Fanaa

1.17 Death leaves a heartache..

Singhania House, Udaipur

"Vatsal, the lights have to trickle down, seriously do I have to do everything around here?" Kaira asked with her hands on her hips.

"That's it, I'm locking her in a room, who's with me." Vatsal mumbled furiously.

Akshara giggled, Kaira Singhania the tyrant was out in full force, her sister was a "tad bit" of a perfectionist and was currently driving the entire family up the walls getting the house ready for Krish Bhaiya's tilak.

Akshara gazed fondly at her family, Vatsal and Kaira Di were bickering again, the elders were fussing over Krish Bhaiya while Abhimanyu helped Aaira paint butterflies on the card she was planning on giving to Naina. Her heart filled with love seeing her daughter laugh with Abhimanyu, Aaira was head over heels in love with her father and had him wrapped around her little finger. Her family was going to be okay.

Suddenly she felt her vision blurring, a ringing noise in her head, she touched underneath her nose only to see her fingers bloody before everything went black.

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Akshara woke up to see that she was on her bed, her throat felt parched and as she stretched her arms for water, a glass appeared infront of her.
Di helped her drink water, and Akshara saw that she was surrounded by her family, their eyes bloodshot.

"Ah Ms.Akshara you are awake, how are you feeling now? Can you tell me what happened?" The doctor asked, startling her.

She hesitated for a bit, "I felt dizzy and I think my nose started bleeding."

"Is this the first time you have felt dizzy in the past week?"

Akshara took a deep breath and told the truth, "No I have had a few fainting spells before and my nose has been bleeding."

Abhimanyu looked at her in shock, he had tried his level best to keep an eye on her, but it seemed Akshara had gone out of her way to hide her condition.
The doctor gave her a sad smile, "Well Ms.Akshara as I told you before, this is a sign the cancer is spreading, we will have to be more vigorous with the chemo and start it as soon as possible."

Her Choti Dadi broke out in tears, while Nanu walked away furiously. How was this happening to his family again, how much would God test them, he had already lost his wife and his daughter and now he was going to loose his grand daughter too ?

The doctor prescribed a few supplements before bidding adieu.
Di turned towards, her eyes screaming with pain and frustration, "Why ? Why did you not tell me ? Tell us ? What more do we have to do to earn your trust ?"

"No no Di, it's not like that, I'm sorry, I j-just, I wanted Bhaiya's functions to get over and then I was planning on telling you."

"You think my wedding is more important than your health for us Akshara ?" Krish Bhaiya interrupted sternly

"No I know you guys, you would drop everything and take care of me, b-but Bhaiya I didn't want to miss my chance of seeing your shaadi." Akshara sobbed, tears trailing down her cheeks. The whole week she had tried to remain positive, the doctors were hopeful but her fears kept creeping in.

"Stop that" Kaira Di furiously said, "You're not going to miss your chance for anything, nothing is going to happen to you. I won't allow it."

"I'll inform Naina and her family that we are postponing the tilak." Krish Bhaiya said

"Okay and I'll send Akshara's reports to my friends in the US, get a second opinion - whether the treatment options are better there." Di jumped to her feet already dialing numbers, and forwarding mails.

"Bhaiya, Di please no, let this tilak happen, please, the invites have already been sent out and think about Bhabhi too, please." Akshara quickly got upto her feet, this was exactly what she had feared.

Kaira and Krish hesitated for a bit before finally agreeing, "Fine, but we are postponing the wedding, and you will allow us to take care of you Akshara, I mean it - there will be no compromise with your health."

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Singhania house, Udaipur

It was the day of the tilak.
The Singhania's warmly welcomed their in laws the Mehta's, who were left awestruck at the magnanimity of the Singhania house all decked up with fairy lights and flowers.
The Goenka's and Birla's had arrived too, Naitik had extended the invitation,in an effort to maintain cordial relationships.

Akshara waited by the stairs for Aaira and Abhimanyu, only for her breath to catch when they finally appeared at the top of the stairs.
Aaira was dressed in a beautiful baby pink lehenga while Abhimanyu complemented her in a white sherwani. As the walked down the stairs, Abhimanyu gently guiding their daughter, Akshara felt her heart crack.
She ran to the garden trying to calm herself down, trying to get a hold of her emotions- but her thoughts kept screaming inside her head.

"Akshara?" Manjiri aunty asked. Manjiri Birla was broken, she knew that her actions had caused unrepairable damage to her children's life. She knew she was in no position to even apologise to Akshara, Akshara who had given her the place of a mother, Akshara who had supported and given her the courage to break free from her abusive marriage, how could she have been so cruel to her own daughter, the daughter who had needed her, it filled with her loathing and shame knowing that being a woman she had blamed Akshara for the miscarriage. She who had lost her own son had been so unsympathetic to Akshara's pain. She had spent the last weeks praying to every God out there, after knowing about Akshara's diagnosis. She had made mistakes and she would repent, she would never interfere in their lives again. But her children should not be the ones to pay the price of her mistakes.

Akshara turned to Manjiri, her chest aching with pain - "I'm not going to be able to see her grow up, I-I won't be there when she graduates school or when she goes to college, I- I won't be there for her wedding. I won't see my baby dressed as a bride, I'm going to mis-miss everything." And with that Akshara broken down letting out a scream, her body wracking with sobs while Manjiri aunty held her in her arms - it wasn't fair, she wanted to live, she wanted to see her daughter grow up, she wanted more time with her family.

A/N - I have mixed feelings about this chapter, I'm not sure if I was able to convey it as well - but Akshara's facade has cracked. All these days she has been getting her affairs in order but now she has come to terms with the fact that she is dying.

So we are reaching the last few chapters, a big thank to everyone who voted and commented, you guys have been amazing

Do comment and let me know ur thoughts <3