All day, I was arranging the guest room when aunty got in.

" Please come in aunty." I said as I saw her standing at the door.

" Shivanya, what are you doing here in the guest room? You should be in Abhi's room." She said.

" Aunty, that is Aditi di's room and I want it to be as it is. I don't want to disturb her things." I confessed.

" She is gone and both you and Abhi need to let her go. You will need to start afresh one day." Aunty said.

" That one day may never come aunty. I love her and I can't even think of Abhimanyu as my husband and that is a fact." I told her.

" But another fact is that he is your husband." She raised her tone.

" Legally, yes." I added.

" Shivanya, you need to make Abhi forget Aditi and you need to move on with him." She said.

How can she even think that.!? Abhimanyu will never forget Aditi di. I saw it in his eyes. Like a part of his soul is gone.

" That will never happen." I said and I heard Abhimanyu say the same thing.

He was standing at the door.

Aunty left the room.

" I am glad that we are on the same page." He said.

" On this matter, we are always going to be on the same page." I replied.

He nodded.

" Okay, I know this is the 21st century but your family is cool with me working right?" I asked, just to be sure.

" As you wish." He said, shrugging his shoulder.

" Thank god." I muttered to myself.

He looked at me with a little amusement.

" What?" I asked.

" Most women I know don't wish to work after they get married." He said.

" Well I did not attend Harvard just for sitting at home after I get married." I said, in an accusing tone.

He shrugged again

" Where is Sahil?" I asked.

" With dad." He told me.

" I'll go and make him eat dinner." I informed him and left the room.

" Uncle, shall I take Sahil to make him eat dinner?" I asked Mr. Singhania who as playing with him.

" Sure beta and call me papa. I'm not your uncle now." He said.

" Sure papa." I said, offering him a smile. I just didn't wish to defy him.

" Sahil, come we will have food." I said.

" No maasi. I am not hungry." He said.

" Okay, then Sahil won't become a superhero." I said, faking sadness.

" Superhero? Really maasi? If I eat dinner, I will become superhero?" He asked.

" Yes....obviously." I replied.

" Okay dadu, I will play with you when I come back. I wanna to a superhero!" He exclaimed and took my hand.

" Let's go champ?" I asked, he nodded. He is so cute!

I made him eat but he was running here and there. God! It is a task to handle children.

" You wanna take sleep champ baby?" I asked him.

" Yes maasi." He replied. Then I took him to his room and made him lie down. Sat with him till he was asleep and then sneaked out quietly.

" Bhabhi, we all have had dinner. You sit, I'll get your plate." Diya said as I got into the living room.

" Chill Diya, I'll take it." I said as I went to the kitchen.

" Come, sit with me." I offered and she agreed.

" So what are you studying?" I asked her.

" Medicine." She replied.

" Wow! You must really like science." I added.

" Yeah....I love science." She said, smiling.

" You know, papa wanted to see me as a doctor but my science was so bad that I almost set the chemistry lab on fire one day. It was an explosion and that was the last time I stepped into a chemistry lab. Then I shifted from science to commerce." I told her honestly.

" Bhabhi! Which chemicals did you mix?" She questioned, laughing.

" I don't know! I can't remember one chemical name! That time during exams I used to sit and write a chemical's name 100 times so that I could write it the next day. I was so bad." I said.

" Then it's good that you became a lawyer." Papa said, joininh the conversation.

We laughed.

" Papa, I have my job interview tomorrow. Can I go?" I asked him.

" Of course beta, you can." He approved.

" No. I don't want you to work." Aunty came in and said.

" But aunty, I promise that I'll handle the house properly with work." I promised.

" I said that I don't want you to work and you will obey what I say." She said and left the dining room.

I was done with lunch, so I kept my plate and went to the guest room.

Throwing the dupatta on the bed, I sat on the floor when support of bed and started crying.

Why do I have to compromise on my career when I am capable of handling the house and work together? I did not worked my ass off just to be a fucking nanny. I can take care of Sahil even while working. I love him so much that I can give up anything for him. Even my independence but I when I know that I can do both the things properly, then why not! I had promised mumma that I'make her proud of me. How will I?

My mood was as dark as the clouded evening of Mumbai.

I heard a knock on the door. Immediately wiping my tears, I stood up and turned to see Abhimanyu standing there.

" You want anything?" I asked him.

" No. Just had to tell you that Sahil has school tomorrow. Can you drop him? I have an early morning meeting." He asked.

" I'll drop him. Just text the school's address to me." I said.

" Your contact number?" He asked.

" Its 99......" I said and he saved it.

Walking towards the guest room, I could hear some sobs. I knew she was crying.

I softly knocked on the door. She immediately wiped her tears away and turned towards me with a stern expression.

" You want anything?" She questioned.

" No. Just had to tell you that Sahil has school tomorrow. Can you drop him? I have an early morning meeting." I said.

" I'll drop him. Just text the school's address to me." She replied, without a flick of irritation on her face. If she was irritated, she hid it well.

" Your contact number?" I asked, realizing that I didn't even have her phone number.

" Its 99......" I said and he saved it.

" You should go for your interview." I told her honestly. Mom was reluctant initially but I had to do it. Aditi was very possessive about her and ranked her career highly and I couldn't just jeopardize her career.

" Aunty doesn't want me to work." She said, now irritated.

" She will not mind. Just make sure that Sahil is okay when I am not around." I told her honestly.

" Thank you." She said, actually sounding grateful for the first time.

I nodded and then left her to herself.

The only common thing about us was our love for Aditi. I knew that they were very close since childhood. Aditi had often mentioned her sister and how adorable she was.

Aditi. How could you? How could you leave me and our son alone. We need you. It was your last wish that I get married to your sister and so I did. But there will only be one woman in my life, you Aditi, you.

It was 11 in the night and had started raining. Sleep was nowhere near me so I went to the balcony.

Looking around, the room adjacent to mine was Abhimanyu's room. The balcony was separated by a glass door.

I got near the railing. I couldn't care less about getting wet. All I could feel was the rain taking away my sorrows and I was sure that it was Aditi di who must have eaten god's head in heaven so that it rains here. She knows that when I look at the rain, my head starts clearing. I smiled at my thought.

I soon realized that there was a movement in through the glass.

Shit! Are there ghosts in here!!

" No Shivanya, there is no such thing as ghosts. You are being paranoid." I muttered to myself.

" What if there are ghosts Shivi? What if one is standing right behind you, waiting you to look up so that he can kill you? What have I done to anyone to deserve being killed by a ghost!" I argued with myself.

I gathered up all my courage and looked it.

" Thank god!" I whisper yelled. It was just Abhimanyu standing in the shed of his balcony.

I had no mood to interact with any human being and no ghosts so I decided to show myself in back to the room but his eyes caught mine as I was leaving.

I immediately looked away and went to the room to change to dry clothes and let sleep embrace me.

The next day, my alarm woke me up and I woke Sahil up to get him ready for school and prepared tiffin and breakfast for everyone. He was ready within 15 minutes and I was too. I decided to drop Sahil and leave for the interview directly.

(

Coming out, I saw papa sitting in the garden reading newspaper. Sahil ran to him and bid him bye.

" All the best for your interview beta." He said.

" Thanks papa." I said, touching his feet.

" So champ, you want to go in a red car or a black car?" I asked him.

" Red maasi." He said and I took Abhimanyu's Audi R8. I need to buy myself a car soon.

I dropped him to his school, got back home without anyone noticing me to drop the car back and took a car to the firm. I had no intention of using Abhimanyu's things for myself until very necessary.

I was soon at the firm, got my interview done and I knew that the job would be mine because judging by the faces sitting in the interview, they all were nervous and I was never nervous. I had always been a confident person and I had inherited this from my grandfather.

After the interview, I got back home, changed and got the lunch prepared. Aunty had gone to some temple for the day and was supposed to return in the evening. Papa and Abhimanyu were at work. It was just Diya and me at home because she had a holiday and I was practically unemployed right now.

The driver was supposed to take lunch for papa and Abhimanyu to the office so I quickly packed it and handed the box over to him.

" Diya, I am going to pick Sahil up. You wanna come?" I asked her.

" Sure bhabz. Let's go." She said as we walked out.

She was just like me in terms of dressing up. Did not give a damn.

" Hi Sahil, how was your day?" I asked him, attempting to make a conversation.

" You are not my mumma that I'll have to tell you everything." He said.

" But you can tell me na? I am your maasi." I tried to coax him.

" No! You married my papa and now you are my step mother and step mothers are evil!" He shouted.

" Shit." I muttered.

" No Sahil baby, she is not evil." Diya said.

" I don't wanna talk to her." He said as he hugged Diya. Something broke inside me. I had already started thinking of him as my own son and he hated me.