Neil reached home& went to naina's room who was taking her afternoon nap while avni had gone to the market, leaving a note regarding the same

N-princess get up
Look dadda is here

Naina rubbed her eyes with her tiny hands but immediately had a huge smile on her face on seeing neil
She moved forward &neil picked her in his arms

Na(happily)-dadda

Ne-my princess slept well?

Na(cutely)- yes

Ne-good girl
But now, dadda needs to ask you some important questions
Will you answer my questions honestly?

Na-dadda are they going to be difficult? (im not mentioning subjects bcz kids are in kg or ukg at the age of3😅)

Ne-no baccha
They are about angel aunty
Will you answer them honestly?

Na(happily)-yes dadda

Ne-good

Neil roamed in the house with her in his arms, while asking questions that give him a clear vp which naina had for avni

He knew he had to be very clear in his questions to get an accurate answer bcz naina is very small& doesnt know how her& her father's life are dependent on her every answer

He decided to keep it short& quick so that she doesnt loose interest& unknowingly give random response

Ne-ok
So my first question is do you like angel aunty?

Na- yes dadda
I love her verrrrry much
(She widened her arms to the max to show her love for avni)

Neil smiled

Ne-ok
So second question- does angel aunty care for you properly?

Na-yes dadda
Very much- mumma never loved me the way angel aunty does (sad pout)

Neil kissed her forehead

Ne- You remember you wanted angel aunty to stay with us?

Na-yes dadda
But i know it's not possible

Ne-it is possible princess

Na(innocently)- how dadda?

Ne-by answering my third& most important question- will you accept angel aunty as your mumma?

Naina became silent- she didnt know to be honest or lie bcz she didnt want to be the reason behind her parents separation

Though she was just 3yrs old but she understands the meaning of divorce She might not be knowing the pronunciation or spelling but knew that it meant getting separate forever

Her eyes became moist& neil understood that she is hiding her real emotions
He kept his composure &made her face him by holding her by her hips while she rested her tiny hands on his shoulders

Ne-princess dont be nervous& dont worry about anything
Dont worry about mumma dadda relationship- dadda will handle it
You just tell me what you want

Do you want angel aunty to be your mumma?

Na(trembling voice)- yesss dadda
But what about mumma?
She will hate me even more
She will scold me& again try to beat me
She will be very angry at me

Neil hugged her &caressed her back to calm her down

Ne-sshhh
My naina is a good& strong girl right?

Naina nodded positively

Ne-and good& strong girls dont cry, right??

Na-yes
But mumma, dadi, dadu& badi dadi?

Neil was surprised- even at such tender age she kept the preference of her family before what SHE herself wanted

Ne-do you want angel aunty as your mumma?

Na-yesss

Ne-then just trust your strong dadda& dont worry about anything else
Ok my princess?

Naina nods positively

Ne-good girl

Naina suddenly became silent& neil knew that she wants to say something else also but is hesitating- hes the only 1 who has spent max time with naina- even more than her grand parents &hence knew his daughter very well

Ne-what happened to my princess?
Why are you sad??
Share it with your dadda

Na-but you will fight with mumma& scold me if i say it

Ne-why would i do that princess?
Tell dadda what happened

Na-i always wanted a mumma like angel aunty- she's the best& loves me alot

You know dadda she saved me from mumma two time when you were not home- mumma was again angry at me bcz my soft teddy bear hit her computer when i was playing

And once my talking toy was accidentally left in your room& it made some noise when mumma was sleeping

Both time angel aunty saved me
But i promise i didnt do anything on purpose
Im not lying (cracked voice)

(Fb shows2 similar scenes where avni confronted mitali when she was about to hurt naina& came in between)

Neil caressed naina's back

Ne-sshhh
i know my princess can never lie
Now, dadda won't let anyone come between you& angel aunty

Na-i love you dadda
You are the best

Ne-i love you too my princess
He pecked her forehead &naina went back to her initial position- resting her head on neil's shoulder, hoping that she doesnt get scolded or beaten my mitali
Neil continued to caress her back

N(to himself)- this was the limit mitali
You have tried uncountable times to harm naina but every time someone saved her but now, she has had enough
And now, these video recordings will show your real face to the law& you will be jailed for child abuse& i will also file for divorce

(Neil knew that if naina would be called in court, she might back off her statement bcz of mitali's fear so he recorded a complete footage without it coming in naina's notice bcz he knew that if he sat in a specific room, she might not open up to him so he fixed cameras everywhere &carried her throughout the house)

Now, with help of his officer friend DD, he decided to get the footage of every location in a single recording& prove it in court

*****

Next morning-

Neil grabbed some courage &decided to talk to avni as soon as she comes home
Soon avni arrived &he stopped her before she could go to naina's room

N-look avni i dont know how to beat around the bush so i will come straight to the point

A-what happened neil

N-avni will you marry me?

Avni's expressions instantly changed into shocked ones

N- Look plz listen to me once before reacting

When avni didnt say anything, neil decided to continue

N-look avni, i know we dont know eachother well& getting married isnt a joke but naina has become really very attached to you
You know about my failed married life& how it's affecting naina
You yourself have saved her from mitali so many times
I can easily spend my life just like the way it is but i dont want to spoil naina's childhood
I dont want her to loose her innocence bcz of the failed marriage of her parents

His eyes suddenly became moist as he went back the memory lane- 6yrs ago when he got married under family pressure

N- Kaash mene tab thodi himmat karli hoti& mom dad ki sach bta dia hota ke nahi karni muje mitali se shaadi- she's not the marriage material- neither for me nor for anyone else
Zyada se zyada kya hota?

Guests& relatives ke saamne thodi insult hojati mom, dad& bebe ki
5din guests& relatives gossip karte phir bhool jate lekin meri life spoil hone se bach jati par nahi hui itni himmat& ab, meri uss galti ki saza meri beti face karri h

Humare beech itna distance create hogya h ke ab toh argue karne ke liye bhi koi topic nahi hota
Wo once in a blue moon ghar aati bhi h toh sirf sone ya naina ko daat ne ke liye

Uss aurat ki zindagi men sirf uska profession matter karta h- husband &beti nahi- we dont exist for that lady
But i dont want to spoil my daughter's childhood

Roz ghar men enter karne se pehle men breathing exercise karta hu- apni fitness ke liye nahi- balki isiliye ke kahi mitali ke saath hui kisi serious argument ka gussa men uss nanhi si jaan pe na nikaal du

Mitali ne toh khudko naina se door kar hi diya h par men nahi chahta ke naina mujse bhi door hojaye
He sat on the sofa with a thud, sinking his face in his palms
I dont want to loose my daughter (sobs)

Avni stood beside him& kept her hand on his shoulder, in an attempt to console him& that was it- he clutched her waist, sobbing his heart out

N-bas bohot hogya avni
I cant this anymore
I want to get out of this relationship- it feels as if im jailed without any crime
Its damn suffocating- not only for me but for naina too

Avni caressed neil's back
As yet, she didnt have any feelings for neil but she knew that naina definitely needs a mothers love& she too, didnt want to let the little one loose her innocence

A-neil im ready to marry you

Neil widened his eyes& immediately looked up to face her

A-see i dont have any strong feelings for you currently- maybe bcz i never saw you in that way par kya shaadi ke liye humesha pyaar ka hona zaruri h?

Plz dont think that im taking this decision in heat of the moment- i very well know what getting married means- especially if a child is involved that too, of such small age
Im ready to get married- even if just for naina

N-are you sure avni?
I mean men tumhe pressurise bilkul nahi karra
You can refuse if you wish too
Aur agar sochne ke liye time chahiye toh wo bhi theek h
And tumhari family ki consent bhi toh important h

A-no neil
Im sure
Itne important moment pe meri family mere Saath nahi hogi iss baat Ka dukh toh h par agar wo hote toh kisi ki nahi sunte& mere saath wohi hota ho bachpan men hone se bach gya- a forceful marriage

Iss situation men reason chahe jo bhi ho, at least meri consent se hora h
Par sabse important baat- will naina accept me?

N-muje pta tha tum ye question zarur puchogi
Isiliye kal mene naina se apne tareeke se baat kari &she was damn happy
Aaj jab hum usse ye news denge toh uski khushi ka koi limit nahi hoga

A-thats great
But before that, you need to divorce mitali& your family wont accept this
Aur agar naina ko court men bulaya& she changes her decision?

N-mene iss sab situations ke solutions soch rakhe h
Ek second

Neil played naina's confession footage& avni smiled on knowing the amount of trust naina has on her angel aunty

N- now DD will try his best ke iss footage se kaam chal jaye- for getting naina's custody& divorce from mitali
Aur jaha tak sawaal h meri family ka, toh ye footage dekhne ke baad toh unka bhi yahi decision hoga- unhe unki so called perfect dil ke asli rang nahi pta na

While AvNeil were still lost in their discussion, naina came out of her room- rubbing her sleepy eyes
She pulled a side of neil's pjs which caught AvNeil's attention

Na-dadda

Ne-ohhh
My princess is up on her own
Very good

Neil picked her in his arms& she rested her still sleepy head on neil's shoulder while neil pecked her forehead which made avni smile
That was when naina noticed avni& screamed in happiness

Na- angel aunty!
She opened her arms so that avni pulls her in her embrace
Avni followed suit& naina hugged her by resting her face on avni's shoulder while avni caressed her hair

Ne-princess
We have a news for you

Na-what dadda?

Ne-angel aunty wont be your aunty anymore

Naina's face instantly lost all the glow along with her adorable smile& in no time, avni felt something wet on her shoulder bcz naina had started sobbing

Na-you will leave me & dadda angel aunty?
Plz dont go

Avni at once broke the hug

A-no baby
I wont be aunty bcz i will become your mumma

Na(happily)- really?

A-yes baby

Na-yippie!
Angel aunty will become my mumma
Me& dadda wont feel lonely anymore

Naina started dancing in avni's arms itself
What she didnt know was that she had made avni clear about another thing- though he never showed it but neil really needed someone's company- he needed someone to share his feelings- be it pain or happiness

He cant share his inner turmoil with his daughter after all- though she too, was going through it& the culprit for both of their condition was the same- ms chipkali
Now, avni was even more firm about her decision

The trio shared a group hug- like a happy family& AvNeil were enjoying everything to the core

*****

Same evening-

Mitali returned home& started calling out for neil
Her voice instantly made naina fearful &she hid behind avni, clutching her leg who was preparing dinner in the kitchen& naina was observing her

Na(fearful voice)- my...mm...a...is...here...

M-neil where the heck are you?

A-excuse me but itni zor se chillane ki kya zarurat h?
Dheere bhi bol sakte h

M-oh you shut up
Tum meri beti ki caretaker ho toh wohi banke raho- uski maa ya iss ghar ki dil banne ki koshish mat karo
Aukat nahi h tumhari

Mitali was bursting out on avni when a voice broke their trance& naina immediately ran towards the person

V-sahi kaha tumne
Uski aukat nahi h ke tum jesi giri hui aurat se ke muh lage

The person picked a trembling naina up, still shooting daggers at mitali

M-oh
So there you are
Aagye isko defend karne
Ye kya bheja tha aaj tumne mere office men?

Yes, the person was neil

Neil came& instructed bheema to take naina out- he didnt want her to witness the further argument
Though she was refusing initially, but gave up on neil's assurance

Once they left, neil poured all his pent up frustration out

N-jo tumhare haath men h usse divorce agreement kehte h
Usse sign karo& muje& meri beti ko iss relation se azaad karo
6saal se jhel raha hu tumhe
Iss shaadi men mere alava sabki marzi thi

M-kabhi nahi
Aur haa, wo sirf tumhari nahi meri bhi beti h

Neil started laughing

N-that was indeed a very good joke mitali
Kyuki pichle 3saal se mene toh sirf tumhe uspe gussa hote hue dekha h
Agar avni na hote toh na jaane tum uss nanhi si jaan ka kya haal kar chuki hoti

M-avni avni avni
Tang aagyi Hu men iska naan sun sun ke
Aakhir h kya iss 2take ki caretaker men

N-wo ho tumme kabhi nahi tha- motherly love
Jiske liye naina humesha tarasti thi
Par tumne sirf usse wo dia hi nahi- deti bhi kese
Tumhare paas wo cheez kabhi thi hi nahi isiliye muje uski maa& baap dono banna pada

Aur haa, ek aur baat- ab avni Ka naam tameez se lena bcz she will soon be Mrs Avni Neil Khanna

M-men esa kabhi nahi hone dungi

Avni who was silently witnessing everything finally decided to intervine bcz she noticed neil's temper rising
She immediately went to him& rubbed his back

A-neil cool down
Gusse se kuch nahi hoga

N-kese cool down hojau?
Iss aurat ke saath 6saal mene kese kaate h sirf men jaanta Hu

M-hogya tumhara drama?
Shaadi toh tum tab karoge na jab humari families &most importantly naina ko manzoor hoga
And im sure that none of them would agree

N-ye tumhari sabse badi misunderstanding h mitali kyuki meri& avni ki shaadi toh hoke rahegi-
Phir chahe muje mom, dad& Bebe ke against hi kyu na jana pade

Aur haa, jaha tak sawaal h naina ke approval ka toh uski fiqr mat karo kyuki wo toh bohot pehle agree kar chuki h
Now plz leave before i loose my cool& end up harming you

Mitali left the flat, fuming in anger while avni was still busy composing an angry neil

*****

Soon, the video recordings of naina's confession were shown in court after which neil's divorce plee was approved& AvNeil got married in court itself& naina was the happiest soul on earth
She finally got her mother& avni was loving the way naina used to address her as her mother

On the other hand, mitali was gifted 5yrs of imprisonment for child abuse& her request for not divorcing Neil was straight away rejected

When khanna family got to know about all this& the real face of their dil, they praised neil for the stand he took for himself &his daughter &gave deathly glares to mitali while mitali's own parents gave her only hatred along with uncountable slaps- as a compensation from khanna family as well

*****

Months flew by& AvNeil's bond started to grow stronger
It didnt take long for one of them to understand that the other was stressed about something

They were becoming eachothers support system bcz before being husband -wife, they were companions & it didnt take long for these companions to turn into lovers

Neil was the first to confess his feelings &avni reciprocated happily
Both of them got what they had craved for- a small happy family
They sealed the moment with a soft kiss

*****

Random night-

Neil came inside his room or precisely his& avni's room& saw that avni was peacefully sleeping on the bed& naina was lying totally upon her
Avni had wrapped her arms around naina's back to prevent her from falling off
He smiled &then lay beside avni& slowly pulled her closer to himself& avni automatically shifted her head on neil's chest while naina was anyway fast asleep

Neil kissed avni& naina's forehead, wrapped his arm around avni so as to hold her as well as naina close to him
Soon sleep took over him

Sometimes, blood relations arent always needed to bind 2indivisuals together
Theres a special reason why i chose this title bcz it covers 3scenarios-

1- avni's relation with her parents &brother

2- how neil &mitali's complicated married life affected naina adversely

3- naina& avni didnt have any blood relation yet they accepted eachother happily whereas mitali ignored naina despite being her biological mom, thus making neil father as well as mother for naina

I hope you enjoyed this two shots