Abhinav Malhotra felt his eyes filling up and a lump formed in his throat. He stared at his son infront of him, who looked shaken to the core. He never thought of meeting his son in such circumstances, infact he never intended to cross paths with him.

Zevah came running outside with a panicked look on not finding Ayaansh beside her. She froze in her steps seeing the scenario.

Her bestfriend was here. The relief that coursed through her body on seeing her was unexplainable. She simply narrowed her eyes at Srishti who seemed to be staring at somewhere else.

That is when she noticed an unknown man standing ahead, and a completely dazed Sahil staring at the man. Frowning, she stood beside Aditya, gaining his attention.

"We'll be leaving." He announced and held Zevah's hand but before they could leave, Srishti interrupted.

"Can I come with you guys?" She didn't want to stay here and so she didn't even glance at Sahil when she uttered those words.

This seemed to snap Sahil out of his daze, as his eyes went on his wife, who stood there with their son in her arms. Panic bubbled in his chest at the thought of being alone with the man infront of him.

"Stay." He whispered and Srishti tensed. She looked at him with a glare but her eyes softened seeing the vulnerability in his eyes. He wasn't ordering her, he was begging her to stay with him.

Her heart clenched at his state but what about her? How could she stay with a man who used her? Why would she comfort him when he did nothing but made her feel like a nobody?

Taking a deep breath, she decided what she was going to do. She wasn't selfish like him, so she was going to stay. Turning on her heels, she walked inside and Aditya and Zevah too left.

Sahil immediately walked inside when Abhinav tried to take towards him.

"Srishti ─"

"I don't want to hear anything, Sahil. Not a word." She said sternly as she safely tucked Ayaansh in his crib.

As she tried to move past him, he held her hand and stopped her. She didn't react and stayed in the same position.

"I know you hate me right now and I don't blame you. But ─" He swallowed painfully as his voice shook, "─just stay with me till that man is here. Please." She looked at him stunned because he wasn't a man who begged anyone.

So she nodded and he left her hand, nodding as well.

When they walked out, Abhinav was already waiting for them in the living room. He saw them coming out and knew it was time for some revelations.

────────

As the father-son duo sat infront of each other, no one spoke a word as Sahil continued to stare at his hands, his whole form tense. Whereas Abhinav chose to stare at his son, Srishti sighed beside Sahil.

"You were alive." It was a whisper but the accusation and pain in the sentence could also be heard.

He still didn't look up as he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

"Did your grandfather tell you anything?" Abhinav asked in a calm voice and it made him more angry.

"Not. A. Word. I don't fucking know why I was found crying covered in blood. To this date that memory haunts me and I don't even fucking know the reason behind it." He snapped furiously and Srishti felt her hands itching to hold his.

Abhinav took a deep breath before he started explaining what had happened back then.

Sahil could only hear him with a blank face which is why Srishti couldn't even comprehend what he was thinking. The truth was too much to take and so without another thought, she slipped her hand in his, gripping it tightly even though Sahil sat emotionless.

"After I killed your mother and her lover, I confessed about it to the police. They sentenced me to imprisonment for ten years and you were handed over to your grandfather." He looked down, whereas Sahil finally tightened his hold on Srishti's hand.

"So you're saying that I'm not your son. I'm ─I'm an illegitimate child of your wife and her boyfriend. Is that how it is?" Sahil asked in a cold voice but the pain in his eyes said otherwise.

"No! You are my son!" Abhinav forced out and Sahil let out a hollow laugh which scared Srishti.

"Funny, how you still call me your son when in reality you do not even want to look at my face which reminds you of your wife's betrayal. That is why you didn't even try to meet me once in all these years, right Mr. Malhotra?" Abhinav closed his eyes in pain because he had no excuse.

He didn't try to contact his son in all these years, it was true, because he didn't have the courage to. What would he tell him? That he killed his mother? That he isn't his son?

Even though he had claimed to be his father despite knowing the reality, he could never fulfil his duties as one, although he had a chance to. He failed his son. He failed his Sir who had trusted him.

"You can leave now. And do not try to contact me just like you didn't all these years." Sahil demanded looking straight in his eyes and Abhinav could only feel the guilt clawing at him.

He slowly got up and turned to leave when Sahil stopped him.

"Wait. What were you doing with Srishti?" His question made Srishti go tense and Sahil held her hand more tightly feeling her trying to withdraw it.

"She was walking alone on a deserted road in the middle of a night. A man attacked her, and maybe your wife knows him. I just happened to be there at the same time, so I helped her. And don't worry, he's in jail now." He finished and left after that not looking back.

Sahil turned to look at Srishti with a worried gaze.

"Are you fine? Why the fuck would you leave in the middle of a night, Srishti? It's fucking dangerous. It is my fault, so you could've confronted me, slapped me ─"

And so, a slap was landed on his right cheek.

"This wasn't even a tiny percent of what you did to me, Sahil." She was furious when he started lecturing her about it when he had no right to.

"Who was he, Srishti?" He gritted out, annoyed.

"Vishal Saxena."

"That fucking bastard." He cursed out loudly making her flinch.

"Why did you use me, Sahil?" Her voice broke as she asked him and her eyes filled with pain and hurt.

He froze for a minute before his jaw clenched as he couldn't even look at her. He had no answer. He had nothing to say because it was the truth.

He had used her for his selfish reasons. And now he regretted it. He regretted it so bad but he couldn't even apologise because a mere 'sorry' would mean nothing.

He had to do something else. He had to gain her trust back ─

"I want a divorce."

His eyes snapped in her direction at her whisper. She looked broken yet determined and it scared him for the first time.

For the first time in his life, Sahil Malhotra was scared. Scared to lose the person who was slowly becoming his everything.

────────

Srishti was back in her old room, with Ayaansh of course. She couldn't live with that man in the same room and she couldn't leave her son after what he had done.

She sat on her bed and stared at her son who slept peacefully. Biting her lower lip, she bent down and kissed his face.

"I'm sorry. Mumma is very sorry, baby. Mumma is very bad. She left her baby alone." She gulped her tears which threatened to fall, "But I promise, I'll never leave you ever again. Wherever Mumma goes, Ayaansh goes with her."

She cocooned her baby in her arms and kept kissing his head from time to time.

Sahil who stood at the door, watching her, felt his heart getting heavy at her words. She had suffered enough because of him and a cold, ruthless monster like him didn't deserve her.

But fuck that. He needed her. He needed her in his life and he won't at any cost let her go.

With this thought, he turned around and left from there.

The next morning was a gloomy one, because when Srishti got up, she realised that she was still in the same house. She wanted to leave but she wasn't going to run away anymore.

Ayaansh stirred in his sleep before he opened his eyes and blinked a few times. He stretched his arms looking like a cute kitten to Srishti, who chuckled.

"Good morning, baby." She held his tiny hand and kissed it.

Ayaansh rolled on his stomach and raised his head, looking around. Srishti knew who he was looking for but ignored it.

"Da-da-da-da." He kept mumbling and calling for his Dadda, resting his head on the bed, his right hand stretched out and looking at the door.

Srishti clenched her jaw and looked away feeling the pain in her chest.

Ayaansh suddenly squealed making Srishti's head snap in his direction. She then followed where he was looking and found Sahil standing there, staring at Ayaansh with a smile.

"Good morning, buddy." He chuckled when Ayaansh opened and closed his tiny fist, gesturing his Dadda to come to him.

Sahil obliged and sat near him, before he scooped his little boy in his arms. Ayaansh giggled loudly in his father's arms and Srishti gulped, feeling her emotions all over the place.

She hurriedly got up and walked towards the door but a voice stopped her.

"Mumm-mmhhhh" Ayaansh hummed making his mother freeze in her tracks. He kept looking at her but she couldn't turn around.

Sahil watched her dilemma and sighed. He got up and stood beside her with Ayaansh who now tried to reach out to his mother.

Srishti winced when Ayaansh pulled her hair a little harshly and Sahil immediately rubbed the spot.

"Are you okay?" The concern in his voice was something new for her and she narrowed her eyes at Ayaansh who was grinning.

That little minx.

"I asked something from you, yesterday." She said in a cold voice and he stopped his movements, taking his hand back.

Ayaansh stared at his parents back and forth who seemed to have forgotten him in that moment.

Sahil looked in her eyes directly before he answered her.

"I'm not going to give you a divorce."

"And why the hell not?" She was furious.

"Because if after all these years, when I've finally found someone who is now becoming the most important person in my life," He stopped seeing her eyes filling up before he gathered up the courage and continuing, "I'm not going to lose her because of my stupidity. I will win her trust back by every means."

"And that is a promise, Srishti." He was being sincere, she could see in his eyes but she still didn't want to believe it.

Or maybe she was too afraid to believe him.

ღ