River & Desert

Part 11

"Ms. Pathak, Mr. Sinha, we have good news. The test came back positive! Congratulations!" said Dr. Singh with a warm smile.

She observed the tense and awkward couple sitting across the desk. Adhrit's response to the news was to turn to the woman on his right and observe her reaction. He didn't want to make things worse by celebrating the news and causing her pain, but she appeared to be happy.

She looked at him and their eyes connected as she attempted to comprehend his emotions. She anticipated discovering emotions of jubilation, but was met with concern in his eyes. His smile was rare, but exquisite, and it made her smile back, albeit with a hint of awkwardness.

"Keep in mind, we don't know how her body will handle the pregnancy. It's crucial that she receives the utmost care, and I recommend frequent visits." She hoped to bring more good news in the next few months and congratulated them while recognizing their mutual understanding of subtle emotions.

With a nod, Adhrit signified his understanding. "Of course, Dr. Singh. I'll take care of that!" said Adhrit, as he rose from his seat along with Mitali to leave. The atmosphere shifted as they left the doctor's cabin. The hospital crowd couldn't dispel the solitude that made them uneasy. Mitali couldn't determine her emotional response to the news.

She was going to be a mother. She had hoped, when she let her heart guide her dreams, her husband would stand by her throughout the journey of embracing motherhood - bearing her tantrums and fulfilling her cravings - and her dreams could not be further away from the reality.

The irony hit her hard, stirring a potion of debilitation in her heart and compelling her to flee. The embrace of motherhood didn't come with a partner who loved and supported her. She had a partner who was not even a close friend, just an acquaintance.

She had made numerous assumptions about him, but he had disproved them all, leaving her bewildered by his every word and action. He was a paradox, and she held a piece of him within her.

The act of walking beside him felt more intimate than ever before. From the corner of his eyes, the piercing gaze held her captive, and she was aware of it. She pondered about his emotions for his child and the child's mother. Did he feel the typical pride of a father, or was it a responsibility he felt obliged to fulfill because of some loose connections to the situation?

"Mitali!"

She paused in her path because of his voice and hand being in the way. A white marble pillar caught her eye, and she realized she was about to collide with it. Tucking a stray curl behind her ear, she cursed herself for feeling lost. She smoothed out her already straight kurta and walked. Before she could proceed, Adhrit grabbed her arm.

She wondered if she had failed to notice that the recent news gave him permission to hold her hand.

"Are you okay?" He asked with concern, "Why are you so quiet?".

"Mr. Sinha, I'm not sure how to handle this situation. I am fine," she said, though she knew her answer was not convincing.

Adhrit's grip on her hand weakened as he observed her distant eyes. She retracted her hand. "As you say," he answered, not wanting to be the one to pry for the truth. "You have to shift to Sinha Mansion. I hope you remember."

"I do. I need to settle things with my family and pack my belongings. Am I allowed to start tomorrow morning, or will you ask me to join you this evening?" She spoke with an unexpected coldness that shook Adhrit. He recognized she had realized the full implications of the news and was struggling with it. Not unlike what he had expected.

His otherwise stiff features relaxed and his gaze softened. "You needn't worry, Ms. Pathak. Tomorrow morning will be just fine. I will send someone to pick you up at a timing of your convenience," he said.

"That's unnecessary. Thank you," she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm, just like when they first met. Adhrit shook his head, but he knew better than to drag her into an unnecessary argument after the news they had just received.

"As it is fine with you. I reserve the right to drive you home and I won't hear any objections," he declared.

"But..."

"Nope, none of that. "I'll carry you to the car if I have to," he threatened, knowing she would listen.

She went quiet and walked away in annoyance as he allowed a triumphant grin to spread across his face.

****

Pathak House,

She revealed the reason for her agony as she broke the news to Anurag, "I am pregnant."

"Mitali-"

"I have to go to Sinha Mansion tomorrow. Since we're both employed at the same call center, please respond to Amma if she asks about me. I am telling her the seniors selected me for an impromptu trip to Bangalore along with the boss," she said, without paying heed to his pained looks.

She attempted to leave, but he intercepted her by positioning himself between her and the door.

"I understand, Mitali, that you have a reason to despise me. But let me bid you a proper farewell and let this Mama meet his nephew or niece," he said, his tone and eyes expressing his sincerity.

The previous day's Mitali may have shown compassion towards him, but the realization of carrying another life had disrupted her and reminded her of the gravity of the situation that she had been avoiding to stay sane.

She gazed into his eyes with her own eyes blank and numb, like a black hole of misery that had consumed all joy.

"I will be a mother but I will not have the privilege of someone calling me 'Maa' and you, Anurag, will be a brother of the mother but never 'Mama' because that's the way you chose it to be," she said. She took the chance to walk out on Anurag while he was still listening to her brutal words.

Her pregnancy news brought harsh reality to her, and her words were a shock to him as he realized he had caused greater damage than he thought and doubted if he could regain her love and trust.

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So, it worked! What do you think will happen when they start living together? Please VOTE and COMMENT!