A D I T Y A

I Stared at my laptop's screen. For some reason, the emails, my work, the company — they all felt boring tonight .Perhaps I was distracted. Ever since I came back from the Arora mansion, I haven't been able to focus. My mind feels numb.

I know i shouldn't have left from there like that but what else can I do? They shouldn't have fixed my marriage without my consent.

I know they wanted Ivaan to have a mother, a person who can take care of him, a person who loves him just like a biological mother does. However, I also know that this isn't the only reason they wanted me to get married again.

I know my son really needs a mother. Yes, he deserves it but what about me?

It's been just four months. Four fucking months since I lost her —my soulmate, the love of my life and the mother of my child. She was my everything.

How am I supposed to move on?

How am I supposed to break the promise I made to her?

How i'm supposed to give the place to someone else which solely belongs to her?

How am I supposed to break another soul for my own selfishness?

That too a girl who is nine years younger than me.

Mahi Arora

The little sister of my bestfriend Arjun Arora. I have known her since my childhood. A girl full of life, a shy one but brave, smart but not innocent. I have seen her growing up from a small girl into a young woman.

She will be a wonderful mother to Ivaan. I know she will

but she can't be my wife.

She just….. can't.

I closed the laptop and kept it back on the couch beside me. I leaned back and rested my head on the couch. I shut my eyes and rubbed my temples.

I will decline the proposal tomorrow.

And I don't give a fuck about what my family think or what the Aroras will say

I just don't want to get married. Not now,

Maybe never.

I can't just ruin a pure soul for my own selfishness.

I can’t destroy someone else’s peace just because I’m broken. Especially not someone like Mahi.

She’s a pure soul. She doesn’t deserve to be dragged into the mess I’ve become. I could never hurt her. Never.

And deep down I'm sure, she too doesn't want this proposal either.

A few minutes later, I stood up. Walking to the Ivaan's crib, i checked on him. He was sleeping soundly, Without any worries. I leaned down and softly very carefully pressed my lips on his forehead. His skin felt soft, softer than the cream, under my lips.

I leaned back and glanced at the nightstand where Ivaan’s things were neatly placed—his milk bottle, sanitary wipes, diapers, cotton pads, a disposable sheet, and a few of his toys. I picked up the bottle and checked how much milk was in it.

Ivaan usually doesn’t wake up for milk at night. It’s rare. The milk Mom kept for the night would just go to waste if he doesn’t drink it.

So, I had asked her to fill only half the bottle—just enough in case he wakes up. That way, if he doesn’t, we won’t end up wasting it.

Then, I checked his blanket, and covered him. With a last glance, I laid on the bed, beside his crib.

I have customized my bed to connect to his crib. So that it will be easy for me to take him in my arms if he wakes up at night. In this way, I don't have to get up or move around — I can be right here for him.

I glanced at Ivaan again, he moved a little, turning his head to the right as he pulled his hand out. I smiled looking at his face as he scrunched his little nose.

I moved closer to him and gently took his tiny hand in mine. I opened his little fingers and slipped my index finger between them, letting him hold it. Instantly, he wrapped his hand around mine, holding on tightly.

A soft smile tugged at the corner of my lips. I closed my eyes—and for the first time in four months, I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

N E X T D A Y

A U T H O R

Everyone was sitting at the dining table, waiting for Aditya and Ivaan to join them. The room was quiet, missing its usual cheerful conversations, until Shlok Kapoor finally spoke.

“It must be really tough for him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have just walked away like that,” Shlok said, worried about his son.

“Yeah, Dad. You all should at least give him a year to heal before bringing up marriage again,” Arnav said.

“Arnav is right, Dad. Bhaiya really loved Minal bhabhi. We should think about his feelings too,” Kuhu added, standing by her husband.

Katha, Gayatri and Avinash sat silent, hearing their words.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed across the floor, and the room fell silent once more.

Aditya walked in, holding little Ivaan in his arms. He came down the stairs and headed to the dining table. Once there, he gently placed Ivaan in his customized crib beside his chair and then sat down.

Looking around at his family’s tense expressions, Aditya let out a sigh, already knowing what was coming.

And before anyone could say, Aditya broke the silence,

“ I am not getting married…..to Mahi” he announced firmly.

He looked at his family, expecting dramatic reactions and arguments but to his surprise he only got soft signs —like they already know he would refuse the Marriage.

Aditya frowned slightly, caught off guard by their reactions. He expected them to argue, make him realise that he needs to get married, some emotional blackmail but all he got is calmness which unsettled him more.

“Adi, I know, bacha. We shouldn’t have rushed into fixing your marriage like we did yesterday,” Katha said apologetically.

“ Yeah, Adi. We just got a little carried away after seeing Ivaan’s reaction to Mahi,” Avinash added.

“We haven’t seen him laugh like that before. You know, Aditya, when a baby enters the fourth month, they usually start laughing or crying more—but your son always stays so quiet. It worried us,” Katha said softly.

“And when he laughed at Mahi…” She paused, her eyes resting on her son before continuing, “We thought maybe he was missing something in his life—something like a mother’s warmth. And when he got that from Mahi, we felt… relieved. That’s when we decided Mahi should be the one to fill that space—the mother figure that me, Kuhu, and Maa tried to become these past four months, but couldn’t.”

Aditya looked down, gently brushing his fingers over Ivaan's little hand. He stayed quiet, letting his mother’s words sink in.

Katha continued softly, “We didn’t mean to force you, Adi. We just saw a little hope in that moment. Ivaan looked so happy, and after everything he’s been through… after everything you’ve been through… we just wanted to fix things, maybe too quickly.”

Avinash nodded, “We thought if Mahi could bring a smile to Ivaan’s face, maybe she could bring some peace to yours too. But we forgot to ask what you wanted.”

Aditya signed, leaning back onto his chair, “ I know what you guys meant. I know you guys care about us but I can't do this. I just ……can't .”

Gayatri, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. “It’s okay, beta. You don’t have to explain. We just want you and Ivaan to be happy. That's it.”

For a moment, no one spoke. Just the soft sounds of Ivaan breathing in his crib.

Aditya looked away, his voice calm but firm.

“I’m not ready to move on. And Mahi… she deserves more than being someone’s second choice just because she made my son laugh once.”

Everyone nodded slowly, the tension easing a little, replaced with a quiet understanding.

✵

The rest of the breakfast passed with light conversations—mostly about business, upcoming meetings, and daily routines. No one brought up marriage again or anything related to it.

Just as Aditya finished the last bite, his phone pinged with a notification. He glanced at the screen and saw it was from SR Hospitals.

His expression changed. He quickly wiped his hands with a towel, unlocked the phone, and tapped on the message.

Aditya eyes scanned the message, which said,

“Mr. Kapoor, the results of your son’s tests are out. As the information is highly confidential, we request you to visit the hospital in person. The doctor will hand over the report to you directly.”

His heart skipped a beat.

Aditya started at the message a moment longer, his mind raced with the thoughts. Without saying a word he stood up, grabbed his phone and car keys and turned to his family.

“ Mom, I need to go to the hospital” he said, keeping his tone calm, though worry was evident on his face.

Katha looked up at him, “ is everything all right?”

Aditya hesitated before he spoke,

“ Ivaan's results are out, i will let you know the details once I talked to the doctor”

With that he walked out, the message still replaying in his mind.

✵

ARORA MANSION

Mahi sat in her room, her sketchpad resting on her lap as her pencil moved swiftly across the paper. Each stroke brought her one step closer to perfecting the designs she intended to showcase at Delhi’s upcoming fashion show.

As a renowned fashion designer and successful businesswoman, Mahi owns Elite Fashion Showroom—the top-ranking fashion brand in New York. Her brand is known for its elegant yet bold designs and has been featured in international fashion magazines and global runways.

After years of building her empire abroad, Mahi finally returned to India at her family’s insistence. A new chapter was about to begin.Now, she’s all set to launch Elite Fashion in India, starting with the prestigious Delhi Fashion Show—a perfect platform to connect with rising designers and capture the attention of the Indian market.

The pressure was real, but so was the fire in her eyes.

She was busy working when the door suddenly flew open and Krish Kapoor, her best friend, walked in munching on a packet of nachos.

Mahi, already knowing about his dramatic entry, lazily looked up from her sketchpad.

“ Don’t you know you should knock before coming into someone’s room, you lazybones? Where are your manners?”

“I left them at home before coming to meet my best friend,” he said with a sheepish smile.

Mahi rolled her eyes, a small smile playing on her lips

“ One day your laziness will get you into trouble”.

Krish popped down on the couch as he made himself comfortable, as he continued munching,

“ Trouble and I are best friends, don't be jealous of us”

Mahi made a face but let it go and continued to do her work, “ what brings you here ? Or you're just here to eat nachos in front of me?”

Krish didn't answer instead, he observed her — the way she was drawing the wrong pattern and then erasing them, sometimes crushing the paper and throwing it down on the floor, the way her hand was moving swiftly which led her to make more mistakes — she was Clearly frustrated.

Krish frowned, as he stopped munching and leaned forward, his voice softer, “ you okay?”

Mahi paused, her hand hovering over the sketchpad. For a moment she didn't say anything and started at her half finished design and then she signed deeply,

“ Did I made a mistake coming back?” She asked out of nowhere.

Krish was momentarily caught off guard by her,

“ What?”

“ Did i made a mistake by coming back to India, Krish?”

Krish stood up , sensing the seriousness in her voice. His playful demeanor disappeared, changing into Serious one. “ What happened Mahi? Why did you ask that?”

Mahi looked down at her hands, Her face blank, her eyes blank enough to represent steel, her jaw clenched as she picked her phone from the bed and opened the message she got yesterday.

Krish watched her closely, noticing the sudden shift in her expression — the sudden stillness, the way her fingers clenched around her phone. He understood, it wasn't just frustration anymore. Something deeper was bothering her.

Krish quietly walked over to her and sat on the edge of the bed, making sure to sit very carefully. He kept his feet off the bed, balancing like it was a life-or-death situation—because, for him, it kind of was.

Mahi had one strict rule: no one with dirty hands or feet was allowed near her bed. And Krish had broken that rule once before. Just once. The way she had yelled at him that day still haunted his dreams. He swore he saw his life flash before his eyes.

So today, he wasn’t taking any chances. One wrong move, and he knew he wouldn’t survive her wrath—especially not when she was already in a bad mood.

He glanced at her screen and his breath hitched. For once he didn't believe what he was seeing.

Happiest birthday Murderer.

His eyes snapped at Mahi, who sat there still. Her face unreadable, her eyes blank with no emotion.

She just sat there no emotion, no movement

And that scared him more than the message on the screen.

“ Mahi…” He called her, “ yeh….. message?” he asked, unsure if it is real or not.

Before he could say anything, mahi spoke, her voice low lacing with iciness,

“ Did she really die?”

She asked out of nowhere.

𐙚˙⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩

TO BE CONTINUED......