"A Truth Too Heavy to Tell"

Anvitha was a bit startled when she heard about the proposal of marrying Chaitanya. She firmly thought she must discuss this with the elder. If Chaitanya fully recovers, then he should marry her as Anvitha—not as Aadhira. That would be deceiving him, she believed with conviction. After putting him to sleep, she once again went to speak with the elder.

She explained to him what Chaitanya had said about marriage. He, too, was happy to hear it. "What he says is absolutely right, dear. Why should you live alone while raising a child? Aren't we all here for you? If the marriage happens properly, you'll live with him, and my grandson will be with us. That would give me peace of mind," he said.

"What are you saying, Grandpa? I'm ready to marry Chaitanya as Anvitha. But how can I marry him as Aadhira? That would be impossible," she said.

"Look, we're not in a situation where we can think like that. The child needs a father. First, you marry him. Let him recover fully. I promise I'll tell him the truth about you. He'll definitely understand," he said, trying to convince her.

Seeing her still hesitant, he added, "Think about your future. Could you marry anyone else besides Chaitanya now?" His question hit her like a whip.

She looked up, tears welling in her eyes, and shook her head. "No."

"Then what, dear? If you tell him now that you are Anvitha and Aadhira is no more, do you think he can bear it? I can't even imagine what might happen to my grandson if he hears that Aadhira is no longer alive," he said.

"Still, Grandpa... If he finds out the truth after the marriage, won't it feel like we deceived him? I don't want to lie to him," she said.

"Before he finds out on his own, I'll tell him myself. I'll say I was the one who asked you to act like that. I'm sure he'll understand," he replied. "And think about this, Anvitha. What will happen if you tell him the truth now? The child is still his, right? I will take care of the baby. But if you walk away now, what do you expect us to do?"

That question shocked her. "Then, Grandpa... if he finds out the truth after the marriage, won't he push me away?"

"No, he won't, dear. Chaitanya would never abandon a responsibility he took on. The sanctity of the marriage knot still holds meaning in our land," he said proudly.

Seeing her still hesitant, he gently pleaded, "Please marry him. Whatever happens after that, I will take care of everything."

Anvitha silently agreed. She thought, even if he doesn't marry her after knowing she is Anvitha, that would be fine. But if he finds out Aadhira is no more, what will happen to him? The thought terrified her. And what if he asked her to leave? How would she live without him? Left with no choice, she agreed to marry him as Aadhira.

The elder, wanting the wedding to happen soon, began preparing for it swiftly.

Meanwhile, he spoke to Chaitanya. "Your wedding to Aadhira is fixed in ten days. But until then, it's not good for her to stay at the hospital. Let's send her to her home. She can stay there at night, and after the wedding, she'll come live with us. I've also asked for your discharge in a week. We can continue your treatment from home."

Chaitanya agreed, seeing the logic in what his grandfather said.

From then on, every day, Anvitha worked at the hospital during the day, and at night, she would return to her home in a car sent by the elder. She stayed there with the baby through the night and returned to the hospital the next morning.

Ten days passed. When she visited her old house again, Parvati Amma and Ambika were surprised to see her.

When they asked, Anvitha, not wanting to explain, said, "The hospital has given me a guesthouse room. I'm staying there now."

Ambika asked, "So you won't be coming home anymore?"

"I'll come now and then," Anvitha replied and turned to Parvati Amma. "Amma, let this house remain as it is. I'll come and stay occasionally. I'll continue to pay rent properly," she added.

Parvati Amma replied warmly, "That's fine, dear. Come stay here whenever it's convenient for you."

Turning to Ambika, Anvitha asked, "Did you miss me while I was away?"

"Maybe a little," Ambika said, smiling. "I was really happy to have someone to talk to. But I didn't expect you to start staying full-time at the hospital."

"There's a lot of work at the hospital, Ambika. They've given me a room so I can stay there with the baby. I don't really have time to commute," she explained. "Alright, I'll go get some rest now," she said, taking the baby inside.

After putting the baby to sleep, Anvitha lay down beside him, thinking about why she had told Parvati Amma to keep the house for her. She realized she didn't know the answer. Maybe she said it thinking that if Chaitanya later learned she was Anvitha and left her, she would need a place to live. The realization shocked her.

Back at the hospital, Chaitanya felt a strange emptiness. After getting used to having Aadhira by his side for the past ten days, he couldn't sleep without her.

His grandfather had told him she would stay at her house until the wedding, and Chaitanya had no choice but to agree. Still, something about the separation disturbed him. He kept thinking about her. Why had she suddenly distanced herself after they grew so close? And now, she stood before him with his child. What could he even make of it?

He was lost in memories of his days of falling in love with Aadhira.

Back then, he had completed medical school and started practicing in his family hospital. One day, while he was working, his childhood friend Pari walked in unexpectedly.

"Hey, Chaitanya... I need a favor," Pari said.

"What is it?" Chaitanya asked, glancing up.

"Can you pick up Geetha from college this evening and drop her home?"

Pari's family and Chaitanya's family had always been close. Pari's mother Manjula was a good friend of Chaitanya's mother. Pari had no interest in medicine and was studying at IIT in Bangalore. But his younger sister Geetha was passionate about medicine and had joined a medical college in Chennai. She was now in her final year.

To Geetha, Chaitanya was like an elder brother. Since Pari left for Bangalore, Chaitanya had taken care of helping Geetha get into college and supported her studies. Pari's family was wealthy, and in many situations, Chaitanya had helped Geetha on Pari's behalf. Both of them liked Geetha a lot.

So now, Pari was asking Chaitanya to pick her up.

"That's fine, dude. I'll go get her. But where are you going?" Chaitanya asked.

"My girl is coming from Bangalore today. I don't know when the flight will land. If I go, I might be late. Geetha won't take an auto by herself, especially because she has a college function today. My mom also said she shouldn't travel alone. That's why I'm asking you," Pari said.

"Okay, bro. I'll go," Chaitanya agreed.

Pari let out a big sigh of relief. "Phew! Thanks, man. I'll head off now. You must be busy here. I need to shop for gifts for my girl too. Bye, man!" he said cheerfully and left.