Pihu sighed in relief; she had managed to reach home on time. Her mother wasn't home yet, so she decided to complete her homework. But her mind strayed to the trip to her father's office. Would the assistant hand over the envelope to him? Would he even open it? Or would he discard it in the trash without opening it? And if he would open it, what would his reaction be? Pihu's mind swirled with a whirlwind of questions. She somehow avoided thinking more of her father and focused on her homework instead.
Priya arrived home to find Pihu engrossed in her schoolwork. She was surprised, to say the least. Pihu never did her homework unless she was persuaded to. She peeked at her daughter's notebook suspiciously; she was indeed completing her English exercise book. "What's up with you today? I didn't even have to coerce you into completing your homework," Priya stated. Pihu glanced at her mother; she was still wary of her ever since she'd found out the truth. "Uh, I have to submit two essays tomorrow, so I gotta complete it soon," Pihu answered, hoping she didn't sound frightful. Fortunately, her mother didn't question her further and retired to the kitchen to make preparations for dinner.
Pihu let out a sigh of relief. Talking with her mother now was as good as walking around eggshells; she had to remain extra careful. She had to behave as normal as possible to avoid making her mother suspicious.
Priya set up the table for dinner while Pihu wrapped up with her homework. They ate their dinner in silence - comfortable for Priya and extremely uncomfortable for Pihu. Pihu fidgeted with her dinner the entire time and Priya ended up scolding her. "How was school today?" she enquired. Pihu froze upon hearing the question. She had never lied to her mother before; this was going to be a first. "It was fine," she responded, hoping her trembling hands didn't give her away. Fortunately, Priya didn't seem to notice anything different. "Is that so? Well then, why did I receive a call from your mathematics professor, Mrs Shah, asking why you were absent today?" Pihu felt the blood drain from her face.
-------------------------------------------------------
Ram's hands trembled on seeing his name on the birth certificate. His legs felt like they'd turned to jelly and he felt a pit in his stomach. He blinked rapidly, numerous times to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He wasn't. He stared at the document continuously before a knock on his cabin door brought him out of his reverie. "I come bearing cupcakes and doughnuts," a man in his early forties announced, entering the cabin with a massive box in his arms. He set down the box on the table. "Akki," Ram whispered, as tears escaped his eyes. Ram embraced him, let out a gut-wrenching cry.
Akshay was taken aback by Ram's sudden outburst. Something had happened. The last time Ram had cried was at Shivina's funeral. It had to be something life-altering. Akki hugged him back, whispering words of consolation in his ears.
Ram's sobs died down after a while. He felt all the energy sapped out of him. A sudden fear engulfed him. He could barely stand straight. Akki pulled out a chair for him and made him sit. Ram closed his eyes and tugged at his hair. He could feel the panic rising within him. His heartbeat soaring. He felt as if he had been transported back in time. Back to his Shivi. He saw her before him, standing in her designer dress, complaining about the shoes not matching with her outfit. Wanting her Ram bhai because he made everything right. Of course, he had appointed the best shoe designer for her. Anything for his Shivi. She stood there, with a bright smile on her face. "You're the best brother I could ever ask for," she said, embracing him.
Ram was brought out of his memories by a sudden jerk. He looked up to see Akki's face, contorted in worry. "Shivi," Ram whispered. A wistful smile crossed Akki's face. Shivi had been his world; losing her had broken him beyond repair. Ram hadn't even allowed him to perform Shivina's final rites, which the former regretted considerably. He went as far as to apologise to Akshay after realising what he had done. Akki wasn't to blame; his cousin sister was. Ram wouldn't ever let Akshay bear the consequences of his sister's crimes. Akki didn't blame him; Priya Sood had dropped explosive after explosive in Ram's life. Shivina's death, followed by Priya's infidelity was reason enough for Ram and Akshay to cut off ties with the Soods. Akshay detested Priya after she confessed to pushing Shivina to her death. That was not something he could ever forgive. The only good thing that came out of the entire fiasco was him and Ram's bonding. They met once in a fortnight, catching up on each other's lives and reminiscing Shivina. Neither of them even mentioned Priya Sood.
