Anika's POV:

I went out of my car and walked up to the mansion's gate. The watchman stopped me from walking and said: who are you and what are you doing here?

Me: I am here to meet Mrs Pinky Singh Oberoi.

Watchman: why?

Me: just to discuss something important.

Watchman: your name?

Me: Anika Kumari Sharma.

Watchman: oh you are not allowed to come in.

Me: kya? No I need to go in, I really need to talk to Mrs Pinky Singh Oberoi.

The watchman was about to tell me something, probably to tell me to go away when we both heard a voice.

Voice: let her comes in.

That voice belonged to no other than Pinky who was on the terrace, looking at me and the watchman.

Watchman: are you sure mam?

Pinky: your jobs is nots to questions my decisions. Let her in.

The watchman nodded as he allowed me in whilst Pinky went inside. Soon I entered the house and I saw Pinky coming down the stairs. I looked around the living room. Wow it was large and so pretty, like really pretty. Pinky came in front of me and said: please sit on one of the sofas please.

I nodded as I sat on a sofa and she sat on the sofa opposite me. There was an awkward silence that lasted for what felt like for hours. I had like an entire speech planned out but there was just so much tension in the air. The tension was that thick, it couldn't be cut with a knife.

Finally someone spoke and that someone was...

Pinky: so what do you wants?

Me: I want to talk about Gauri and Om.

Pinky: no.

Me: please just listen.

Pinky: your parents lefts us all humiliated so no. I don't wants to talk about Gauri and Om!

Me: please. Please let's just talk about them. My sister is heartbroken and I am pretty sure Om is too. You took his phone off him and my sister....my sister is upset, I have to force her to eat and take at least a little care of herself. She doesn't smile at all. At the age of 20, she should be smiling and she should be happy, she shouldn't be thinking about suicide.

Voice: what?

Me and Pinky looked at the stairs to see Om.

Me: Om...

Om: Anika, how is Gauri? How is she? Baby kaise hai aur I have really tried every way to call her and contact her but...

He looked at Pinky and she said: Om, go upstairs.

Om: but...

Pinky: upstairs then we will talks about the girl you got pregnant!

Me: just go upstairs, I will handle it.

Om sighed as he unwillingly went back upstairs. I looked back at Pinky and she then spoke: look your parents humiliated us and made Om feels bad about himself. Don't tells Gauri this buts the other day he nearly overdosed on sleeping pills.

Me: what? Sleeping pills? Overdose?

Pinky: when Om was little, he started to haves sleep issues after his parents died. When he was older, he took medicine and the sleeping pills ares actually mine but he tooks them from me when he was abouts to overdose. When I tooks the pills from him, he blamed me.

Me: so he was about to attempt suicide?

Pinky: ji haan. I don't wants him to marry your sister especially with your parents being bitches.

Didn't expect someone as sophisticated as Pinky Singh Oberoi to use a swear word but she did use the right word to describe my parents....they shouldn't have humiliated Om and his family. If they had perhaps taken the situation more lightly, then maybe Pinky wouldn't be so hesitant to agree for the wedding.

Me: look Pinkyji, I know my parents shouldn't have insulted you and Om and your entire family. I know for a fact that they shouldn't have been horrible to you. If I was you, I would also feel upset for being insulted. But Pinkyji, when Om blamed you, did you feel guilty, upset, hurt?

Pinky: I felt upset and hurt and I felt thats I betrayed his parents becauses I promised to looks after him but I refuse to let him marry your sister.

Me: please Pinkyji, my sister has also been upset, she also wanted to take her life and Pinkyji, if there wasn't a baby involved then I guess I wouldn't be here opposite you but there is a baby in this matter. That baby needs both its mother and father, that baby needs their mother's love and their father's guidance and both Om and Gauri will live an easier life if they are married because if they are not then people will talk.

People will talk....it's never mattered to Gauri but it had always mattered to me, to my parents and to many people. I didn't know why I allowed this 'people will talk' to control me but I just did and everytime I try to stop letting that phrase control me, it does. Though I loathed this phrase so much, maybe this phrase could help my sister to get her happily ever after because I love her and she deserves her happily ever after.

Pinky: you raised good points so here is whats wills happen. Gauri can marry Om but here is the deal, you marry Shivay.

Me: kya?

Pinky: that's the deal. Look I wants you to stay here after Gauri and Om's marriage, you should stay here forever as the elder bahu.

Me: why?

Pinky: because thats the deal. 

Me: but why?

Pinky sighed. I could see sudden sadness in her eyes. Why was there sudden sadness in her eyes?

Me: are you okay Pinkyji?

Pinky: I...you are a good big sister and many would wish to have a big sister like you. If you love your sister, you'd marry Shivay...right?

Me: I...voh mein...I need some time to think about this.

Pinky: time?

Me: please Pinkyji. Just give me a day or two then I will tell you. Please.

Pinky: fines but you only haves two days.

I nodded as I wished her a good day before leaving the mansion. I went in my car and all I could think about was the deal she proposed to me? Yaar how come every deal I get involves me having to marry the cat? 

As I drove, I thought about the sadness that suddenly appeared in Pinky's eyes. She spoke to me in a choked up voice....what came into her mind that made her suddenly upset? 

Was I a good big sister to Gauri? Was I ready to be the Oberoi's eldest bahu and be Shivay's wife? Be the wife to the man who did hurt me at one point?

When I stopped due to the red traffic light, I turned to see two street girls. I guessed they were both sisters. They found money and went to the ice cream stall and instead of having the ice cream for herself, the big girl gave the ice cream cone to the little girl before leaving the ice cream stall.

Food for them was so rare and I was thinking about marrying for Gauri....I started driving again after the green light came. As I drove, I started thinking about how I always promised Gauri that I would be there for her, I'd even steal the moon for her. I loved my sister and if she couldn't marry Om and if she was made to give up her child, she'd destroy herself.

And I couldn't let that happen.

Gauri....in a sense she was my first child, I looked after her when she was a baby, I did everything a mother would do for her child. Though I didn't give birth to her and she is technically my sister, I loved her as if she was my own child.

Anika's POV ends

Anika reached home. After parking her car, She got a text from Shivay. Why was he texting her? I checked his message and saw that he was asking me why she met his mother.

Guessing Om told him.

Anika shut her phone, deciding not to reply. She didn't feel the need to tell him anything. Right now her concern was Gauri and the deal Pinky proposed to her.

She went in the house and she went upstairs to see Gauri and Dadaji watching a movie in Gauri's room on the iPad.

Dadaji: is everything okay? You were gone for a bit.

Anika: yeah everything is okay. Did you and Gauri have anything to eat?

Dadaji and Gauri both shook their heads. Anika smiled as she went up to them and said: so Gauri, what does the baby want to eat? I will make you all whatever the little baby wants to eat.

Gauri: I'm not hungry.

Anika: Gauri....

Gauri: kya?

Anika: I know that you are hungry so tell me, do you want maagi? Cheese sandwich? Pasta?

Gauri: I only like Om's pasta dish.

Anika: tell me na. What do you want didi to cook?

Gauri: fine, ice cream.

Anika: oh hello, ice cream is not real food.

Gauri: give na didi.

Dadaji: just let her Anika, she is already moody as it is. It took me a long time to convince her to watch a movie.

Anika: fine, but I am not giving you too much okay?

Gauri: theek hai.

Anika: aur Dadaji, I will cut you some fruit.

Dadaji: why can't I have ice cream?

Anika: because of your blood sugar.

Dadaji made a face and Gauri gave a little smile as Anika went out of the room to get ice cream for Gauri, fruit slices for Dadaji and maybe she would also have some ice cream for herself.

As she chopped the apple and kept ice cream in two bowls, she was thinking once more about Pinky and her deal. She looked at her phone and picked it up, she clicked on a contact and then kept the phone near her ear.

Anika: can we meet please? Yeah I can meet this evening. Okay, yeah the park. Okay bye.

She cut the call then took the chopped up apple slices and ice cream bowls upstairs. She gave Dadaji his apple slices, Gauri her ice cream and Anika had her own ice cream too. She kept looking at the time and soon after sorting out her accounting work, forcing Gauri to get fresh air in the garden and giving Dadaji his medicine; it was finally evening. She left the house and walked to the park near her house. She sat on the bench waiting for the person she called.

Meera: Anika?

Anika: Meera.

She got up from the bench to hug her best friend Meera and then the two sat down.

Meera: so what happened? You sounded really worried in your phone call.

Anika: you know how Gauri was supposed to get married?

Meera nodded and Anika started to narrate the entire story from the day after the sangeet to now and she included Pinky's deal.

Anika: now I don't know what to do. On one side I have Gauri's happiness then on the other I have my past. 

Meera: so the wedding can't happen unless you agree to marry your ex which is the cat you used to gush about?

Anika: yes. He is the cat I used to gush about.

Meera: wow....

Anika: yaar why do people even bother to get pregnant before marriage? It creates a whole lot of mess.

Meera: I agree. Look, since you were little, your parents were always busy. Your dad would be gone for weeks at a time due to the army, your chachaji had his own life and your mum was also busy as of her doctor work. So obviously it was you and Dadaji who took care of Gauri in every way possible. You became Gauri's jiji maa in a sense and you have always taken care of her happiness.

Anika: but I also have some dreams, maybe I did bad deeds in my last birth and that's why I am bearing all of this. I know I agreed once to marry Shivay but then again, I keep thinking about our past in London. 

Meera: look I am not going to tell you to yes Anika go marry the man who did give you grief, you just have to know that either decision can affect you in a different way. If you don't agree to Pinky's deal, then Gauri remains unhappy, there is going to be a lot of drama in your house, what happens if your parents take some drastic action to the baby? If you do agree to Pinky's deal, then Gauri will be happy, less drama in your house but you will have to deal with your ex and I don't want you to be trapped in the past. I know that whatever decision you choose, you chose it after a lot of thought.

Anika: I can hopefully get a divorce after six months, and if I refuse to the deal, Gauri will do something stupid that not even God can undo. I guess I will have to agree to the deal.

Meera: are you sure?

Anika: if you had to do something like this for Mehak, would you do it?

Meera: I would yeah.

Anika: just like you'd do it for your little sister, I'd do it for mine.

Meera: so your decision is final?

Anika nodded and Meera hugged her, saying: if you are not happy in the marriage, get a divorce and live your life. I just want you to be happy and that little girl Gauri to be happy.

Anika: remember when Mehak and Gauri used to attack us with those colour-powder water balloons on holi?

Meera: don't remind me yaar.

They both laughed and they spoke to each other for a little longer. Though she was talking to Meera, Anika was thinking about how happy her sister would be but she was not going to tell her or anyone what she had to do for her sister's marriage.

Precap: guests come to the house

How was this guys? I hope you all liked it.