"I know you both are not in touch for the past 8 years, and I have arranged Anika's marriage with you," Jhanvi asked him when he finally arrived at the hospital and waited outside the ICU. On the other hand, shivaay couldn't be able to trust anything even the situation he was in right then. All he could think was they were not away from each other. He never expected that when he saw her last in the interview.

"I know shivaay, even though you say you're in love with her, you both needed some time to reconcile, reconnect... but..." Jhanvi stammered and continued looking at him.

"Also, you both are not different for me." Jhanvi continued. This time he matched his eyelids with his mom. He was screaming for this moment inside, that too, for a long time. But when it finally happened, he didn't have any words left with him.

"At last, it's your choice and it's your life. Yes..." His mother scoffed and held his palm.

"Are you ready to marry Anika?" His mother asked the words he wanted to hear for a long time, he dreamed this moment multiple times, when it was happening, he couldn't stop his tears from flowing but he wiped it.

"I..." He couldn't speak when his voice broke, he cleared his voice gathered the courage once again, "I know it has been 8 years, but still, I couldn't be able to place anyone in her place." He confessed. Jhanvi looked at him with a smile and waited for his answer, shivaay could sense it.

"I won't be happy with anyone other than her. And yes, with anika, my answer will be always yes." He said, in no moment, jhanvi hugged him tight and he buried his head on her shoulder, after a long time, he was not crying in misery and helplessness.

"And anika... Did you ask her? Where's she?" He asked her, breaking the hug out of a sudden. Jhanvi smiled with pain. He knew something might have happened with her and looked at her grandmother who was inside ICU.

"She's at home with her brother. She got a panic attack after her grandmother collapsed on the floor when they spoke ill about anika... She was ready to get married to anyone." Jhanvi said looking away, he was shocked. All he could think about was her situation after losing her parents and leading a life on her own in these 6 years. But soon shrugged off his thoughts after promising himself that he won't let her go through anything hereafter.

"My sweetheart, I wish I should have searched for her rather than waiting for them to contact us," Jhanvi said in a low tone.

"I searched mom. It's my third time visiting Chennai. They vacated from their old place and didn't give any contact details to their old neighbors," Shivaay said, jhanvi stopped saying but looked at him shockingly.

"I searched for her." He confessed. While then, they both heard a footstep. They turned in the direction and saw saahil standing froze looking at shivaay. The first memory that crossed shivaay's mind was his scream when he saw him sleeping in Anika's lap on the day they exchanged their feelings with each other. He was the first person to know about their relationship from day one of their relationship. He smiled at him. But Saahil didn't smile back but walked towards him. Time made a huge change in him, he had gone tall, broad, and most importantly handsome because of the features he shared with his sister.

"Hi, saahil." He started the conversation first. He didn't speak but shifted his gaze with jhanvi and shivaay.

"Is anika okay?" Jhanvi asked him with concern.

"Sleeping, I had to doze her with sleeping pills, for the past few days, she didn't sleep well," Saahil replied with a frown. Shivaay wanted to go the right way and check on her.

"Aunty, you called me," Saahil asked completely ignoring shivaay. Shivaay couldn't guess the reason. Jhanvi noticed it.

"Okay, it's about Anika's marriage. I had already talked with your grandma, she's happy with my decision." Jhanvi said to him directly, looking at shivaay and saahil. For a while, saahil couldn't understand anything.

"Did John try to contact you also? Please, aunty..." He stopped talking when shivaay looked at him straight into his eyes.

"Are you...." He asked shivaay bluntly.

"Saahil... Anika's condition is getting worse..." Jhanvi tried to speak in-between.

"For that, I don't want to dump my sister's responsibility on anyone." Sahil's tone raised showing his care for his sister. Shivaay was silent.

"Last time, I had no choice to against my grandma. But I won't let history repeat with my sister. Please shivaay, we are already in our worse, don't show any pity and marry my sister for charity." Saahil talks to him directly. His words shook him apart. This time, he had to speak for himself.

"I said yes to marry her because I love her, saahil. And nobody can love and care for her more than I do." He said with confidence that confidence shocked both saahil and jhanvi. Saahil stopped asking any questions further. While then, a nurse came out from the ward and greeted saahil, over then, shivaay understood he had become a doctor.

"Dr. Saahil, Patient got her consciousness." The nurse informed saahil. He nodded to the nurse and walked along with them inside. Jhanvi walked closely to Greta who was awake and looking at the ceiling without any hope. Shivaay could sense her mind oscillating state.

"Aunty..." Jhanvi walked towards her and held her palms. Greta turned towards her, she still had her ventilation mask on her face.

"This is shivaay, my son." Jhanvi introduced shivaay to Greta. Even though he felt angry as she was the main reason behind their separation. But her condition and her importance in Anika's life made his heart melt.

Greta smiled at him and looked in Sahil's direction who walked to the other side and held her palm. He nodded yes and kissed her palm. Greta's smile went wide while looking at shivaay. This time, she held her ventilation mask down and raised her palm to shivaay to hold it.

"Thank you..." She spoke out when a lone tear escaped from her eyes.

"I should be thankful to marry her, ma'am." He replied holding her palm tighter. He looked at Sahil for confirmation. This time, he smiled at him having tears in his eyes. Soon, the nurse asked everyone to leave the patient to rest. And shivaay and saahil walked out along with jhanvi.

"I know about you, shivaay. But still, this question irks me. I read multiple articles about you and Tia Kapoor." Saahil asked him in a calm tone. All shivaay could do was to smile at his statement and wonder about the imagination level of each article about them.

"She's not even his friend. But to be frank, shivaay's father wanted him to marry her." Jhanvi replied to him instead.

"Anika also smiled like you when I brought up the topic about you and tia. What's the meaning behind this smile?" Saahil asked him. This time his smile went even wider thinking anika didn't believe any of those baseless rumors.

"I think we both gave credits to the journalist's imagination extents. And saahil, she's only my business partner." Shivaay confirmed it again to him.

"Oh my god, it's happening. You both are getting married." Jhanvi showed excitement.

"I wish Anusha was here to share my happiness," Jhanvi exclaimed and Sahil's face fell again but now it had a smile in the corner of his lips.

"I have to call the wedding planners to change the names on the nameplate. I don't want anyone to even assume that my sister is getting married to that ORTHODOX JOHN JOSEPH" Saahil exclaimed and took his phone out.

"Yeah, do that. And shivaay, we have to go and pick Anika's ring." Jhanvi hurried him. But he was still in the spellbound state.

"I am not going to say anything to my sister that she's getting married to you. Let her find out straight on the church," Saahil said with a smile.

"I hope it won't be a shock," Shivaay replied with a chuckle.

"It will be a shock in a parallel universe, not in this universe." Saahil smiled and brought ultimate joy to his heart.

****

After 8 hours

Anika already experienced this 180-degree change in her life. That's what happened when her grandmother herself denied giving them dowry after accepting their request in the first place. She didn't know how her grandma changed her decision overnight. She expected them to take back their condition and the opposite happened. They started to bash Anika's character and judged her character with the choice of her work. Her grandma left with no option other than breaking the marriage. Even that didn't go well when she fell unconscious while talking to jhanvi whom she asked to go out of the house. Anika couldn't take everything in a go, her mind stopped processing when she again got a panic attack looking at her grandma's condition, again she felt responsible for her grandma's condition. But when she got to know that she's getting married the next morning, her mind froze. She got that news from her brother as soon as she woke up.

She's confused beyond shocked. Her brain said everything was over leaving no residue behind, but her heart still waited for the magic. She had no idea how to convince her heart that nothing will happen. No one will come and rescue her from the situation especially, him.

She controlled her emotions and tried to show her willingness in the marriage of her grandma's wish, she was sitting beside her in her white wedding gown, with a high bun, and held her veil in her hand. She knew her grandma can't see her wedding as she was admitted to the hospital because of a sudden cardiac arrest. She didn't expect that.

"Darling?" Her grandma whispered to her taking off her oxygen mask.

"Yes, Paati" She replied holding her palm tighter.

"Do you think I am imposing my decision on you?" Her grandma asked her while tilting her head to her over then a drop of tear crossed her eyes.

"Why are you saying this?" She asked while wiping off her tears.

"Because I arranged your marriage with someone else instantly after they broke the wedding." Her grandma asked her. She had no courage to say that she wasn't happy with none of her decisions, she completed hated the person with whom she was about to get married in the first place. Only thinking about her grandma, she agreed to get married to that person, and now, even he backed off from the wedding after knowing about her wish and dreams. She was happy until her grandma collapsed unconscious on the floor hearing the news.

"Anything for you, paati. Don't take the stress. I just want to see you normal, nothing else." She said and caressed her granny's cheek, and she couldn't resist kissing her grandma's cheek while leaning down to her.

"Oops, Lipstick." She chuckled and wiped her thick red lipstick from her cheek with her thumb with a chuckle.

"And one more thing, you're looking like an angel in this wedding gown, Anika Sebastian." Her granny said with a smile. Anika knew she's lying because this dress was not fitting her anymore.

"I think the whole credit goes to my grandmother; you know this gown is the renovation of her wedding gown." Anika chuckled.

"That's true" She chuckled and urged her to leave, saying her groom is waiting for her, but she forgot to say who was the new groom even anika didn't ask her about that. She was ready to accept whatever fate decides for her. She got tired of resisting fate, but she felt difficult to place anyone other than him in her heart, but whatever it is, he had already become a stranger to her.

She got into the car which was decorated with red roses all over from the entrance of the hospital, it drove her to the famous Santhome Church in Chennai, one of the prides of Chennai with many historical backgrounds, every Sunday Anika visits there with her grandma and brother. But today, her mind filled with doubts, she imagined herself in this situation three times, first with her love, holding her father's palm stepping into the journey she loves but that didn't happen. Her second imagination was painful when she imagined herself getting married to her ex-fiancé, she wanted to die at the same spot when they exchanged their rings. Even though it was mere imagination, she couldn't take it. Third, the things happening right now in front of her, marrying the stranger whom she never met, all she could imagine was his human skin changing into a beast skin when she slipped the wedding ring in his ring finger, she was horrified and coughed immediately.

"Sista..." Her brother called with so much love accompanying a wide smile on his face, she was happy to see him happy, she smiled and took is his hand and emerged out of the car and faced the most terrible reality in front of her. Her heart still asked her to run away from the spot and go disappear as she can't betray the person whom she loves even though she didn't exist for him. But mere keeping her granny and brother's face she stepped forward. She can't afford to lose them. Also, one part of her said, if her granny finds him best, he must have some quality. But only one person in the whole world with whom she can be happy, that's him, only him.

"Dad's suit, Sista..." Her brother whispered with a smile, even he looks happy with the wedding, why on the earth it's only bothering her. It has been 9 years; she must move on. WHY SHE'S STAYING STUCK AT THE SAME PLACE.

"You're looking handsome." She replied with a smile, He chuckled and asked her to intertwine his arm to walk on the aisle. Her inner organs shivered when he said that, but she got ready to leave, to walk on the stone path of her journey, she doesn't know whether love after marriage exists or not, but in this life, she can't love anyone so deeply than him. She can't bear to look at the wedding decoration, she was walking on the red carpet, her head was bowing down, she stopped walking, or we can say her brother stopped walking when she witnesses a pain black sparkling shoes in front of her. She closed her eyes tightly, a teardrop from her eyes, and reached the red carpet when she closed her eyes. It was not just a teardrop; it shows her heart started bleeding state. That's it. She can't take it anymore.

He forwarded his hand; her heart skipped a beat when she saw the infinity tattoo in his wrist with an A-shaped crack in one of the curves and one an S shape in the curve painted in bold on his tattoo. Her heart pumped against her chest when she recalled the spark of her past, their secret code which has both of their initials in the tattoo and the infinity symbol shows their love is forever, her heart screamed it was him, but her brain was not ready to believe. Her mind was not ready for any disappointment. She was praying to the lord not to disappoint her this time, her brother forwarded her palm to him. He held her palm, again his touch proved her, it was him. Tears grouped in her eyes, she can feel him, it was him. The reality was turning out to be her broken dream, but her eyes were still in a closed state. There was no courage left in her.

"Sista..." Her brother called her. Her heart trembled against her chest, but she opened her eyes. And fate proved to her that she won't get disappointed all the time. Sometimes life gifts you with what you love.

"That's it. Lover to a stranger and now a stranger to directly husband?" She questioned fate.

********