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Mythili's POV -

In the evening, I made a temporary bed for Snowflake in my room using old bedsheets and some foam and as time passed, she climbed on the bed and closed its eyes after having the milk while I was called down for dinner.

" Feeling any better aunty?" I asked her as she sat there with Shivaay. They seemed to be talking before I walked in.

" I am all good beta. It's Diwali next week and we hold a puja at Shivaay's office every year. This time is no different. Anamika will be coming back for good too from Leeds after finishing up her post-graduation exams in the next three days. It is going to be a big event this time, given we have an addition in the family." She gave me a polite smile which I forced myself to return as I went on to sit next to her.

" I'd love to help you out in any way I can." I told her honestly. Anything to keep myself busy at the moment.

" We do host a party on the eve of Diwali too every year right here at home. Your parents used to come all the time, why didn't you?" She asked as she looked like she was in a deep thought and I was a bit embarrassed. Of course I knew about those parties!

" I always avoided your Diwali parties aunty because when my parents would come to your place along with my brother, I used to call my friends over for a while where we had a fun time together, like our party." I decided to go with the truth, hoping that I hadn't offended her.

" I am surprised your father allowed it." It was Mr. Rathore who spoke up all of a sudden this time as my eyes followed to look at him.

" He never found out. The house staff usually had a 3 days holiday and those who were there never complained or let any mess remain. In fact the cook used to make our favourite stuff and stock it in the refrigerator before leaving." I have no idea how it was so easy to tell them the truth instead of lying but it was and somewhere inside, I knew that they were looking out for me.

" You may call your friends here for this party. In fact, you all can have your own party at the terrace instead of joining us in the boring one. Who knows, I'll end up joining you all, leaving Shivaay and his work talks." Aunty offered.

" Oh no aunty, I can't. You have already done so much for me. I wouldn't want to be a bother." I said. I really didn't want to be anymore of a bother than I already was, to be honest. They were kind enough not to make me feel like that at all and Mr. Rathore even allowed to let me keep Snowflake but now, nothing else.

" Nonsense. I would love to meet your friends and Mythili, as I said, you are family now. You are one of us. Is family ever a bother?" She posed a question that I'd love to answer in a yes but didn't dare to.

" Shivaay, tell her that it's okay." Aunty was now looking at him as he nodded in a yes.

" You are supposed to have company at this time and this is your home now. I don't see a problem. Apart from the terrace, you can have your friends over at any corner of the house." He said as we were finished eating and I almost choked on my water as I looked at him, my eyes widening.

Was he just kidding or did he seriously think that I really was suicidal? Thankfully, a slight upward curve of his lip, even if it was just for a second before his face was back to being poker, confirmed that he did have a twisted funny bone within him. Thankfully, Malini Aunty did not press on the weird statement that he had just made.

" Exactly and even Anamika will like it to have not so boring people around her. She'll be here in three days." Aunty repeated and she really looked excited. I wanted to ask about her but I didn't want to overstep any boundaries either so i held my tongue.

" Okay. I'll ask them." I said giving her a nod and thanking them.

" Aunty, if you don't mind, can I do the decorations of the house for this Diwali party? I don't have anything to do anyway and I really like decorating." I asked her, hoping she'd say yes or I would go crazy with my thoughts all day for so many days.

" Of course beta. I think Anamika and you will love each other's company. You share this creative bone." She agreed immediately which was a relief.

" I'll go and get all the things tomorrow! I would need a lot of lights and even more diyas and candles and oh, of course the colours for rangoli and....." I started to make a mental list of everything while walking into the hall to sit for a while.

" You'll have to take your cat to a vet first thing tomorrow Mythili before you go on with the rest of the list. That thing will not live here if it's not checked and gotten rid of any diseases it might go on to spread." He demanded at once and I immediately nodded my head in agreement.

As much as I hated the way he had just called my little Snowflake a thing, he was right. She needed to get treated and all.

" I'll take her to a vet tomorrow." I voiced my thoughts.

" Shivaay will go with you while I make sure that the cleaning of the house before Diwali has started and call people for a basic whitewash from the outside. A few walls a getting a bit dirty." Malini aunty ordered.

" No aunty. I will be fine on my own. I am sure Mr. Rathore has better things to do." I objected.

" Mythili call him Shivaay, he will be your husband soon and for the very same reason, he will go with you. Won't you Shivaay?" She asked again in a tone of no non-sense to which he had no option but to agree with.

" Be ready by 10 in the morning. I will finish up my breakfast meeting and come back here to pick you up." He asked of me.

" Okay." I replied in a small voice.

" It's settled then. Once he drops you back home, we both will get to the market for all the shopping for Diwali." Aunty then added and that was the part which I loved the most. I really love getting things from the small vendors in the market. They made beautiful handicrafts for decorations.

" Tell me whatever you need maa. I will send someone to get everything. You both don't need to go to the market." He mildly protested.

" No!" I, once again, couldn't hold myself back from speaking up but this time, I was not alone. Aunty had said the exact same thing with me.

" I mean to get all these things, choice is necessary." I defended my no.

" She's right." Aunty backed me up.

" There will be a lot of rush in the market and it's far." He spoke up, looking at his mother.

" It's a good thing that we both aren't kids here. We can look after ourselves Shivaay. Relax." Aunty convinced him and I grinned. I love Diwali and Christmas shopping!

After this, I bid them goodnight and made my way to the room where I picked up my phone to call my friends. We talked for a while and I invited them for the party and decided to give them the news of me getting married soon face-to-face before for some idiotic urge, I decided to call up the landline of my parent's house. Did they really have that much hatred for me? For what reason?

" No Mythili. Don't do this to yourself. You will only face disappointment at the end. Don't call." I tried to talk sense into myself.

" Just one call. It can't hurt anyone right?" I countered my own self.

" You know your parents do have the power over you to hurt you anytime they want, you idiot. Do you really want to put yourself in this situation?" My two minds argued with each other.

" No seriously. They won't even know that I have called! I may get to just hear what's going on there." I groaned, standing up from the chair I had seated myself into.

" When you are in conflict with yourself, it means that you know what you are thinking to do is wrong." A voice suddenly made me jump on my feet and I dropped the phone on the chair as my eyes found the source of the voice.

" Mr. Rathore." I said as he was leaning by the door of the room, his arms crossed in front of his chest, his stance slightly tilted to the right ride as he watched me intently.

" Were you thinking of calling your mother?" He asked, standing just like that and there.

Jesus did he listen, oh no!

" Umm...no." I lied but the moment I did, I figured that this was not my best attempt as I tore my eyes away from him to look at my fingers.

" You are not as good a liar as you might think you are." I heard him say as I glanced at him again.

" I am not lying." Did I have a death wish? The man literally just warned me that he had caught onto my lie and yet here I was, doing the exact same thing!

" I need your signatures on these documents which are to be filed in court tomorrow." He didn't press onto the matter thankfully but he did walk in, standing right in front of me as he extended the papers in his hands to me.

I nodded hesitantly, taking them and picked up the pen lying on my desk as I took a deep breath and did end up signing them.

I hope I was doing the right thing.

" You are." I heard him. Did I say that out aloud?

" Yes, you did." His spoke once again and just like that, I made a fool out of me in front of him.

I have gone crazy.

" Have you?" He asked again as my hand automatically flew to my mouth to shut myself up! What the hell was going on with me!!

" I should sleep." I murmured and the glint in his eyes seemed to agree with me.

I gave the papers to him back and he was walking out but right before, he turned once again.

" What you are trying to find in your parents is lost Mythili or it never existed in the first place. It will do you no good to keep finding or chasing it." His voice was crystal clear as his eyes were and I dwelled on his words as he finally took his leave, closing the door to the room behind him.

" You know he's right." My brain conscience taunted me as I decided to just call it a night after switching off my phone so as to get sometime to think before I do any stupidity and laid on the bed but sleep was far, far away from me and when it finally did come to me, I could hear birds chirping.

____________________________________

The sleep was as bad as it could be because I found myself waking up even before an hour had passed that I had fallen asleep. It was almost 7 when I threw myself out of the bed and freshened up to get ready for the day.

I took a long, relaxing bath as I washed my hair and put some bath salts to relax the knots which I could feel all over my body due to the damn stress and then finally dressed up in one of the cute skirts that Malini Aunty had arranged for in my wardrobe with a crop-top. It had been a while since I had dressed up and I just felt like doing it today to make myself feel a bit better.

Mythili's Look -

I walked out of my closet only to find Snowflake missing from her bed. Just now she was sleeping peacefully and now nowhere to be found!

" Snowflake." I called out for her as if she would listen to me and started to panic.

I rushed out of my room and looked into all the rooms which were open but she was nowhere to be found. At the end was Mr. Rathore's room which had it's door ajar.

" Oh God I hope she's not in here!" I prayed for all my life and then lifted my hand up to knock on the door but couldn't bring myself to do it.

I lifted and withdrew my hand to knock for god knows how long. I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

" As entertaining as it is to watch you struggle to knock, I don't have all day Mythili. You may come in." I heard Shivaay and a gasp left me. He could see me!!

I took two steps inside, embarrassed as I muttered a sorry when my eyes fell on my kitten who had climbed up the bed as if she owned it and was sitting on one of the pillows.

" I wasn't struggling to knock." Once again, I gave into the urge to counter him.

" You were standing out there for the past minute Mythili. I doubt you'd have turned a better liar overnight." He humored himself at my expense.

I looked up to meet his eyes to fully ready to find anger in there but instead I saw him looking intently at me, his eyes lingering on me more than they usually do and I suddenly felt very aware of what I was wearing. Like always, I was the one to look away first.

" Your cat is here." He broke the silence after some seconds.

" I am so sorry! I have no idea when she sneaked out of my room and ran away. I'll try to make sure that it doesn't happen again." I apologized to him while he was putting his suit jacket on.

" It's a cat. It won't listen to you. If you wanted a loyal and obedient pet, you could have just asked for a puppy." He spoke with indifference as he adjusted his tie as he looked at me through the mirror.

" I didn't know I liked cats before I saw her." I replied, shrugging my shoulders as I tried to grab Snowflake's attention who was just sitting there, playing with the pillow.

" You can come in and take it with you. I don't think maa is up yet. Let her know that I have left once she wakes up. I'll pick you up in about two hours." He said, his tone turning back to business-like as he grabbed his laptop bag and started to walk out.

" Will do that!" I replied before he left and then I went to Snowflake.

" This was not funny at all, you tiny troublemaker!" I cooed as I held her in my arms and scratched the back her her ears, taking her back to my room.

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