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Shanaya noticed how her hands shivered as she walked through the familiar hallways of the orphanage. She stumbled at every step, cursing herself to keep her shit together. Prakash was waiting for her at the other end of the hallway, an odd look fixed on his face as he watched her approach. Shanaya read it as something between pitiful and concerned. She decided she hated both of those things. “Hey there,” she said upon getting close enough, doing her best to keep the nervousness out of her voice. “Are they here?” Prakash straightened the maroon tie fastened around his collar before answering, “They’re interacting with Sanya right now.” “Oh,” Shanaya mumbled, feeling a cold hand wrapping around her heart. “Did she seem excited about it?” Prakash smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “She’s thrilled. I think she’s probably introducing her doll right now. And you can meet the parents right after. The wife met with an accident some days back. She has a bandage around her head. I thou
“That went well, didn’t it?” Dhruv asked as they descended the staircase, making their way to where her car was parked. “They don’t look like it, but everything seems fine about them as per Meghna. Sanya kinda liked them too.” Shanaya heard everything he said but did not respond—not until they reached her car. Then she turned her eyes back to the entrance of the orphanage, exhaling loudly as she scratched her temple. “Tell me what’s bothering you,” he voiced, moving closer protectively. She wetted her lips, her eyes lowered to the grass beneath her feet. “I just… I have this feeling, Dhruv. Something just doesn’t sit right about them. And I know this could be a result of the thought of separating from Sanya. But I don’t think it’s just that…” Dhruv rubbed the sides of her right arm, watching her with softened eyes. “When everything turns out fine, you’ll be relieved.” Shanaya was glad he did not dismiss her as an overthinker. He understood the origin of her concerns and tried to
Priya reacted too late. She tried to duck but her head made impact, the remote hitting her right where the bandage was placed. Before Shanaya could recover from what she had just witnessed, the bandage on Priya’s head began turning red, staining with fresh blood. Shanaya heard Rohit accuse her assistant, “Your boss thinks she’s great. Why was she suspicious, Pri? Did you tell her anything? Tell me! Did you say anything to her?” Priya cried, shaking her head furiously. “No, no, no. I didn’t. I swear!” Stumbling backward, Priya screamed in pain, touching her forehead. “Trust me, Rohit. I never told her anything,” she pleaded, her voice coming out soft and weak. Her husband simply scoffed, lifting himself off the couch and taking a threatening step toward her. “If anything goes wrong and we don’t get this child, I’m going to kill you, Pri. And then I’m going to kill that bitch.” Priya yelled in protest, warning him to not come closer. But Rohit continued his trail towards her, a
“You’re here now,” Shanaya murmured, letting go but still holding her arms around him. “That’s what matters.” “You were right. I should’ve believed you,” he said, his voice laced with regret. Shanaya shook her head, touching his cheek softly. “We couldn’t know. But yeah, it was horrible. I can’t believe Priya was going through this.” “Did you inform the police?” “Yes, I did. They were just here asking me questions,” she told him, turning around to find Michael. The artist was watching them with a strange look—she comprehended it as delighted. Looking back at Dhruv, she sighed in relief. “This is not the best situation but he deserves such an intro, I guess. Always the one for drama. Come, you need to meet him.” When they halted right beside the chair where Micheal sat, he stood up confidently, a charming smile coming over his face. “A good distraction I see,” he commented. She passed him a weak smile which was all she could muster. “This is my artist friend. I found out peo
Shanaya was eager to get out of bed that morning. There was only one person on her mind: Priya. She had not hoped to get any sleep that night but Dhruv’s comforting arms had put her to rest finally. However, when her eyes opened in the morning, Dhruv wasn’t by her side making her groan in disappointment. She knew where to find him. He was in the kitchen, handsome and tall and half-naked—the top half of his body up for staring. The muscles of his back flexed as he flipped the pancake on the pan. Shanaya tried to ignore that but was thankful that it served as a pleasant distraction from the disturbing thoughts in her mind. “Hey,” she murmured, gathering her hair into a messy bun. “You’re up early,” he commented, turning around to pass her charming smile. His hair was a disheveled mess—he had just come out of the shower. “Come here,” he urged and pulled her closer before she could protest. “You smell good,” she said, leaning into his neck. She could stay there all day if tha
Shanaya reached out for the doorbell but her attention was momentarily taken away by a white cat that ran past her. She jumped, startled at the intrusion in her thoughts. It was only now she asked herself how she got upstairs. Her mind had been so occupied with her work and Priya’s divorce process that she had absent-mindedly boarded the stairs. She tapped the doorbell, and sighed, leaning against the wall. Her eyes eyed the entrance—the wall decorated with mandala art. It was a decent place, she concluded. At least on the outside. On the inside, she was confident she’d find a lot more colorful and eccentric things. She had not expected her sister-in-law, Kirti, to own an apartment in such a quiet place. She had temporarily moved here with Neil and their little daughter Ahana. Shanaya had not asked the reason for it as it seemed too intrusive. However, when she received a call from Kirti that morning, asking her to babysit Ahana, she quickly agreed. It was a Sunday and alt
Despite Kirti’s protests of staying back, Anjali was successful in convincing her that she was alright and that they could carry on the movie plan. However, before leaving, Kirti had brought Shanaya aside and asked her if she was alright. Shanaya had no clue what to make of it. How much did Kirti know? And what did she know? It was clear to her that Kirti believed the baby was Dhruv’s. “I really rooted for you two,” she had said. “You were the perfect couple. Now with Anjali and him… I’m still holding out hope. Even though things seem impossible.” Shanaya had nothing to say in reply but she had managed to keep a straight face. Eventually, Kirti sighed, asking her to call if she needed anything. Kissing Ahana goodbye, Kirti had left with Anjali. Shanaya tried a lot to keep her focus on Ahana—who was up as soon as her mother left. But she kept thinking about Anjali. She even considered calling Dhruv, hoping to clear her mind but then as a complete surprise to her, he arrived
When Shanaya entered through the door of her family mansion, her doubt was confirmed. Something was definitely amiss. Harish, her uncle, sat with his hand holding his head. His face was covered with a worried expression. She could breathe the discomfort in the air—something grave had happened. Suhala was sleeping in her wheelchair. Well, at least her eyes were closed as her she leaned back, her head resting against the edge of the backrest. “Uncle,” Shanaya greeted, carefully treading forward. Harish jumped in his seat, startled by her approach. He held a hand against a chest before he stood up and nodded. “Shanaya,” he said. That was all he said. “Tell me what has happened,” she demanded, her voice unwavering. Suhala was awakened by their loud conversation. Her wearing eyes looked around the room in search of someone, before they finally landed on Shanaya. “Oh, my child. You’re here finally.” “Dadi,” she mumbled, facing her momentarily before she gazed at Harish again. She