Alia came out after having shower and felt something strange. "Why do I feel something is wrong? Would bhai be okay? Would mom be okay?" she asked herself and rushed to pick her phone and called Ishwari but the phone went unanswered. "Strange, mom never does that," she said and called Mauli who picked it instantly. "Hallo beta Alia, what's up? How are you feeling now? How's your fever? How's your mom?" Mauli asked out of concern. "Mauli aunty, I am with dad, not with mom, dad took me yesterday from school and told me he will make me meet bhai, and I am feeling a little strange because mom isn't picking my call," she told her.

"What? You're with Arjun? Beta, wait, you don't worry, I will go visit your mom, don't worry beta," Mauli said and was about to disconnect the call. "Mauli aunty!" she exclaimed all of a sudden and Mauli placed her phone on her ear. "Yes bacha?" Mauli asked. "I will also come with you, please," she said. "Okay, bacha be ready, I will just come," she said and disconnected the call. Alia wore her shoes and waited for Mauli. Within sometime, she received her message and Alia stood up and rushed to the exit of the house and saw her car and almost ran to her.

She sat in the car hurriedly, Mauli drove off in the night. "Fasten your seatbelt baby," she said and Alia nodded and did the same. After driving for sometime, the car halted at Ishwari's house, they stepped out of the car and rushed to the door. They rung the doorbell and found the door locked. "Oh God," Mauli said and held her head. "Where did mom go at this hour?" Alia asked and her gaze went on the flower pot.

"Mauli aunty, sometimes mom keeps the duplicate key here," she said and searched in the flower pot and got the key. Mauli took the key from her and unlocked the door and they rushed inside and began to search for Ishwari but little did they know, they won't find her. "Ishwari!" Mauli called out walking to her room. "Mom!" Alia also called out only to get no response. They reached her room and found no one inside. They searched every room and washrooms but the house was dead silent and Ishwari was nowhere to be found. Alia and Mauli got tensed.

"Mauli aunty, will mom also disappear like bhai did?" she asked on the verge of tears and Mauli hugged her emotionally. "No bacha, no, don't be so hopeless from God, God is with everyone, He is with you, your mom and your bhai also, I am with you," Mauli said consoling her. "But God isn't with me or my family, He is only with the person who took away my bhai and my mom," Alia said and broke down. "Mom will come, mom will surely come," she said trying to pacify her but she herself didn't know if it will ever be true. Mauli cried helplessly as she wasn't able to help the poor child and Alia also cried missing her brother and her mom badly.

After crying for sometime, Mauli broke the hug and wiped Alia's tears. "Enough bacha, enough, Mauli aunty is there, right? Mauli aunty will make you meet your mother and your brother both," she said but nothing seemed to console her. Alia just became lost in her own thoughts. Mauli went and brought water for her and made her drink because she knew she wasn't okay. "Mauli aunty, do you know something which I don't know? Please tell? I have no one besides you for now, even dad does not seems to be there for me, he just wants someone who can be his companion in his old age, he will never make me meet bhai," she said.

"Beta, I don't even know who was your dad's first wife by who he had your bhai and when your dad married your mom and they had you," Mauli said. "So that means there is 100% chance that bhai is my real brother, and it can also be that dad is a lier," she said.

Mauli nodded. "Where to find mom?" she asked. "I don't know beta, I will just drop you home right now," Mauli said. "To that man who is totally careless? What if I also...," her voice trailed off as Mauli palmed her mouth and shook her head. "Don't say like that, don't, you're like my own daughter, even Dev is like my own son, nothing would happen, but if I keep you with me, your dad would doubt me, and you remember I promised to extract truth out from him? I won't be able to do that as well," Mauli said.

Alia nodded. "Let's go then, I will also try extracting the truth from him," she said and Mauli nodded and took her from there and locked the house keeping the key with her. She clutched Alia's hand and took her to the car and made her sit inside and closed the door. She went and sat on the driving seat. "Lock the door Alia, fasten your seatbelt also," she said and Alia did so. Mauli did the same and drove off and after driving for sometime without halting the car anywhere, they reached. "Alia, beta remember, you don't have to go on a hunger strike all over again, eat little but eat, because you have to live for your mother and for your brother," she said holding her hand. Alia nodded and unfastened her seatbelt. "Mauli aunty, please you also take care of yourself, I can't lose you too," she said, Mauli kissed her forehead and hugged her. "My bacha, you too take care, go," Mauli said and she unlocked the door and got down the car. Mauli watched as she walked inside the house and drove off from there. Alia stepped inside and saw Arjun awake. She sat beside him.

"Where were you?" he asked. "I went to meet mom, with Mauli aunty of course, how can I go alone? She's missing," Alia said. "Missing? How?" Arjun asked. "I don't know, she wasn't picking my calls and I told Mauli aunty who took me to meet her but the house was dead silent. Strange, right? First bhai, then mom, now who's turn is it? Dad, yours? Or mine?" she asked looking away and Arjun hugged her. "No one's going anywhere beta," he said. "But what about mom and bhai? Dad, they went, they disappeared," she said and broke the hug and ran to her room. "Sorry Alia, Ishwari is no more," he said and went from there, Alia's phone hidden under the cushion went unnoticed by him. She returned outside and took her phone and left from there. She opened her phone and paused the recording saving it. She played it and got shocked hearing the recording in which Arjun says Ishwari is dead. She got shocked and sat on the bed recalling all her moments with Ishwari and collapsed on the bed.

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

Next morning, Preeta walked out of her room and Karan went and approached her hugging her from behind. She was frustrated, her mood swings were up. "What yaar Karan? Is this the time to romance?" she asked. "Yes it is, by the way romance isn't only a night-time thing to do. For me, every nanosecond, second, minute, hour and day is romantic," he said and she chuckled. "Okay dear, but, for me, every nanosecond, second, minute, hour and day is moody, these mood swings gets the worst out of me. You will get to see my dark side, I will be a moody bitch at times, but it doesn’t matter to you, because everything is romantic for you," she said and they had a hearty laughter.

Karan's phone rang and he got it out of his pocket and saw that it was Mauli's call. Preeta snatched his phone seeing the same and put it on speaker. Before she could speak, Mauli began. "Karan, yesterday Ishwari went missing just like Dev did, I am so worried for Alia, I left her with Arjun and now I can't contact Alia as well. If I go there, then I would be doubted, I don't know what to do, what if Alia is endangered?" she asked worriedly.

Preeta and Karan got shocked. "What? You let her be with Arjun? And now her phone is left unanswered? Mauli, you are his friend, you are not to be doubted by him, just go, see if everything is alright, take Sagar along, he will protect you where necessary," Karan said. "Mauli, Alia should not be harmed. Before also because of me Dev has disappeared and now Alia, you rush over there, I am so worried. That poor girl," Preeta said in a hurry. "Leaving," Mauli said and disconnected the call. Preeta stood stiff with her eyes wide open. Karan touched her shoulder and she panted. He turned her to him.

"Preeta, what happen? Don't be stressed," he said. "How? This is happening because of me, I was with Arjun even after knowing he's married and has children, the trio got hurt because of me. And above all of this, my heart shivers thinking about that bloody handkerchief that who's blood was it? Karan, I just want that everything gets back to normal in their lives as well just like my life became normal. I can't stand the guilt anymore, I fear now its my turn because the origin of this corruption is me," she said crying badly.

Karan made her sit and calmed her and made her have water. He hugged her soothing her. "Everything would be back to normal, don't worry, God is with you and God is with them too," he said. She just kept crying and then realized something and broke the hug. "Karan, you remember? When I was staying at Mauli's house, I got a call from Arjun, we didn't hear him out, did we? You took me from there, Mauli also said he came to her house to look for me. Does that mean he would take me with him? What if he does something and takes me with him? I am so scared, he will take advantage of the fact that I am carrying his child," she said while sobbing.

"Ssshhhh," he said and palmed her mouth and she looked on. He moved his palm and engulfed her in a hug. "Even death can't drift us apart, then who the hell is Arjun? No one, literally no one. And did he choose to be by your side when you went to him with the news of pregnancy? No, right? He asked you to abort the child, he threw you out of the house, he caused your accident. Just because you lost your virginity to him, doesn’t means he is the father of this child. By every means, he used you, he tried to kill you, so then how is he the father of your child? He's just a mere sperm donor, but, the child is mine, I protected the child when it was in danger. So I am the father, not him. Anyways, it's mother's first right which is on the child, so technically, its you who was everything to the child before I came, and when the child would be born, he would know he has the best mother in the world who didn't choose to abort him in fear of society's judgments and kept him safe and protected him," he said while running his fingers in her hair, she smiled at those soothing words and they broke the hug.

"Thank you, but Karan, let's postpone the rest of the functions like Mauli did, even we shouldn't marry in such circumstances, because, I mean, let everything be set with those children, then only we can marry," she said looking down. "Are you sure? Because it was you only who insisted to marry soon," he said and she nodded. "Its me because of who all this happened, so first I should make sure to set things right and then we will continue with the functions and our life," she said and he nodded.