wasn't the question, was it?" He sniffed and cleared his throat. "Before I answer your question, I would like you to answer mine. Weren't you the one who asked Dhvani if I asked her to have a paternity test to make sure Dhruv was my son?"

There was silence as the reporter didn't answer Shaurya's question. "Is that what you asked your wife at the birth of your child? Or is that what your father demanded of your mother when you were born?" Shaurya asked through gritted teeth.

"Excuse me!" The reporter snapped making Shaurya chuckle again. "It is a problem when this question is suddenly turned on you, right? But because we are no way related to you, you all think it is absolutely okay to write and say whatever the hell you want about us for the sake of your TRPs. Right?"

"Shaurya," Another reporter spoke up, no doubt wanting to argue with him.

Shaurya hit his fist against the table startling everyone in the room. Taking a huge breath he tried to stop himself, but he just couldn't. This was the best he could do for his family. "How can you all humiliate any woman like that? How did you all think that it was okay to make a mockery of someone's relationship the way you all did over the past few weeks? My son could have died when you all just stood around blocking the path for them to leave."

He looked into the camera again to address the audience watching the session. "I will always be thankful for all the love and support you have given me over the years, but that doesn't mean you have the right or the permission to want to dictate my life. I am sorry if you want me to be with Priya because you have written a thousand fanfictions of us together, or because you feel like you know us just because you have seen us on camera. I know there are people who will tell me that all of this is just the part of being a celebrity and I get that. You want to troll me...Okay, but my family is off-limits. They haven't done anything wrong to deserve the burnt of a sad and frustrated person who uses celebrities and their families as a punching bag. And what kind of human being do you have to even think about hurting a child?" He spat out bitterly.

There was pin-drop silence as everyone squirmed in their seats uncomfortably. The reporters felt embarrassed at being called out in this manner while his teammates seemed pleased because they knew how much stress the paparazzi and trolling culture was putting on the mental wellbeing of not only themselves but also their families. Although, everyone including Shaurya knew that his outburst would make a difference for a day and then things would return back to per usual again tomorrow.

"Dhvani...." Shaurya's voice broke as he thought about her. "She was with me when I had nothing, but I stupidly promised her the world. She has faced a lot of hardships for no fault of her own. There is someone who was responsible for the breaking of our marriage, but I am not going to name them and ruin their lives as they ruined ours because we are better than that. Our relationship is better than that. Just because Dhvani and I are not together, it doesn't mean that our love is weak and that person has won." He hurriedly wiped away the lone tear that escaped his eye. "Living away from each other for years, I thought our story was going to have a much deserved happily ever after, but I guess not." He let out a humorless chuckle. "All thanks to you guys. Hope you can all sleep well tonight knowing that you have ruined someone's life."

There was so much more he wanted to say, but he held himself back with great difficulty. Abruptly, he stood up and stormed off the stage leaving behind a bunch of perplexed and shamefaced members of the press and audience who were watching the session live.