"What did you just say?" Jevan demanded."I'm pregnant." She said."That... That must be a joke, right?" He chuckled darkly. "It's a prank."Sarita turned and left. She returned a minute later with an envelope and passed it to her mother who opened the flap of the envelope and took out the content inside. Priya let out a gasp when she saw the sonogram.Jevan stared at the sonogram in his wife's hand, feeling like he'd been hit by a wrecking ball and looked over at his daughter. He didn't want to believe that she was pregnant but the proof was there. He knew what a sonogram was."How far along are you?" He asked."Three weeks." Sarita stared at her father from under her lashes wondering why he looked so calm. It was a calmness that terrified her because she knew he was probably concocting something sinister in his head."That's fine." He breathed. "It's not too late to terminate it." He stood up."What?" Sarita and her mother chorused, wearing similar expressions of shock on their face
Sarita looked up at the sky worriedly as the thunder rumbled and lightning bolts flashed across the dark sky. It was a sign of rain and she began to pray that Vikrant would get to her house before it started to rain because she was sure his father wouldn't want him driving in the rain. She'd have to go back into the house, back into the room where she'd had that horrendous nightmare and wait for her father to make his threat a reality. She couldn't have that. She refused to let her father commit murder because of his hatred for Vikrant Suryavanshi. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a black car pull up two houses down from hers and a second later, someone alighted from the car, shut the car door and began to walk in the direction of her house. "Vikrant?" She called. "Anu?" She shot up from her place on the porch and raced down the driveway to fling herself at him. A sob caught in her throat as his strong arms wrapped around her and she burrowed her face in his neck, inhaling
"Sarita, is everything okay?" Rohan asked her when she walked into the living room with Vikrant. "Sit. I'll have a maid bring you water." He left. "No, sir." She found that there was no use lying to Vikrant's father. She was, after all, here in his house and not her father's house. "I told my parents about the baby and my father told me to terminate it." "What?" Rohan and Amalia exchanged puzzled glances. "He threatened to hurt me and my baby if I disobeyed, so I ran away." She said. "You'll be safe here." Rohan assured her. Vikrant returned with a glass of water and gave it to her then settled down beside her. "Thank you." She gulped down the water and he took the glass from her and set it on the coffee table. "Didn't you tell him who the father of your baby is?" Amalia inquired. "He must think you were raped by Pablo or Lorenzo." "He thought that at first, but I told him the whole story and..." Her voice wavered. "It's okay. Say no more." Vikrant said. She looked like it p
"Jevan! Watch your words!" Priya scolded him. "Do not say such terrible things about your daughter.""I'm going to have you arrested for rape." Jevan swore, wagging his finger at Vikrant. "You raped my daughter!""I did not!" Vikrant protested, getting to his feet as well. "Sarita told me the whole truth." Jevan said. "I read her diary and I saw everything she wrote in it. How you beat her up and raped her!""I didn't do it on my own volition! I was ordered to!" Vikrant refuted. "They were going to kill her.""I don't want to listen to you anymore." Jevan shook his head. "Please leave.""You are really going to have my son arrested? You're going to take him to court?" Rohan asked, getting to his feet. "Are you sure about that?""I know you have a lot of money, sir, but a crime is a crime and your son committed one." Jevan answered. "I'll take him to court.""Very well, then." Rohan nodded. "See you in court, then." He grabbed Vikrant's hand and stormed out in anger."I hope you know
A month later "You don't have to kill anyone because of me." Sarita informed her father in a flat voice. Her face was devoid of any expression and the words she was about to utter made her heart ache. "You want me to come back home, right? I'll come back... but after I've delivered my baby." "That is months from now." Her father protested. "Take it or leave it." Sarita bit out. "I have just less than six months before I graduate from high school. I have seven months to go before I give birth." She took a deep breath and let it out. "Let me deliver this baby in peace... then I'll go with you to India." Vikrant grabbed her arm and whirled her around to face him. Confusion etched on his face and a flicker of hurt flashed in his eyes before it vanished so fast that she wondered if she'd only imagined it. "What are you saying, Anu?" He demanded. "You're just going to leave?" Sarita looked at his beloved face and she let him see what she couldn't show her father; the pain and despair
A Month later "Desperate hussy." "Slut." "Just another notch in his bed post." Sarita hung her head in shame as she stood in front of her locker at school, trying to open her locker but failing miserably as she tried to keep her tears at bay. Everyone in school had heard of her pregnancy and they weren't nice about their comments when they realized that Vikrant Suryavanshi was the father of her baby. It was worse as the rumor going around the school was that Vikrant didn't want the baby and dumped her for someone else. She was called different names but it wasn't to her face since no one wanted to incur the wrath of Kalyani Singh or her other knight in shining armor; Michael Tanner. Unfortunately, despite being her protectors, they couldn't tell the truth because Vikrant had expressly forbidden them from telling anyone, so they'd kept their mouths shut. "Don't listen to them." Raj said. Sarita whirled around to look at Raj. She eyed him over in disgust but said nothing to h
Sarita had dreaded Divya's return but surprisingly, nothing happened when she came face to face with Divya in the hallways. Divya had even politely asked her how she was, which had caught her off guard but she figured that it was because there were witnesses including Vikrant so she couldn't try anything. "You took my man from me!" Divya yelled, the knife in her hand pointed at Sarita's stomach. "I didn't do it on purpose! I swear! It just happened!" Sarita pleaded. "Getting pregnant doesn't just happen!" Divya huffed arrogantly. "Unless one plans it! I'm going to enjoy killing you, Sarita Madhav." Her maniacal laughter sent chills up Sarita's spine. "Vikrant Suryavanshi will be mine!" Divya stabbed her. "No, please!" Sarita cried out from her dream and jerked awake. "Miss Madhav, are you okay?" The geography teacher, Mrs Winston inquired. Sarita looked around with unfocused, fearful eyes that glistened with tears until she heard someone snicker and she shook her head to clear
A Month later Due to reasons best known to her alone, Sarita kept postponing her visit to the hospital for her appointment. She was supposed to have gone for her second check up but she refused to do so. Her mother bugged her about it, got no tangible reason from her and left her to it. It was her life, she thought, she was the one carrying the baby so she could damn well do anything she wanted. "Ma'am." Sarita raised her hand to get the attention of her geometry teacher. "You can ask your questions after I'm done." Mrs Clarke said. "Can I be excused?" Sarita felt like her bladder would burst if she didn't get a move on. "I need to use the restroom." "Of course." She said. "Thank you." She shot to her feet and hurried out of the class. Her classmates burst out laughing. "What's funny?" Mrs Clarke demanded. "She walks like a penguin." A girl snickered. "So I walk like a penguin?" Mrs Clarke arched a brow, resting her hand on her protruding belly. She was also pregnant. The
Samishka Singh stood in front of the buffet table wondering what to eat. There were different assorted dishes and desserts laid out for the guests to choose from but she was finding it hard to pick a specific dish. It was her youngest cousin Vikrant Suryavanshi's wedding and anyone who was somebody in Cardenia was in attendance. She snorted as she vaguely remembered that two years ago, Vikrant Suryavanshi would never have expected to find himself a married man before he turned twenty or worse be a father to two adorable gorgeous boys. But here he was, two years later, happily married to her little sister Kalyani's best friend Sarita Madhav. Now known as Sarita Suryavanshi. "Love... Look what you made him do." She muttered. They'd had an Indian wedding and this one was a church wedding. "Are you going to stare at the canapés all day or take a bite from them?" An amused male voice questioned beside her. Sam turned to face the newcomer and her breath hitched in her throat when she saw
They were married. She was his wife but Vikrant still felt very nervous as he stood at the altar waiting for Sarita to walk in. Her father had not been very happy after they told him that they intended to wed in the church after their traditional wedding but he'd given his consent, agreeing to walk her down the aisle. He straightened his jacket, checked his cuffs as the pianist began to play the wedding march song and almost wiped the sweat off his brows but he caught himself and silently cleared his throat. His breath hitched in his throat as the doors opened and Kaly walked in holding a small bouquet of peonies, followed by the ring bearer; Michael's cousin Sean and the flower girl and finally his bride appeared with her father. The walk to the altar took forever but he didn't mind as all he thought of was how gorgeous she was in the embroidered tulle wedding dress with a sweetheart neckline that she was wearing. He thought that he was a very lucky bastard because she was his to h
Vikrant stared at his ex-best friend's face in shock. He couldn't have heard him correctly, right? "Unfortunately, Divya beat you to it." Vikrant said. "Why are you telling me this?" "I can't... I can't do this anymore. I've not been able to sleep or study. I want things to go back to the way they were." Raj replied. "I came here to ask for your forgiveness, Vikrant." He dropped to his knees. "Please forgive me." Tears sprang to Vikrant's eyes as he stared at his former best friend on his knees. He'd cherished his friendship with Raj and he'd even thought of him as his brother from another mother, but he'd been the only one with the clear conscience in that relationship. He was eternally grateful to Kaly for exposing Divya and whose betrayal made him see Raj for who he really was. He was starting a new chapter in his life. He was a father and soon to be husband to the most wonderful girl in the world. He didn't want to bring his past into his future so he had to sever all ties w
Three weeks later Tears streamed down Sarita's cheeks when she walked into Vikrant's hospital room and saw him awake. The first week had been a rollercoaster ride for her as his blood pressure had dropped all of a sudden and the doctors had fought really hard to bring it back up. She'd been in school when she got a call from his father that he'd woken up and was asking to see her, so she'd gotten a leave from school and came straight to the hospital in the car his father had sent for her. She settled down on the chair his father had been sitting on and moved it closer to the bed, clasped his hand in hers and raised it to her lips. "You scared me to death, Mayank." She accused amidst tears. "I thought I'd never see you again." "I'm sorry." His smile was faint and his voice hoarse. His face was regaining its pallor but he still looked pale. "Don't ever try that again. Do you understand?" She hit him gently. "I forbid you." "Are you hitting a patient, Anushka? A very sick one at
Raj stopped in his tracks when he saw the crowd gathered in front of the music room and his brows furrowed. He moved closer, wondering what was happening but couldn't see anything until he heard Divya's voice calling out Vikrant's name. He fought his way to the front and froze when he saw the scene; Sarita sitting on the ground in a daze while Divya cradled a bloody Vikrant in her arms. His eyes traveled to the gun on the floor and his heart skipped a beat."Oh, God." He muttered. He was shoved aside as someone rushed into the room and he watched as Kaly rushed over to where the two girls were and knelt down beside Sarita."What's going on here?" The crowd parted for Principal Marek to walk in and he also went still upon seeing the scene. "Call for an ambulance!" He ordered. "Please tell me an ambulance is on the way.""I already did that sir." Michael spoke up."You killed him." Sarita's detached voice made everyone turn to look at her. They knew she was squeamish around blood but s
Two days later "I did tell you that he'd come around, didn't I?" Kaly reminded Sarita as they stopped by her locker during the second period. Kaly's definition of Vikrant 'coming around' was a hello from him and a concerned look. She figured that it was better than behaving like strangers but in Sarita's books, that was nothing. If anything, it made her both anxious and angry wondering when they'd make up. She wasn't scared to admit that she'd missed him like crazy and hoped she wasn't the only one feeling miserable. She inputted the combination for her locker, opened the door and gasped when she saw the flowers and hearts littering her locker. There was a bouquet of red roses, a chocolate box wrapped in red ribbon, a handmade heart-shaped card and a heart-shaped globe that had tiny red hearts floating inside of it and a photo of the two of them smiling at each other. "Oh. My. God." Kaly's jaw dropped open. She grabbed the card, opened it to peruse what was written inside and
He rose to his feet as well. "Are you sure about that?" He arched his brow. He walked up to her, snagged her around her waist, and pulled her flush against him. "Will you stop me if I tell you that all I'm thinking about right now is kissing you senseless. Will you stop me?""I don't want your stupid kiss." She bit out.Behind them, Kaly started singing the Little Mermaid 'kiss the girl' song mimicking the crab's voice. Her antics diffused the tension as Sarita burst out laughing and Vikrant followed suit but instead of them kissing as the song suggested, he wrapped his arms around Sarita and she did the same."Do you still want my stupid kiss?" He whispered in her ear."No." She pulled back. "It'll make me like you again. I don't want to like you again."Vikrant's lips curled up in a half smile. They were going to be good again. He was going to win this fight and get his girl back. Sarita Madhav was his and no one else's."Just... Be careful." She murmured. "Come back."Vikrant chuck
"Not on your life!" Vikrant roared. "Never!""Never?" Karan chuckled softly."NEVER." Vikrant repeated emphatically. "I'd prefer to die than to give them up. They're mine." He took a deep breath to calm himself down and flashed Karan a smile. "Sarita included.""Is that so?" Karan challenged. "Are you sure you want to go down this road?""You got greedy... Friend." Vikrant answered. "You upped the stakes so I'm doing the same. I want all three of them for myself."Karan laughed. "I like your son, Mr Suryavanshi." He told Rohan as he rose to his feet. "He's brave, but I'm sorry to say... Stupid." He seared Vikrant with a death glare. "Friday 5pm, Exodus Arena. Don't be late.""You want to fight with him?" Rohan asked."Fight to the death." Karan said. "Loser relinquishes his rights to the girl and the babies." He sized Vikrant up. "I heard you won the U18 MMA award two years ago and your opponent was a year older than you were - bigger than you were too.""So?""You're not green behind
"What?" Sarita exchanged puzzled glances with Vikrant. "Twins?" "Yes." The doctor nodded. "Hidden twins are common in mono amniotic pregnancies which is true in your case. Your babies are sharing the same sac which would make them identical." "You know, mom thought so too, Sarita." Kaly said. "She was right." "So... They're fine, right?" Vikrant's voice came out a bit shaky. "The fall didn't hurt them?" "Their heartbeats are strong." He assured him. "Baby A seems to weigh more than Baby B but it's not so much that we have to worry." He pointed to the screen to show them the babies' fingers and toes and whatnot. After a lecture from the doctor about safety, Sarita was discharged and they left the hospital. Kaly looped her arm around Sarita's as they waited for Vikrant who'd gone to the restroom to come back so they could leave. "I'm so happy for us, Rita." Kaly squeezed her hand lovingly. "Twins! I hope they're both girls." "Absolutely not." Vikrant growled from behind her, havi