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LATER THAT NIGHT…

It was 2 a.m. when Aditya reached home. Parking his car, he stepped out, his movements slow and weary. As he walked toward the entrance, his steps felt heavy, mirroring the pain in his heart. When he opened the door, darkness welcomed him.

The living room was empty—silent and still. Faint moonlight peeked through the white curtains, casting silver shadows across the floor.

As he climbed the stairs, the ache in his chest grew sharper. With every step, the weight in his heart deepened.

Reaching his room, he gently pushed the door open. His eyes landed first on his son, Ivaan, sleeping soundly in his crib, and then on Krish, his younger brother, asleep on the bed beside it.

Aditya stepped inside and moved to stand in front of the crib. His hand curled tightly around the railing, his knuckles turning white from the intensity of his grip.

He stared at Ivaan. His gaze softened immediately at the sight of his son’s peaceful face. A tug pulled at his heart when Ivaan’s lips curled into a faint smile in his sleep. Tears welled up in Aditya’s eyes as the morning’s conversation with the doctor echoed in his mind.

Leaning down, he pressed a gentle kiss to Ivaan’s forehead. Pulling back, he whispered, “You’re a strong baby. You really are.”

He carefully adjusted the blanket over Ivaan, then walked into the bathroom for a quick shower.

A few minutes later, Aditya stepped out, freshened up, a towel draped over his shoulders and his sweatpants hanging loosely around his waist.

Throwing his towel on the nearest couch, Aditya walked to bed and laid down beside Krish. The mattress dipped slightly due to his weight. He kept a hand back on his head as he stared at the ceiling. Sleep was nowhere for him tonight, the doctor's words resonated in his ears, making it difficult for him to sleep.

MORNING

It was 8 in the morning, The sunlight peeked through the curtains falling into the living room of Kapoor mansion. The clinking of cutlery and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air.

The family members were seated at the dining table waiting for Aditya and Ivaan.

They all sat there, their faces laced with concern and worry as they waited for Aditya. Katha glanced at stairs for the nth time and sighed, Her curiosity to know what is in Ivaan's results increased by each passing second.

Shlok shook his head at his wife's curiosity, “ Woh aayega Katha,” he said, as he kept his ipad down.

“ Krish ne bola tha ba he came late last night.”

( He will come, Katha)

(Krish had said that he came late last night.)

Katha glared at her husband, “Mujhe pata hai!!. I am just concerned about the result.” She paused, as she again glanced at the stairs, “ you know your son Shlok. Doctor ne kuch bada hi bola hoga isiliye wo kal pura din humse chup ke raha hai”

(You know your son Shlok. The doctor must have said something big, that is why he was hiding from us the whole day yesterday.)

The elders nodded, taking her side. While Shlok just shook his head.

Suddenly they heard footsteps and Katha's head snapped to the stairs expecting to see her elder son and grandson but instead her younger son showed up making her look away in frustration.

Krish frowned at his mother's reaction as he descended the stairs, when he reached down, he looked at his father asking him what happened through eyes.

“ Tumhari maa tumhare bade bhai, yaniki inki priye putra ke liye intazar kar rahi hai” Shlok replied, his tone laced with sarcasm.

(Your mother is waiting for your elder brother i.e. her beloved son)

Krish nodded in acknowledgement, “ Maa i told you earlier that bhai will come late today, he slept at 3 am.” he said as he pulled his chair out to sit.

Katha nodded, her face frowned in concern. For a few minutes they say in silence, The old couple was busy gossiping, Katha was busy worrying for her elder son. While Shlok and krish talked about business.

Suddenly they heard footsteps approaching and again Katha's head snapped at the staircase again expecting to see her elder son but again instead of them her second elder and his wife showed up making her look away in frustration.

Arnav and Kuhu frowned at her reaction as they came down and looked at Shlok who smiled and repeated the same thing he said to Krish.

“ Tumhari maa tumhare bade bhai, yaniki inki priye putra ke liye intazar kar rahi hai”

Arnav nodded and pulled out a chair, while Kuhu headed toward the kitchen—until her mother-in-law’s voice stopped her.

“Kuhu beta, I’ve told you many times—there are plenty of workers and a chef in the kitchen. You don’t have to do anything.”

Kuhu smiled warmly. “I know, maa. I’m just going to make coffee for Arnav. You know he likes it my way.”

Just as Kuhu disappeared into the kitchen, they heard slow, measured footsteps descending the stairs. This time, everyone paused. Something in the air shifted.

Katha’s heart skipped a beat. She turned toward the staircase again, and this time, her eyes softened with relief—and a tinge of dread.

Aditya finally appeared, dressed in a crisp white shirt, sleeves folded, his jaw tense and eyes tired. In his arms was little Ivaan, sucking on his pacifier.

The entire table turned silent.

Aditya descended the stairs, his moments slow . As he reached the table, Katha stood up immediately, moving towards him, as she took Ivaan in her arms, “ Adi?” She said softly, her eyes scanning him.

Aditya gave her a curt nod but didn't say anything as he pulled his chair out to sit. Katha too, sat down on her chair with Ivaan in her arms, she looked at her son, her heart beating fast as she asked, “ Adi, kya hua? Kal Ghar nahi aaya tha, aisa kya bola doctor ne?”

Aditya looked up at her, His eyes softening at the sight of his mother, he signed as he finally revealed,

“ Doctor said Ivaan's lungs aren't in good condition,” he paused, and everyone at the table stilled.

Shlok’s smile faded. Krish and Arnav leaned in. Kuhu walked in from the kitchen and stopped in her tracks, holding a tray with coffee cups.

Katha's breath hitched, “ matlab?” She asked,

Aditya took a deep breath, as he said, “ There are rashes on his lungs , oesophagus and windpipe as we know he wasn't…. born healthy and didn't get colostrum at that time …it has affected his immunity badly. The doctor said it’s likely due to the powdered milk and now he needs colostrum.”

The tray in Kuhu’s hand shook slightly, and Arnav quickly got up to take it from her. She didn’t protest, her eyes glued to Ivaan.

Katha hugged Ivaan closer, instinctively shielding him as if her embrace could heal him. “Mera bacha…,” she whispered, tears stinging her eyes.

“Is it serious?” Ashwin asked, his voice low.

Aditya nodded. “Yes, dadu.The doctor said as Ivaan is a baby we can't use any medication which can be harmful for him. So we just need colostrum for a while or maybe until he turns one.”

Krish’s eyes widened. “but ….. from where do we get colostrum?”

Aditya rubbed his hands on his face, “ Doctor got us a donor and now we have colostrum for two weeks. After that we need to find another donor”

Katha looked at Aditya, stunned. “Two weeks?” she whispered, pressing a kiss to Ivaan’s head. “And after that? We just… keep searching?”

Aditya nodded silently, his jaw tightening. “It’s not easy, Maa. Donors have to be lactating mothers who gave birth recently. It’s a small window… and they need to be healthy. We’ll have to keep looking every couple of weeks.”

Kuhu sat down beside Arnav, her voice soft. “Can’t we store it in advance? Like… freeze it?”

Aditya gave a small nod. “We can freeze it, but colostrum doesn’t come in large quantities. That’s the problem. And it’s more sensitive than normal milk—it loses its properties if not handled carefully.”

Shlok clenched his fists on the table, his knuckles pale. “This is insane. There has to be a better way.”

“There isn’t,” Aditya replied. “Not for something this specific. It’s rare to find a child in this situation, Papa. Most babies get colostrum from their mothers within hours of birth. Ivaan didn’t.”

Katha looked at Ivaan, her eyes filled with tears, “ i know, that day…. We were so busy with Minal we forgot about his feeding and everything”

Gayathri glanced at Ivaan and then at Aditya her eyes filled with determination as she said, “ Get married, Aditya”

All heads snapped at her in shock.

Aditya looked at her in disbelief, “dadi?”

Gayathri stood up, her aged eyes bored into him, with determination, “you heard me. Get married. We already chose Mahi. If not, find someone who can lactate him!”

Katha looked at her, her face pale, “maa..”

Gayathri didn't waver, “Ivaan needs a mother. Not just in name. He needs someone who can provide for him in every sense — emotionally, physically… biologically. If we keep depending on external donors, what if we fail to find one on time?”

Ashwin looked torn, his brows furrowed in thought. Krish, Arnav, and Shlok stared at Gayathri in stunned silence.

Aditya stood up, rage burning in his eyes,

“ And why do you think someone will marry me just to lactate my son?” he asked her but In return he got silence.

Because everyone knows, no girl will marry a man just to lactate his son or just to take care of his son. Afterall everyone wants love and a marriage without love is useless. Just like the weed in fields.

Aditya looked at his grandmother, who sat down on her chair, “ bolo dadi, who wants to marry me just for my son, just to provide him with Milk and become his mother? Who would want to do that?”

There was a silence for a beat and then they heard a feminine voice, soft but firm.

“ I want to!!”

Everyone turned in the direction of the voice.

Mahi stood by the entrance, in her sweat shirt and pants, sweat dripping from the sides of her face. Her bluish grey eyes bored at them with a firm determination.

Kuhu brows furrowed, “ Mahi?”

Gayathri’s brows arched in surprise. Arnav straightened in his chair. Krish’s jaw dropped. And Aditya… Aditya just stared at her, stunned, as if the wind had been knocked out of him.

With a deep breath, She approached them, her steps steady.

“ I will, I will marry you” she repeated looking into Aditya's eyes.

Krish looked at her in shock, as he heard her. He knows she loves his brother and wants to marry him but like this? He didn't like it.

“ What are you doing here?” Krish asked her, Mahi turned to him as she pulled out his wallet from her pocket and threw it on his face.

“ You forgot it yesterday. I was jogging and I thought why not give it to you. And when I reached here I mistakenly overheard everything.” She admitted.

Aditya glanced at her with an emotion— shock, disbelief or maybe something he couldn't name.

“ Mahi….” He called her.

She glanced at him, “ you don't —”

“ Let's talk in your room” she cut in and held his wrist as she dragged him to his room.

Katha looked down at Ivaan, her heart pounding as she tried to process everything. Shlok exchanged glances with Ashwin, both of them still visibly shaken. Kuhu, Arnav blinked in disbelief, the tension in the air too thick to ignore. While Krish looked at their fading figure in concern.

Meanwhile, in Aditya's room, Mahi let go of his wrist, standing in front of him, arms crossed, chest rising and falling as if she’d just fought a storm inside her.

As they stood face to face, Aditya stared at her his eyes searching, “Mahi you don't have to—” she cut him off again.

“ I want Aditya, I want to marry you.…….. for Ivaan” she said calmly despite her rising heartbeat because of their proximity.

Aditya rubbed his temples, his rage bubbling up,

“ Do you know what the hell you are saying?”

Mahi nodded, her confidence unwavering, “ I do, I know exactly what I'm saying.”

Aditya looked away, to calmdown his anger

There was a silence for a minute before mahi said,

“ I know why you are saying this. I know you can't l ... .love me, but right now i don't want that” she paused and glanced at him, her eyes softened, “ Right now, i want to become Ivaan's mother, I want to be his mother. Just me”

Aditya’s eyes snapped to hers, startled by the raw vulnerability in her voice.

“Mahi…” he whispered,

She took a step forward, bridging the little distance left between them. “I know this isn’t how anyone imagined it. And I know you’re hurting, confused… angry even. But I’m not doing this because I feel sorry for Ivaan. I’m doing this because I care for him. And if marrying you is what it takes for me to protect him, then I’ll do it—without expectations, without conditions.”

He turned his face away, struggling to keep his emotions in check. “You’re saying all this now, Mahi. But later… you’ll regret it. When you realise what living with me, without love, truly means.”

“I’ve already imagined the worst,” she whispered. “And even then… I still choose you. Ivaan. Not for some fantasy. For reality.”

Aditya’s chest rose and fell rapidly. His throat felt tight. “You’re not thinking straight. This isn’t just about now. What about your dreams, your life? You deserve so much more than this... than me.”

“I’m choosing this as my dream, Aditya,” she said, her voice cracking. “You can push me away, yell at me, question my sanity, but I’m not walking out of this room pretending I don’t care.”

He finally met her gaze again, and for the first time, something inside him shifted—just slightly.

There was no hesitation in her eyes, no second thoughts. Just love. Fierce, protective, unconditional.

And in that silence between them, something unspoken settled in the air—an agreement not of romance, but of resolve.

“ But I have a condition,” Mahi said after a beat of a second.

Aditya raised a brow, “ What is it?”

“ I want you to trust me.” She said, her eyes meeting his again, “ Just trust me in everything. I know it's just beginning and it's hard but just try to trust me even for 0.0001 % just do it. And never ever compared me to her”

Mahi knows that for this marriage especially to trust is the base and without it, it's useless. Mahi knew that what may happen in future and considering Aditya's love towards Minal gaining his trust on her is very important. And after receiving that message yesterday proved her right about what could happen in future and without his trust everything will be destroyed for her.

Aditya breath hitched at the mention of her, he knows he can never love someone like he loved Minal. But he also knows Minal is not Mahi and he can trust her regarding Ivaan, everything maybe him too not because she was his friend's sister but because as a person who is ready to sacrifice herself for his son.

He looked at her, the Storm in his heart calming for a second, “ you will have it. All of my trust and about comparison — you both are different Mahi. I can never do that”

The corner of her lips curved up hearing his words as she nodded.

“ Then it's settled, we will talk to the elders” Mahi said and he nodded.

But then as he remembered something Aditya looked at her his expression changing, “ what about your father? That day he looked like he would kill me,”

Mahi shook her head, “ don't worry about him, Mumma will handle him”

And with that, they stepped out—two people bound not by love, not yet, but by the shared determination to protect the little boy who had unknowingly brought them closer than ever.