Emotions that were stagnated inside her heart busted out when she saw her second favorite woman on the earth arriving towards her from the car. She couldn't stop herself but ran towards her and hugged her tight. She didn't bother about the reciprocation of love, but she desperately needed a shoulder by then. She could see her late mom's feel in her. Jhanvi still remembered her promise. Before leaving for Chennai, Jhanvi promised her without predicting anything.

"Just keep this in your mind, sweetheart. Whatever happens, even the entire world turns upside down, I will be forever there for you, I am just a call away."

Anika cried her hell out in her shoulder remembering her words that didn't fade away with time. Jhanvi got to know about her parent's demise in the morning, now in the evening, she was here with anika hugging her. Jhanvi didn't break the hug until she broke the hug when her brother consoled her arriving at her side, then too, Jhanvi didn't encourage to break the hug, jhanvi was still holding her palms, gazing at her with tears.

"Aunty, please come inside." Saahil welcomed jhanvi when anika stayed stagnated looking at her face. Neither Anika could speak something, nor jhanvi could answer to anyone. Both are stuck. Their bond has always been special from the day anika took a stand for her in front of her adamant son. But when the unfortunate life lined up in her life one by one, Anika completely forgot about their bond and moved on like she left everything.

"Dear, have water." Anika's grandma offered her when she remained silent looking at Anika's parent's portrait which was hanging in the living room. Words stuck inside her. Anika held her palm tightly and decided to give her an explanation. She deserves an explanation.

"Aunty!" Anika started gathering much courage.

"Remember when mom told you about our visit to her sister's place in Connor?" Anika asked her, she turned towards her and nodded yes to her. Anika clearly remembered their last conversation over the phone call. But over then, she didn't have any idea that would their last conversation.

"On our way back to home, it happened, it was too dark, and unfortunately a truck overboard us and smashed our car underneath it. Mumma pushed saahil out of the car and I got saved since I was in the backseat. Mumma and Daddy died at the spot." Anika spoke out, she wondered how she could take those words without shivering a bit. That incident still gives her shivers inside her but now, out of a sudden, she got the strength to speak up about it. Tears rushed out from Jhanvi's eyes.

"This massive thing happened, Anika. Even for once, didn't you think about telling this to me? For all years, I have been thinking that my friend and her family were living somewhere happily." She asked busting out looking at the portraits of her parents. Anika and Saahil exchanged glances, but nobody dared to open the things that happened after that. They faced a dark time during that time.

"I was severely injured, Aunty. I just got the news about my parents. Even I didn't get the opportunity of saying a final goodbye." Anika said. Jhanvi was shocked, she looked at her grandma with teary eyes, she nodded to her but then noticed her red eyes, Jhanvi couldn't stop herself from hugging anika.

"It was dark, wherever I turn, everywhere I could feel only the darkness. I didn't know what I was doing..." Anika stopped whatever she was about to say when her grandma squeezed her shoulder and nodded no to her. That part of her life remained a secret, only her grandma, saahil, and her therapist knew about it. But she was not ready to hide it from her mother-like figure.

"It's okay, baby! I understand..." Jhanvi consoled while breaking the hug. And she caressed Sahil's face who sat next to anika stunned. He looked at her back, tear-eyed. But eventually, she engulfed them both in a hug. "I promise, my babies. Whatever it is, it will harm my children past me." Jhanvi busted to cry. Anika felt overwhelmed, after six long years, she felt her mom's warmth from the lady who happens to hate her for ghosting her and disappearing from her life out of a sudden. But now, she was comforting her. Is this called Real love?

****

It was the same dream again, she had that same syringe in her hand and trying to run away throwing it, she opened the door but ended up bumping into someone who happened to be... shivaay! Anika heaved out a deep breath and tried to hug him in relaxation, but he pulled her to him for a forceful kiss. When she breaks that kiss, that same person happened to be someone else. She again screamed and woke up from the dream forgetting that she was sharing her bed with Jhanvi who woke up in a jerk hearing her scream.

"What happened, sweetheart?" Jhanvi asked her. Anika was not ready to answer anything. She needed space. It was not the first time, the same dream repeating and breaking her sleep abruptly from the moment she saw shivaay in that interview.

"Water." She asked and tried to leave the bed. But Jhanvi stopped her, ran towards the kitchen, and walked towards her with a water bottle. She took that water bottle in her shivering hand and drank it spilling all over her t-shirt.

"Bad dream?" Jhanvi asked her. She nodded to her while closing the lid of the water bottle. When she kept the water bottle aside, Jhanvi crawled close to her and kissed her forehead. "It's just a dream, sweetheart. You sleep, good night" Jhanvi said. Anika's eyes welled up. She was missing this. But how can she say, that was not a dream but her dark past which didn't want to leave her at any point in time?

"Anika... Slept?" Jhanvi asked her while hugging her. Anika nodded no.

"I know you're hiding something big from me. And you're desperate to open it to me. What's that baby?" Jhanvi asked her, Anika opened her eyes wide open. But the words sealed up inside her.

"Please hug me tight." Anika finally spoke to her, jhanvi smiled weakly and hugged her tight.

"Ani, what happened?" Jhanvi continued to ask. Neither she had that courage to speak out nor she could stay silent hearing her questions.

"Paati... Paati is not well..." Anika said. She told everything about her, Jhanvi didn't leave her and continued hugging her. All she could feel was her warmth. She just wanted to go back to the past and change everything. But she couldn't do that.

"Aunty..." Anika called her.

"Ahh. Baby!" Jhanvi replied after a huge pause.

"If anything happens to my paati in this treatment, we will have nobody with ourselves, right?" Anika asked her. Her heart relaxed a bit when jhanvi pinched her on her arm for taking those words.

"Then Who am I to you?" She asked.

"And shivaay..." She asked, everything went blank when she heard his name.

"Whatever happens we will never you, neither me nor your best friend," Jhanvi replied.

****

Jhanvi called Shivaay multiple times, but she didn't know whether it was a network issue or anything else she could reach him after she breaks that news to him. But Jhanvi couldn't stop herself when she came to know about Anusha and Sebastian's demise. She completely forgot the past years and kept thinking about Anika and Saahil. All she wanted was to hug them to her heart and cry out. She felt that when they left for Chennai. Now she was cursing herself for not stopping them from leaving.

When Anika hugged her tight and busted out in her shoulders, she couldn't be angry at her anymore. Jhanvi wanted to slap her for hiding this important thing from her. But her face told everything. Anika didn't do anything intentionally and her importance in Anika's life was still the same. But everything would have been far better if she gets that news earlier. Especially when anika screams and woke up from her dream. The girl whose smile and mind sparkled and enlighten her life was under trauma. She desperately wanted to tell everything to shivaay and bring him here. She knew only shivaay can console her and bring her back to her normal state. But he wasn't responding to any of her calls.

While then, a thought crossed her mind. Anika opened about her grandma's health condition to her. And her grandmother's wish was not to leave her alone in this world. Is she marrying her grandma? If that was the only reason, jhanvi won't let that happen to her. She decided to speak to her grandma about it as a priority. Even Anusha wouldn't allow something like this to happen to her daughter. And Jhanvi knew what the outcome of will be marrying someone under someone else influence. Jhanvi's father emotionally blackmailed her to marry tej. Jhanvi didn't want anything like that to happen to her daughter. When jhanvi walked out of the washroom after the shower holding the towel, Anika's phone nearer to the dressing table beeped. Even though it's personal, jhanvi opened the text and the next thing she saw shook her world upside down. Before Jhanvi could absorb it, Anika was standing next to her, shocked.

"What's this, anika?" Jhanvi asked her shocking.

"It's nothing, aunty..." Anika tried to match it. But she couldn't hide it longer when jhanvi held her arms and demanded answers. Her eyes welled up that told her everything.

"I won't let this happen," Jhanvi whispered to herself.

"Aunty..." Anika called her. But Jhanvi was not ready to listen to anything.

"Anika. Can't you understand? They are asking for dowry. They wanted this house..." Jhanvi busted off.

"I know aunty. But think, only three days left for marriage. If anything, misfortune happens, Paati can't take it. She's too dedicated right now." Anika tried to stop her. Jhanvi wondered when her little girl became this matured and decided to destroy her life for her paati's happiness. But Jhanvi can't let this happen.

"Baby! It's your life..." Jhanvi said to her.

"For now, nothing is more than my paati. Please understand. I have no courage left in myself to lose another person because of my mistake. It was my idea to go to Connor and the accident happened because of me. If anything happens to my paati because of me, I can't live with that guilt." Anika blabbered everything to her. Tears welled up from jhanvi's eyes.

"Anika... Understand this. Whatever has to happen, should happen. It's nothing with you or anyone. Don't take everything on your head and blame it." Jhanvi said.

"I know aunty, But I can't risk my paati's life. Please try to understand." Anika begged her. Even though Jhanvi nodded to her request at that spot. She knew what to do. She can't let Anika destroy her life in her own hands. Before anyone could predict her next step. Jhanvi reached Anika's in-laws' house with the excuse of introducing herself to the family. She gazed at everything. They look wealthy, but then too, greedy.

"I am Anika's mom's best friend. Came here to attend her wedding." Jhanvi spoke to Anika's future mother-in-law while smiling widely. She offered sweets to Jhanvi but jhanvi politely denied it. She had to speak up whatever she had in her mind. She wanted to know whether they are interested in Anika's wealth or Anika's.

"Since her grandmother isn't well. I came here to talk to you." Jhanvi started, she didn't feel hesitant. It's her daughter's life. She had to speak up.

"Please..." Mrs. Joseph said taking her teacup in her hand.

"We heard that you're asking for Anika's house as a dowry. That too in the last moment." Jhanvi opened it up. Mrs. Joseph was shocked a bit and kept her teacup back on the tea table.

"We don't want to discuss that with you. I already spoke everything clearly to our daughter-in-law. She understood the point of view, and everything is sorted." Mrs. Joseph spoke a bit loud.

"Sorry. What's your point of view in asking dowry? I can't understand, can you please explain?" Jhanvi asked her back. This time, with attitude.

"Please keep in your mind that your friend's daughter is going to become a part of this family in three days." Ms. Joseph said when her anger reached her peak.

"Oh god! My daughter will become a part of this family in your dreams. I am breaking this marriage. Neither you nor your family deserves my daughter." Saying this, Jhanvi walked out of that house leaving everyone in a daze. Jhanvi didn't think about any external factor, all she did it by thinking only about anika and her life. She can't let her daughter sacrifice her life for anyone.

****