Tia sat upset in her room and Daksh came there sitting beside her. ‘Tia, it was important to do that to shut her mouth,’ Daksh tried explaining and she glared at him. ‘I won’t ever understand you and never support you in this, even I am a girl, same would’ve happened with me too, I can sense her pain at this moment, I m not so heartless like you,’ she said gritting her teeth. ‘Kitni bharkeeli ho tum, arey main ne ye sab tumharay liye kiya, taakey tumko khushi milay, taakey tumhe koi baansh na kahay damn it!’, he said almost shouting.
‘Ma,’ said a little girl’s voice. Tia looked at the door and there stood a little girl with fair skin, brown eyes and wavy hair. She smiled at her and called her for a hug opening her arms. The little girl came running to her and hugged her. ‘Kya hua meray chhotay bachay ko? Ice cream khayega mera bacha?’, Tia asked sweetly. ‘Ma, mujhe Ani aunty se milna hai,’ she said and Tia looked at Daksh. ‘Jab dekho bas Ani aunty, Ani aunty, she’s not related to us you fool, she was a mere stranger,’ Daksh shouted angrily.
‘Daksh! Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare to shout at my daughter,’ Tia warned. ‘Our daughter,’ he corrected her. ‘No! Shivika is only my daughter! Only mine!’, she said angrily. ‘Meray chhotay bachay ko Ani aunty se kiun milna hai?’, Tia asked Shivika. ‘I miss her,’ she replied. ‘No beta, I can’t do that, I will take you to have ice cream, come baby,’ she said and put her down from her lap grabbing her hand and walked out of there glaring at Daksh. Tia made Shivika sit on the passenger seat and sat on the driving seat and drove off.
She recalled Anika crying and stopped the car near an ice cream stall. She bought her a cone and handed it to her and watched her fondly as she ate. ‘Mumma, why you aren’t eating?’, she asked. ‘Beta, mumma is not in a mood, I will have only one bite from your ice cream, OK baby?’, Tia replied and as she nodded, she had a bite of it. She drove off and stopped outside the same hospital where Anika is staying. ‘Mumma why you brought me here?’, Shivika asked still having ice cream. ‘Let’s go inside, I will tell everything.’
She got out of the car along with Shivika and grabbed her hand. ‘Come baby,’ she said and took her inside the hospital building. She felt her heart getting heavy by every passing second as she walked towards Anika’s ward. She stopped and sat on her knees in front of her. ‘Baby, Anika is here, you go alone to meet her, I will be outside, tell her that mumma is saying sorry,’ she told her and asked her to go inside. She went inside opening the door and all eyes were fixated on her as she stepped inside with a cute smile.
‘Arey look Anika, who came, you won’t believe your eyes,’ Shivaay told her and she lifted her face from the bracelet and as she looked at Shivika, her eyes pooled up with tears but her lips had a smile after seeing her daughter. She called her to hug her and she came running to her and Anika hugged her and kissed her forehead. ‘Beta who brought you here?’, she asked. ‘Mumma brought me, and she’s saying sorry, where did you go after my birthday? I was waiting for you,’ Shivika asked hugging her feeling dearness not wanting to break the hug.
‘I was a guest over there, so I moved out of there as soon as I found a place to live,’ Anika lied and Mallika changed the topic. ‘Looks like I m invisible,’ she said. ‘Even I,’ Shivaay said and Shivika broke the hug and came to Shivaay hugging him. He kissed her cheek. ‘Coochicoochikoo,’ Shivaay said pressing her cheeks. She giggled and went to Mallika and hugged her. ‘Mera baby,’ she said and picked her kissing her cheek. ‘Bas bas, itna sweet mat ho, mujhe sugar hojaegi,’ Shivika joked and they all laughed. ‘I will call mumma,’ she said getting down from Mallika’s arms and ran out.
(Shivika’s real name: Shivika Rishi)