Lies bring them closer – Ishqbaaz ff Chapter 16

Tia POV
I watched the woman who stole my fiancé from right under my nose climb down the stairs. Her eyes were bloodshot and looked exhausted. I glanced at Shivaay and then at my sister. She gave me a small smile. Guess her plan had worked. But mine hadn’t. Shivaay had not turned up. I had waited for him by the poolside.
But oh well. Something is better than nothing.

Anika came up to the table.
“Shivaay, shall I serve you?” I asked. Anika’s eyes shot up to look at me.
Take a seat.” Badima instructed. I smirked. She would sit away from her husband. I was sitting on one side and Soumya on the other.
“No Aunty. I am not hungry. I just wanted some milk.”
Shivaay looked up to watch her. His eyes full of rage. He watched as she took her glass of milk and started walking towards their room or should I say her soon-to-be ex-room.
Shivaay pushed his chair back. “I am not hungry.”
I looked at me startled. “Shivaay….but…”

Shivaay glared at me. “No Tia, not now.”
I watched as Badima looked at him. Her expression seemed slightly annoyed.
“Oh my mata, because of that Kalmuhi, my heera beta also did not have food.” Pinky Mom whined.

Om POV
“Omkara Sir, are you okay?”
I turned to see Sheela standing there. She was looking dumbfounded at the room. It was a mess.
“I am fine.” I growled and went to my room.
How could she leave? Did she not know that

Anika POV
My stomach ached. My whole body ached. I just felt like curling up and dying. More than the exhaustion, my heart ached. My mind was a blank about last night. I had searched and searched my mind to know what happened.
Suddenly, Shivaay stormed in. He grabbed me by my arm.
“What the hell is wrong with you? You seduce me and sleep with me and then you act like you lost something of immense importance for you.”
He pushed me onto the bed and went to his cupboard. He pulled out some clothes and put into a suitcase.

“Shivaay!” I whispered softly.
He held his hand up. “Don’t say a word. I am moving into the next room. I am tired of your disgusting behaviour.” As he spat out those venomous words, my heart sank.
I sank onto the bed as I watched him leave with the suitcase.
My phone started buzzing in my hands. It was Annie. I cut the call and tossed my phone onto the bed.

5 weeks later
The past 5 weeks had flown by, especially after Rudra started showing some progress. I avoided the rest of the family. We had stayed because of some issues in the branch here and Badima’s illness being a bit unpredictable. I mostly spent my time in my room, sketching or doing something like that.
My room was littered with sketches of Shivaay and Shivani as I watched them in the garden. I only spent time with Shivani when Shivaay was at work. The rest of the time, Shivani was with Shivaay or Soumya.
I was happy that at least Soumya had bonded with my niece. I preferred to stay in my room. The moment I stepped out, I was taunted by Shivaay’s mother or the two evil Kapoor sisters.
I heard a knock on my door. I opened the door to see Mina.
“Ma’am, a parcel came in your name.” She passed me a box.
I nodded with a smile.
“Thank you Mina.” I took the box in and closed the door.
Finally, I had to face what I felt was true.

Shivaay POV
As I placed my darling niece into the cradle, I could hear Anika in the bathroom next door. She seemed ill. I walked into the room, after all she was my wife.
Shivaay, how is it that she becomes your wife and then in the next moment a nobody. My inner thoughts vibrated through my soul.
As I walked into the bathroom, I saw her washing her face. Tears streaked her cheeks.
“Anika…”
She turned to me, eyes ablaze. “What do you want?” She snapped.
I reeled back. “Are you okay?”
I saw her collapse, the rage and irritation I had seen minutes back was now gone. I went to her side and held her by her waist. She leaned onto me. I noticed that she had lost weight and the liveliness that I had once seen was dying.
Suddenly, she pushed me away and collapsed near the toilet bowl. I held her hair as she puked.

“Anika, you need to see the doctor. You seem to have caught a bug.”
I took out my phone to call our family doctor.
“Shivaay, I know what is wrong. It is just morning sickness.” She said weakly.
What? “What did you eat?”

She smirked. “Shivaay, am I the first married woman you have ever talked to?”
What was she trying to imply? That I was an idiot? Or that she was married?
“No, of course not. But what is wrong with you?” I retorted arrogantly.
She smiled. “Well then, morning sickness is common for women who are pregnant.”
I nodded. Of course I knew that. Morning sickness is a sign of pregnancy…….
“You are pregnant?” I asked. My eyes I knew probably looked like those of a goldfish.
Tears kept rolling down her face as she nodded. Instinctively, I brushed them off.
“I am sorry. It was that night.” She trembled slightly.
I smiled but in my mind grimaced. Somehow seeing her so terrified irritated and hurt me.
“Why are you trembling?” i questioned.
“I am scared.” She said in a soft whisper.
I slowly guided her out of the room and seated her on the bed. “Anika, I get that we are not on terms but it is my child as well.”
She nodded.
“Did you go see a doctor?”
She nodded. “I went yesterday.”
I was shocked. No one had told me that she was not at home. Was my family not good enough for her?
I nodded finally. “You take rest.”
I left the room rather awkwardly. I did not know what to say.

Soumya POV
Apparently the wicked witch was not well. Serves her right. Probably someone did voodoo magic on her.
“Daddy….” I heard a squeal from Shivani’s room.
I rushed to the room. Shivaay and Shivani were sprawled on the floor. She was sitting on Shivaay and making her giraffe bounce on his chest.
She was giggling and squealing as Shivaay tickled her.
“No…..No….Daddy.” She was laughing. For a child, only 11 months old, she was a rather fast at picking up languages.

Shivaay was laughing. I knew he had not seen me yet. If he had, he would have become the stiff man that was clueless with kids.
After sometime, Shivani lay down on Shivaay and rested her head on Shivaay’s chest. He looked towards the child gently and slowly patted her back.
He then slowly got up after making sure she was asleep and left her in her cradle.
He was an amazing dad. My didi would never have to worry about him ever ditching his children like how mom did about dad.
Then I felt a feeling of envy come into my mind. That Anika had stolen my future niece or nephew’s amazing dad.
Then I heard a phone ring in Anika’s room as I walked by. I looked inside. Anika was not in the room. The phone was ringing incessantly.
I went and picked the call. It displayed ‘Annie calling’.

“Anika, where have you been? Why haven’t you transferred the money? Do you want me to come and take your niece away from you.”
My heart stilled. She was not Shivani’s mother? They were cheating Shivaay?
At that moment, Anika came out of the bathroom. She looked exhausted yet calm. But her eyes became huge orbs of fear when she saw me with her phone.
I held out the phone and she quickly grabbed it.
“Annie?”
She stood silently as the person at the other end yelled.
“I will try……..no please…I promise.”
Then she cut the call.
She looked up at me. Her eyes filled with fear.
“Why?” I questioned.
She grimaced. “To keep my niece. I love her.”
I was shocked. “But you could have told Bade Bhaiya that you were not Annie. You did not have to steal my sister’s husband.”
Anika turned to me, her eyes was a rainbow of emotions. “Did you really think that your brother-in-law would let a girl, who is an escort’s sister anywhere near his niece? A man like him would have thrown me out of my niece’s life at that moment. So I lied and then when I wanted to tell him, I could not gather the courage.” Then she turned away from me. “Aur ab mere bache ke liye.”
Did she just speak Hindi? And bache?
I stared at her. She gave me a weak smile.
“Yes, Soumya. I just spoke Hindi.”

She placed her hand protectively on her stomach. That was why Bade Bhaiya had told us all to take better care of her earlier today. He knew she was pregnant.
“Does Rudra…” I left my question hanging.
She shook her head. “I don’t know what he knows and what he doesn’t. My sister did not leave a handbook.” She gave me a mix of a smile and a grimace.
She flopped onto the bed. “You know Soumya, sometimes I wish I could turn the clock back and go along with my sister’s plan to abort the child. I wouldn’t have fallen in love with the little bird and none of this would have happened. I wouldn’t have to see the man that betrayed my mother and I wouldn’t have to loose the naive and innocent girl who was looking for her prince charming.”

I saw tears rolling down her cheeks. It was only then that I realised how much she had given up for her sister’s child. I had always heard of a mother being able to sacrifice everything but never of an aunt.
I sat next to her and took her hands into mine. “Anika, a mother is not only the one who gives birth. Krishna was Devki’s son by birth but for him, Yashoda was his mother.”
She looked down at our interlinked hands. “Soumya, how is your dad taking all this?”
I was taken aback by the sudden question. “He……he well isn’t happy because as you know Shivaay is the heir to the empire and he wanted Tia to marry him.”
She grimaced. “He hasn’t changed.”
Changed? Wait what…..she knew dad?
Then there was a knock on the door.
“Anika?”
Bade Bhaiya?
She walked to the door and opened it.
Bade Bhaiya was standing there in casuals, a simple blue shirt and jeans. Shivani was bouncing up and down in his arms.
His eyes turned into stone on looking at her and then seeing me.
“Soumya, what are you doing here? Why did you make her cry?”
Anika looked shocked. “Shivaay, she was just talking.”
Shivaay turned his steely gaze to her. “Then why were you crying?”
I was a bit surprised hearing the question. Bade Bhaiya never noticed when anyone cried.
“I didn’t cry.” She emphasised with a smile.
He glared at her. “Do I look blind to you? Your eyes are red.”
Anika gave a small smile. “Shivaay, I just got a bit emotional, that’s all. Right Soumya?”
Then once again I was scrutinised by his shrewd gaze.
I smiled and nodded. “Yes Bade Bhaiya.”
Then he fumbled near the door. “Well then Anika….I was thinking….you know…..thinking that we could maybe go for a picnic with Shivani.”
He looked at her hopefully. An expression I had never seen on Bade Bhaiya’s face.
She nodded,. “Okay. Let me change.”

Shivaay looked at her for a minute. “Wear something decent.”
I saw Anika’s face fall. Then she nodded.
“Come Anika di. I will help you choose a dress.”
As I closed the door on Bhaiya’s face, I promised myself that I would become like Anika di.

Strong and Loving.
I also had to tell Shivaay Bhaiya about how I drugged her drink. Lying would never lead to the right path.

Author’s note: So Saumya and Tia are Anika and Aarya(a.k.a Annie)’s half sister. Tia is older than them by days and Saumya is 3 years younger than them. Hope you all like saumya now despite her initial stupidity.

Next is just going to be Anika, Shivaay and Shivani’s picnic. I also made Shivani a bit older so that she can you know toddle around a bit and create trouble.
Ok. so updates will be super slow now as I am full of ideas for the reveal chapter. Which I believe, will be chapter 19 or 20. So I am focused on that.