I was given three months' leave from work just to take care of my baby. I was still building my career. I love my baby to want to spend the remaining years looking after her, but I can’t. I got to continue building my career, so I will be able to support Sidd when the need arises. I was happy Chandni wasn’t bugging us yet. I knew how Kiara would spend most of the nights walking around the living room to calm Krishna down. That child of hers is a thorn in every parent's flesh. He can cry for the universe. The pains of labor, now the pains of consoling a wailing baby that can’t speak what they want. And that Ranveer, I hardly see him with Kiara whenever the baby wails. When I tried asking Kiara where her husband was, she would tell me he is very much tired, office works, and the rest, and she doesn’t want to bug him. Sidd should better not try that with me. I was scared though. If Chandni starts crying at night, will I be the only one to console her? Will Sidd not help out at all? Why
I went to meet my mother-in-law downstairs. She was making embroidery. I moved closer and sat with her. “The design is beautiful, Mother,” I said.“Thank you. This is for Krishna. Kiara wanted me to make it for him,” Mother replied.“That’s nice, I hope I’m getting one too,” I set forth. I wasn’t jealous, just love the design.“Sure, I will make two,” Mother smiled.“Mother?” I called and she looked at me. “I’m thinking, since I will be resuming work on Monday, shouldn’t I get a nanny for Chandni?” I suggested. She was my major concern right now.“A nanny? I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Mother said. “A nanny has to be someone you know so well, someone you can leave your child in her care and you wouldn’t even bother looking back because you know she’s in safe hands. And that kind of a nanny is hard to get in just a few days. Besides, you don’t need a nanny for anything, I am here to take care of my grandchildren. What more can I do if not that?”
I left for work on Wednesday, my boss wasn’t taking my calls. I reached to the office, I went to meet my boss.“Good morning, ma’am,” I saluted as she permitted me to come in.“Good morning, Rani, have a seat, please,” she politely welcomed me. I took a seat opposite her.“I’m sorry for the delay, ma’am, my baby…”“I understand, Rani. I know how troubling it is to deal with a newborn baby. I’m a mother too, remember?” My boss said.“…Thanks for your understanding, ma’am. My baby felt sick, I had to watch over her. When I tried reaching you, too many things happened.”“No problem. But I’m afraid to say, your position has been given to someone else.”“What? But I thought you said no problem. What went wrong then?” I queried.Losing my job? My world is shattered. Getting a new job for a woman with a three months old baby is a hard task. I can’t work in Sidd’s company, all positions are taken. Neither can I in Ranveer’s firm.“Calm down, Rani
Later on, I paced up and down in my room, impatiently waiting for Sidd. I needed to confirm with him if he was cheating on me, too. If Ranveer was open about it then Sidd wouldn’t want to lie to me. I tapped my foot constantly on the floor. I checked my wristwatch. Why is he not coming? An hour passed his closing time already. I sat on the bed, stood up, looked at myself in the mirror, sat on a chair, and stood up again. I stood close to the window. The door opened and Sidd finally came in. I hurried to him, pulling him along.“What’s wrong?” he questioned.“Sidd, Sidd, Sidd, are you cheating on me?” I queried. He suddenly wore a surprised look.“What are you talking about?”“Are you seeing another woman?” I asked, and he nodded.My head spun. He is seeing another woman? He sat down, taking off his shoes while I allowed the bitter truth to sink in. I supported my body with my hand against the headboard. I watched as he stood up and went to freshen up. I dropped down on the bed. I
Mrs. Singh reached downstairs to meet Sidd’s mother. “Anushka?” she called and Sidd’s mother looked her way. She sat down with her. “Why would you watch something go wrong in your daughter-in-law’s life without doing anything?” Mrs. Singh questioned calmly, trying hard to hide her anger.“What are you talking about? Whose life?” Mrs. Arora asked, confused.“It’s Kiara’s. Your son is cheating on my daughter and he said it’s normal. Does their father cheat on you?”“Calm down, Amber, it hasn’t gotten to that. I never knew, no one told me anything about it.”“Now you know, and I want you to take it up with your son. No one dares hurt my daughter of their free will. I’m certain when Sunia faces such tribulation you will know what I am saying,” Mrs. Singh said and stood up to leave.“Don’t be angry, Amber. I will take it up with him, please,” Mrs. Arora stated and Mrs. Singh left. “Oh, God! Who taught Ranveer to do that?” Mrs. Arora lamented.I was in my room when Sidd’s mom came al
I left the staircase and went back inside. Sidd stood with a disappointed look next to the headboard. As for me, I don’t regret what I did. I moved closer, pretending nothing was amiss. “How could you, love? I thought I told you I was going to speak with Ranveer. Why then did you report him to Mother?” Sidd stated, his voice tinged with disappointment. “Why shouldn’t I? If you talk to him, what’s going to change?” I rebuked. “Do you have the slightest idea what Kiara is going through? Do you know the emotional trauma a woman undergoes to know that her husband cheats?” “I do know, but still, you shouldn’t have told Mother about it. It’s your fault Mother slapped him. You…” “Really?” I interrupted. “You are defending him because he got slapped? What is a slap compared to heartache? The slap is just an iota of it. Whenever I see your brother, I feel like strangling him. Argh! You are defending your cheating brother. I should have known. Birds of a feather always flock together. Look
On that faithful day, Kiara headed cheerfully to Ranveer’s office. She didn’t bother to knock, she just opened the door and entered, wanting to surprise him. Her heart dropped. Ranveer didn’t even notice her as he was busy caressing his secretary. She shut her eyes closed and opened them again to face reality. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She rushed out of the office. Immediately she left, Pankti jerked up from Ranveer, panting. She let out a sharp exhale.“Oh, God, that was crazy, boss,” she gasped.“I know. You can go back to work now, I will let you know if we will be acting more,” Ranveer said.“More?” she chuckled.“I will pay you.”She shook her head and walked away.Their next act was the hotel. Kiara was driving home from the store where she went to get groceries when she saw Ranveer coming out of a hotel with Pankti. Kiara pulled over, watching them laugh wholeheartedly. Ranveer opened the car door for Pankti and she entered after hugging hi
“Yes, Mother. The truth has been confirmed and I don’t want you to worry about Kiara anymore, okay?” I told my mom on the phone.“Tell Kiara to take my calls. I want to speak with her,” my mom said.“You haven’t spoken with Kiara?” I asked surprised. What’s wrong with my sister now? Why is she no longer calling our mother?“Um, okay, Mother, I will tell her,” I assured. “Take care of yourself.”“You too, bye.” the call ended.I headed straight to Kiara’s room. I threw the door open and entered, calling Kiara’s name, I halted. Ranveer was in the room. Kiara wasn’t there.“Um, I’m sorry,” I said, turning to leave.“Hold on, Rani,” Ranveer said standing up and walking to me. I turned to look at him. “I know you think of me as a bad person. I know you think I don’t deserve your sister, but I want you to know that I love Kiara so much. I won’t do anything that will jeopardize our relationship. You can be rest assured your sister is safe and happy with m
Our journey might not be a perfect one, but it’s ours. My life with Sidd isn’t perfect, but it is the most beautiful experience. When you’re in love, there’s nothing worth not fighting to stay together. We discovered a treasure from our hatred. Now it doesn’t matter how we started, all that matters now is our future. I’m certain it’s going to be bright, more colorful. I pray not to encounter any challenge henceforth. Even if that happens, we will fight it together. I belong to Sidd. We belong to each other. He is mine, I won’t ever let anyone take him away from me.Author’s note 💖🌈🌅I am super excited to have completed this story. To all my readers who were able to read to the end, thank you so much. I hope to be able to bring out more imaginations like this to inspire your world. I’m honestly grateful for the time you spent reading this. I love you all.Woohoo… 💃💃💃 “Love Lights More Fires than Hate Extinguishes!”The End!
I was busy in my office, working on some files when Mr. Arijit entered.“Hey, beauty!” he greeted me with a broad smile while working with me.“Good day, boss,” I responded, lifting my gaze on him.“I have a surprise for you,” he said.I smiled. My boss was fond of surprises. All his surprises were always precious to me. He walked to my side and I stood up. “What is the surprise?” I asked eagerly.“Close your eyes,” he said. Without hesitation, I closed my eyes. “You can open your eyes now,” he commented.I opened my eyes. My surprise vanished into a look of shock. My boss was on one knee with a ring. A proposal? How?“Will you accept to deal with my flaws, share in my joy, and celebrate my success stories? Will you be the woman I wake up to see every morning? Will you be my woman, Rani?” Mr. Arijit proposed. I was dumbstruck. What should I say? Just then, the door creaked open. Sidd walked in, holding a bouquet of rose flowers. He stopped at the door, staring between me an
The next day when I returned from work, Chandni came along. She was holding her pink teddy bear. “Hey, baby,” I smiled, taking off my shoes. She came to sit beside me. “Mommy, are you still fighting with Daddy?” Chandni asked. I looked at her abruptly. “Why do you ask, baby?” “Because Daddy told me you two aren’t on good terms yet. He said you are mad at him.” I smiled. “Daddy is just assuming, baby, we are not fighting,” I lied. We are fighting. “If he wronged you, please, forgive him, Mommy. Daddy is a changed person now.” “It’s fine, baby, but we are not fighting,” I insisted. Sidd is crazy to tell my daughter such a thing. He wants to use her to get to me. “Then be happy with him, okay?” Chandni said. I smiled reassuringly. The following morning, I was rushing out when Mother stopped me. “Hold on, Rani,” she said. I stopped in my tracks and looked at her. She walked closer to me she placed her palm on my shoulder. “Is the ga
The following day, I walked into my boss’s office. He had summoned me. “Good day, sir,” I greeted. “Good day, dear, have a seat,” he said. I smiled and sat down on the opposite chair. “First and foremost, thank you for allowing your daughter to come along to the outing. I’m very much obliged,” Mr. Arijit appreciated. “I should be thanking you, boss. Chandni was happily going out with you. She enjoys your company and that was relieving.” “I’m glad she did,” he said, pulling out a locker. “Here, I got you a gift,” he presented a small wrapped box to me. “Wow, thank you,” I smiled, taking the box from him. “Can you open it now?” “Oh, yeah, sure,” I agreed and began unwrapping the box. I opened it. It had a beautiful gold necklace in it. Small and expensive. It was the latest necklace, coming new into the market and I have been wishing to get it. Now my boss got it for me. Awesome! “You like it?” “I love it. Thank you so much,” I smiled.
A few days later. I went to meet my boss in his office. He was standing close to the window, looking through it when I entered. I stopped at the entrance.“Boss?” I called. He looked at me. “Here, I brought the file from Karen’s Ink firm for you to sign. They were satisfied with our presentation,” I stated, walking to him.“Okay, put it on my desk,” he said. I put down the file on his desk and turned to go. “Wait, Rani,” he said. I halted and looked at him. He moved close to me. He stood in front of me, staring into my eyes. I felt itchy all over. Why was he staring at me? I looked down, feeling queasy. “Can I ask you a favor?” he asked. “Huh?” I looked at him surprised. What favor can I possibly offer my boss? “What is it, sir?” I asked.“It’s your child,” he said. What about my child? What did she do? Will I lose my job again? “I saw her picture on Facebook. She is adorable,” Mr. Arijit stated, walking away from me. “She looks like you, cheerful and vibrant. C
At the Sharma’s mansion. Sunia was seated in the living room, staring into space. She was gloomy. Veejay came along from outside. He just returned from the office.“Hey, sweetheart,” he greeted. She wouldn’t answer him. He understood. Sunia hasn’t been herself since their last visit to the hospital.“What does that mean?” she had asked the doctor. Her heart thumbs up to her throat. She was already sweating.“I’m afraid, Mrs. Sharma, you might not be able to have a child of your own anymore,” the doctor announced.“Ow…!” she exclaimed, with the way her heart flew out of her, she fainted. Due to the unnatural way, she lost her pregnancy, she lost her womb with it. Only a miracle can give her a child of her own now.“Sweetheart, why are you like this?” Veejay asked, moving close. She glared at him. Without a word, she stood up and headed upstairs.At night, Sunia lay down on the bed, facing the ceiling with her arms crossed on her b
My mother-in-law was in the living room. Sidd and the call girl walked down to her. She stood in surprise. I shuffled downstairs. Thank God Chandni was still sleeping. What would I have told her?“Greetings, Mother,” Sidd saluted.I reached to the living room. Mother-in-law just stood with a look of surprise still evident on her face. “Mother?” I called and she looked at me. “I will be outside if you need me,” I said and turned towards the door.“Hold on, Rani,” Priyanka said.I halted. That wasn’t Mother or Sidd’s voice. Does the call girl know my name? What more did Sidd tell her about me? I turned. Indeed, it was the call girl that stopped me. She walked to me.“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know you are Sidd’s wife. He didn’t tell me and I scolded him for that,” Priyanka apologized.I was confused. I didn’t say anything. Why would Sidd’s mistress apologize to me? Sidd came along.“It’s true, Rani,” he stated. “Meet Priyanka Kapoor, my childho
I rode with my boss to Begusarai. We didn’t talk much in the car. He only showed me the presentation on his laptop. When we reached, we lodged in a hotel. Different rooms. After freshening up, I sat on the bed, going through my laptop. I got the presentation on my laptop as a backup. It was sunset then. I heard a knock on my room door. I looked at the door. The knock came up again. I stood up to go get the door. I opened up and saw Mr. Arijit looking down at the door.“Hey,” he smiled, looking up at me with a mesmerizing smile. My heart thumbs up to my throat. I forced a smile through my mouth. “Can I come in?” he said. Come in? By now? I swallowed hard and gave him a responsive nod. He entered, looking around the room.“You need anything, sir?” I asked, facing him.“How are you enjoying the room?” he asked, turning to look at me. “Are you comfortable? Or you need another room.”“No, sir, I am fine here,” I smiled again.“Glad to hear,” h
A few days later, I drove along from work. It wasn’t hectic at the office today. I finished what needed to be done early, so my boss permitted me to go home. Did I tell you guys his name? His name was Arijit Mohan. Mr. Arijit was so good. He was a responsible, concerned, selfless, and humble man. If I had met him before Sidd, I’m certain to have equally fallen in love with him. Crazy thought, I know. I got stuck in Mumbai's impromptu traffic.“Shit!” I hit my fist against the steering wheel.I relaxed back in my seat. I turned my head and saw Sidd coming out of a law firm with an attorney. I knew the attorney, he was a famous divorce handler of his time. I sat up quickly. He handed a paper to Sidd. I bet it was a divorce paper. Was Sidd planning to divorce me? Why? Because of the call girl? The honk of the car horn from my back pulled me back to the reality of the traffic lift. I moved off. I had a constant pang in my heart. Sidd wants to divorce me without thinking of our