Lies bring them closer – Ishqbaaz ff Chapter 22

Anika POV

I felt black descend onto me.
When I woke up next, I heard two voices.
“It is all your fault. Had you not sent her. This would not have happened.”
I heard a growl. “Your sister and you cheated me. What did you think?”
I heard heels click across the floor. “I did not cheat you. I told you to come and get your brother’s child.”
I heard a scoff. “And yeah, you did not set your sister for the rest of the trap.”
It was Aarya…..I mean Annie and Shivaay.
“Did you really think Anika di was capable of something like that? Is that what you learnt from her behaviour for the past 5-6 months that you have been with her. Mr. Shivaay Singh Oberoi…..Mr. Kanji ankein……are you even a business man?”
Oops. Shivaay was going to get annoyed now.
I had to bite back a grin.
“Aren’t you supposed to be a mother to Shivani? And now you are not even willing to give her to me. I am willing to pay you.” Shivaay shot back.
My eyes shot open. How dare he ask her that? Was I not a good mother that he has to ask her that. I saw Shivaay and Ar…An…my sister standing at two ends of the room. They were in such a heated discussion that they did not even notice me. I looked around, I was in Shivaay’s room. The drapes were pulled around the bed.
At that moment, the door slammed open. Om was standing there.
“Aarya!” He rushed into the room. He pulled her off the table. “Are you okay? Were you crazy? I told you not to go out of the Mansion.”
They knew each other? How?
Aarya looked everywhere but him. And was she blushing? Was my sister in love?
I pushed myself up but everyone so busy in their own discussion that they did not notice me.

Shivaay POV

Anika’s sister looked like a deer caught in headlights. She pushed Om away. “Long Hair……not now. We have bigger problems like this idiot!” She snapped.
Om pulled away. He turned to me. “Shivaay, I told you, this behaviour of yours will be your end one day. Go ahead Aarya. Just give me a minute. I am tired after all the traveling.”
He leaned on the wall and stood.
I glared at her. “Oh now I understand why you don’t want money. You have trapped my brother.”
“Shivaay!” Om scowled and warned in one go.
“Trapped your brother? For god’s sake, I have been trying to get rid off me.”
My head snapped up to look at her. “Hey! He is a great guy for any girl.”
Then she had the audacity to scoff. “Great guy…..Hmph……Long Hair……seriously.”
“He is a good man. He has money, he is from a good family. A girl like you should be lucky to have someone like him.”
She glared. “Yeah like how my sister was lucky to get you. Well as far as I am concerned, he is a burden.”
I glanced at Om and he was standing and watching us indifferently like all this was going over his head.
“You are trying to trap my brothers. Rudra ditched you so you went after Om.”
She was going red. “I did it all for my sister. I mean for god’s sake, I carried a kid for 9 months.”
I stood up. “That kid was your child. Your own blood.”
She went silent.
“Haan? Do you have anything to say? He gave you a child yet when he was dying, all you could think about was selling your child to the highest bidder.” I asked my voice filled with mirth.
She was looking down and looked uncomfortable. “She is not my child.
“What are you trying to say? That a child was born by as*xual reproduction?” I shot back.
She threw the vase next to her to the floor. It fell to the floor with a crash. “No, what I mean to say is that I was a surrogate. An unwilling one. I paid the price of your brother’s playboy ways. The Malhotras forced me to carry their daughter’s illegitimate child with your brother.”
I scoffed. “Yeah right. THE Malhotras…….Mr. Veer Malhotra…..he would never do that.”
She scoffed. “He would if that meant his daughter was going to drag their name in dirt.”
We heard a gasp and looked in the direction of the bed.
Anika’s sister paled. “Di!”
She rushed to one side of the bed. She sat down next to her. I rushed to her other side.
“Om call the doctor. Anika? Are you okay?”
Her eyes were filled with tears. Was she hurt?
“Di, are you hurt?” Aarya put her hand on Anika’s arm. Anika slowly pushed it off.
“Di?” I saw her pale.
Anika moved slightly away from me. “Stay away.” She hissed.
“Di….I…”
“I am going to my house.”

She slid to the side.
“Anika, you are not well. Lie down. Think about the baby.” I said.
She spun around and the stink eye she gave me, my knees go jelly.
“I am done thinking for other people. And I know how to look after a child. After all if you both can’t remember I did look after a newborn.”
Aarya jumped up and started walking after Anika.
“Annie…..no…..” She held her hand up.
Aarya face went pale. “Di…..it is Aarya now.”
Then Anika spun around. “Oh really. Ms. Aarya Raichand, a name is not something you can just throw away so easily.”
Aarya grabbed Anika’s arm. Om and I watched the scene play out. “Exactly! And you are Anika Shivaay Singh Oberoi. That means you too cannot runaway.”
Anika pulled her arm out of Aarya’s grip. “That was my biggest mistake. The time has come to change that. I will give birth to this child of his and then I will go live my dreams. I will find a man who loves me for me.”
I moved towards her but Om held my hand. I watched as she wiped her tears and left the room leaving behind a sobbing sister. Om left my hand and walked to her side and held her up.
“Don’t worry Aarya. She is your sister. She will forgive you.”
There was a knock at the door. One of the maids walked in.
“Shivaay Sir, Rudra Sir has woken up. He is asking for you.

Author’s note: Sorry to all my readers that are sad that Anika moved away from Aarya and Shivaay but I think she needs to live for herself. She has been living till now for everyone else.

Spoiler: Soon Shaurya grow close to Anika while Aarya and Shivaay try to get Anika to forgive them. Rudra and Anika also become close. They bond over Shivani.