Here's the 75th chapter.
Enjoy reading.
The following day had arrived.
After a lot of chaos since few days, Shaurya awoke today to a sunshiny, relaxed morning.
The "relaxation" was in the backdrop that a person had not left Delhi just because him. This was all he needed, and nothing seemed more calming at the time.
But one thing remained a source of discontent in his mind and it was "MISS AASTHA KASHYAP".
She was in Delhi, and he knew she was there only for her student, but the fact that she would be returning in a few days made his heart sink.
After appearing in front of him after a long period of thirty years, she would go back without even an attempt to meet him, made him realize how "negligible" he was to her, and this broke his heart.
Despite his best efforts to convince himself that he hated her, he couldn't deny his heart's desire for her. His heart will not let him continue to believe that her presence didn't matter to him. Of course, it mattered to him, and he needed to know how long she was there.
Although he would not go to meet her or even allow her to meet him, his heart yearned to know how long she would be in Delhi, so that he could be content with the knowledge that she was somewhere close by.
After spending so much time thinking about HER, realization struck him, and he shook his head to dismiss his thoughts. He started convincing himself, as he always did, that she didn't matter to him and that her presence won't make any difference.
"Mujhe unke yaha hona yaa naa hone se koi fark nhi padta..."
"Main..."
"Main nhi sochunga is baare mein...", his eyes moist.
"Jab unhe mera khyaal nhi... t... toh main kyu sochu unke baare mein...", his voice broke.
"Main bhi nhi sochunga unke baare mein... Vaise bhi vo yaha mere liye nhi aayi !...", he yelled, storming inside the bathroom.
He got ready after freshening up and headed downstairs for breakfast, as he did every day.
Devi was there, and he greeted her with a good morning, to which she did respond.
Devi was staring at Shaurya, her mind racing with thoughts. Shaurya hadn't spoken to her about Aastha until now, which shocked her because she felt his hatred had softened after seeing his mother on that day after thirty years. Though she wanted to talk to Shaurya about Aastha, she had been waiting for him to speak to her himself, but now she felt she needed to talk to him otherwise he would go out of her control. She made up her mind to speak with him and provoke him against Aastha at a convenient time.
Everyone was seated at the dining table as usual for breakfast before leaving for SIEST. But there was something odd about his sisters, Bebo and Kitty, who were seated beside him with their heads down, and after looking at them, he found that Bebo's eyes were on Kitty's hands, which held a mobile, and both were smiling and looking at something on the screen.
He scrunched his brows as he considered what they were doing so keenly, and his Bade Papa's expression didn't escape his notice. He noticed Tej's stern face as he waited for his twin sisters to look up from their phones and begin their breakfast as everyone else was doing, but the twins were completely unaware of this.
He was aware that his Bade Papa didn'tapprove of any other type of work being done during breakfast, and he realized that he would now have to be the savior for his sisters.
He looked here and there and then nudged on Bebo. She was so focused on the screen that that she let the nudge be ignored.
Shaurya became agitated as he pondered what was on the screen that they were staring at so diligently that they weren't even aware of their surroundings.
He nudged Bebo once more, this time a little harder, and Bebo realized she was being prodded.
When she turned her head, she noticed her Shaurya Bhaiya staring at her. Her gaze then moved to her mother, who was standing near where her father was sitting and staring at her. Her brows furrowed, but it didn't take long for Bade Papa's expression to make her realize what was going on. She immediately nudged Kitty, who looked up as well, and the daggering stares in her direction alerted her to her surroundings, prompting her to slip the phone into her pocket and smile sheepishly.
Tej now turned his attention back to his plate, as did the others, to finish the meal.
Breakfast was a quiet affair.
Shaurya had gone to his room to collect a file, and while he was descending the stairs to leave for college, Gayatri's voice caught his ear.
"Tum dono kya kar rhe the us vakt... Haan ?... Itna bhi kya important tha jo mobile mein hi kho gaye the..."
"Arre Mom aap dekhte toh aap bhi kho jaate humaari tarah...", Bebo said.
Although Shaurya was about to leave, their conversation piqued his interest, and he paused to listen in.
"Aapko pta hai Mom... Reema ne whatsapp par kal ki photos bheje... Hum vhi dekh rhe the...", Kitty said.
"Kal ki photos ?...", Gayatri asked.
"Vo hum kal Anokhi se milne gaye the naa... Tab humne kuch selfies li thi uski beti ke saath... Hum vhi photos dekh rhe the Mom !...", Kittysaid with excitement.
Shaurya stiffened as soon as the words reached his ears.
The mere mention of Anokhi's daughter instilled in him an intrigued feeling. When he heard that his sisters had already met Anokhi's daughter, he felt compelled to learn more about her.
"Bohot saari photos hai Mom !... Yeh dekho...", Kitty said, pulling her phone from her pocket and showing her mother the photos.
Shaurya was standing there silent, and he didn't know why he was feeling a crave to see Anokhi's daughter.
"Ek aur baat btaau Mom..."
"Uski beti naa bilkul usi ki tarah hai... Ditto Anokhi jaisa nature hai uska...", Kitty said.
"Haan... Ek to itni pyaari hai hi... Oopar se uski saari qualities naa uski Mumma... Yaani ki Anokhi jaisi hai...", Bebo added.
"Aur to aur agar koi bhi dekhega naa use... To aisa lagega ki maano Anokhi hi hai... I mean vo hai to chhoti si pyaari si cutie... Lekin vo naa poori apni Mumma par gayi hai... Sab kuch Anokhi se milta – julta hai... Uski aankhein bhi Anokhi se resemble karti hai...", Kitty said grinning.
"Hum to bas kal hi mile the usse... Lekin ek hi din mein usko pehechaan liya aur pyaar bhi ho gaya hume usse Mom !...", Kitty exclaimed smiling.
Gayatri smiled as she looked at the photos, and she was awestruck to see the little girl, and her twin daughters' sweet talks made her happy as well.
Shaurya stood quiet, dazed, and still reeling from the fact that Anokhi had a daughter too.
Hearing his sister's words, a curiosity rose up in him to know who her daughter was.
He didn't understand why he was feeling very interested to know more about her daughter.
As his sisters stated that her daughter was exactly like her, he became even more keen to meet her daughter at least once.
He had no idea why he was so willing to learn about someone he didn't even know. But one thing lingered inside him, and it was his sister's words only. Their words about Anokhi's daughter made him a little apprehensive. It felt as if he had some sort of "connection" with her daughter, which he couldn't explain to himself.
He heaved a sigh to ease his mind, but all of a sudden, his princess's face flashed across his eyes breaking his trance. His eyes widened as he pondered why his princess's thoughts had appeared in his mind seemingly out of nowhere.
He shook his head, dismissing the thoughts.
He realized he was overthinking, and while listening to his sister's conversations, he forgot he had to leave for college.
But Mimi's face flashing across his eyes reminded him that he hadn't seen her in two days and that he would definitely meet her today.
He sighed again and turned back to leave for SIEST.
Shaurya had arrived at college, relieved that, unlike the previous two days, he would no longer have to wait or search for a "glimpse" of Miss Bhalla, as she would be right in front of him in class.
But, in the midst of his thoughts, he forgot to ask himself why did he even need a glimpse of her ?
After finishing some work in his cabin, he went to class for the start of the day's lecture.
He entered the classroom, and, as usual, the entire class greeted him, but his eyes were on the lookout for only one person.
As soon as his gaze fell on that person, she instantly averted her eyes and he, too, realized what he was doing.
Closing the door behind, he walked up to the board and began with his lecture.
His eyes would occasionally travel the way to her, but she wouldn't even give a look in his eyes making him feel his heart drop.
She sat there, facing the other side, so her eyes didn't meet his, and her face revealed her hatefulness for him which jabbed his heart.
Although her ignorance bothered him, he didn't dwell on it further and returned his attention to the class to continue with the lecture.
The lecture ended, and it was time to move on to the next.
Before leaving, Shaurya's gaze automatically returned to her, who had her eyes glued to her note-book, away from him.
He averted his gaze from her and walked away for his next lecture.
It was break time, and Shaurya was in his cabin, lost in his work.
Although he was busy in his work, but he was experiencing an odd feeling that he couldn't explain. Something strange seemed to be about to happen with him.
He had the feeling that something unexpected was going to happen, and he had no idea why he was thinking that.
He shut down his laptop, irritated that strange thing had been happening to him since the morning.
First, his sister's words in the morning triggered a strong desire in him to meet Anokhi's daughter for no apparent reason, followed by his princess's remembrance, which perplexed him as to why she appeared in his mind while thinking about Anokhi's daughter, and now this strange feeling of something unexpected happening had driven him insane.
He stood up and looked at his watch, seeing that the break was still going on, but since he hadn't seen his "princess" in a few days, he decided to go meet her a little early and then bring her up to his cabin once the break was over.
He exited his cabin and made his way to the canteen.
Shaurya had arrived at the cafeteria and smiled as he entered the kitchen to meet up with his princess.
There she was, his "princess", as jolly and cheerful as ever.
He walked up to her with a smile, and as soon as she turned her face aside to look at the person who had entered the kitchen, her face lit up with a bright smile and she exclaimed, "Laddooooooooooo !!!..."
Shaurya's grin grew even wider as he was waiting to hear this word only.
Mimi was in her Laddoo's arms in no time, her heart elated.
"Kaise ho Princess ?..."
"Main theek hoon Laddoo... Aap kaichhe ho ?...", she said, resting her hand on his shoulder.
"Aapko dekhkar main bhi theek ho gaya Princess...", he smiled, as his mind eased seeing his "Princess".
Listening to this, Mimi was reminded that she was seeing him after two days, and that he had not come to meet her during those two days.
"Laddoo... Laddoo..."
"Aap mujh chhe itne din milne nayi aaye..."
"Aapko meli yaad nayi aayi ?...", she said, her face a little sad.
His heart sank as he listened to her. He hadn't met her for merely two days, but it seemed like a long time to the little girl and to him as well.
He remembered that on his way to meet her the day before yesterday, Alok had met him on the way and informed him of his mother's arrival, after which he had forgotten everything in his rage, and that's why he couldn't meet her, but he had gone to the canteen yesterday in search of her and Pammi Aunty had informed him that Mimi hadn't arrived.
"Sorry Princess", he said as he caressed her hair.
"Laddoo ko naa parso ek zaroori kaam aa gaya tha... To isliye main aapse milne nhi aa paaya..."
"Lekin aapko pta hai... Kal main aapse milne ke liye yaha aaya tha... Tab mujhe aapki Pinny Aunty ne btaaya tha ki aap toh college aaye hi nhi... Toh is vajah se main aapse kal bhi nhi mil paaya Princess...", he explained.
Mimi became lost in thought after hearing this and realized that her Anumaa had not taken her to college the day before and that she was at home with her Kulfi.
"Ohh..."
"Achcha..."
"Main to bhool hi gayi thi Laddoo... Kal toh main Mumma ke chhaath aayi hi nhi thi... Cholly cholly (sorry)... Main bhool gayi...", she held her ears cutely.
His heart melted as he looked at her, who was holding her ears as if she had made a huge mistake, and he gently lowered her hands down, "Koi baat nhi Princess..."
"Aaj toh main aapse milne aa gaya dekho..."
"Haaaaaaaan !... Aapko toh apna plomish humechha yaad lehta hai... Lekin main kal bhool gayi thi... He he he...", she giggled, making him laugh at her adorable antics.
Mimi then remembered that the last time she met him, she had promised him that she would introduce her Anumaa to him, but they didn't get to meet for the next two days.
So she reasoned, why not make him meet Anumaa now ?
Laddoo !...", she exclaimed with glee.
"Aapko yaad hai... Aapne bola tha aap meli Mumma chhe miloge...", she asked, hopeful.
Shaurya was also reminded of Mimi's words from the day, when she expressed her desire for him to meet her Anumaa.
"Aap aaj muj chhe fil chhe milne nayi aaoge Laddoo ?..."
"Princess..."
"Aaj Laddoo ko dopaher mein firse ek zaroori kaam hai... Isliye shaayad main... main milne naa aa paau aapse..."
"Koi baat nayi Laddoo..."
"Main kal Anumaa ko aap chhe milvaane laaungi..."
"Kal ?..."
"Haan Laddoo..."
"Aap toh Anumaa chhe kabhi mile hi nayi... Main kal hi milvaaungi aapko..."
"Theek hai Princess... Jaisa aapko theek lage..."
Though from the beginning, his princess's lovely and admiring words for her "Anumaa" had impressed him instilling in him an eagerness as to who and how her mother was, but he never thought that one day he will meet her.
Nonetheless, he returned his attention to his princess, who was looking at him with bright eyes, waiting for a positive response.
"Yes Princess...", he spoke up.
"Mujhe yaad hai..."
Mimi smiled and asked with joyous hope, "Toh fil main aapko abhi milvaau Anumaa chhe ?..."
"Abhi ?...", Shaurya looked at her and remained silent, unsure what he would do after meeting her mother, but he couldn't even deny given how eager his princess was for him to meet her mother.
So, he made the decision to meet her mother, if only for the sake of his princess's happiness.
"Ok Princess..."
"Abhi hi mil lete hai aapki Mumma se..."
"Yayyyyyyyy !!...", Mimi was overjoyed and clapped, making him smile even more.
"Aap muje neeche utaal do Laddoo..."
"Main Mumma ko lekal aati hoon... Vo baahal (baahar) hi hai...", she said.
"Achcha...", Shaurya lowered her from his arms and made her stand on the ground.
"Main yahi par hoon Princess...", he said.
"Okkkkkayyyy..."
"Main bachh (bas) yoon gayi... Aul yoon aayi...", she said as she ran away with her little legs to find her mother.
He smiled as he saw her excitement, but he couldn't figure out why his heartbeat suddenly increased as soon as Mimi left.
The strange sensation he'd been experiencing had reappeared, and sweat beads had begun to form on his brow.
"Yeh mujhe tab se ho kya rha hai ?..."
"Aisi ajeeb si bechaini kyu ho rhi hai...", he said, loosening the tie slightly.
He couldn't figure out what was causing this strange restlessness. He walked over to the window to look out and get some fresh air.
Mimi emerged from the kitchen and looked around for her mother. She noticed she was working at the food counter.
With a huge smile on her face, she ran up to her. She was ecstatic to introduce her "Anumaa" to her "Laddoo".
Anokhi, who was working behind the counter at the time, felt a tug on her kurta and heard a sweet voice say, "Mumma Mumma..."
She was taken aback and turned around to see her baby girl standing there.
"Mimi ?..."
"Mimi aap yaha kya kar rhe ho ?..."
"Aapko maine akele yaha ghoomne se mana kiya tha naa Shona...", she said politely as she kneeled.
"Cholly Mumma..."
"Voh muje aapko kichhi chhe milvaana tha... Ichhliye main aapko bulaane yaha aa gayi..."
"Cholly...", she said, holding her ears, genuinely remorseful for disobeying her Anumaa.
"Alle...", Anokhi said, her baby girl's hands clasped in hers.
"Kisse milvaana hai Shona ?...", she inquired, curious as to who Mimi was referring to.
"LADDOO chhe !!...", she exclaimed, her face lit up with joy.
"Laddoo ?...", Anokhis brows furrowed.
"Haan Mumma..."
"Maine aapko btaaya tha naa... Vo mele bohot achche dochht hai... Vo muj chhe loj (roz) milne aate hai... Aul aaj bhi milne aaye hai..."
"Shona..."
"Vo aapse roz milne aate hai ??...", though she was aware that "Laddoo" was someone her daughter knew, but she had no idea that the person met her daughter on a daily basis. She was curious as to who the person was.
"Haaaaaan..."
"Unhone muj chhe pinkie plomish kiya tha... Ki vo muj chhe loj milenge...", Mimi explained.
"Vo kaha par hai Mimi ?... Aur unhone aapse kaha ki vo mujhse milna chaahte hai ?..."
"Laddoo toh kitchen mein hi hai Mumma... Aul main unko aap chhe milvaana chaahti thi... Vo mele dochht haina... Aul main to apne chhabi (sabhi) dochhto ko aap chhe milvaati hoon... Ichhliye...", she said.
As she listened to her daughter, Anokhi smiled. Despite the fact that she still had work to do at the counter, she couldn't say no to her daughter. So she decided to meet Laddoo for a brief instant.
"Achcha theek hai Mimi Shona..."
"Mumma aapke saath aa rhi hai..."
"Yayyyyyyyy !!!...", Mimi beamed with joy as she was too much excited.
Anokhi stood up, giggling at her happy daughter.
"Chale Shona ?...", Anokhi spoke up.
"Haaaaaan...", Mimi said, holding her Mumma's index finger, and the two of them headed towards the kitchen.
Shaurya was standing in front of the window. Even now, the turbulence inside him had not subsided. He was simply waiting for his princess to arrive.
"Laddooooooo !!...", his ears heard the voice they had been expecting.
He grinned and got ready to turn around.
He gradually turned around, and his eyes ended up falling on his princess, who was pointing towards him with one hand while holding someone's index finger with the other.
"Yeh dekho Mumma..."
"Yeh hai mele dochht Laddoo..."
*edited*
His orbs travelled up the path from Mimi's hand to the person, and he nearly "JUMPED OUT OF HIS SKIN" when his eyes landed on the person's face.
He was absolutely blown away with drastic chill sweeping through him and goosebumps all over him.
He focused his vision to confirm that what he was seeing was real.
He stared at her, she stared at him; their eyes reflecting the unexpectedness they hadn't expected.
A stunned silence prevailed over there, with only the cool breeze to be heard and felt.
The strange restlessness he'd been enduring had vanished into thin air, and he stood there aghast.
The passage of time seemed to slow down. He couldn't make sense of what he was seeing or hearing.
The woman his princess referred to as "Mumma" was standing there in front of him, her dupatta swaying in the gust of cool wind and her blank face gazing at him.
His eyebrows arched upwards while his jaw hanged slack.
He opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again.
"A..."
"Ano... khi...", he mumbled, bile rising up in his dry throat.
He then looked at Mimi, who had addressed Anokhi as "Mumma".
"Mumma ???...", he looked back at Anokhi in horrified disbelief.
Anoki was unblinkingly staring at him, her lips unable to form words and her cold body and unable to respond.
"Ladddoooo ?!!...", exclaimed Mimi, elated.
"Aap meli Mumma ko jaante ho ???...", she said, her eyes twinkling and a big smile on her lips.
The little girl's joyful exclaiming voice caused both of the people's deep trance to break, bringing them back to reality.
Shaurya was speechless; he couldn't believe it.
To give himself a reality check, he started walking towards the two humans in front of him, but as soon as he took one step forward, a familiar voice made him realize that everything was real.
"M... Mimi..."
"Mumma ka naa... thoda sa kaam baaki hai..."
"Aap chalo mere saath hmm..."
"Hum dono vha chalte hai...", Anokhi said as she took her baby girl in her arms and walked out of the kitchen, while Mimi kept looking at her Laddoo who was left behind, unable to decipher what happened, she just waved a goodbye to him with her small palm.
Shaurya remained stagnant at his place, dizzily staring at the departing figures, the words of his princess ringing in his ears.
"Yeh dekho MUMMA..."
"Yeh hai mele dochht Laddoo..."
He was benumbed.
He then remembered Anokhi's words.
"M... Mimi..."
"MUMMA ka naa... thoda sa kaam baaki hai..."
His brain had stopped working, and he was frozen in place, paralyzed by the situation.
"No..."
"No !... No !... No !!!..."
"Princess..."
"Mum... Mumma ??...", he stammered.
"ANOKHI ?????..."
"How's this possible ?!!...", he exclaimed, ruffling his hair with his fingers.
His mind went completely blank, and he looked here and there to make sure he was "alive".
The world seemed to spin around him as he struggled to accept the reality.
To him, everything appeared to be a hallucination. He couldn't believe what he'd witnessed just a few moments before.
His heartbeat was accelerating without pause, sweat was dripping from his forehead, and the current situation was haunting him.
His knees appeared to be collapsing. He couldn't stand it any longer because he couldn't trust what was unfolding.
He rushed outside to see his Princess.
Anokhi dashed outside toward the food counter. She was sad for fleeing the scene against her baby girl, but she wasn't even in a state to think clearly because she was literally taken aback when she saw who "Laddoo" was.
It came as a complete surprise to her, as she had no prior knowledge of it.
She had a lot of questions in her head that she wanted Mimi to answer.
"Mimi..."
"Aap..."
"Aap Laddoo ko jaante ho ?...", she was still in disbelief.
"Haan Mumma..."
"Vo toh mele bohot achche dochht hai...", she said smiling.
Anokhi listened to it and realised that Mimi had told her about Laddoo earlier as well, that he was a very good man who had promised to come to meet her every day.
She was still coming to terms with the fact that SHAURYA SIR was actually "LADDOO".
"Lekin Mumma..."
"Aapne Laddoo ko hello nhi kiya..."
"Aapne muje chhikhaaya (sikhaaya) tha naa... Jab bhi dochht chhe milte hai tab hello kalte hai...", Mimi said, her mood a little off as to why her Anumaa came outside all of a sudden.
Aokhi was at a loss for words.
"Mimi..."
"Sorry Shona..."
"Mumma ka thoda sa kaam baaki rehta tha... Aur meri class shuru hone vaali hai naa... Isliye main vha se aa gayi..."
"Hum firse..."
"Matlab kisi aur din mil lenge Laddoo se... Theek hai Shona ? ...", she struggled to speak.
"Okkaay Mumma..."
"Hum baad mein mil lenge Laddoo chhe...", Mimi happily agreed.
Anokhi plastered a smile on her face, and put Mimi down near the food counter and got back to work on her remaining tasks.
Shaurya Sir's thoughts that he was actually "Laddoo" were constantly running through her head, but she needed to focus on her work right now because the break was about to end and she had classes after that.
She decided that once she got home, she would talk to Mimi about Laddoo more openly because her mind was jumbled and she couldn't talk about it at this time.
She had a lot of questions, which she'll ask Mimi when they get home.
Shaurya had arrived outside the kitchen and was looking at his Princess and Miss Bhalla from afar.
He noticed Mimi standing near Anokhi, intently watching what her "Mumma" was doing while Anokhi kept Mimi close.
He couldn't muster the courage to confront the two of them.
He was still having a hard time accepting it.
He remembered the day the peon told him about "Anita", the library staff, and he had assumed she was Mimi's mother at that time, but now he realized what a "fool" he had been, because he hadn't asked the peon about Mimi, he had simply asked if he had seen a girl of two – three years in college, and he had ignorantly overlooked the fact that there are obviously more than one such girls in the world apart from his princess; this reminded him of the girl about Mimi's age who he had seen near the library one day. She would have been actually Anita's daughter, he deciphered.
Recalling this incident, he realized that the names "Anita" and "Anokhi" are close, and the day his princess told him about calling her Mumma "Anumaa", he had assumed that the name "Anita" might have ended up in this short form, but never ever he imagined that "Anokhi" was the actual name.
"Main ab tak sochta aaya tha ki Mimi ki Maa Anita hai..."
"L... Lekin Anokhi ??!!..."
"I just can't believe it...", he was bewildered with utter shock.
He was now recounting how many times he had even seen Anokhi and Reema in the cafeteria with his princess before, but he never had the slightest idea that Anokhi was Mimi's Anumaa. He used to believe that they were acquainted with Mimi and used to meet her during their lunch break, just like he did. He realized how stupid he had been for dismissing this knowledge so often.
He now realized that it was all because of his own incorrect assumptions that he never found out Anokhi was his princess's mother.
He was now overwhelmed by a variety of emotions, including shock, guilt, remorse, confusion, and curiosity, to name a few.
The ground underneath him slipped away as sudden realization banged him that the woman he had CHARACTER ASSASINATED was none other than his princess's DEAREST ANUMAA.
"Anokhi... Princess ki Mumma..."
"Au... Aur maine use...", the realization hit him like a ton of bricks, and he felt a flood of extreme catastrophic shame wash over him.
He was so entangled in the tidal wave of emotions that he couldn't figure out what to do or where to go.
He was going insane.
He was so gravely ashamed that the woman whom his Princess had always mentioned in her talks about how much she loved her and how good a person her Anumaa was, he had labelled that HOLY SOUL a "L-O-O-S-E C-H-A-R-A-C-T-E-R".
His throat dried up, and he felt his breathing become erratic as he imagined how disheartened his Princess would be to learn that her mother had been tagged with such dirty remarks by him, her "Laddoo".
His eyes had welled up with tears as he realized what a heinous blunder he had committed.
He was already guilty for what he had done, but the revelation of Anokhi and Mimi's relationship added so much to his guilt that he was now finding it difficult to bear the weight of his own guilt.
He was now gripped with fear after realizing that it was his princess, too, who would have gone away with Anokhi when she was leaving everything behind.
"Iska matlab..."
"Iska matlab toh..."
"A.... Agar Anokhi yaha se chali jaati..."
"Toh fir Princess bhi...", his heart throbbed.
His heart sank dangerously as he realized that, because of him, Anokhi's future, as well as his princess's, was going to be destroyed.
He realized that just because of his impulsive and shameful actions, his princess's future was going to be at STAKE.
He realized that the person his princess cherished the most, the person she couldn't see in tears, the person she treasured the most, had been hurt solely because of him.
Tears started streaming down his eyes that his princess too, like her mother, would never forgive him if she found out that he was the "cause" of her Anumaa's tears, and that he had caused her Mumma too much pain.
His eyes returned to the mother-daughter duo at the food counter, eliciting a flurry of emotions in him.
He held the wall besides him for support as the whole world seemed to come crashing down around him, and he became embroiled in an internal conflict of emotions and DISGUST for HIMSELF.
Flashes from the day before flashed across his teary eyes, when Anokhi was crying, when she had tears for no reason other than him.
His heart ached even more as he realized he had hurt his princess's most precious loved one.
He felt gravely horrified thinking would he be able to face his princess ever again.
He could no longer wait for the break to end, and he bolted from the scene, unable to take the turmoil any longer.
In the blink of an eye, the world had turned upside down around him, shaking him to his core.
"I'm sorry Princess..."
"I'm sorry..."
These were the only words that came out of his quivering lips as he stormed towards his cabin.
With teary eyes, he hurried away, cursing himself that his princess would NEVER forgive him after learning that her "Laddoo" was the WORST PERSON on the planet, because he had hurt her Anumaa — HIS PRINCESS's HEART...
Thank you SugamS5 for suggesting the Kitty and Bebo scene.
Finally ! Finally ! Finally !!... Anumaa's identity has been revealed, and I sincerely thank all of my readers for their patience. 💙💜
The main plot will now begin.😁
Do tell me in comments how was it.😊