A U T H O R

“ Did she really die?”

Mahi's voice echoed in the room. From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Krish. Who sat frozen on his spot, his eyes wide –struck on her.as He looked at her shocked.

“ It's impossible Mahi.It can't be true, it really can't. I.. myself saw her body burning into ashes at the pire” he shook his head.

“ It can't be Mahi…. It's impossible!”

Mahi exhaled looking away, she knew it can't be true. It shouldn't be. but a part of her, a small tiny part of her refused to believe that.

A part of her knew that Minal is dead, cause that's what the reports, her family, her friends, everyone said though a part of her refused to believe it.

“ I know…” she whispered. “....it's just… after i received that message i just.. think like that”

Krish kept his hand on her shoulder, “ i know Mahi, after what you have gone through, it's normal to think like that” She glanced at him, Krish despite the doubt in his mind, smiled at her.

“ It's okay, it's okay to think like that but..” he paused, holding her hand, “… she is gone now. For forever”

Mahi nodded, but her heart said otherwise.

“ Mahi” Krish called her,

“ No one knows about that except me, you, Shivalika and Minal.

Mahi turned her gaze to him,

“ I know..” she whispered, “ and that's what scares me the most.”

Krish brows dipped together, “ what do you mean?”

Mahi hesitated, her fingers curled around the bedsheet.

“ If only four of us knew… and Minal is dead … then who sent that message?”

Krish stiffened.

The air between them shifted, changing to something darker. Fear. Suspension.

“ That.. doesn't make sense,” he said.

“ If someone else knew—”

“ I don't know” mahi cut him. “ If Minal is dead, then someone is playing a dangerous game”

Krish stood up, and ran a hand through his hair,

“ Do you think she told it to someone else?”

“ I don't know, okay”

Krish signed, his frustration bubbling up.

“ Are you sure that number wasn't a prank or swooned, it must be a prank”

She narrowed her eyes. “ It wasn't a prank, Kapoor. The message said, Happiest birthday Murderer and i received that message at sharp eleven”

Krish stiffened, his bond went numb.

“ It's not a prank krish, it's a warning.” She paused.

“ Saying that it's not over, not yet”

✿✿

Krish's phone buzzed with a call, they were now sitting lost in their own thoughts when his phone buzzed.

Krish looked at the caller, his lips curved at the end, as he showed his phone to mahi, “ see it's Shivu” he answered the call.

“ Hello, dumb-ass” they heard the voice of their other best friend Shivalika Rawat, who is also krish’s cousin.

Keish rolled his eyes, while mahi shook her head.

“ See, i know you both would be together, gossiping without me” She said, with a pout.

“ Then come here, we are just a hour away” Mahi said, making Krish nod, “ yess”

Shivalika scoffed, “ only if it's that easy to travel with a six year old”

“ Stop making excuses, okay. It's been four years since i last saw my baby and you”

“ Yes, I am missing my mini me” Krish jumped in.

Mahi and Shivalika snorted together, “ first of all, I am not making excuses i also want to meet my bestfriend and second of all, he is not your mini me, my son is more handsome than you” Shivalika said the first one to Mahi and second one looking at Krish who rolled his eyes.

“ Acha, leave it all, I heard someone's marriage is fixed?” She wiggled her eyebrows.

Mahi looked away, While they both smirked on the call.

Before mahi could respond, they heard a tiny voice from the other side of the call.

“ Mumma…” The little Ryan, mumbled before going back to sleep.

Shivalika smiles seeing her son, before she turns the ipad closer to the crib to show Ryan to his mama and maasi.

“ Aww” both Krish and Mahi said in unison.

“ Shhhh” Shivalika shushed them. “He just slept now, don't make sounds” they both nodded through the call.

“ Wait let me come out” saying that Shivalika walked out of her room and sat on the swing in the living room.

“ Now tell me, did Adi bhaiya say yes to marriage?” she asked with curiosity.

Mahi fell silent hearing it, Krish looked at her from the corner of eyes and then at Shivalika through the screen he mouthed, “ you shouldn't have asked her!”

She mouthed back, “ come on i regretting it”

Mahi who saw them, signed deeply.

“ Guys, I know you are worried for me but it's just …. Hard for him” she said, they both nodded, hearing her.

“ It's not easy to move on from someone you love,” Mahi said, her voice cracking.

“ And now one knows this better than us Shivu” Shivalika looked away, hearing it.

“ I know, mami should have waited at least for a year to Talk about marriage”

“ Yeah, that's what I thought” both Krish and Mahi said in unison.

Mahi leaned back on the headboard,

“ I heard, bhai walked away hearing it” Shivalika asked, Making Krish nod.

Mahi signed, “ it's okay guys, I have waited years…., two more won't change anything ”

“ He just lost someone who he loved— deeply, madly and passionately. It's fair that he walked away. It's absolutely okay. If I were in his place, maybe — no, I would have done the same thing.”

“ If I were in his place, I would have been arguing with my family for even thinking about my second marriage, I wouldn't have given up on my love, I would have stayed widowed rather than marrying someone for the sake of my family. So it's completely fair.”

She paused, her voice soft,

“ For us, Minal is someone who destroyed my life but for him…. She is his love, his home, his comfort and the mother of his child. Think about him. it must have been so hard to cope up with all this, first Raise his child alone despite the pain then his family pressure to marry. It's….It's hard.”

She looked down at her fingers, biting back her tears

“ Even though it's hard for me to say this, to say anything good about her….. but my pain is nothing compared in front of his ”

“I love him, guys. And I don’t want him to ever feel like my love is a burden. I’ve waited all these years because I wanted to, not because I expected him to love me back. I love him. That’s all.”

✿✿

| ON THE OTHER SIDE —

📍SR HOSPITAL

Aditya hurriedly moved inside the hospital, his heart beating in an insane speed. He ceased when he reached the doctors cabin. He exhaled through his nose, his palms sweating, thinking about the result.

He raised his hand to knock on the door but hesitated.

For the first time, he hesitated before doing something.

With a deep breath he knocked on the door and walked in. The door, Asif Ahmed, looked up from the reports and give Aditya a small smile,

“ Mr. Kapoor, please take a seat”

Aditya nodded before pulling the chair across him.

“ Doctor, how is my son? Tell me everything is fine” he asked, his voice cracking at the end.

The doc smiled, before pulling out Ivaan's result papers from the document.

“ Here, Mr. Kapoor” he handed the papers to Aditya.

Who immediately, Read them, his eyes scanning every word carefully with our missing even a small full-stop.

“ Mr. Kapoor..” the doctor began, Aditya instantly looked up at him, so that he couldn't miss any tiny details.

“ I have checked the reports already. And I come to the point. Ivaan's lungs doesn't look in good condition”

Aditya's heart stopped beating. And the doc continued.

“ As we already know that Ivaan wasn't born healthy like all the other children, he was weak since he was born. He wasn't like other children but your determination kept him alive for four months despite his heart surgery” Aditya fisted his hand, his heart aching as he heard the doc.

“ Now, thankfully,his heart looks good but his lungs aren't” the doctor pulled out another document from the piles of files on the table. Then he pulled out another x-ray sheet from the document.

“ See here,— he showed the x-ray to Aditya, pointing at the lung branches— They are rashes on his lungs, I was shocked at first too, then i looked at the other scan, and his windpipe and oesophagus showed the same rashes” The doc signed,

“It's a rare case —for Me too. And I am happy that it's just starting. The rashes are small, very tiny invisible to the naked eye. As Ivaan is a baby now, I can't prescribe any medication but you need to stop his powdered milk”

Aditya looked at him confused, “ but doc.. how? He needs Milk”

The doc nodded, “ i know Mr. Kapoor, since his birth Ivaan has been drinking powdered milk and it can be the reason too. Because Since birth, he lack the antibiotics, antibodies that only colostrum has and in this situation he needs colostrum, it's the only thing that can cure him” the doc signed.

“ Our Ivaan lacks many nutrients, which can only provide his immunity system to boost up and that nutrition is in colostrum as in breast milk as in a mother's milk. In this situation it's the only thing he needs” the doctor completed.

Aditya ran a hand through his perfectly setted hair,

“ You know doc, he ……he —doesn't have a mother” he said his voice cracking.

“ “I know, Mr. Kapoor. That’s why we searched for a donor mother with a matching blood group. We found one—a kind woman who had stored her colostrum to donate to motherless children. She gave us what she could, but it will only last for two more weeks. Unfortunately, she stopped breastfeeding her daughter three days ago.”

A knock on the door interpreted them, a nurse walked in with a bag in hand and kept them on the table before doc, and left.

The doc smiled and turned to Aditya,

“ Here, The colostrum, use it carefully. The first thing you do after going home is to freeze them in the refrigerator, and when you are going to use them, heat them through double boiling method, as in— first take hot water in a vessel, and then kept the packet in it, make sure water is overheated, they should be mild. Then use it.”

Aditya nodded, taking the bag,

“ Thanks doc”

“ No problem Mr Kapoor, if anything happens then come to me immediately, and observe him more from now.” Nodding at the doctor he left his cabin.

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