" Hii Aditi di. Are you okay? It must be late night in India. What happened?" I asked, almost panicking.

" Shivanya, I am dying. I want you to come here as soon as possible. Please." I heard her voice from the other side.

" What are you talking about di! Please calm down and tell me what has happened?" I asked her.

" I have leukemia. I just one month at the most. Please Shivanya, I need to talk to you before I go. I haven't seen you in six years. You could not even attend the wedding." She pleaded.

I got numb.

" Shivanya....please say something!" I heard her desperate voice.

" Di, nothing will happen to you. I am taking the earliest flight home." I said somehow, chocking over my own voice.

" Doll, as soon as we all accept the truth, it will be easy for all of us. I don't have long. You haven't met Sahil yet. I want you to meet him and talk to you." She said, sighing.

I somehow held back my tears.

" I'll see you tomorrow di. I love you." I said, ending the call.

I booked the next flight to Mumbai from New York where I was working as a lawyer after graduating from Harvard Law School. Then I resigned. I will go back and take care of her. Besides, I wanted to shift anyway.

My flight left in five hours. I packed and took a cab to airport. All the way, I could not stop crying.

Aditi di is my first cousin. We were very close back in India. She is a single child of my bade papa and badi maa. I couldn't even attend her wedding six years back because I had just moved here and settling. Now I regret every moment that I could have been with her but missed it.

I quickly paid the driver and checked in to the airport.

The flight to Mumbai was depressing. Those sixteen hours were hell. All I wanted was to see my sister, my confidant immediately.

I landed in Mumbai at around 2 in the night. Deciding not to disturb Aditi di, I went to my home.

" Shivanya, why did you not tell me that you were coming?" Mumma asked as she took me into a hug.

" Mumma, why did you not tell me about Aditi di?" I asked her.

" She forced us not to tell anything. She thought that you will jeopardize your career and rush back here." She informed.

" How should she?" I shouted.

" Calm down doll. Go and sleep for now. You can go and meet her tomorrow morning." Mumma said and accompanied me to my room.

" Are you hungry?" She asked.

I nodded negatively.

" When did you all get to know about it?" I asked her.

" Six months back Shivanya." Mumma sighed.

" I had a right to know. It was my call to make." I said, anger rising within me.

" Shivanya, let's talk about it tomorrow. Please take rest or you'll spoil your health.

" Fine maa. You should go and sleep too." I told her and then went to the washroom to freshen up.

Sleep was miles away because of this situation and the damn jet lag.

Finally, sleep engulfed me at around 6 in the morning for some two hours because at 8, I was up again.

I went to the living room to find papa, bhai and bhabhi.

I met them and then took bath.

" Bhai please give me di's address." I asked Vivaan bhai.

" Come, I'll drop you." He said.

I nodded and we walked out together.

Soon we were at her home.

" Shivanya, you go. I'll meet Aditi when I come to pick you up. I need to go to office right now." Bhai said.

I nodded and walked in. A mid aged woman opened the door. Aditi di's mother in law.

" Namaste aunty. I am Shivanya, Aditi's cousin." I introduced myself.

" Hello beta. Please come in. Aditi is resting in her room. I'll take you to her.

I offered her a polite smile.

As we neared to her bedroom's door, I just couldn't do it.

" Aunty, I just remembered an urgent work. I'll come and see her tomorrow. Please don't tell her that I was here." I begged the mid aged woman. I just couldn't do it.

" Too late Shivanya. I heard you. Now get in here." I heard Aditi di say.

" Aunty please tell her that it's not me." I begged her again, whispering.

She took pity on me.

" Beta, it's not your cousin." Aunty shouted.

" No maa. I know it's her. No need to cover for her." I heard di's feeble voice.

I had no choice but to walk in now.

" Jesus! Don't they feed you in New York!?" She exclaimed as I walked in.

" No di. Don't even try doind what you are trying to do. As it is I'm not talking to you." I shouted.

" You don't have to shout and show Abhimanyu how uncultured you are." She mocked.

" Who?" I asked, confused.

She then pointed out to a man standing next to her. Shit, I didn't see him.

" Hii." I said and forwarded my palm for a handshake. He took it.

" Now tell me, am I this foreign that no one took me the pains of informing!" I exclaimed.

" We all knew how reckless you are Shivanya! You would have left your job immediately and come here to take care of me if you knew I had chances of surviving." I scolded.

" Di, that was my damn call to make. Look what this has got us into. We don't even have got time together!" I said, breaking down.

I went to hug her lightly.

" Di! I'll not let anything happen to you." I said, wiping my tears.

" And what will you do?" She asked, sighing.

" I am going to call the best goddamn doctor from the States to get to all well." I replied.

" He is your uncle that he will come here!" Di taunted.

" I'm his attorney. He will come here." I said, picking my phone up to call him.

" Shivanya, that is of no use. We have consulted the best doctors and all say the same thing." She said.

" Nothing will happen to you Aditi." Abhimanyu roared.

" Yes, I'll make sure of it." I added.

" Stop it both of you. Just stop it. You are just making this harder for both of you and for me." She shouted.

" Di, there has to be a way." I whispered.

" There is no way doll." She muttered, stroking my head gently.

" By the way, I'm angry with you. It has been six years Shivanya and now you are here!" She complained.

" Don't worry di. Now all my time is yours." I said.

" No Shivanya, you will go back to your job in New York next week. I wanted to see you. Now I can die in peace." She said with a sad smile on her face.

" I don't have a job to go back to in New York. I quit." I informed her.

" You what!" She shouted.

" Di! Don't shout." I said.

" Are you insane Shivanya? You worked so hard for your career and now you just quit because of me!" She said, exhausted.

" Please di.... don't give so much importance to yourself. I quit because I wanted to come back." I said.

For the first time, I heard jiju chuckle.

" You are not supposed to laugh at that. It will encourage her to make lame statements!"She bossed her husband around.

" Di, you take rest now. You look tired." I said, seriously.

" And you look sick doll. Did you eat?" She asked.

" Yes di, I had my breakfast. It's just the jet lag. Now you sleep. I'll be here when you wake up because Vivaan bhai will pick me up in the evening as I don't have the Indian driving license." I informed her.

" Good, that way you can meet Sahil too. He will be back from school soon." She said.

" Does he know?" I asked.

" Yes." Jiju replied.

I nodded and soon di fell asleep.

I exited their room and went to the living room where a young girl was sitting.

" Hii." I said.

" Hello." She replied offering a smile.

" You bhabhi's cousin?" She asked.

I nodded.

" She talks about you." I was informed.

She gave me a small smile and I sat on the sofa, totally tired.