Preeta drove Pihu back home, she applied the brakes, unfastened her seatbelt and Pihu's seatbelt as well. Before she could get out, Pihu got out and ran away. "Pihu!" she called out after her and quickly got out of the car and closed the door behind her and ran after her. She stopped seeing her outside the house and was waiting for Preeta as her hand didn't reach the doorbell. Pihu turned to her, Preeta placed her hands on her hips and then stooped down before her. "You could've walked till here Pihu, why did you choose to run? You could've got hurt baby, don't do it again, else pretty Preeta won't talk to you," she said and made a sad face.

Pihu kissed her cheek and cupped her face. "Pretty Preeta, my cutie pie, my munchkin, my sweet heart, my mumma, please don't be angry at me, Pihu hates to upset pretty Preeta and hereafter Pihu won't ever cause you to be worried, unhappy or cry," she said cutely, Preeta smiled and kissed her cheek and hugged her, Pihu hugged her back and smiled. "Okay bacha, so little yet so effortful, let's ring the doorbell, everyone should know that you don't want to go to school," Preeta said and released the hug and saw that Pihu's smile had dropped.

"No pretty Preeta, don't tell them that I was roaming on streets, they would be worried," she said. "Bacha, I won't tell, please promise me that you won't repeat it, promise?" Preeta asked forwarding her hand and Pihu placed her tiny hand over hers. "Promise," she said and Preeta caressed her hair and stood up. She rung the doorbell and waited. Rakhi answered the door and looked at Preeta and then at Pihu. "Preeta? Pihu? What happen? Pihu had gone to school, then how?" she asked.

"Rakhi aunty, I was missing Pihu, I was going for shopping, plus she's so attached to me, so I picked her from school, but then Pihu kept on insisting to come back home, so I also didn't shop and brought her here," Preeta lied, Rakhi grew suspicious but nodded. "Come inside," she said and moved back, the duo stepped inside. Preeta got blurry flashbacks and felt dizzy. "You okay Preeta?" Rakhi asked and she nodded. Their attention diverted by the sound of someone coming downstairs and they turned to see Karan. He was surprised to see Preeta with Pihu.

"Pihu? Maa? Preeta? What's going on? Who brought Pihu? Wasn’t she at school?" he asked rolling up his sleeves. "Preeta brought her, she was missing her and so she picked her from school for shopping, but Pihu insisted on coming here," Rakhi said, Karan looked at Preeta who felt dizzy and was losing her senses and was about to fall but then he rushed to her and held her in his arms saving her from the fall. They had an eye lock.

Hey Humnava mujhe apna bana le
Sookhi padi dil ki iss zameen ko bhiga de

hmm.. hoon akela, zara haath badha de
Sookhi padi dil ki iss zameen ko bhiga de

He straightened her and she was still lost in his eyes, Rakhi left from there to let them spend some time, Pihu had also gone to change her clothes.

Kab se main dar dar phir raha
Musaafir dil ko panaah de
Tu awaargi ko meri aaj thehra de
Ho sake toh thoda pyaar jataa de
Sookhi padi iss dil ki zameen ko bhiga de

"Thanks Karan, I was feeling dizzy, that's why. By the way you are very lucky to get such a sweet daughter, even when I will marry and have a baby girl, I would name her Pihu," she said and he grew dull but forced a smile. You're already married Preeta, to me. That Pihu is our daughter. He thought.

Murjhaayi si shaakh pe dil ki
Phool khilte hain kyun
Baat gulon ki zikr mehak ka
Acha lagta hai kyun
Un rango se tune milaaya
Jinse kabhi main mill na paaya

"By the way where is your wife?" she asked. He looked down. "She's very near to me yet very far," he said making her confused.

Dil karta hai tera shukriya
Phir se bahaare tu laa de
Dil ka soona banjar mehka de
Sukhi padi dil ki is zameen ko bhiga de

"So then why don't you just shower her with love? Make her close to you, she will come back to you," she said. "I will but... She won’t like it, she has forgotten everything, her husband, her in laws, her daughter, everything. And I am waiting for her to remember things, once she remembers everything, I will make sure that she will never go far from me," he said emotionally, even she felt pained by his tears. What's happening to me? Why do I feel pained? Why does his tears affect me? She thought.

hmm.. hoon akela, zara haath badha de
Sookhi padi dil ki iss zameen ko bhiga de

She looked on as tears rolled down his cheeks. Unknowingly, her hand lifted to wipe his tears, he was touched by her gesture. Even she got tears in her eyes.

Waise toh mausam guzre hain
Zindagi mein kayi
Par ab naa jaane kyun mujhe wo
Lag rahe hain haseen

"Sorry Karan, you mustn't be okay by me touching your face, sorry, but I feel bad to see you cry, be hopeful, she will come back to you, it's late in God's house but not dark, keep praying and one days your prayers would be answered," she said and he resisted the urge to hug her.

Tere aane par jaana maine
Kahin na kahin zinda hoon main
Jeene lagaa hoon main ab ye fizaayein
Chehre ko chhooti hawaayein

Please hug me Preeta, your hug is all I need, I would die without your love. Hug me Preeta, come on. He thought as if she would hear him.

Inki tarah do kadam toh badha le
Sookhi padi dil ki iss zameen ko bhiga de

She just looked on as more tears rolled down his cheeks.

O.. hoon akela, zara haath badha de
Sookhi padi dil ki iss zameen ko bhiga de

She took her dupatta and wiped his tears, he held her hand and slowly dropped it. "Preeta, think, just think for once, you feel so much for Pihu, you can't see my pain, right? Think, think who was it who you married by swapping yourself with the bride?" he asked, she got blurry flashbacks. "If you can't think about that, then do you remember how you saved Pihu when she got kidnapped?" he asked. "Pihu did say something like this, but I don't know why she said so," she replied.

"Okay, but in the recent days, did something very unusual happened? Tell," he asked and she sighed. "Why are you asking so much?" she asked. "Just recall," he said and she nodded. "I became a shape shifting serpent and fought a snake when it scared Pihu," she told him. "Do you hear voices?" he asked and she nodded. "Yes, but how do you know?" she asked. "Just asking. When you met Pihu, did you feel love for her?" he asked. "Immediately," she said.

She got blurry flashbacks and looked upstairs at the empty corridor. "May I go upstairs?" she asked, he nodded and she rushed upstairs with him following her. She stopped at his room. "I feel as if I have come here many times Karan," she said looking back at him. "Don't think much Preeta," he said. She turned and went in his room and there wasn't any of their photos there as he already had got them off in case she comes upstairs as it may trigger her. She looked at all the empty walls strangely as she could see nails tucked on the wall yet there was not even a single photoframe.

She pointed at them and looked at him. "Whose photos were here?" she asked. "My wife's photos," he said. "But if you love her so much, why did you take them off?" she asked. "Because all the photoframes broke by mistake," he said and she found it really strange and then exited his room and stopped at Pihu's play room where she was sitting playing with doll. She entered inside, Karan stood at the entrance. She looked around shockingly as she felt that she had seen those toys previously.

She looked at the doll in Pihu's hands. "Mumma, sorry, pretty Preeta, how is my doll looking?" Pihu asked, Preeta snapped out of her thoughts and smiled. "She's beautiful," she said and once again saw a flashback, but this time a clear one.

"Pihu, what's the doll's name by the way?" Preeta had asked in the past. "Kuku," Pihu had answered. "Wow, she's beautiful, but not more than you," Preeta had said. "And not more than you too, okay mumma, am going for a ride with Kuki," she had said and sat on her cycle and left. Preeta smiled, Karan scared her from behind. She lost her balance and fell in his arms.

He laughed. "Who scares like this? Because of your cute dimples, I don't even like to scold you," she said and he straightened her and laughed. She too chuckled. "By the way even I had a doll, her name was So...," he was cut in between. "Sophia?" she asked and he shook his head. "Superman," he answered and she giggled. "Superman? What kind of a name is that? Superwoman would have been nice," she said and pulled his cheek, he smiled cutely.

She was shocked as she recalled all of it. "Pihu, what's her name? Kuki?" Preeta asked and Pihu smiled brightly. "Yes, how do you know?" she asked. "I feel you only told me, your papa also had a doll named superman," Preeta said and Pihu laughed. "Superman," Pihu repeated and raised her hand for a high five which Preeta had with her. Karan smiled at the entrance. Preeta recalled some bit of her memory, its a very good news, if she stays here, she would recall sooner. He thought. He entered the room and the duo looked at her. "Preeta, why don't you stay here for some days? Pihu would also feel less lonely without her mother and you also would get a lot of time to spend with her?" Karan asked.

Preeta looked on. "Yes pretty Preeta please stay," Pihu said cutely and Preeta pulled her cheeks. "Aww, so cute, okay, for my doll Pihu," she agreed and Pihu hugged her happily. Karan smiled.