UNEDITED!!! So excuse the mistakes!!!

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“I’m nervous, Vihaan” Madhu said fidgeting with her fingers.

“Don’t be. I’m sure my mother will like you.” he gave her a small smile before fixing his eyes on the road as he drove the car.

“So who else are there in your home?” Madhu asked conversationally.

“My mom, Krish, Krish’s nanny Mrs. Jones and I” Vihaan answered.

“Your father?”

“He passed away when I was 6 years old due to brain tumor”

“I’m so sorry”

“It’s fine. Since then it’s only my mother for me and now my boy Krish” Vihaan said and went silent.

“So your parents had a love or arranged marriage?” Madhu asked in a cherry tone.

“They were never married.” He responded glancing at Madhu.

Like me and Rk! she thought and decided not to probe further on why they hadn’t got married though she was hell curious to know.

Even he wanted to elaborate more about them but he didn’t because Madhu moved to her next question.

“How long will take for us to reach your place?” Madhu asked. She felt they were travelling for too long though it was just 20 minutes since they got into the car and started the drive.

“We are almost there” Vihaan said.

“Okay. I’m worried we might get late to get back home. I have left Ruhi with Rk. I know Rk will take proper care of her but sometimes Ruhi can go out of control and cry for me.”

“Don’t worry. We will have a quick dinner with my mother and then I will take you back home. We can arrange another proper lunch or dinner on one Sunday and that time you can bring Ruhi with you too so that you don’t have to worry about her staying at home without you. My mother would love to meet your daughter” Vihaan said with a smile.

Madhu smiled back.

“How your mother came to know about me?”

“She saw your pic on my phone and she wanted to talk to you about something.”

“You have my pic?” Madhu asked surprised and at the same time her mind reeled on what his mother wanted to talk about?

“Well, I didn’t take them, not even a single snap of yours. It’s all Krish’s doing. He has taken so many pics with you and he kept one of the best photos on my phone wallpaper and my mother saw it”

“I see” she said biting her lower lips.

--0--

“Here, we are” he said as he turned his car entering into the gate of a huge mansion.

“Your house is so beautiful from outside and I hope it will be from inside as well” she compliments.

“It surely will be. My mother has done the interior designing. She is brilliant at it”

“Oh that’s lovely”

Vihaan jumped out of the car and walked around to open the passenger side door like a gentleman and then he helped Madhu out of her seat by offering his hand.

When they walked in no one was there at the living room so Madhu took the opportunity to wander her eyes around the living room admiring the stunning interior décor. Every single article in the house screamed rich and spectacular opulence.

“You sit here, Madhu. I will go get my mother” he said pointing to the black velvet couch and disappeared from the living room.

--0--

“Mom, she is here” Vihaan shouted as he headed to the kitchen and his judging was right because he found his mom there making something special for the dinner.

“OMG, she is here?” Vihaan’s mother squealed as she quickly wiped her hands on the apron and then removed the apron off her waist. “Has she come along with my grand-daughter?” she asked eagerly as she walked out of the kitchen and Vihaan tailed behind her.

“No, Ruhi is not here. You will meet her next time” Vihaan said.

Madhu nervously stood from the couch to greet Vihaan’s mom.

“Hello, aunty” Madhu said softly.

“Oh you look so beautiful dear. My son is so lucky to have you in his life” Vihaan’s mother gushed and suddenly took Madhu in a bone crushing hug, taking her off guard. After a beat, Madhu recovered from her surprise and awkwardly returned her hug.

“You should have got my grand-daughter here to meet me. You know ever since I met her in the park I was dying to take her in my arms and kiss her”

“You will get to see her soon. Today I couldn’t bring Ruhi with me because she was sleeping when we started and moreover I wasn’t ready to answer Rk’s endless questions.”

“How is my Rishu?” she asked with tears in her eyes.

“Your son is good” Madhu said to Radha, Rk’s mother who happened to be Vihaan’s mother as well.

Two days back in Bittu and Roma’s wedding, while dancing with Madhu Vihaan had asked her to meet his mother. Madhu was surprised and confused at the same time with his sudden invitation. When she asked why she should meet his mother, he showed Radha’s photo to her and without further questions Madhu agreed to meet her.

“He hates me, right?” Radha asked. Madhu stood silent for a minute contemplating whether to be honest with her or not.

“Why you left him?” Before Madhu could stop, that nagging question in her mind popped out of her mouth. “You could have taken him along with you right? Why you left him alone? Do you have any idea how much you have hurt him? It’s been 16 years but still he couldn’t forgive you. He hates to even see your face.” She said spitefully.

“Madhu, you don’t know anything so please don’t say a word that will hurt my mother” Vihaan defended for Radha.

“How could a mother possibly leave her own child to yearn for love all his life and make herself a new life with a wealthy man and have his child and live happily?” Madhu asked angrily.

She had gone there not to have pleasant dinner but to ask few choosy questions to Radha. She remembered Rk telling long back that he lost hope and belief in love because of his parents. If they had set a good example to him and showed him what’s true love then he wouldn’t have deceived her in the name of love. Their life wouldn’t have been this complicated and painful.

“Mom, please don’t cry” Vihaan moved to his mother’s side and engulfed in his arms.

“Madhu, you should leave now. I will ask the drive to take you back home” Vihaan said brusquely.

“No, don’t leave, please. I want to talk to you.” Radha pleaded. Madhu agreed with a head nod.

“First will you have dinner with me? I have cooked everything for you, for my daughter-in-law who is so angry at me now but I am so glad because you are fighting for my son” Radha said with a teary smile.

“I’m not your daughter-in-law. Rk and I aren’t married.” Madhu said looking away from Radha’s soft innocent eyes. “How could this sweet lady possible deceive her husband and child for another man? She doesn’t seem such kind of cheap lady to me?” Madhu thought with a frown.

“You aren’t his wife?” Radha asked in shock and that’s when she clearly noticed there was no sindoor on her forehead, no nuptial chain or even a wedding ring. “So Ruhi?” she asked hesitantly.

“No, we didn’t get married but Ruhi is our daughter.” Madhu said not at all feeling embarrassed or ashamed.

“Oh”

“When I loved him, he didn’t. When he loves me, I don’t”

“You say you don’t love him but you are here to fight for him?” Radha asked, suppressing her smile.

“No…I…uh… I don’t love… I just came…” Madhu stammered.

“Leave it. Just tell me will you have dinner with me?” Radha asked hopefully. Not wanting to disappoint her Madhu agreed.

“Vihaan, go get Krish for dinner”

“Sure, mom” Vihaan nodded and giving Madhu a quick glance he ran upstairs to Krish’s room.

--0—

“Rk, you didn’t sleep yet?” Madhu asked startling him. He was standing near the floor to ceiling window in the living room, looking out the beautiful night view of Paris and was lost deep in his thoughts so he didn’t notice her coming.

“Why you didn’t put Ruhi to the bed?” she asked seeing Ruhi sleeping in his arms, placing her head on his shoulder, when he turned around to face her.

“I don’t know. I just felt like holding her so I didn’t bother to put her on bed even after she fell asleep”

“Alright. Give her to me. I will put her to bed and come.” She gently took Ruhi from him without waking her up and then made a beeline to her bedroom.

After settling Ruhi comfortably on the bed, she went into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

When she walked back to the living room dressed in a silk knee length night gown, she found Rk sitting on the piano bench with his head placed on the closed piano lid.

“Hey” Madhu said softly as she took a seat beside him.

“How was the dinner?” he asked without lifting his head up and looking at her.

“It was good. I met his mother” and yours! She wanted to add but she didn’t.

“You went to his home? To meet his mother?” he asked, sitting straight on the bench and looking at her face.

She fucking went to see his mother? Is that why she was decked up so beautifully in saree? She wanted to please his mother and seek her approval. Doesn’t she? He thought with a bitter smirk.

“Yeah, she is such a sweet lady. I love her”

“You like Vihaan, don’t you?” he asked.

“Of course I like him. He is such a gentleman and a wonderful father. I adore the way he moulds his son teaching him manners and respect, already.”

“Yeah, you are right.” He nodded his head. “He is such a gentleman…” he agreed wholeheartedly “…but I am a bastard who kicked you out of my life after knocking you up.” He said through his gritted teeth. He felt so disgusted of himself.

“Rk, please, let’s not rehash this topic” she tried to stop him but he continued ignoring her.

“And I do agree and am ready to award him ‘the world’s best father’ award” he stood up from the bench and said spreading his hands open. “You’re right again. He is a wonderful father, unlike me. He manned up and took the responsibility of his child at such a young age when even the child’s mother wasn’t ready but I didn’t man up until I saw my daughter.”

“Rk, don’t talk like that, please…”

“Madhu, I have made a decision” he said cutting to the chase.

“What’s it?” she asked dreading to hear his decision.

“You don’t want to marry me. I understand because you can’t live with someone who is as disgusting and despicable as me. You deserve someone better, someone like Vihaan, the great Mahaan!” he chuckled humorlessly.

“What? No!”

“No? You don’t want him as well? Tsk! Tsk! Too bad!” he shook his head feeling terrible for the looser.

“Rk, are you drunk?” she eyed him suspiciously.

“No!” he shook his head frantically. “I promised to Ruhi that I won’t drink so I will never break my promise… After all I have learned to never break promises, in a hard way!”

She sighed in relief and nodded her head realizing what he meant.

“You know what? That poor kid had his eyes only on you, today, when you walked gracefully down the stairs wearing that stunning golden color saree but now you are rejecting him as well. I wonder who the hell you want to have in your life, Madhu?”

“RK"

“Well, don’t bother to answer me." He said not realizing that was her answer actually. "I don’t care. Let me just tell you my decision first before I change my mind"

She stood silent glaring at him.

“I am planning to move out of this house, Madhu”

“What?” Madhu’s eyes went wide in shock.

“Don’t panic. I’m not abandoning you guys. I will just find a condo somewhere around the corner and live alone. I will daily visit Ruhi and spend time with her when I come here to work in the café.”

“What nonsense are you talking, Rk?" She shouted. "You can’t do this. Ruhi needs you.”

For once he wished she will say ‘she needs him’ but she didn’t. Ruhi was the anchor in their relationship, holding them together. Without Ruhi there was nothing between them. No love, No friendship, nothing at all or he thought so.

“I’m there for her. I will always be there for her…but I can’t stay together with you. If I do then it will do no good to you.”

“Why? Why you say so?”

“You said you may get married, right? So tell me who will marry you if they come to know you are living with me, with your child’s father? Though now we are purely in a platonic relationship and nothing sexual who will believe if you say so?"

“Rk, let’s not think about the future now, please. I’m not going to marry anyone now so let’s live like this...”

“I want to be prepared, Madhu. I might fall deeper in love with you than already I am and I worry I might not be able to let you go when you want me to"

I don't want you to let me go! She wanted to scream those words but she didn't.

"So this is what you want?"

"I don't know what I want exactly."

"So you are taking Ruhi with you?"

"No! I won't do that. Ruhi will be safer with you. And moreover we both know very well you are the better parent among us so Ruhi stays with you...but I have a condition"

"What's it?"

"I will provide for my child, forever. Even in future when you get married I don't want her step dad spending a penny on my daughter. And one more thing, if your future husband doesn't like to have my daughter with you and him, then please let me know, I will take her with me and treat her like a princess."

"Alright" she agreed and ran to her room to let her tears wet her pillow.

... To be continued!

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