FF: The Road to Redemption- Step 9- Negotiate from Nothing- Pg 38

"Sahil, no!"

Anika ran forward, but of course, there was no way she could possibly have reached him before his crutch made contact with the back of Shivaay Singh Oberoi's knees.

Shivaay yelped in pain and fell to aforementioned knees.

Sahil's face twisted with anger. "I don't know how little you stupid Oberois think of your sisters, but when anyone messes with my sister... this is what they get! Come on, Anika Didi. You've suffered more than enough because of this family. No more."

"Sahil, what are you doing here? I just dropped you off at boarding school two days ago. Why are you back?"

Sahil shook his head and pulled out an envelope, dropping it on the floor beside Shivaay's feet. "I went to the Principal and withdrew my name. Demanded the 15 lakhs you paid back. I know that you got that loan from this man's Dadi and I don't want you to be indebted to this family for anything. I've given it back, now you can leave. You don't owe them anything."

Shivaay's entire body seemed to go rigid. Suddenly terrified, Anika ran forward and grabbed Sahil to pull him back before Shivaay could attack.

But Shivaay didn't attack. Didn't move. Stayed on his knees on the floor. "Sahil," Anika hissed, "did you break his legs?"

Sahil's expression went from annoyed (as he glared at Shivaay who was now staring at the envelope of money as though it was the one who had just knocked him down), to amused when he turned back to look at her. "I don't think so. Didi, you always made him sound like an angry tiger but from the way he's just collapsed from one hit, it feels like I just hit a baby kitten. Is he always like this?"

Despite herself, Anika giggled. Sure, it wasn't fair that Sahil had had to come and be the one to put Shivaay in his place. But the last two days in the Oberoi Mansion had been truly unbearable.

Up until two days ago, Anika had managed to get by somehow. She would spend her days outside of the Oberoi Mansion, working every shift and event she could pick up for two different catering companies. This also suited Shivaay just fine as he was able to go about his business and have Tia step in for any occasions wherever and whenever 'Mrs Shivaay Singh Oberoi' needed to make an appearance.

Her nights she had spent at her own house, claiming to Dadi and Rudra (who were really the only ones who cared enough to mention it) that Sahil needed her. In reality, she had needed Sahil. Omkara had stopped her as she had been about to leave after giving Dadi and Rudra this explanation (evidently Rudra had immediately gone and explained the situation to him). Anika had been prepared to regale him with the same speech she had successfully used to convince Dadi to let her leave, but she hadn't needed it. "Take care, Anika. On behalf of everyone and for everything we've all put you through... I'm sorry. You do whatever you need, take whatever decision you may. You don't owe any of us anything."

Anika had been glad to discover at least one person in the Oberoi family acknowledged that she too was a living breathing human being and not just Shivaay Singh Oberoi's pet mannequin.

For the most part, Anika had thenceforth managed to go about her daily life as she had prior to meeting her husband-in-name-only.

But then came the day when she had dropped Sahil off at boarding school. After she had helped him settle in and the siblings had shared a tearful farewell, Anika had gone outside to discover one of the fleet of Oberoi vehicles waiting outside, the grey-uniformed driver nodding at her politely and opening the door.

When Anika had demanded he leave and tell the Oberois that she wanted to go back to her own house to tidy up and that she would see them tomorrow, he had bowed his head and given her an apologetic look. "Dadi sent me, Madam. She said if I don't return with you, then I had better not return at all."

Anika rolled her eyes. "Of course the Elder Goddess of Emotional Attyachaar can carry out her emotional blackmail even through the driver. Fine. I'll come. But only because I don't want to cause yet another victim in this ridiculous game Mr Oberoi is playing."

That was her own little way of getting back at him.

Anika had noticed, back when she still thought of Shivaay as some sort of human being, that he placed a lot of value on her calling him by his proper name. Shivaay. Hadn't he told her repeatedly that she should use his name? Called her cute when she had used it for the first time?

So she had decided she would no longer use it.

That left her with somewhat of a dilemma.

Because she couldn't really go back to affectionately calling him Billu Ji, now, could she? That just seemed inappropriate, borderline ludicrous even, considering their current feelings towards each other.

And then she remembered how Omkara referred to his own father as "Mr Oberoi", the detachment that created, the pure anger it was possible to fuse into those two words- five syllables.

It had given her no shortage of satisfaction to see Shivaay visibly flinch the first time she had called him that.

"I will be sharing Soumya's room as it has access to the pool. I can therefore return to your bedroom in the morning so that Dadi does not learn that we are not sleeping in the same bed. I think that should save both of us an earful on sanskaar and sindhoor in the morning. Goodnight, Mr Oberoi."

Two nights ago, the first night she had had to spend in this godforsaken house as his 'wife'. He had glared at her with those vicious eyes of his, of course he had, but what did that matter to her? What more could he possibly do to her? And there was no way for him to threaten her with Sahil's safety now.

She had walked out through the pool doors before Shivaay could say a single word.

Anika left the Oberoi house before breakfast and tried to return as late as possible, but she still had to return. Had to face Pinky's snide comments, had to ignore the disappointed looks of the rest of the family. And of course, there was Tia. The viper had taken up residence in the room Daksh had previously been staying in. She didn't leave a single opportunity to try to take a jab at Anika or try to prove to Anika that just because she had married Shivaay, it didn't mean she was actually married to Shivaay.

Maybe a month ago this would have upset her, but Anika had long since moved past caring. To be honest, Pinky and Tia's attempts to shame or upset her really only succeeded in boring her and making her roll her eyes so hard she thought they might detach at the back. Soumya had caught her doing so and stifled a giggle by pretending to choke on a bite of food. Since then, Anika had been directing her eye rolls and mimicry of her mother-in-law and fellow quasi-spouse of Shivaay Singh Oberoi? at this unexpected new ally.

Anika made Soumya laugh so hard she cried when they talked before falling asleep, neither bringing up the reason for Anika being there in the first place. And because Soumya did her this courtesy, when Anika had discovered a mangalsutra and a ring tucked away in Soumya's dressing table drawer while searching for a hairbrush, Anika also said nothing. She was done with sticking her nose into the affairs of the inhabitants of the Oberoi Mansion. Even the ones she liked.

Especially the ones she liked.

When she really thought about it, Anika supposed that however bad things were for her right now, they weren't as bad as they were for Tia's husband. Her real one. The one from the photos. He had to watch his wife spending her days parading around in front of the world as the wife of another man, and then spend his nights worrying that she was spending hers in the arms and bed of a man to whom she wasn't even married.

And Anika at least quite openly had the support of everyone in the household who was younger than Shivaay (and questionable support from everyone older than him who wasn't his mother). Tia only had Pinky.

After her whole kidnapping drama, Shivaay made sure there were security guards following Tia everywhere. Anika took a kind of sick pleasure in knowing that there was absolutely no way Tia could sneak off to meet up with her real husband.

Honestly, if Anika was stuck in a house where the only two people she had to talk to were Shivaay and Pinky, she thought she might be forced to stick her head in an oven.

Speaking of real husbands... Anika's own was still kneeling on the ground and staring at the envelope, looking as though it might grow teeth and snap at him at any moment.

"Mr Oberoi? Are you okay? Do you want me to call you a doctor or something?"

"When- when did you take this loan from Dadi?"

"Huh?"

"When- did Dadi give you this money?"

"Hmm?" Anika tried to think back. "Oh, I remember. It was the morning after I spent the night with Soumya in Daksh's room. You remember, right? You got really pissed off that I stayed late and so grabbed me and forced me to get in a car and go home, but then Daksh called saying Soumya was scared there was someone in her room and so could I come back and keep her company. He gave up his room for the night and then in the morning, he came and gave me the money while I was still in there because Dadi handed it to him. Mr Oberoi, what's wrong?"

Shivaay wasn't kneeling anymore. Even his knees seemed unable to support him and he just crumpled to the ground.

"Didi? Did he just die?"

"I don't know, Sahil. I think he may have. Here, you sit down on this chair and pass me your crutch."

Anika reached out with the crutch and gently poked Shivaay in the arm. When he didn't move, she poked him a little harder.

Still nothing.

She passed the crutch back to Sahil and they both raised their eyebrows at each other.

Anika walked over to the possibly-dead man on the floor and poked his forehead with one finger. She gasped as his eyes flashed open and one hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

He sat up, and Anika felt her heart start to thump in terror as she recognised the look in his eyes. It was the same one he'd had when he had threatened her and forced her to marry him after essentially calling her a prostitute. The insult had come out of nowhere and completely baffled Anika when he'd thrown it at her. But it made about as much sense as everything else Shivaay had done since then, so she hadn't questioned him about it again.

As if she would ask this man for anything anymore. Even an explanation.

"You were with Soumya that night?"

"What?" Why was he asking this? Why did nothing this infuriating man said or did ever make any sense? "Yes, she thought there was someone in her room and she was scared. Everyone else was already asleep and Daksh is a guy and he doesn't know Soumya very well, so I came back and kept her company instead. Why do you care?"

"Of course I care. Why would I- why would he-"

Anika jerked her wrist out of his grasp, unsure what the hell Shivaay was thinking or talking about.

"And this money is from Dadi?"

Anika resorted to the eye roll which she was sure would become her signature after a few more days living in this house. "Don't worry, I wasn't taking it as charity. I just needed the money quickly for Sahil's school, but obviously my credit rating isn't good enough to get a loan like that so Dadi got it for me, Don't worry, I fully intend to pay her back. It's part of the reason I'm working 2 jobs right now."

"Anika shut up."

"No you shut up. Don't ask me questions and then refuse to listen to the whole answer."

Anika stood up and brushed off her thighs. She picked the envelope up and turned back to Sahil, deciding she'd had enough of dealing with Shivaay for now. "Sahil, come on. We're going back to your school and I'll throw around Mr Oberoi's name a bit to make sure they take you again. Might as well use this sham of a relationship for some good."

"But I don't want to."

"Sahil! Now is not the time. Come on." She glanced back at Shivaay, who seemed frozen in place, as though the ice that undoubtedly covered his heart had finally succeeded in its mission of capturing his entire body.

She wondered if she should see what was wrong. Part of her wanted to, but that was the part of her which had been completely shattered by Shivaay's actions a month ago. It was the part of her she had mentally swept up and tucked away on a shelf right at the back of her heart.

Now she lived by the reign and rules of the Anika who had survived as an orphan in a world which had grown increasingly more selfish and less willing to extend the hand of kindness. She was the Anika who cared about nobody's opinion but her own, and maybe that of Sahil's. She was the Anika who was able to step over Shivaay's form and walk down the corridor happily chatting with Sahil about how he had found the day he had spent at school and asking if he'd gone to any classes or met anyone he thought might become a friend.

She was the Anika who hugged Sahil goodbye at the school a few hours later and promised him that she would be okay. She was the Anika who Sahil hugged back, truly believing that his Didi would be okay.

And if she wasn't?

Well.

Sahil had two spare crutches beside this one. He could stand to break one or two over a certain idiot temporary-brother-in-law's skull.

She was the Anika who did not see Shivaay Singh Oberoi pick himself up off the floor, so many things finally falling into place. Did not see him shaking as he stumbled to his room and locked all the doors. She had become the Anika who was not there when her husband went on a rampage: throwing anything which was not bolted down; smashing anything which was not unbreakable; tearing anything with a seam to tear...

Shivaay Singh Oberoi sat in the middle of the wreckage and contemplated the even bigger mess he had made of his life.

All over a misunderstanding. Lies told by someone he should not have trusted, truths not believed from someone he should.

He didn't know if there was anything which could be done to fix what he had broken. He doubted it. But he was goddamn Shivaay freaking Singh Oberoi. And he'd be damned if he didn't try.

As Shivaay considered the winding and painful road he would have to walk towards redemption, towards a finish line so far in the distance he did not know what it would even lead to, he asked himself- just once- if it was worth it?

Memories flooded him. All that she had meant to him, all that she had done for him and all the terrible, unforgivable pain he had caused her in return. For nothing. Over nothing.

Nothing.

Was it worth it?

You bet your life it was.

Step Two- Say the Words

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I'm sorry to those of you reading 'Consequences'. I really want to write an update for it but my mind is just drawing a complete blank after the past few episodes of the show when it comes to trying to create any kind of senti or emotional scenes. So I wrote the first chapter of this story as a way to try to move past that mental block and also try to reconcile myself with what is happening on the show right now. I hope you enjoyed it and please do let me know what you thought :)