Chapter 5

Raghav picked up Vihaan, who came running toward him. “Hey, champ, having fun?” Raghav asked, his eyes trained on the girl whose face he couldn’t see because she had dug her face too deeply into something.

He walked toward her, pausing in shock and surprise as Shehnaaz finally looked at him with a worried expression. “You…?” he breathed, astonished.

“Hi… umm…” Shehnaaz trailed off with a sigh as she stood up instantly, avoiding Raghav’s curious gaze.

“Chachu, you know my Sanu?” Vihaan’s excited question grabbed both Shehnaaz and Raghav’s attention.

Shehnaaz didn’t know what to say, but Vihaan’s words brought a small smile to her face. Raghav looked at Shehnaaz’s conscious expression and raised his eyebrows at Vihaan. “Your Sanu? What’s your age, champ?”

Shehnaaz’s eyes widened in surprise as she realized the meaning behind Raghav’s words, while Vihaan giggled. “Yes, she is my Sanu maa, and I’m her shining mining honor,” he proclaimed proudly.

Raghav didn’t understand a word, but Shehnaaz chuckled softly. “Zoro, it’s… shining knight armor.”

“Yessss,” Vihaan said excitedly, while Raghav shook his head at Vihaan but frowned at Shehnaaz. “Champ, why don’t you get Dadi? We need to go home, baby.”

Vihaan made a baby face at Shehnaaz. “Vihaan miss Sanu maa. No go away.”

Vihaan’s words took Raghav by complete surprise.  Sanu maa ??  what in the world..?? He watched the duo with curiosity as Shehnaaz took Vihaan in her arms and pecked his forehead. Raghav observed how Shehnaaz cleaned away all the traces of dirt from Vihaan’s clothes, hands, and face. He watched as Shehnaaz assured Vihaan that she would come to meet him tomorrow and bring his favorite rasmalai.

The way Shehnaaz made Vihaan drink water, wiped his mouth, and placed another peck on his forehead did not go unnoticed by Raghav, who grew edgier with every passing second.

Once Vihaan was out of sight, Raghav spoke. “What are you doing with Vihaan? How does he know you?”

Shehnaaz’s face paled instantly. “I’m not doing anything, I swear. I have no wrong intentions. A few months back, I was just walking and I saw him. He is so full of energy and innocence. It’s like a magnet…”

Raghav observed how her pale eyes started glowing again at the mention of Vihaan. He knew she didn’t have any wrong intentions with Vihaan, but Sidharth would explode if he found out.

Unaware of his thoughts, Shehnaaz continued, “Initially, I didn’t know who he was, but when I saw him with Si… I mean, Payal’s husband, I realized. I just want him happy. Please trust me.”

Raghav sighed at her words. “This isn’t right. Sidharth wouldn’t like it. No one will like it for that matter.”

“Hmm…” Shehnaaz’s lips trembled, and she nodded her head quickly, but something snapped within her. The fear of losing Vihaan, the fear of not being able to see her little man, her little heaven. She realized he was asking her to stay away from Vihaan.

She never realized when her world started to revolve around Vihaan. She wasn’t even sure if she could stay away from him. Ever since he came into her life, her nightmares had reduced.

Raghav sighed as he watched tears roll down Shehnaaz’s cheeks. “What I’m saying is for the betterment of everyone. Sidharth would make your life hell if he ever found out that you were the one who…” Raghav trailed off, watching her almost hiss in realization. “Sidharth is very possessive about Vihaan, and he wouldn’t take this well. I hope you understand.”

Shehnaaz nodded her head in understanding, but the tears didn’t stop. Her eyes turned to look at Vihaan, who was laughing as his Dadi continued to tickle him. Mumbling a restless “I’m sorry,” she quickly ran away from there.

Raghav sighed, watching her leave, knowing what he did was for her betterment. Sidharth has not managed to get over everything, even though he pretends to be okay. Shehnaaz’s appearance in his life at this moment would make him do his worst.

“Sana…” Vihaan’s loud call brought Raghav back to his senses. He saw Vihaan looking around restlessly while Rita ji looked at Vihaan and Raghav in confusion. “Kaun Sana, Vihaan?”

“Sana left Vihaan. No kissy… no bye-bye… Sana angry with Vihaan,” his voice cracked softly as he looked around restlessly.

Sighing, Raghav tried to pick Vihaan up, but Vihaan ran away in tears, mumbling, “Sanu maa angry…”

“Vihaan, ruk ja bachha,” Rita ji shouted in worry, while Raghav rushed behind him.

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Shehnaaz locked the door behind her before throwing herself onto the bed mercilessly, breaking into hysterical cries.

Shehnaaz cried until her breath came in ragged gasps, her chest heaving with the intensity of her sobs. She felt suffocated by the weight of her own guilt and despair. Everything about her life seemed unbearable. She was a criminal, the cause of someone’s tears. She hadn’t seen her family in months, despite their repeated attempts to reach out. Arjun wasn’t speaking to her, and now Vihaan had withdrawn too—her little angel, the one who had brought joy back into her life when all hope seemed lost.

“Baby, please open the door! At least tell me what’s wrong, and then you can lock it again,” Sanju’s voice, full of worry, echoed from the other side of the door.

Shehnaaz, still trembling, opened the door just before Sanju was about to break it down. The moment Sanju saw Shehnaaz’s tear-streaked, puffy face, her expression softened from anger to concern.

“Ab kya huva? You’ve become such a crybaby these days, I swear,” Sanju sighed, trying to lighten the mood despite her worry.

Shehnaaz weakly slapped Sanju’s arm and rested her head on Sanju’s shoulder, her exhaustion evident. “How will I stay away from him?” she whispered, her voice cracking.

Sanju, surprised, cupped Shehnaaz’s face, “Don’t tell me you already found another guy…”

“Shut up,” groaned Shehnaaz, feeling more tears welling up as she thought about Vihaan. She knew he must be sad because she had left without telling him. She had done that once before, and he had been so upset. She had promised to bring him his favorite rasmalai the next day, but Raghav’s harsh words kept echoing in her mind, making her cry even more.

Sanju rolled her eyes, still uncertain about what exactly was wrong with Shehnaaz. She had noticed Shehnaaz’s gradual recovery from her accident, and she was aware that someone had been helping her. She was glad to see her friend returning to her old self.

Hugging Shehnaaz close, Sanju wiped away her tears. “Woh jo bhi hai. Tujhse dur nahi reh payega. Bas tu ab weak na pad.”

Shehnaaz nodded, realizing Sanju was right. For Vihaan’s sake, she would keep her distance, but if he ever needed her, she wouldn’t listen to anybody.

“Aur ek kaam kar,” Sanju hesitated, knowing the topic would upset Shehnaaz. “Arjun se baat kar. He isn’t in the right state of mind.”

Shehnaaz looked at Sanju, confused, but then nodded. She knew Arjun always got affected when she stopped talking to him.

After she felt a bit in control, taking a deep breath, she called Arjun. He picked up after a few rings, his voice shaky, “Yes?”

“Are you drunk, Arjun? Where are you?” Shehnaaz asked, frowning.

“Why do you care?” Arjun snapped angrily. “You left me alone to suffer.”

“Arjun,” Shehnaaz sighed, trying to keep her composure. “Can we meet up when you’re sober?”

Arjun laughed bitterly. “Sober? Maybe I’ll never be sober again after being dumped like dirt.”

Shehnaaz closed her eyes, feeling defeated. Arjun could be so hurtful when he was upset. “I didn’t dump you, Arjun. We need to talk. Please.”

“I miss you, baby,” his voice cracked, revealing his pain. “I love you, Sana. You can’t expect me to stay away from you. Please don’t ruin this.”

Shehnaaz felt a pang of guilt. She knew his obsession with her, but she couldn’t reciprocate his feelings in the same way. She wouldn’t marry anyone, not after having destroyed someone else’s happiness.

“Saturday evening. Meet me at XYZ. And don’t you dare come drunk,” she said firmly before disconnecting the call.

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The next evening, Shehnaaz didn’t meet Vihaan, and it tore her apart. She felt as if a piece of her heart was missing. She went to the garden but kept herself hidden, watching him from a distance. Vihaan looked around restlessly for her, and her heart ached when his face turned sad. She wanted to run to him, to hold him, but she couldn’t because Sidharth was with him.

Vihaan searched everywhere for Shehnaaz, his face pale with worry. His excitement vanished, replaced by a heavy sadness. He feared his Sanu Maa had left him just like his mother. The thought broke him into hiccups.

Sidharth, typing something on his phone, was startled to see Vihaan in tears. Worried, he rushed over and picked him up. “What’s wrong, baby? Aap ko nahi khelna aaj?”

Vihaan looked at his father, tears streaming down his face. “Left Vihaan. Vihaan no good. All leave Vihaan…”

Sidharth, shocked by his son’s words, gently rubbed his back. “Hey, that’s not true. Vihaan mera sabse best hai. Strong hai. Good boy you are. No one is leaving you.”

“She did,” Vihaan cried harder. “Maa did. No Zoro, no shining mining honor…”

Unsure of what had suddenly gone wrong, Sidharth continued to soothe Vihaan as he carried him back home.

Shehnaaz fell to her knees, watching Sidharth carry a crying Vihaan away. She felt his pain as if it were her own, their hearts connected. She hugged the container of rasmalai to her chest and cried, devastated that she couldn’t give it to him. Her baby was crying for her, and she couldn’t even hold him.

Vihaan’s tears continued all the way home, and by nightfall, his temperature had spiked. Sidharth was beside himself with worry, calling Vihaan’s doctor first thing in the morning.

Raghav arrived at the Shukla house as soon as he heard about Vihaan’s fever from Anu. Everyone was anxious as Vihaan lay pale and sleeping.

“Tune data usse? Chillaya uske samne?” Rita asked Sidharth sternly, tears streaming down her face.

Sidharth rubbed his forehead, “Nahi maa. Vihaan looked around for a few minutes, and then he started crying. He said something strange. No Zoro, no shining something, and that everyone leaves him…” He couldn’t understand what had upset his son so much.

Raghav groaned in frustration and guilt, realizing what had happened. Vihaan was looking for Shehnaaz, his Sana. She must have stayed away because Raghav had told her to. But he hadn’t known Vihaan was so attached to her.

Sidharth never left Vihaan’s side, and neither did Raghav. If anything happened to Vihaan, Raghav would never forgive himself. He shouldn’t have come between them. He had seen how Shehnaaz cared for Vihaan, the way Payal bhabhi used to.

the mere thought shook him inside out as he realized what has happened… Vihaan had found the same warmth in her. he had found his mother in her.. which is why he called her Sanu Maa. How could he have not realized it sooner?

Vihaan slowly opened his eyes, his face lighting up slightly when he saw Raghav. “Chachu, Sanu Maa no come. No fav malai. Sana gussa. Katti with Vihaan.”

Raghav looked at Sidharth, who was sleeping beside Vihaan, and shook his head. “No one is gussa with my champ. Sanu Maa will meet Vihaan today.”

“Promise?” Vihaan asked hopefully.

Raghav didn’t know how he was going to make it happen, but he said, “Promise. But to go out and meet Sana, Vihaan needs to be perfectly fine, or daddy won’t allow it.”

Vihaan nodded his head quickly and found his way out of bed with a lot of difficulties as his daddy’s heavy arm was wrapped around him. He chugged down the entire bowl of hot soup which Varsha Tai brought for him and showed his muscles to Raghav, making him grin instantly, “Oh my god… Vihaan’s arms look stronger than Raghav Chachu’s!”

Vihaan giggled at the compliment and jumped on the bed in excitement, which woke Sidharth up. He tried to pull Vihaan back to bed to sleep, but Vihaan continued to jump in excitement.

Sidharth shook his head at Raghav, who gave a high-five to Vihaan and sighed in relief watching his baby okay.

Life seemed to come back in Vihaan in a couple of hours as his excitement was at its highest peak. Sidharth made Vihaan drink soup once again, which Vihaan had without any complaint along with the medication, as his mind was wrapped around the thought of meeting his Sana. “Daddy, I want to marry.”

Sidharth spat the coffee he was having while his bade dada and dadi burst into laughter along with Rita ji and Anu, while Raghav very well knew who the little demon wanted to marry.

“Why do you want to marry, baby?” Anu asked to tease him while Sidharth was still staring at his innocent baby in shock, who wasn’t that innocent, he realized.

“Because I’m shining mining honor,” Vihaan spoke proudly, making the rest confused, while Raghav covered his face in defeat… kids these days…

“You are a little too young to marry, baby,” Sidharth tried to act stern, which was never possible with his baby.

“But Vihaan wants to marry,” Vihaan’s request almost made Sidharth laugh, but he didn’t like the idea of being a father-in-law at the age of 40… eww, the mere thought was obnoxious.

The entire family seemed to somehow come to normal life within Vihaan’s smiles and giggles.

It was almost afternoon when Raghav asked Sidharth if he could take Vihaan out.

Sidharth wasn’t convinced as Vihaan still needed rest to be okay, but he couldn’t put down Vihaan’s wish, who seemed eager to go with his chachu.

Shehnaaz was in the kitchen, which was so unlike her, but she wanted to learn cooking. She wanted to learn all those dishes which Vihaan had given her a list of when she had once asked him what he likes…

She knew she was getting addicted to her little angel, but she couldn’t stop herself from doing so. One of the reasons might be that she somehow wanted to fill the gap of a mother in his life, but that wasn’t it… if that incident would not have happened, she still would have fallen madly in love with him because he was just the cutest thing in the world.

“Sana, tuze kya ho gaya hai,” Sanju asked on a serious note while sitting on the kitchen platform, munching on the potato fries that Shehnaaz was frying, “tuze kab se cooking me interest aa gaye be?”

Rolling her eyes, Shehnaaz slapped Sanju’s searching fingers away from the fried ones, “meri ye recipe zindagi me nahi banegi agar tune ek fries bhi nahi chhodi toh.”

“They are tasty, bro,” Sanju commented and shamelessly picked a couple more.

Giving up, Shehnaaz concentrated on her task, “me nahi mil sakti toh kya huva, mere behalf pe tu jake mere Zorro ko ye degi.”

“Zorro? What world are we living in…? Your favorite character as a child you were obsessed with?” Sanju realized she needed to take Shehnaaz to the psychiatrist very soon.

Glaring, Shehnaaz scared her with the hot fryer, “dare you curse in front of my baby?”

“Your baby?” Sanju was about to faint, and Shehnaaz pushed her to the other side, “yukk… not on my fries.”

Their banter continued when Shehnaaz’s phone rang. It rang a couple of times as she cleaned her hands and reached for her phone only to find an unknown number.

She was about to say hello when she heard her name being called out by her favorite man.

“Sanaaaa…” Vihaan shouted excitedly as he grabbed the phone close to his ear. He grinned happily at Raghav, who gave him a thumbs up.

“Zorroooooo… my baby,” Shehnaaz spoke almost in a cracked voice as she couldn’t believe she was really speaking with him. She had thought she would never get the chance… for god’s sake, she had no idea what connected them together, but she couldn’t survive without him.

“Yes… shining mining honor,” Vihaan said with a cute giggle that melted Shehnaaz’s heart, “Sanu Maa angry with Vihaan?”

Shehnaaz was surprised by his question while Sanju nudged her to tell her who she was speaking to, “what… no… Sanu Maa can never be angry with her baby.”

Sanju fainted hearing it, making Shehnaaz roll her eyes, while Vihaan jumped on the bed in happiness, “Vihaan missed you.”

“I missed you too, baby. Whose number is this, Vihaan?” She had no idea how he managed to find her number.

“Raghav chachu,” he said and handed over the phone to Raghav, who cleared his throat before speaking, “well… Raghav here… hi…”

Shehnaaz’s heart throbbed in worry, “why is Vihaan sounding so tired? Is he okay?”

Raghav was surprised with her question… how did she realize Vihaan isn’t okay just with his voice? “He is missing you… can I bring him to meet you if you don’t mind?”

Shehnaaz blinked her eyes rapidly in surprise and winced when she felt a hard slap on her arm and realized it was Sanju who was apparently angry for being ignored when fainted, “please… of course, I don’t mind. Can you bring him now? I was making his favorite dish…” she crossed her fingers hoping he would say yes.

Raghav agreed to it immediately, and Shehnaaz couldn’t stop smiling. She immediately shared her address with him and hugged Sanju in excitement, “he is coming here… Vihaan is coming here.”

“Vihaan?” Sanju asked in confusion, and her eyes soon widened in realization, “Payal’s baby?”

Shehnaaz’s face turned pale instantly at the name of Payal, and she nodded softly with a deep sigh.

Sanju sighed, realizing she shouldn’t have brought up her name, and hugged Shehnaaz instantly, “how about I get a cake for him? I’m sure he will like it.”

Shehnaaz nodded as the smile was back on her face, “bring red velvet. He loves it…” She started running all around the kitchen while Sanju observed her curiously, “jaldi ja… me tab tak sab bana deti hun… rasmalai bhi banati hun… he loves it. Us din ki nahi khilaungi mere Vihaan ko…” she kept blabbering, and with a knowing smile, Sanju made her way out.

Shehnaaz’s heart felt a thud when she heard the doorbell ring and opened the door instantly, only to find her little angel in the arms of Raghav.

“Oh my god, Sanu Maa,” that was all Vihaan needed to say when she grabbed him from Raghav and engulfed him in her arms. Tears formed in her eyes as she pecked him all over the face, making him giggle.

Raghav was amused with the way the duo met as he was almost reminded of a Hindi TV serial. He welcomed himself in, knowing he wasn’t going to get any attention any time soon.

Vihaan refused to get out of Sana’s arms, and she had no plans on letting go of him either. He told her everything… how he missed her… how he fell ill and how Daddy and everyone took care of him… how Raghav chachu brought him here…

Shehnaaz was worried sick when she heard he wasn’t okay and checked his forehead if he still had a fever, “kya kaha doctor ne?” She glanced consciously at Raghav.

Raghav almost smiled at Shehnaaz’s worried face, “relax… he is okay now… he just cried a lot because he didn’t meet you yesterday.”

Worried, Shehnaaz cupped Vihaan’s baby face in her palms, “aise koi karta hai kya? Haan Vihaan…” With that, she scolded him softly and made him understand he isn’t supposed to worry everyone like that.

Raghav was surprised with the way Vihaan rested his head on Sana’s chest and nodded obediently to everything Shehnaaz told him. For a moment, he felt like he was watching Vihaan in Payal’s lap because Payal used to teach him things in a similar way.

The latch of the door grabbed their attention, and Sanju walked in with the cake, “wow, so the shining knight in armor is finally here,” she spoke excitedly, making Vihaan giggle while Shehnaaz almost held onto Vihaan in jealousy.

“Seriously, Sana… you are the limit,” Sanju said with a mocking shock at Sana’s childish act while Raghav chuckled at the trio. He realized… she was just a simple girl, just like them… one incident, and everything changed for her… she didn’t deserve this hatred.

He was lost in thoughts when Sanju brought all the dishes Shehnaaz had made for him along with the cake, making Vihaan’s day.

Shehnaaz fed Vihaan everything she made along with the cake, while Sanju and Raghav chatted on random topics. Vihaan seemed more than happy.

Shehnaaz and Sanju couldn’t stop laughing when Raghav told them that Vihaan wanted to marry Shehnaaz. Vihaan made a baby face and somehow convinced Shehnaaz that he would marry her. Shehnaaz agreed to his every claim happily.

He wandered all around the house and liked a soft toy of Sanju as he played with it.

Time passed through the thin air, and it was already time for them to leave. Vihaan had long fallen asleep in Shehnaaz’s lap, and she continued to brush his hair.

“We were thinking to get Vihaan’s schooling started again… it will help him to get distracted…” Raghav didn’t want to say it, but it was a fact, “woh ghar par oura din Payal bhabhi ko…”

Raghav trailed off with regret as Shehnaaz’s eyes powered with tears instantly, her hug tightening around Vihaan, “please ek do din ruk jayiye… let him recover… he seems tired…” there was a sadness in her tone.

Sanju sighed as she glared at Raghav, almost scaring him.

“When will I get to see him again?” Shehnaaz couldn’t help but ask in a cracked voice. He cried at home missing his mother… the thought was killing her within.

“Tomorrow I’ll ensure he visits the garden in the evening,” Raghav stated with a sigh before taking Vihaan in his arms and walked out, leaving an upset Shehnaaz behind.

The entire afternoon, Sidharth worked on a project in his office, but he seemed off today… it felt like he should have been somewhere but couldn’t understand where.

Not once did he call Raghav to check on Vihaan because, for some weird reason, he was calm… it felt like he knew his baby was in the safest hands at the moment, and he didn’t need to worry at all.

He almost felt lonely like Vihaan was with a loved one, and he was left alone… should he call Raghav and go and meet them? But then he dropped the idea, thinking Vihaan needed his space.

It was late evening when Sidharth returned to Shukla Mansion, only to find a super happy Vihaan.

Vihaan dashed towards Sidharth and jumped in his arms, making Sidharth hold onto him and pick him up instantly.

He filled Vihaan’s face with endless pecks, making Vihaan giggle. Every time he placed a kiss on Vihaan’s face, a weird feeling grabbed him, like someone had kissed Vihaan on the same spot.

What was wrong with him today, thought Sidharth with a sigh and urged Vihaan to tell him about what he did.

Vihaan grinned, telling it was their secret, and Sidharth huffed in jealousy.

Post-dinner, Sidharth laid down in his bed with Vihaan in his arms, his fingers brushing Vihaan’s hair and feeling the weird warmth…a soft aroma that calmed his restless heart instantly.

Shehnaaz laid down lonely in her bed… she so wished Vihaan could be in her arms right now. She also had one more thing to worry about, and that was meeting Arjun.