Chapter 4

Aayushi's pov.

"I didn't want to make you feel that you are her maid. From tomorrow you won't do anything related to her. I will tell her that you are not her mom." Ansh said this making me shocked.

"What?" I said in disbelief.

"Yeah, I will explain to her. She will understand and she will never bother you. You don't have to feel like her maid." He said looking at me in a cold tone. I gave him an angry look.

"Are you out of your mind, Mr. Malhotra? 1st of all I never felt like you treated me as Aarohi's maid. 2nd thing is, in this Marriage, the only the best thing that happened is Aarohi. So please don't take her away from me. 3rd thing is that I adore your daughter and so I am doing everything of my will. And there is no guy ,except my father, who can force Aayushi Singhania to do any work." I said looking at him.

He just can't take Aarohi away from me. I know it's just been a day since I met her. But the feeling of being her mother is very beautiful. And I want to feel this till my last breath.

My trance was broken as Mr. Malhotra said "Mrs. Aayushi Ansh Malhotra." He corrected me with a small smile. While I just nodded in yes.

"You just heard to Abhimanyu's question but you didn't listen to my answer. The way you are concerned for Aarohi, just like that Abhi is concerned about me. Don't take his concern in the wrong way. Even he never wanted this marriage to take place." I said.

He looked down at Aarohi and then said.

"Aayushi.." he said. I interrupted him by saying. "Mr. Malhotra let's talk on the balcony Aarohi is sleeping."

He nodded in a yes and we moved towards the balcony. We entered inside and I closed the door. We both sat facing each other. He took some deep breaths and said.

"Aayushi, I don't want to lie to you because It's your right to know everything. Aayushi this is true that I never wanted this Marriage. But mom insisted on me very much. She said that you have no problem with this marriage. So I agreed." Mr. Malhotra said.

I looked down as he said that. Even if I don't feel anything for him, but still it hurts to know that your husband never wanted you, he never wanted this Marriage.

Mr. Malhotra continued. "The main reason for marrying you was Aarohi. I married you only for Aarohi."

I fisted my fingers as he said that. Seriously, there is no future for this Marriage.

"Mr. Malhotra, every girl dreams to be her husband's 1st and last. It was my dream too. But you broke my dreams. Don't you think that you are selfish to marry someone only for your daughter?" I asked. He looked at me with seriousness.

"Aayushi, it hurts when you know that your child needs a mother, but you can't do anything. It hurts to lie to your child whenever she asks where is her mother. It hurts when every day she cries, and you don't know how to handle her. If you think that marrying you for Aarohi is my selfishness, then I am selfish." He said in a serious tone.

"If you were in my place. What would you do?" He asked.

I looked down as I don't have an answer. But he is right. Every child needs a mother and if I would've been at his place then I would have done something like this.

There was complete silence for few minutes when he said. "What was my mistake if I had an arranged marriage with Soha? What was my mistake if on the 1st night itself she told me that She wants a baby? I never wanted a baby so early. I always wished to have a baby after 3 to 4 years of marriage, so that my wife and I, come to know each other well. But no, she was adamant to have a baby." Mr. Malhotra took a deep breath and continued.

"What was my mistake if I fell in love with my aarohi when I saw her for the 1st time? What was my mistake if I trusted my wife and my daughter's mother and transferred few properties in her name? What was my mistake when she left me and my 4 month old baby, taking away that property and jewelry?" He asked me looking at me.

I felt bad for him. I didn't know that his 1st wife betrayed him, took his property, and left him.

"Why didn't you got her arrested? You would have got your properties." I asked.

"Aayushi, I don't care about the property she took away. I didn't file a case because she gave me, my life's most precious thing. She gave me my baby, my aaru." Mr. Malhotra said looking at me. I nodded in yes.

He is a nice guy. His heart is very pure. Again a silence spread between us.

"I am sorry Aayushi for marrying you without asking what you want." He said in a low tone.

"It's okay Mr. Malhotra, we can't change this thing now," I said.

"Please don't call me 'Mr. Malhotra' I feel like I am in a business meeting. You can call me Ansh." He said in a matter-of-fact tone. I giggled and said. "Yeah okay, I will call you Ansh."

Ansh smiled and we stood up to leave but we stopped as he said.

"Aayushi, I know it's my mistake, I should have said no to this Marriage. But please don't punish Aarohi for my Mistake. She is not at fault. She is very small and She doesn't understand anything. She thinks that you are her real mother. So if anytime she tells you something or does any mischief then please don't scold or beat her. She will get scared as I have never even talked to her in a loud tone. She is my life. Please never hurt her because of my mistake. If you want then I will give you divorce as soon as possible." Ansh said.

I was shocked as he said that. Is he mad? How can think that I will hurt Aarohi?

I said angrily. "1st of all Ansh I have a heart. I am not a lady who takes out her frustration on someone else. Aarohi is a small baby, I am not going to hurt her. I promise. And I love your daughter. And about divorce then dad won't like this. I have never gone against his decision. It's okay, we are already married so now we can't do anything. I just need some time to accept everything. I hope you will give me time to accept you."

"Of course you can take your time, Aayushi," Ansh said with a small smile.

"Thank you." Even I replied with a smile.

While talking, we heard Aarohi crying and shouting "Dady".

Ansh immediately went outside, he went near the bed and took Aarohi in his arms. He rubbed her back to stop her cries.

"Shh baby, Please don't cry dady is here, baby," Ansh said while rubbing her back. He broke the hug and made her look in his eyes."What happened to my princess?"

She didn't say anything just hide her face in his chest. I was seeing all this standing a little away from the bed. I came near the bed.

I asked. "What happened to her Ansh? She was sleeping, then why she started crying loudly?"

Ansh looked at me and said. "Actually when she woke up, she didn't find anyone around so she started crying. And even her teddy is not with her. So she got scared. It's okay, this is normal." Ansh said while rubbing her back. I nodded in yes knowing the reason for her sudden crying. I went near the bed and caressed her head softly.

She broke the hug and looked at me. She came near me and hugged me tightly and complained. "You bloke (broke) your plomise (promise) muma."

I frowned as she said that. I asked softly "Which promise baby?"

"You plomised (promised) me thalt (that) we will talk. But you came to grandpa's house. Why?" She complained with a cute sad pout.

"Sorry baby, actually this is a ceremony which I have to do. Tomorrow I will come back and then we will talk with each other, okay?" I said.

She didn't say anything but just hugged me tightly. While Ansh was busy admiring his little princess.

"I think, we should leave. Tomorrow we both will come to pick you up, Aayushi." Ansh said. I nodded in yes and kissed Aarohi's forehead.

"Let's go, baby?" Ansh asked aaru. Aarohi looked at him and asked. "Wel (where)?"

Ansh answered, "back to our home." Aarohi looked at me and then asked Ansh. "Muma?"

"Baby, muma will come home tomorrow." He said while caressing her cheeks. She looked at me and nodded in no. She was on the verge of crying. "Don't cry aaru," I said to her and wiped one tear which fell from her eye.

"I will stay with mumma." She said and hugged me.

"No baby, you can't. We, Will, come tomorrow and then your muma will stay with you always. Now let's go." Ansh said. She nodded in no still hugging me.

"It's okay Ansh, let her stay here," I said and caressed her hair.

"No Aayushi, she will annoy you." He said. I looked at him in disbelief.

"Ansh, I know you don't trust me enough to keep her with me. But I won't even let a small scratch touch her body." How can he even think that this angel will annoy me? But I don't want to scare Aarohi so I said softly.

Ansh looked at Aarohi and then at me. I can see frowns on his face. But it's okay, no one can trust someone so easily. Even I don't trust him. So leaving your child with someone whom we don't trust is difficult. But I want him to understand one thing that I will not harm Aarohi.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

I said with a smile. “yes,”

He smiled this time it was real. "Okay, then I will call you at night to talk with her." I nodded in yes. He stood up to leave when I realized something.

"Ansh, do you have my number?" I asked. Ansh turned around and said. "Shit! I don't have."

I gave him, my number. "Your number?" I asked. "I will give you a missed call." He said and left from here after kissing Aarohi's cheeks and pecking my forehead.

Writer's pov.

Ansh took her number and saved it as 'wifey' while he gave Aayushi a missed call. As she got the call, she saved his number as 'Ansh'

Ansh directly went to the office to attend a meeting. While Aayushi and Aarohi kept talking with each other. Aarohi was saying her about her likes and dislikes. Like she loves her teddy, her teddy's name is Pandu. While she doesn't like a ghost. And when her dady says her in a loud tone.

While Aayushi was listening to her blabbering with a big smile. It was something very different for her.

As she is like a person who doesn't like to talk much and if someone talks very much with her, then she will start getting annoyed. But here, Aarohi was talking for whole 2 hours but not even for once she felt annoyed. But she was feeling very awesome listening to her cute talks.

Even Aarohi asked Aayushi about herself and she politely answered all her questions. After few minutes Aayushi got a message. It was from Ansh. It was "Aayushi please make Aarohi eat something. She had missed her lunch. So please give her some snacks."

Aayushi replied, "okay Ansh."

Aayushi looked at Aarohi and said. "Baby let's eat something. Aaru is hungry?"

Aarohi nodded in yes. Aayushi held Aarohi's hand and they went down. Aayushi saw her mom sitting on the couch. While even dad came out from his room.

"Hey mom, hey dad. She is hungry." I said.

Swara said. "Yeah, Nandu, I will make something for her."

Aayushi nodded in yes. She sat on the dining table and made Aarohi sit on another chair. While even Rajesh took a seat there.

"Aayushi, I am happy that you accepted her," Rajesh said looking at Aarohi who was playing with fog.

Aayushi smiled and said. “She is angel dad. Of course, I have to accept her."

Soon Swara came out with food. Aarohi ate from Aayushi's hand. While Rajesh and Swara were happy for their daughter.

In this way, the whole day was spent with Aarohi playing around and Aayushi running behind her. She took good care of her. Not even for once, she felt angry or annoyed. But she was very happy to take care of her. At night Ansh called Aayushi. Ansh talked with Aarohi on phone, Ansh asked Aaru about her while she cutely answered him with the wrong pronunciation.

Aayushi and Aarohi slept hugging each other like a real mother-daughter.

To be continued...

BY J.