Chapter 1

Shiva Pandya drove his bike recklessly. He had turned into a bad driver now. Not because he had a death wish] but because he hoped that Raavi would turn up from somewhere and scold him for being irresponsible. As much as he tried, he couldn't forget Raavi. She came in his dreams, in his illusions and in his hallucinations. 

He pulled the brakes and parked the bike near the store. As he pulled out the keys, he sighed aloud. 

"Please Raavi, come back. I want you back. Please come back to me," he said mentally, but he knew that this was payback for the way he had treated her.

If he had trusted her, she might have been with him today but destiny had caused him to suffer like this. No - he had caused him suffer like this. 

It had been 4 years since Shiva had been fighting with himself, but how was he to tell her that? He loved her then why on earth had he let her go? In his dreams, he would ask her to come back but she would just stand silently as tears continuously rolled down her eyes. It was next to impossible for him to survive without Raavi. But he lived for the sake of his family, his brothers, his mother, his sisters-in-law and his nephew Vansh - the one bright spark in his otherwise empty life. He had people around him who cared about him but her absence had created a deep void that left him hollow. He sat on his bed, feeling the bed he had shared with her, running his hands over the mattress wistfully. It felt empty now and it stung, like there were thorns all over it. Just like his life.

He picked up his phone and scrolled down his mobile gallery, gazing at every picture he had of Raavi. Cursing himself again, he wished he could change that inauspicious day.

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Raavi was sitting in the hotel room lost in her thoughts, while her son, Shivin played with the remote controlled car he had brought with him. She didn't know how to face Shiva. Should she go to Pandya Niwas? Or she should meet him at the store? Or should she call him to some neutral place? She knew it would be a shocker for him but she had no other choice.

She had gone to painstaking lengths to avoid Shiva. She had moved to Mumbai and had returned to Somnath only now. Her conscience had been constantly nagging her and she realized her silence wasn't fair on anyone. Not fair on Shiva and most of all, not fair on Shivin. But she was afraid if the family would understand her sudden appearance after 4 long years. Things hadn't ended well with Shiva and she had sworn to him and to herself that she would put as much distance as she could between them.

Raavi quickly fixed her stole around her neck, deciding to leave for Pandya Niwas. She picked out her favourite dress and put on a minimum of makeup. While she examined herself to make sure that everything was in place, she smiled at Shivin who combed his hair excitedly, eager to meet his Papa. They would both be happy seeing each other, she thought while fixing her dress. That's when she realized she was wearing blue - his favourite colour.

It doesn't matter, she thought. It was simple, it was plain and she wasn't dressing for anyone but herself. She didn't want to think about him anymore, so she pushed her thoughts over to something better - her son.

"Mamma, Papa will be sufer-ised," he said excitedly.

"Not sufer-ised, baby. Surprised." 

"That's what I said. Sufer-rised."

Raavi chuckled and shook her head at Shivin. She hung her purse on her shoulder and took Shivin's hand after locking the door properly.

While they got into the cab, Raavi looked at Shivin thoughtfully. She had never hidden his father from him. She had showed him Shiva's photo and told him his name. 

But would Shivin's dream of having a happy family ever come true? Would Shiva accept him as his own son? Raavi gazed out the window at the familiar sights of Somnath lost in the moment. She had no idea about the storm that awaited her at Pandya Niwas - that would bring her crashing back into a past she had decided to leave behind for good.

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"Who are you, baby? What are you doing here?" 

Shivin looked at the lady who kept asking him questions. 

"I want to meet Papa," he said in a bossy tone. 

Rishita Pandya was absolutely clueless. Who was this little kid, searching for his father in her house? 

"What's your name, baby? Who is your Papa?" she asked again. 

Shivin was losing patience as he knew it was his Papa's house. His mamma had told him it was and she never lied. While Raavi was paying the cab, he had run inside in excitement. His mamma had said that everyone knew her Papa here and he was impatient to see him.

"I am Shivin and I want my Papa. Call my Papa, tell him his son is here." 

Rishita closed her eyes to control her temper. Her 7 month big belly was already too much for her to tolerate and this kid was irking her more. 

Wait, had this kid come in search of Dev? Had he cheated on her at some point and this boy was the result of it? And did he want the woman back now because she was fat and ugly? Rishita's face scrunched up and she burst into tears. 

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Raavi paid the cab driver and looked around for Shivin, panic hitting her as she found him missing. She began calling out to him frantically, cursing herself for letting him go. Assuring herself that he must have gone into the house, she made her way up the steps, her heart beating rapidly.  She was going to give the entire family a shock by dropping this bomb on them all of a sudden.  

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Hearing Rishita wailing, Dhara rushed out of the kitchen. Just as she was trying to console her and trying to figure out the reason for her tears, her eyes fell on the little boy standing at a distance. She walked to him, squatting low to meet his eye-level and began questioning him. 

"I am here to meet my Papa," Shivin said. 

"Dhara Di," Rishita sobbed. "Dev is cheating on me. See, his son is here to meet him."

Dhara sighed. The family had been having a hard time dealing with Rishita's crazy mood swings. Dhara rolled her eyes, about to reassure Rishita when she realized the kid was running across the house. She rose up and began chasing him.

"Bhabhi, who's this kid?" Krish asked, seeing her running behind a small boy. 

"I don't know, Krish. Just catch hold of him," Dhara said helplessly and Krish joined the chase. 

Soon, Dev and Gaumbi joined them too, a train of adults chasing a little boy. Gaumbi finally caught up to him. Shivin struggled to free himself from his grip but obviously he was too strong for little Shivin. Defeated, he started to cry loudly.  

Shiva came out of his room hearing the chaos. 

"What's happening?" he asked, confused. 

And then he noticed his brother holding a little boy in his arms. 

"Papa!" Shivin yelled, between hiccups. 

Gautam released Shivin and he rushed to Shiva who involuntarily sank down to his knees. The boy threw his tiny hands around Shiva's broad chest, still sobbing. Shiva felt a  wave of tenderness as he hesitantly put his arms around the child, at the same time his mind was whirling at being addressed as Papa. He picked the boy up and Shivin hugged him tightly, hiding his face in crook of his neck, his little chest still heaving.

"Shh, it's okay. I got you." Shiva tried to calm him. 

He didn’t know who this kid was and he had no idea how to handle a child, having never handled one before. But some kind of natural instinct took over and he found himself murmuring words of comfort as he ran his hand gently down the boy's back. The rest of the family was watching him, mouths agape.

"How did you come here? Does your mamma know you're here? Where is she? " he asked gently as the boy's sobs abated.

The boy lifted his head and pointed towards the door.

"There," Shivin replied. 

All of a sudden, Shiva felt his heart beat faster and he slowly turned towards the door in anticipation, his eyes falling on a stunning woman. He froze. It was like time had stopped and all he could focus on was her face.

Raavi's eyes were fixed on Shiva holding Shivin and she felt a rush of emotion. He looked the same, only more handsome. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest as their gazes met. She noticed something in his eyes that seemed familiar. Something that she had thought she had seen before when they had been together. Something like longing. 

Shiva put Shivin down, and began walking slowly towards her. Raavi found her feet inadvertently moving towards him, their gazes never leaving each other. Everyone else was dumbstruck, their heads swinging between Shiva, Raavi and little Shivin. Raavi and Shiva were lost in each other, speaking volumes with their gazes without saying anything at all. 

"Mamma!" a little voice cried and made everyone jump.

Raavi bent down nervously, waiting to hug Shivin as he ran to her while Shiva and his family stared open-mouthed in shock.

- Beta-read by LizzieBennet