Check if you've read the previous update.

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(Bang)

Sidharth startled hearing a loud noise. He immediately looked up at John, who was still tied up. A sigh of relief escaped from his mouth but what was that noise. The clock showed 3:20 a.m. He got up on his feet and went to check Sana's room which was open ajar and only baby was sleeping on the bed.

Where did she go?

Worriedly, he made his way around the house and finally found her in the kitchen picking up the spilled rice grains from the floor while wiping her tears with the back of her palm. His heart wrenched at the sight.

"Sana, what happened?", he immediately approached closer and starts picking up the grains.

"I am hungry. I had been looking after the baby all night.", she sniffled while trying to control her tears.

He bit his lips feeling sad for her. His eyes stared at her hands since he couldn't look at her face as per her orders coupled with his guilt.

"I..",

(Baby crying sound)

"Arggghhh..", Sana grumbled in frustration because she had put so much effort to put her baby to sleep earlier and before she could grab something to quench her hunger, she had woken up.

Nevertheless, she got up in angst and stepped her way out of the kitchen before making a pause. She would have to feed the baby.

"Knock before you come into my room for anything.", She instructed as she remembered how John had walked on her while feeding the baby earlier.

Sidharth nodded his head and Sana went away.

...
...
...

(Knock knock)

Sidharth knocked on the door but there was no reply.

(Knock knock)

"S..Sana..", he knocked yet again. He didn't get reply.

(Knock knock)

"Sa..", the door opened.

"WHATT? WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SCREAMING? You will wake up the baby.", Sana whisper yelled at him.

"S.. sorry.. f..food..", he whispered back forwarding the plate and glass. She stared at the content and snatched the plate and the glass of water immediately from his hand before walking inside with the plate without uttering anything.

He hesitantly looked at her feet moving far from the place she was standing a few seconds back. After a few minutes of contemplating, he slowly pulled the door to close and left.

Sana quickly gobbled the food without making any sound and soon fell asleep due to exhaustion. She was experiencing the stage that most of the new mothers face. Postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety spike due to hormonal changes in the postpartum period. Her moods and behaviour was on a rollercoaster, coupled with all the financial, emotional, physical and mental assault causing distress and anxiety. She didn't have to worry just about herself but her child as well. Moreover, this was just the beginning, what does the future hold.

Worries hadn't spared Sidharth either. Afterall, he was the one who had to take the responsibility. Responsibility for his action that led to the series of disastrous situations not only in his life but in the life of Sana and of everyone related to her and himself.

While he was lost in his thoughts, he was disturbed when he heard a muffled voice and looked at the man lying in the corner, who was struggling and wriggling to escape from the rope on his hands tied behind. To say that Sidharth wasn't scared from inside would be a lie. It wasn't his everyday task to beat or tie up people in their home but he knew John deserved every bit of it.

Amidst his struggle, John looked at Sidharth now observing him. John glared a hole into Sidharth's face as if he would kill him at the very first instance if he was freed.

"Don't you dare look at me like that, moron. I trusted you and left her here.  If not for her, I would have killed you last night. Now rot here until I find some other place to stay.", Sidharth said.

John eyes widened. Hearing his dampened cries, Sidharth knew that he was cussing him. Sidharth smirked and ignored it. After some time, John stilled and stopped the struggle. Sidharth looked at him and found him staring at him. John turned a little and showed him two with his finger. It took Sidharth some time to understand that John wanted to attend the nature calls.

Sidharth thought for a while on the risks involved if he unties his hands. What if John is planning to escape? What if he tries harming Sana or the baby?

After a short contemplation, Sidharth walked to him and untied his leg. The stress on John's face slowly diminished only to return when he found Sidharth tying it back leaving only a little space in between so that he would only be able to baby walk and wouldn't be able to lift his leg to kick or run.

"Let's go.", Sidharth said to John and he rolled his eyes getting up on his feet. Sidharth walked him to the toilet and John stopped at the door.

"What?", Sidharth asked raising his eyebrows.

John muffled showing his hand at the back asking him obviously to untie it.

"Nope!", Sidharth shook his head in denial.

John widened his eyes in shock. He muffled again and made a two sign with his hand before pointing his face towards the toilet.

"I am not untying you at any cost.", Sidharth said.

John narrowed his eyebrows to question how would he do his morning routine if he doesn't untie him.

"I will do all the work that your hands would need to do.", Sidharth answered making John's eyeballs pop out in utter shock.

John nodded his head in disagreement.

"Okay fine. Shit in your pants then..", Sidharth shrugged. John glared at him as if telling him that he was being impossible.

"Yeah, you reap what you sow. Let's go back then..", Sidharth yanked him by his elbow but John held the ground and immediately shook his head in denial.

"Hmmm.. So, have you changed your mind?", Sidharth asked and John nodded in agreement though unwantingly.

Sidharth shut the door behind and hesitantly unbuttoned John pant. John wasn't comfortable either and repented his actions that led him into this situation. Sidharth shut his eyes before pulling down his pants until midway and John immediately sat on the commode.

Sidharth pulled out his handkerchief and tied it around his face like a mask while John did his business. Sidharth had been through far more worse situations than this when he travelled in the closed shipping container for 28 days. What's more? He had survived it while 3/4th of the people didn't even make it alive. So, this was nothing. Nothing compared to the precious life of his best friend, Sana and the newest love of his life, the little angel.

"Mmmmm.. mmmmm..", John muffled yet again to bring Sidharth out of his thoughts. Sidharth understood that John was done. He pressed the flush button while John was still seated on the commode.

Now came the difficult part, wiping John's bottom. Sidharth pulled the toilet roll and John nodded his head in disagreement.

"You know that you have no other option. I suppose you don't want me to pull up your pants without doing this", Sidharth said and John unwillingly shook his head to say yes allowing Sidharth to wipe. Sidharth had pulled 5 times more paper than needed.

John flinched the moment the paper touched his bottoms. He felt uncomfortable and hell of torture with that. He shut his eyes and shook his head while tears of helplessness trickled down his cheek.

"I am sorry", Sidharth apologised and John looked up at him. Sidharth wasn't looking at his face nor was he looking at his body part which he wiped.

"Done..", Sidharth flushed and moved towards the wash basin to clean his hand with a lot of liquid soap. He cleaned it not once but three times.

When the door opened, Sana gasped looking at the two males coming out of the washroom before she decided to ignore and swiftly moved inside her room.

Walking back into John's room, he tied his legs together.

"I'll get you something to eat.", Sidharth declared before leaving and came back after a few minutes with a plate full of food.

"If you scream then you would have to say goodbye to your food until I'm here.", Sidharth warned before he untied the cloth around his mouth. John nods his head. 

"Wa.. water..", John breathed through his mouth while was had dried after being tied for so long. Sidharth offered him water to drink and John chugged down the entire water hungrily.

"S.. Sid.. Y.. You ain't doing g..good..", John spoke in between heavy breathing.

"Look who is preaching.", Sidharth chuckled and took at piece of bread towards his mouth as John's hands were still tied behind.

"Free me and leave the house. I promise, I won't do anything.", John said.

"What would you do, if I don't.", Sidharth challenged.

"You.. you don't want to spend the rest of your life in jail? Do you?", John asked.

"Really? Who is going to send? You? Did you forget, you are an illegal immigrant yourself? Besides, if they learnt what earned you this treatment then you would get an even better treatment by the police than now.", Sidharth said.

"Arghhh.. you are going to suffer.", John threatened.

"Right now you are the one who is going to suffer.", Sidharth withdrew his hand back from feeding.

"You've got too much stubborn fat in your brain and private parts. How about starving for a few days?"John widened his eyes in shock.

"What? You aren't doing that.", John said quickly.

"Try me!", Sidharth said placing the plate away and picking up the cloth to tie him.

"What the f**k? Sid-- mmmm...mmm..", the rest of his words got buried under the cover yet again.

"After all you did last night, you still have the audacity to speak like that. Hunger should fix the problem.", Sidharth walked off without paying any heed to John's supressed screams.

..
..
..

"Hey there, my teeny tiny baby. You are awake!! You look so tiny but you have a big mouth. Isn't it? Why didn't you sleep like this at night? Huh? I am vely vely angly with you.", Sana baby talked with her little angel.

The baby yawned opening her tiny mouth and the cloth wrapped around her touching her delicate cheek. She immediately turned her head towards the cloth with her mouth wide open searching for the source of food. Her actions made Sana giggle.

"Awww.. you are so adorable. How can I be ever angry with you?", Sana asked caressing her other cheek with her finger and the baby turned her head towards the other side thinking it as the source of milk. Sana giggled even more. Sidharth, who was passing by the door, froze in his trail when he heard her giggle. How much he missed those smiles and laughter. He had grown up with her hearing her giggle.

"Oh God!! You literally only think of milk the whole time. Did you brush your teeth after waking up?", She asked.

Baby rolled her eyes funnily which made Sana tee-hee.

"Oh my God!! Are you rolling your eyes at me? I know you did. Do you think I am a fool? I know the reason as well. You are saying that you don't have a teeth. Don't you? You know, you look like my grandma because she also didn't have any teeth.", Sana laughed at her own joke while clapping her hands together. A tiny smile appeared on Sidharth's face as well who was hiding behind the door overhearing the conversation between the mother and the daughter.

"Fine, I understood that you don't have teeth but what about bathing? You know we have to bathe every day.", Sana said and gasped immediately. Her expressions changed into a sad one.

".. but I don't know how to bathe you.. I don't know anything.. how am I going to take care of you?", Sana started crying and Sidharth's heart dropped into his gut. Sidharth gently knocked at Sana's room door. Sana wipped her tears with the back of her palm and went outside. Sidharth had lowered his head already so he saw her feet parked on the other side of the threshold.

"Yes..", Sana asked.

"I.. I..", he stammered.

"What is it?", She asked with a serious tone.

"I.. know how to bathe the baby.", he said making her eyes go wide.

"You were eavesdropping?", she asked.

"N..n..no.. I just heard you w..while passing.", Sidharth stuttered.

"You are lying. How do you know to bathe babies?", she asked narrowing her eyebrows. Her expressions were unnoticed by him as his eyes were staring at the floor.

"Th..they showed me at the h..hospital yesterday. I gave her the b..bath..", he said.

Sana felt a tad bit of jealous that he knew something more than her.

"Just this once. From tomorrow, I will bathe her myself.", Sana spoke grumpily. Without even looking at her face he knew she had that grumpy pout which she always gave when they fought for silly reasons. He bit the inners of his lips to hold back the smile and nodded his head in agreement.

While he did the preparation to bathe the baby, she carefully observed him while following him everywhere he went. He cleaned and filled the little wash basin with warm water and dipped his elbows to check the temperature.

"We need to check the temperature before so that it isn't too warm which might burn her baby skin.", he said.

"That's common sense. I know that..", Sana boasted even though she didn't. How could she allow herself down. He nodded his head slowly.

"I'll get the baby.", he declared. When he went out to bring the baby, she immediately dipped her elbow into the water to check the temperature herself. Just for her knowledge, you know?

Sidharth explained her on how to hold the baby while placing her gently in the basin to bathe. Sana noted everything mentally while observing.

"I know how to dress her up.", Sana exclaimed and Sidharth left her do it.

"Umm.. I am going in search of house.", he informed her and she looked at him in shock.

"What? What about that monster? What if he..? These doors do not have any locks.", Sana panicked.

"I've tied him up. He can't even move.", Sidharth said.

"But.."

"I will check the knots and make sure it is tight before I leave..", he said and she nodded her head.

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To be continued.. ❤️❤️