Alia couldn't sleep as well and came to that room but stopped in her tracks seeing them like that, it was the first time ever she had seen them like that. It was very uncommon for her. But it was very usual for her to see Dev with Ishwari daily, he used to go to her if he couldn't sleep and here he was with Karan. Ishwari came out of the washroom and saw them and smiled. "Oh wow, you both father and son are so cute," she said. Karan smiled, Dev didn't move an inch, his hair were continuously caressed by Karan. Ishwari came forward and saw Alia outside the room.

"Aray, Aloo jaan, baby come inside," she said and Alia walked inside with baby steps. Dev lifted his head and looked at her. "Mom, please make me sleep, I can't sleep," she said. "Okay baby," Ishwari said and picked her and placed her on the bed and lied by her side to make her sleep. "Mom, bhai always comes to you so you make him sleep, but now he is with papa which is very unusual, he never does that," she said. "It was for a change," Ishwari said understanding everything but lying purposefully.

Alia turned her head to Dev. "Is it correct?" she asked, he nodded and smiled at her. She smiled back. "Okay," she said and closed her eyes, Ishwari also slept. Dev looked at Karan, he smiled at him and Dev placed his head in his lap again.

Fb end

"So Karan uncle helped you stay safe everywhere? But then later, he only turned a beast to you," Alia said emotionally. "Yes, buddy himself protected me, yet he couldn't protect me from himself," Dev said sadly. "Buddy? You always called him buddy?" she asked. "Yes, in loneliness I did call him buddy, and as time passed, he really did become a buddy to me, and I did think of him as my father, at the same time I knew that he's not my father. Remember once I raised voice at you? I did it because of that only, because I was frustrated with the lie, but he didn't let me tell, and he was right also, if I would have told, we would have lost mom," he told her.

Flashback:

"Buddy, I can't hide it anymore, why should I do it anyways? I am her real son, I am not an adoptee, I am also her real child , please buddy let me tell," Dev asked and Karan shook his head. "No, doctor said that it's dangerous, for your mom, Alia is her real child, not you, because she doesn't remember giving birth to you, that's why I told her that you are my son from my first marriage when in reality I was never married to anyone. And when the right time comes, she would herself get to know it bacha," Karan said.

Since being little, Alia always wanted her brother around and wanted to play with him always so whenever she was in a mood, she would go try to find him and that day also she was finding him here and there in the house. While searching, she stopped at her parents' room and saw Dev crying in front of Karan. She got suspicious and hid herself peeping inside careful to not be seen. "Dev, bacha, look you can't tell your mom about this, not at all, she may suffer trauma, please try to understand," he said and hugged Dev. Alia walked inside, Karan saw her and broke the hug and quickly wiped Dev's tears and made him sit by his side. "Why was bhai crying? Bhai what happen?" she asked Karan and then asked Dev.

"Nothing beta," Karan said. Alia ignored him and sat near Dev. "What happen bhai? Why are you sad? Why were you crying?" she asked and he looked at Karan. "Beta Alia, he failed in exams, that's why," Karan said. "That isn't convincing at all, you both are hiding something from me," she said. "No one is hiding anything beta," he said. "Nooo! You are hiding something, bhai tell," she said. Dev stood up all of a sudden. "Enough of this questioning Alia, enough! I am elder and not you, so stop being fussy and remember this was the thing because of which I was crying, okay!" he said raising his voice.

Alia was shocked at his behavior, he never raised his voice at her before, she stood up slowly and her eyes pooled up with tears. Dev realized what had he done and held her face but she jerked away his hands. Karan stood up and came to her holding her tiny face. "Baby, don't be sad, please," he said and wiped her tears. "Bhai raised his voice at me," she said and looked down sadly, Karan looked at Dev who came forward and held his ears.

"I am sorry, I won't do it again, I am guilty, it came out all of a sudden, I know you won't agree like this, so I will do sit ups in front of you," he said and began to do sit ups and she looked on and he fell in between. She got concerned and sat down helping him. "Enough enough, its okay, sorry you fell because of me, sorry sorry," she said apologetically. He smiled and stood up and made her stand as well. "Its okay, and sorry by my side too, this was the first and last time," he said and she smiled and hugged him, he hugged her back. Dev looked at Karan who came and joined the hug.

When Alia left, Dev and Karan got a chance to continue their discussion. "You understand, right? You won't be telling, will you?" Karan asked. "I won't be telling it to mom as well as Alia," he said and Karan smiled and hugged him. "That's like my boy," Karan said and Dev smiled a little.

Fb end.

"He was right, if you would have told mom, something bad would have happened," Alia said. Rohit and Ishwari went from there to their room. "Dev herself made Alia agree and now she's no more angry with him," Rohit said. "I didn't even get to know when my son grew up, and Karan, he made me Dev's adoptive mother, I am not his adoptive mother, I am his biological mother," Ishwari said. "But even after you were told about him being an adopted son to you, you could never treat him like other stepmothers do, because somewhere you always knew that he is your real son," Rohit said. "Even if some other kid would have been there, I couldn't have treated him like a stepmother does, kids are meant to be treated with love," she said.

"Shall we meet Karan and confront him? I can't accept the fact that the man who once protected Dev to such an extent can hurt him so much, I feel something else is the matter," Rohit said. "Even I can't accept it, how can he do that? I always felt he's a very nice father, a good person, then how?" she asked. "Let's just go Ishwari, we will have to ask him that why did he do all of this," he asked and held her hand, they stood up and began to leave but Ishwari stopped on the middle.

He looked back at her. "Rohit, he even ill treated Preeta and her unborn child," she said. "So that's what I want, what we want. All I want is to get this cleared, he was a good person, why did he do all of this, there has to be a reason, he even tried killing you," he said. "Where were you all this when I was staying with Karan? You were my husband, where were you?" she asked. "I would tell later, come," he said and took her.

************************************

Preeta was sleeping, Arjun  came to her and massaged her head, she woke up and sat up. She saw Raunak and Aneeta playing happily. Then she turned her gaze to him and then looked down. "Arjun , I already told you, that till you don't want to have your own child, I won't talk to you, it would be my birthday gift," she said and then held his hands between both her hands and then met her eyes with his. "Arjun , please, give me your child Arjun , make my birthday a happy birthday in true sense," she requested. "I will, half of it is done, I just got my sperm count checked," he said.

Her eyes lit up with excitement. "Rrreally?" she asked, he nodded, she smiled. "So tell me quickly, what are the results?" she asked. "They are normal, 15 million sperm per milliliter," he told her with a smile, her happiness had no boundaries. "Means that...," her voice trailed off. "I can become a father now," he said and she nodded and they both were going crazy with excitement, they shared a hug. "Arjun , no one would call you infertile anyways, but if you get a child of your own, then only you would be fertile in true sense," she said.

"And I got an appointment of the gynecologist, to get to know when can we become parents again," he said and she chuckled. "Now you sound eager for it," she said and they released the hug. "I always was, but, Preeta, I told you, didn't I? When I first got married to Kartika , I was claimed infertile, I did take treatment but stopped in the middle, after that I didn't do it, then how did this happen?" he asked in confusion. "Miraculously, it happened miraculously, don't think much of it Arjun , be happy," she said and he got thinking.

"By the way Arjun , come let's break this news to mom dad, shall we?" she asked snapping him out of his thoughts. He smiled and nodded, they got off the bed and walked outside towards Gajendra and Sandhya's room and stopped at the entrance. They looked at each other and smiled, she raised a fist to knock at the door and looked on excitedly. Sandhya looked up from the newspaper she was reading and smiled keeping it aside immediately. The duo walked inside and sat in front of her.

"Mom.. Umm, Arjun , you only tell," she said and he gasped. "What? How does it matter? You do it," he said. "Hey you...," she was cut in between. "Stop stop, Arjun , you only tell, Preeta won't tell and would keep forcing you," Sandhya said, Preeta pressed her lips in a thin line suppressing her laughter. "Mom, I got my sperm count checked, and, I got to know, I am fertile, not infertile," he said and Sandhya smiled with tears of happiness. "Really? That's a good thing," she said. "Mom, Arjun  is wondering that how did it happen without any treatment, explain him that its a miracle," Preeta said.

"Yes Arjun  beta, it's a miracle," she said and Arjun  still couldn't believe it and was lost in thoughts. He placed his head in her lap and she caressed his hair, Preeta stood up and went understanding that Arjun  would be wanting alone time with his mother Sandhya. "Mom, I can't understand anything, I am still in a dilemma," he said. "You did book an appointment with the gynecologist, right? He would confirm your doubts, don't worry, pray before God, thank Him," she said, he looked on.