"......and she loved a little boy and girl very, very much____ Even more than she loved herself"
The premises of OM were filled with unresolved tension, helplessness, sadness and grief. Gauri was over herself not understanding how could her son do something like this? Where did she go wrong?? Didn't she teach him morals then how come the passion of money seeped inside his head and ruled?? What went wrong that the son who was the proud of the entire family, the son she could proudly say is self made, hardworking, kind and a good human couldn't even meet anyone's eyes.
And from the other children expression, it is clear that this is new to them too. Well, new for Shivika and Omisha though Ritisha looked like she knew about this but didn't say anything. Ritisha seemed unaffected by all the happenings around her and it bothered Gauri, how come someone stay so unbothered by such things. Here, she couldn't help but hurt just by thinking how much that girl might be hurt and there she was standing all unaffected and unbothered like anything happening in the family is none of her concern.
"You knew about this, didn't you??" Gauri questioned Ritisha with blood red puffy eyes and broken tone as a bitter smirk graced the young girl's face.
"I'm not blind choti ma, I maybe the middle child but I don't usually turn a blind eye on my surroundings. Why do you think I prefer staying in distant mountains and jungles more than this place?? why did you think I stay outdoor more and less in this golden prison, you may have forgotten but I haven't my room was next to Anya di's" with those words Ritisha left the main hall, walking back to her room to sul over matters.
If the past is reanalyzed it won't be hard for anyone to guess that Ritisha was Anya's fav. Even now when Anya is all changed out of all her family members she gladly chose Ritisha in her team. She was connected to Shivika by emotions, always sending her gifts on her b'day even when she wasn't present in her life. She just fulfills the promise she had done to Shivika as a child, to always care for her even when her heart really doesn't want to care for her while she was connected to Ritisha by heart, the first time she was shifted to another unknown corner of the house, alone and terrified for the days the child never got to know that a part of her family lived just a door away from her. Her Rudy papa and his wife lived just a room apart from her but the little girl was unknown to this fact. She was unaware of the game played around her, she needed to be a pawn, she needed to hate herself yet appearances needed to be kept. The truth couldn't be let out in the open and the girl still needed to feel isolated yet the parents should also be given a reasonable reason and Ritisha was the reason. The daughter of youngest son and daughter-in-law in the family who were successfully sent out most of the time and another pawn in the great game. A bond like previous shouldn't be born, they couldn't have an united front against then now, the previous united front had damaged some of their plans. They couldn't have it this time too, no the family needed to be as divided as possible.
She never realized that Ritisha and Anya had formed a bond. She never knew they were close, no underestimating the lonely girls was a mistake, she concentrated all her energy in making sure Shivika and Shivanya never come close that she forgot the others. No, she needed to rectify the mistake, she needed to know how much Ritisha knows, how much Anya had told her or the whole plan will blow up on their faces. No, she couldn't allow the oberoi bond to win this time. They needed to suffer, they needed to suffer like her. Every tear she has ever shed in this mansion needed to be avenged, they can't ever be in peace. They can't get the happiness she never got, they can't live their life happily with their children when she didn't get the chance. No, Shivika , Rikara or Ruvya will never achieve the happily ever after with their children. No, they don't deserve that specially Shivika. They don't deserve to be happy when she isn't. Their children will suffer because of the parents, Shivika will be detested. She made sure Shivika will become the spoilt rich brat her mother hated all her life and she made Shivanya miserable but here she is calling herself Anya, threatening to spoil everything and she won't let that happen.
Anya may know many secrets, Anya may have changed Svetlana but Anya won't ever reach her after all this house will burn down to it's root before anyone could ever reach her.
Gauri looked around her family lying all around her like shattered pieces of glasses and if the glasses are not picked up very carefully they'll leave deep wounds. For the first time since her arrival in OM Anika bhabi was standing against her, Anika bhabi had raised her voice against her, had looked at her with questioning eyes and Gauri didn't knew how the relations strained this much?? How a seemingly happy family is all shattered throwing accusing looks at each other.
"Where is Shivanya??" Anika's sudden question startled everyone as everyone noticed Shivanya's absence
"Your daughter flied away after creating a storm" Tej Singh Oberoi informed the whole family whether he was casually mentioning a fact or taunting them, she couldn't decipher but Anika bhabi have taken his words as a taunt as she glared at the direction of Tej Singh Oberoi before leaving the hall, not answering to anyone.
Gauri was looking around her and couldn't help but let down few tears, how come all this happened. After that incident Anika bhabi was totally broken she couldn't shoulder the responsibility of family anymore. She had slowly retreated away from everyone and she had bared the responsibility of the family. She handled everything, did whatever was expected of her then how the family is in this condition now. What went wrong???????
Anika was sitting in her room, surrounded by her own darkness as always. There were very few countable moments of pure joy in her life and now all of those seemed consumed by darkness. She may be a bad mother but her love for her children isn't untrue. No one is connected to them like her, they're part of her soul. She had carried them in her womb for 9 months, she has shared her thoughts and feelings with them. she had felt them and she had loved them first. She loves them more than herself, more than her own life. She always had and always will. In the face of death she wished for their life, in pain she wished for their happiness. People point fingers at her question her love but were they the one who carried them for 9 months, were they the one who fought death to bring them in this world, were they the one who were bleeding to death but just wanted to see her children before darkness totally consumed her. The world didn't stay awake night after night caring for two screaming infants who will wail whenever let down from their mother's lap, she had spent endless days and nights surrounded by just them. Do anyone knows the pain of losing a child?? Do anyone ever realize how painful it is to lose a child and be distant from other for her benefit. Do you know how horrifying it is to see your child bleeding to death because of you and you don't remember doing that?? Do you know how terrifying it feels to be afraid of your own body, to be not in control of your own actions when the weekly sessions in hospitals fall are just good for nothing, when your doctors advise you to stay away from your own child as you could lose your balance any moment and kill on your child. Do you know how terrifying it feels?? because she does, she remembers the frightened eyes of her Shivanya as she stood on her door with her head bleeding and broken pieces around her feet and everyone tells her that she had thrown the projectile towards her own daughter, she had made her daughter bleed and she doesn't remember doing so but the fright in her child's eyes are there haunting her and just making her resolve to stay as far away from her as possible for her own safety.
Do you know how it hurts when you realize in a single moment you have lost two children and you can't do anything about it. People thinks Ansh was her fav but no it was Anya, her first child, the child she held first and the child who called her ma first but she was at one moment separated from both of them even her time with Shivika was limited. She really didn't truly raise any of her child. She raised Anya and Ansh somewhat but never Shivika, Shivika was raised by Gauri, Bhavya, Pinky and Jhanvi ma, they promised her they will look after her kids when she couldn't but now looking at Anya's hatred and Shivika's indifference she doesn't know what went wrong. She doesn't know why is Shivanya so angry is it really because what she said that day?? Doesn't parents have the right to get angry on their children?? Is she really punishing her this much for those words or being absent from her childhood? but didn't she know what she was suffering from?? Didn't she know she was staying away just to spare her the pain?? Didn't she knew she was just a little better with Shivika as doctors allowed her to be with Shivika?? Did no one explain to Anya what was really wrong with her?? Why she couldn't hug or talk to her even when she was dying to do so??
Did no one explained it to Anya why her parents were absent from her life?? Did no one tell her about the crisis and why her father rarely stayed at home?? Did no one told her why Shivaye won't be with his ailing wife and daughters for months after months and grace them with just few days with, did no one really explain to her why Shivika knew her father even less than Shivanya did?? Why Anya hated Gauri ?? Didn't Gauri and Om took care of her when she and Shivaaye were unable to?? What Gauri meant by you don't have any right? There were so many questions in her mind and not enough answers.
Hadn't she herself seen Gauri taking care of Anya, feeding her and singing her to sleep with Omav and Omisha then what's wrong with the whole situation?? Is Anya really angry on all of them because how they reacted during the time Shivika was hurt??
Anika's mind was swirling with questions and Svetlana's wicked laugh as she whispered to them about " how they were too paranoid but never enough paranoid, along the whispers of Ansh being alive."
And she doesn't understand anything that is going on around her to be truthful, expect Anya being gravely injured every time she tried to get close to her. she didn't remember doing anything she was all blank and Anya would be still hurt one way or another whimpering in extreme pain as she bled with no one but her to blame. so, she stopped trying and hurting her daughter more than she already was then why Anya still hates her so much?? Is this hate because of the wounds her illness gifted her with or their is something else and why doesn't she remember anything beside a bleeding Anya whenever she tries to think of her and Anya's moments. Why is everything so hazy and unclear? Why can't she remember the times she saw her own daughter beside conjuring an image of her bloody form?
Anika was confused when Gauri entered her room looking all dejected and low and she couldn't help but ask her " why does Anya hates you?? Didn't you care for her?? didn't you raise her in my absence then why she calls other's ma and not you??"
Anika's voice was full of pain as she looked at her in a broken voice and Gauri seemed more surprised with her question "bhabi, it was pinky ma who looked after Anya, you told everyone to treat Anya as your son's culprit, you didn't want anyone near her remember after the time when Omav and Omisha were badly injured while playing with Anya everyone decided it's better if they don't interact with each other. I didn't interact with her much you know that bhabi" Gauri's tone was laced with confusion while Anika's face was full of fury, not understanding anything around her, nothing made sense anymore.
......to be continued.......
Happy Independence day and Raksha bandhan everyone, okay so few chapters will seem senseless and few memories will be totally contrast with each other. Anika have something else in her mind and Anya a totally different experience. so, what is the truth and really what makes sense cause what Anika thinks will be a total lie if you ask Anya, those things never happened with her. Well, beside her father's stay of just few days in OM. To know the mystery keep on reading and guessing.