Shivaay was clueless, he hated the man who was now lying in his wife's lap to the core and wished him to die at some point but he couldn't ignore the tears streaming out from his wife's eyes, he quickly checked his pulse, it was faint, it didn't stop. 

"Pulse is feeble, Anika. We have to rush to the hospital" Shivaay said and took his father-in-law in his arms, Anika who got back consciousness, and rushed behind him even though she felt weak inside, and her mind fixed on the only point that she wanted her father back, even he hates to her till the end of his life, she could bear that, but she needs her father, even though she felt scared to live in her house, but she felt secured under her father's shade, he just hated her but never failed in any of his duties. 

She heard her grandparents scream when shivaay rushed with her father towards the gate, but her eyes fixed on her father, and the tears he shed a while ago were still in the corner of his eyes. Anika quickly rushed inside the car and pulled her unconscious father to her lap, tears crossed uncontrollably from her eyes, she silently pleaded to her dad to wake up and not punish her more for the faults she never committed. 

In a few minutes, they reached the hospital, and a stretcher was brought and shivaay was there with her every second. He was rushed along with her till they took her father to the emergency ward. She couldn't respond to any of his efforts, he was doing everything despite hating her father from the bottom of his heart. She thudded down on the iron bench beside her when she felt completely helpless, Is that all happening because of her?

"Baba, Listen! I know I have made a huge mistake by hiding my identity," She tried her best to bring her father back to reality when he lost himself in his thoughts. But nothing went inside his ears, he murmurs, looking at the ceiling. 

"BABA!" Anika screamed his name and held his palms for the first time, holding them tight inside her fists, tears streaming out from her eyes looking at her father's condition, Her soft palms were placed against his rough and warm palms, and her heart somersaulted for the first physical interaction with her father. She forgot everything for a while. But he didn't, he rose to her face blankly and held her hand tighter. 

"Baba!" She looked back at him when he stayed silent looking at her. 

"I am sorry, Baba!" She busted out and every cell in her body yearned to hug her daddy, but she couldn't, she just held his palm and cried, and she knew she was not crying that she couldn't keep up the promise that she made to her dad when she was eight, but for everything he had to go through because of her, if she didn't exist, his wife must be staying with him, right at the moment. Even though it was not her choice, she felt responsible for everything, for her dad's loneliness and his pain. But he quickly took his hands back, she shifted his gaze back to him. 

For the first time, she saw her father struggling to speak and look at her, it was not a sight of disgust, but she felt something strong and connected. There were no words, he just looked at her for a brief second and fell on her lap. Anika was taken aback and didn't know what to do. 

"I... failed..." He finally spoke the words with ultimate effort. 

"I... failed. to. see. my suhana. in you." He finally spoke those words, Anika didn't know how to react, that he wasn't angry at her, but regretting his mistakes. Her mind went blank, also she couldn't see her father losing consciousness.

Anika's chain of thoughts was broken when Doctors arrived and informed them that it was his second heart attack and told them he slipped into a coma because of that, Anika was shattered like her grandparents. They didn't move from their places when they heard that news from the doctors, everything went dark, she forgot everything but then, she felt a tight grip on her hand which made her look at her husband who was sitting right next to her, she didn't wait, she thudded her head on his shoulder while looking at the ICU where her father currently lying. 

"Trust me, Ani. I won't let anything happen to him." She heard her husband's words. Even though she was too weak to respond, she wondered how much her husband went far for her. 

****