Heylo darlingz !!
Back with an update finally.. Thanks for your amazing responses ... Means a lott ! Last update was a bit worrying one for me... Not knowing whether you guys take the distance felt by Vaishnavi.. But your comments assured me !!
Hope you like this one too...

***

Love is patient, Love is kind !!
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails !!

***

The next morning ! It was a peaceful and pleasant one for the people at Shetty home. Their kids are back home and most importantly, Together !!! Do they need anything more??

As usual, Savitri was preparing breakfast for everyone while Seetha was doing her morning rituals in pooja room. Venky and Prabhakar as expected indulged in their political discussions. The parents thought of not disturbing their kids as it was their first morning as a couple at their home. Afterall, they got to be together after so long. Hence thought of giving them enough space and time.

The ring of calling bell brought everyone's attention. They were surprised as they werent expecting anyone early this morning. 

Prabhakar went to attend them and were surprised to see Aaryan, Nandita and her Parents.

"Aaahhaa Bava Akka.. kiddos !! Savii, look who all are here! Come come.." He greeted and invited them inside.

"Akkaa.. Bava.. arey everyone is here. Is there anything special today?" Savi was equally surprised and See joined them.

"Thats what we wanna ask too. Miru have called us here. Telling there is something important she wants to share with us. Dont you know why?" Saraswathy asked and found them clueless about the matter.

Anand, by then had come to the drawing room hearing the voice of guests. He managed to walk taking slow steps.

"I have called them Amma.." They heard Vaishu's voice from the door. They dint expect her entry from outside as they didnt see her going out in the morning leaving Anand alone. She was having a gift in her hands. Savitri made a mental note of enquiring about it later.

"Akkaa..." She came to Nandu and hugged her. Nandita smiled and hugger her back.

"We want to say something to you all." Anand said. Vaishu looked at him smilingly and nodded her head.

"Yes. And thats why I called them here. But before that, there is something I have to do." She pulled her Amma's hands and made her stand near her Appa.

She turned to Anand and seeked his permission through her eyes. He closed his eyes in assurance and asked her to proceed.

Taking a deep breath, She held both her parents' arms on hers.

"Amma Appa. First of all, I wanna say something to you. Listen carefully. You know or not. But this is the truth. I love you both the most in this world." Savithri and Prabhakar widened their eyes and smiled at their daughter's words. They thought of her being silly. But... What was the need of saying all this now, they thought alike.

Mira understands them too well to understand what must be going through their mind at that moment. They arent aware of whats in store !! She knows and continued with the same intensity.

"I am indebted to you both forever. You know why?! For gifting me the life I always dreamed... Giving me the love and care of a mother and being the pillar of support as a father .. Both which I was always deprived of !! You have became my strength and weakness at the same time... Thank you for making me a bolder and better version of what I was... I love you in all sense... for what you are to me. I dont think I would be alive if it was not for you both." Miru paused for a second to suppress the cry that escaped from her lips.

"I was living the bestest part of my life with you Amma Appa. Literally in A dream land. But the truth of my life shook me to the core. It hit me hard on my face. I was broken, shattered and depressed !! I never wanted to realise that I was not your own ! I cursed that moment of realization. It was totally expected one. Not even there in my wildest thoughts or dreams. And it ruined my whole being. It really took me a lot of courage, time and space to come into terms. And slowly, thinking about the moments I spend with you made me realise that there is no point in having blood relation for someone to be labelled as their own. You two have already proven it with your unconditional love. None would believe that I am not your blood. Did you ever doubt on us Seeyamma??" She turned to a teary eyed Seetha who watched the scene with a heavy heart. And Seetha immediately nodded in No.

"See. Thats what !! I am right. None would think so. I myself never doubted my identity. Not even once. Well, You two havent given me a chance to do so.. Probably I would have never confronted the truth unless I have opened her room accidently. I would have disbelieved his words too."

She handed over the gift that was in her hands to them and asked to open it. The shetty couple were confused to the core. There is something serious she is upto !! They were sure...

The gift was something they never expected. Savitri placed her hands covering her mouth to shut the cries that came out of her lips, seeing her daughter's gift.

It was a beautiful portrait of Mira drawn by Vaishu. Prabhakar blinked his eyes swiftly to clear his vision. They heard her again.

"No matter how much I wanna believe its all to be a lie, deep down I know this is the truth. Though it took time, I have accepted it whole heartedly. And now I know, it was all destined. Mira..." Vaishu fondly touched her painting.

"She is the reason why I am here. With you all... I accept that !! All the love, care, fortunes I am having now, Is hers. Rightfully hers !! I should never ignore or forget that. But I agree.. I was selfish for a while. I was angry when you called me Vaishu. I was afraid of loosing you both, My identity as your baby girl and My happy life. Here, I forgot one thing. That it was never mine. My life was built on illusions and lies. But thats not something appropriate. And I would like to say that its her gift. Mira's... The one who was concerned about a complete stranger even during her last moments. I must have done something really great to carry the identity of such a pure soul. And I have accepted her as my own sister now. And in reality, She has become a part of me. Her traits, Her family, Her parents everything mine." Savitri and Prabhakar were in tears. They looked at her with helpless eyes.

"I believe Mira is here with all of us. Living through each one of us. And her face should be seen to everyone. Not to be hidden inside her room. So here it is. This picture of hers ... It should be placed here... I realise how painful it was for you guys to hide her and keep her belongings away from everyone's eyes. You shouldnt do that anymore. This is her home. Her place and her people. She have all the rights. And I do owe an apology. I am sorry !! I lashed out at Amma and Nandu akka for calling me Vaishu. I told you. That was my insecurity. What If you disown me. But now I know that you could never do that. Just like how you I am connected with you, You all are equally bonded with me too. I can never be anything else. But your bangaru baby, Nandu Akka's baby Sister, Doddamma and Doddappa's darling daughter. I dont mind any other things. Any name is fine for me. Its not change the equation between us. You all can even call me Vaishu. And this is my sister Miru. Still, I am not ashamed to say this. I am selfish when it comes to my family and I am not gonna share them with anyone. Not gonna allow anyone to seperate you all from me too." Vaishnavi lost her last ounce of courage and ended up bursting into tears.

Prabhakar pulled her into a tight hug. And kissed her forehead.
"Oh my baby.. My bangaru baby" He was crying.

Savitri's eyes dint show any emotions and just stared at the duo. Vaishu expected a hug from her mother too but was confused looking at her face. It was devoid of any particular emotion.

Savitri looked at the portrait, kept it on nearby table and went to her room surprising everyone.

Vaishu was more confused seeing Amma's reaction. She isnt that complicated personality yet unpredictable at times. A few seconds later, She saw her Amma coming with another portrait. Her big brown eyes met her Amma's fierce and intense eyes which was filled with tears. Savithri sighed deeply looking at her daugher.

"Never knew my girl pented up all these things in her baby heart. And have over thinking problem. I know you are mad at times. But were you keeping all these crazy stuffs in your little head all this while?? I never had a clue. And insecurity? Really!! Even if you wanted to leave, do you think we would have allowed you? Not even in your dreams I would say. Yes... I agree it wasnt an easy task to hide about Mira from you. But we had something else in priority. YOU !! Mira was the apple of our eyes. The sole reason for our happiness. God took her away from us in a fraction of second. Our life was broken into pieces.. We dint find any reasons to live. There was nothing remaning to hold onto. But You !! When he took one daughter away from us, he gave us another one. As our baby. It wasnt easy to accept first. Still, it was meant to be. We couldnt resist ourselves from loving you. And we gave all importance to you. She was gone forever and you were left with Us. It was your happiness, safety and emotions mattered to us the most !! We dont think hiding her identity from you doesnt make our love less for her. Or that we have taken away her rights. As you said, She is always there with us. Through You and each one of us, we know !! Truth wasnt easy for anyone. It would have given us only pain. And we did the best possible thing we thought. Nevertheless, You both are equally important that you should realise. So here it is..." She kept the frame in Vaishu's hands.

Vaishnavi could only stare at it with tear filled eyes. It refused to stop flowing out. "I had drawn it long back, when we have accepted you as our daughter. For both of us, This is our family... Our two daughters Like our two eyes. There isnt like any comparison or more love to either one of you. Both are our babies. God had blessed us with two munchkins, who are the mirror reflection of each other. He had to take one away from me to bless me with another. But It doesnt mean that you are a replacement to her. Both my babies have their own unique traits along with many similarities. Me and your Appa ..We love you for what you are. Always.. Forever. Nothing and No one can ever change that. Thats it...I dont have anything else to say." Savitri paused seeing her face.

Vaishu keenly listened to her Amma, held their family portrait close to her. Yes ! That was her family.. her complete family... She couldnt frame any words as her Mother's unconditional love touched her inner soul and cried her heart out.

Prabha gently caressed her head and held her close to him from side. He felt it to be the right moment to speak his heart.

"My Bangaru baby. Look at Appa." He held her chin up and made her face him.

"Whatever your Amma said is true. No matter what we call you, its a truth that we have accepted you long back. As our own ! It was not in the place of Mira that we loved you or cared for you. Definitely Not a replacement !! Miru and Vaishu.. Both are our blessings. So My baby need not worry about anything. Amma Appa loves you more than you can imagine. And I have seen how your Amma have embraced your presence with all her heart. Though It took her time to realise that depth of emotion she have for you, it was worth the delay. She loves you like crazy. Me too. I thought that I almost lost her when we lost Mira. But you have evoked the motherly emotions within her so effortlessly and gifted us a new life. And losing you was like facing death. That insecurity also made us hide all these truths from you. It was all mutual. A new life for you as well as Us. All we want to see ever is your smiling face. Nothing short of it. Since you wanted to keep your sister's portrait, We have a wish too. We would like to keep this along with it. Let everyone see Prabhakar shetty and his girls." He smiled at his daughter who was crying and smiling at the same time.Her Appa knows how to handle her tears. She was a blessed child indeed.

"And Let the world know our complete family. Isnt it my wifey? What say?" Prabhakar turned to his wife who smiled at his words. He forwarded his hands and she happily went for it. Vaishu immediately clinged towards her Amma letting her know all the love she have for her parents.

It was purely a family moment. An unseen, sacred bond which tied them together till eternity. Time stood still for witnessing this perfect moment. Everyone stood teary eyed. It was only happiness that reflected. They prayed Gid almighty for blessing this family forever.

Anand was the happiest of them. It was surreal. How on earth people love someone like this?! Savithri and Prabhakar were one in a million kind of couple. The strongest and compassionate people he have ever met. Even when they had lost the most precious person in their life, they fought against their fate instead of giving up and embraced the new oppurtunity with sheer kindness and love. They have given place to a complete stranger in their heart and treated her like their own without even letting her doubt for a second. The real heroes, that they are. And their family who stood as the strongest pillar of support.

No wonder how his naive Vaishu became stronger. They moulded her to become a better person with more power and confidence without losing her innocence and compassion towards each other. He could only thank his stars for whatever happened. And obviously Mira, the sole reason for all of it. He strongly wished if she was alive to witness all this.

Anand looked at her portrait which was kept facing the family moment. It was the first time seeing her. And he could imagine how Mira would have been. He did feel her presence at that moment. A different kind of vibe.

He saw her looking at them with utmost happiness,smiling at them. He must be imagining things or May be even true. She would be witnessing the moment. Just that their eyes couldnt see it. He smiled at the thought, closed his eyes and mumbled a thanks to her.

***

The perfect family moment was captured by Aryan. After a while, they broke the hug and Vaishu looked at Anand to let them know their decision. Anand smiled at her and cleared his throat to get their attention. Prabhakar and Savithri turned to his side and found him smiling at them.

"Ahmm.. Uncle and Aunty. I need to tell something important to all of you. Hope you take it in the right sense and accept." He said in a serious tone and the couple were all ears.

"Vaishu and I have decieded something. We dont know how you guys take this. But we feel you all should know about it. Well, the thing is we have decieded not to stay together and continue our life like before. Its not upon any compulsion. We think this is the best thing." He shocked everyone with his words.

Seetha came to him. "Kanna.. Ennada solren? What do you mean by you are not going to stay together? Ennange.. did you hear this?" She nudged her husband.

Venky narrowed his eyes at him. "Anand? We dint get you. What do you wanna say to us? Make it clear"

Anand was happy. For the first time after his wedding with Vaishu, his father talked to him normally. He was still keeping the distance even when he was in hospital bed.

He know that he hurt his dad so much that he refuses to be like before untill he clarifies the misunderstandings and apologize to him. It was not out of anger, but the immense love and trust he had for his son was brutally broken by him that made him the rigid person he is now. All because of his relationship with Vaishnavi.

He looked straight at his Appa's eyes. Held his hands. "I am sorry Appa. I know this apology will not amend my actions that hurt you. But I am sincerely asking for your forgiveness. I was helpless Appa.. I very well know how hurt you have been.. I have Broken your trust and faith in me that literally killed your soul. At the same time, I couldnt let her go either or hurt her again. I loved Vaishu a lot yet only gave pain to her with my actions. And At that moment, I had no other options . Marrying her was the only right thing that was infront of me. Even then, it dint give her any happiness. But only messed up everyone's life." He paused a second.

"I know a Sorry wont make any difference. Still if possible, please accept my apology and forgive this son. For once. Your champ misses you a lot." His voice cracked in between. He saw Venky's expressions softening a bit. But he wasnt ready to budge. After all, he is an army man. Sighing, he continued.

"And coming to our decision. Yes we dont wanna continue our relation from where it was left. We dont wanna live that monotonous messed up life away from every one. Afterall, it isnt the same too. So many things have changed between us. And she isnt just my Vaishu anymore. That naive, soft hearted girl who had none as her own. She is someone elses' daughter. She have her own people. And I dont think I can resume my life with her just like that." He looked at Vaishu.

"Apdi na enna?! Enaku onnume puriyale Anand.. What if its not the same? Its Savi and Anna.. Not strangers.. What changes are ypu talking about and what do you wanna do about it now? I have .. No we have already accepted her as our daughter. We clearly dont wanna complicate things anymore. She is our family. I dont wanna hear anything that opposes this." Seetha was a bit angry.

Anand smiled at her. His Amma is straight forward and doesnt get twisted up things easily.

"I know Amma. I very well know that you have started loving her more than me. And I am glad to witness your bond too. I know something else too.. that You loved her since the time you met her. Right? It was me who screwed up everything. And What about you Appa?" He turned to Venky. "Do you accept her as family??"

Venkitesh went near Vaishnavi and held her from side.

"Yes ! I do... I loved Vaishu as my own daughter since the day she came to our home. Just like See I also wished if only we met her before we met Vasundhara. I would have gladly accepted her as my daughter in law. And I never held any grudge towards her even when you married her without our consent. I was all angry on your immaturity. And then I was worried with her dissappearence. I was sure that you must have hurt her too that she left all of us. That added up my anger towards you. The day we met her as Miru, we truely wished her to be our Vaishu. We had to make sure that she is safe. That hope... That is the only reason why we agreed to stay here. And after knowing truth, I have promised her parents that she will be our daughter even if we have to leave you. I will stick on to my words, you know that well.. As Vaishu or Miru. She is our daughter." He held her close to him and Seetha held her from the other side. Both Vaishu and Anand had tears in their eyes. This was what they dreamt of 3 years ago. Vaishnavi had a victory smile on her face, he felt.

Anand looked at Seetha and Venkitesh. He smiled widely and went towards Mr and Mrs Shetty. He held Savithri's hands.

"Aunty, Uncle... So many things happened in all of our lives and destiny have brought us here together like this. I am having mixed feelings now. My Vaishu always wanted to have a happy family of her own. I could neither give her the love of my parents nor mine. Instead, I have broken her trust and I made our life a mess. She had only loved me beyond anything. I dont think I deserve her love." He looked at Vaishu who shook her head in NO.

"I had hurt my parents, Vaishu and everyone who loved me. And I had paid the price of those tears. In the form of our seperation and the precious tiny human we have created. Now, Vaishu has been blessed with a beautiful family she wished for. I am extremely happy fit her. You all have given her the beautiful life she deserved. Both of us considers her as your daughter first and then comes any other relation. She loves you guys immensly. Now even my parents loves her and accepted her already as their own. Seeing all this, I can proudly say that I am the happiest person alive. This was something I wanted to see. Coming to Us,its a mutual decision that we dont wanna resume our life from where it stopped." Prabhakar and Savithri stood clueless.

"Aunty, I have heard a lot about you from Amma and she used to say that I am your first son too. Born from your soul sister. I have seen your immense love for your daughter. And Uncle's, whose life solely revolves around his wife and his Bangaru baby. Though you guys cared for me all these days and accepted me as her husband, I feel awkward. I feel a miss !! An incomplete feeling. I have never got chance to fully feel your love. This is a request from my side. Will you please accept me as your Son whole heartedly?" He made a baby face that melted Savi's heart instantly. She then realised what he is hinting at.

"I agree that I have hurt your daughter a lot with my immature actions and stupidity. But No matter what, I love her more than anyone else. There was, is and will be only one girl in my life. Ever !! And Thats her. I cant live without her. I have already suffered much. I cant do it anymore.. So Here I promise ! I will keep her happy and protect her from evil eyes. And give her the life she deserves. She is legally my wife I know. But she is yours now. And I certainly need your permission and acceptance to bring her back in my life. As my wife, my lady love... We need all of your blessings. Since my parents are also on her side, I need someone at my side too. Will you please give your darling daughter to me as my better half and accept me as your son? I will certainly be a good boy and keep up my promise" He held their hands close to his heart waiting for their answer.

Prabhakar and Savithri had tears in his eyes. They were more than happy listening to his words. They looked at each other and smiled through tears. Prabhkar hugged him and Savi kissed his forehead.

"Yes ... !! We accept you as our son. Till now, we were 90% ok with your relation not knowing what went wrong in your life. But today, we realise it would be a mistake or a misunderstanding. And we are extremely happy and proud to give her to You. We are sure ...She will be safe with you. And She is all yours only." He patted the young man's shoulder.

"Haan. If they have taken her as their daughter, You are our son. You cant be left alone when we are here. But there is a condition. You have to call us Amma and Appa instead of Aunty Uncle. Its a bit awkward otherwise. Isnt it Kanna??" Savi smiled and He nodded in Yes.

Savithri asked him to go to Vaishu but Anand went to another person who was standing with a subtle expression on her face.

"Umm... Mam !" He addressed Nandu in a formal way as they havent had any proper conversation yet. She widened her eyes in surprise.

"Well, I know that you certainly dont have a good impression about me. I know why. Its your love for her.. You love your sister like anything. Yes, No sister would forgive me for what happened between us. I was at fault. But trust me, I have never cheated on her. Cant even imagine that. I would rather die before that. Please trust me once and give me a chance to prove my love for her. I promise I wont hurt her even with a look. If I do, you have full freedom of punishing me. Now, Will you please accept me as your brother?" He asked quite tensed about her reaction. He know how possessive Nandita is for her sister.

She was silent for a while, looked at Vaishu who was glancing at her with hopeful eyes. Slowly a smile crept up her face. She was impressed with him. And thought of giving him a chance to prove himself.

"Yes.. I will give you one chance. But if only you call me Akka. And not Mam !! I dont like any formality between family members." He smiled at her genuinely.. Nandita held his hands and Aryan patted his shoulders. They shared a brotherly hug.

He then took slow steps towards her.. his love. His heart yearned to hild her close to his arms. But No ! He have to complete what he had planned for. He was sure that she was quiet shocked with whatever happening.

She was right there.. Infront of him !! His love.. The only girl he ever loved, who seized his heart forever. She was smiling through tears. Her big brown eyes looking at him admiringly. For what he did... He felt his heart slipping away from him. No ! He shouldnt let his emotions overpower him before finishing what he planned. He smiled and took a deep sigh.

Anand came infront of her and his face reflected his unconditional and infinite love for her. Seetha and Venkitesh moved back giving space for them.

"Vaishu, You are happy right?! Of course Yes ! You have got everything in your life like you once wished for. Loving parents, a big happy family, supporting friends. Everything. I can see that happiness in your shining eyes. And I feel the same happiness within me. May be thats how you feel when you love someone more than yourself. We have faced many things together. Both the best and worst. Its all precious for me. And I dont regret any moments that I spend with you. Except those that hurt you. It wasnt intentional baby... I might not be deserving a second chance or May be I do.. I dont know !! The moment I realised that you left me and I lost you, I wished to end my life. Because, there isnt any meaning to my life if you are not there with me. All these past years, I lived in hell. And I realised that I cant afford to loose you no matter what. I need you. It might sound selfish but thats the truth. Anand is nothing without Vaishnavi." He could feel mixed emotions reflecting on her face but didnt stop.

"Baby, I have found my existence in you. I know I have done many mistakes and hurt many people with my words and actions. And I dont wanna resume our life with all those. You know what I mean!! Now that You have an identity, I wanna make you mine only after getting our loved one's permission. And yes I got that. Except one.. the lady herself. Your answer is pending. So lemme get that in my style..."
Vaishu was stunned. Does he even need to ask?? She thought and was shocked with his next move.

To her surprise, He kneeled down infront of her.

"Mrs. Vaishnavi..." He smiled at that and continued.

"Daughter of Mr.Prabhakar Shetty and Mrs.Savithri Shetty... Please let me take this oppurtunity to win you back without any ounce of negative thoughts. You know that I love you right. So know this too... I wanna be the reason for your charming smile that made me fall for you. I wanna be that special person in your life who has the right to look at your beautiful eyes and share every single thing. I wanna be the one who makes you the happiest and be the pillar of support to you always. I want to completely own you by filling your life with love and only love. I wanna stand next to you with all pride and announce to the world that You are mine. I wanna feel the selfless love of your parents just like you get mine and give the same amount of love as a father to our kids. I wanna own your heart, soul and dreams with our lovedWill you please let me be that one and only man in your life?? Will you please Marry me again??"

Anand could see her precious tears that already made way down her cheeks. And surprisingly, he was also in the same state. Vaishnavi couldnt think of anything as her mind stopped processing. She heard her heart whispering to be in his arms. It ached without his warmth.

And there she went.. Whole heartedly. Submitting all her dreams and senses... To the safest place ever on earth.

Anand was taken aback with the force. Nevertheless he felt peace as he too wanted that. Her proximity. He coccooned her in his arms and heard her say Yes ! Atlastt... She is back to him. He smiled through tears. It was their moment. Completely theirs.

Only one thought stayed in Vaishu's mind. Anand is the best person she could ever get as her better half. Even after suffering much in life, she was finally blessed with a good family and was fortunate enough to get him back as a much better person. Same was the case with Anand also. He loved how his girl had evolved into a strong person.

Everyone around them were at the peak of happiness. They showered blessings and prayed for their togetherness.

Anand Vaishu ! They were one of such rare couple who understood each other. No matter what happens, where life takes them to. They are destined to be together and they would seek each other at the end. Together they defines completeness !!

***

Hope you guys liked the update..
I couldnt find anything better than those verses for this chapter ...
There is a sincere request from my side, Please do lemme know ur take on this part as its very much close to my heart !!
- Love Apz !