The moment the thought crossed her mind—that she had lost her child—tears began streaming from Shanti's eyes. Aman's eyes too welled up with pain, but he somehow managed to hold back his tears. Gently wiping her tears away, Aman pulled her into his arms, cradling her as if trying to shield her from the world's cruelty.
Half an hour passed in silence and sorrow. When Jai and Shivani entered the bungalow, they were immediately alarmed by the somber expressions on the servants' faces. Concerned, Jai asked what had happened. Hearing the truth, both Jai and Shivani were shaken. Their eyes filled with tears. Without wasting a moment, they rushed to Aman's room.
There, they saw Aman sitting on the bed, holding Shanti in his arms, gently stroking her hair. Both Aman and Shanti were visibly broken, eyes swollen with tears. As Jai and Shivani approached quietly, the soft sound of their footsteps drew Aman and Shanti's attention. They looked up toward the door where the couple stood.
Seeing them, Shanti broke down once again. Her tears flowed uncontrollably. Aman stood up quickly, walked to Shivani, and gently helped her sit on the bed. Shanti instantly wrapped her arms around Shivani and sobbed uncontrollably on her shoulder. Shivani comforted her, gently rubbing her back, whispering soothing words. Then she cupped Shanti's face and wiped away her tears with utmost tenderness.
Aman, overcome with emotion, embraced Jai, and tears he had long held back finally escaped. Jai held him firmly and said in a composed voice, "Aman… please calm down. It's good that we discovered the ectopic pregnancy in time and managed to save the fallopian tube. Just think… if we had found out even a little later, the consequences could have been far worse."
Shivani turned to Shanti and tried to lift her spirits. "Bhabhi, if you stay healthy in the future, you and Aman Bhaiya can have as many children as you wish," she said warmly, offering a faint smile of hope.
She then called for a maid and instructed her to prepare four different kinds of soup. Within minutes, the maid entered with a tray and placed it on the table before leaving. Shivani picked one bowl from the tray and started feeding the soup to Shanti, spoon by spoon, with care only a sister could show.
Two days passed like this—silent, heavy, and still. The light had vanished from Aman and Shanti's faces. They barely spoke, barely smiled. Following the doctor's advice, Shivani ensured the maid prepared meals with fresh green vegetables for everyone. That afternoon, as everyone gathered for lunch, Shivani too sat down and took a spoonful of her favorite dish—palak paneer.
But the moment it touched her tongue, she felt something strange. Her face tensed, and she stood up abruptly, rushing toward the sink. Everyone froze. Jai, alarmed, ran after her. Aman quickly gestured to Shanti and Aditya to remain seated, then followed Jai.
Jai and Aman found Shivani vomiting violently. Every bit of food she had eaten came out. Jai reached her first, gently rubbing her back, trying to comfort her. Then, supporting her carefully, he helped her to a chair and made her sit down. Aman offered her a glass of water, saying softly, "Here, drink this."
Shivani took the glass with trembling hands and slowly sipped the water. Jai took the empty glass and placed it on the table.
Aman looked at her with concern. "Are you okay, Shivani?"
She nodded weakly. "Yes, Bhaiya… I'm fine. But I don't understand… I love palak paneer. Why did it make me feel so sick today? I just don't get it…"
Aman gave her a teasing smile and said, "Because your baby, just like Jai, doesn't like spinach."
Shivani stared at Aman in disbelief, then turned to look at Jai, eyes wide with realization. Jai, caught off guard by her gaze, looked away, embarrassed.
Just then, little Aditya, who had been sitting in Shanti's lap, ran up to Shivani and asked sweetly, "Dimma, what happened to you?"
His innocent concern distracted Shivani. She ruffled his hair gently and replied, "Nothing, beta. Everything's fine."
Soon after, everyone finished their meal quietly and retreated to their respective rooms.
Later, in their room, Shivani lay on the bed with Aditya's head in her lap, lulling him to sleep. Once he was asleep, she turned to Jai, who lay beside her pretending to be asleep, and whispered, "Do you really not like spinach?"
Jai didn't respond.
Shivani waited a moment, then sighed. "Alright… I'll ask you tomorrow."
She reached over, turned off the bedside lamp, and closed her eyes.
Jai slowly opened his eyes. Turning toward her, he whispered softly, "Yes, Shivani… I don't like spinach. But how do I tell you that? I just don't know. I'm sorry, Shivani…"
With that, he closed his eyes again, letting silence blanket the room.
---
A few days passed.
Jai had begun to notice something that disturbed him deeply. Every time Shanti looked at Shivani's stomach, her own hand instinctively went to her belly, and her eyes filled with sorrow. Jai could feel her pain without her having to say a word. He understood her feelings. But somewhere inside, he feared that someone's eyes might be casting shadows on Shivani's child.
Worried and wanting to shield them from further grief, Jai decided to send Aman and Shanti to London for a while. He made Aman promise to stay away from TV and mobile screens during that time, to focus only on Shanti's well-being.
Just before their departure, Dipali ji—Jai's aunt—came to visit with her brother Dhananjay and nephew Ajay. Since she was already in town, she decided to visit Jai too. Her arrival brought a rare smile to Jai's face.
With Aman gone and work piling up, Jai found himself unable to pay much attention to Shivani. Concerned for her health and care, he requested Dipali ji to stay back and look after Shivani while he traveled out of town for a site inspection. She agreed, and Jai felt a wave of relief wash over him.
As he left, he looked back once, and for a moment, the heaviness of everything lingered in his heart—but he also knew that sometimes, even silence is a kind of healing.
Dear Readers,
I'm sharing this with all of you with a very heavy heart. Perhaps you don't know, but I write every single episode with deep effort and emotion. My own financial situation is not good at the moment. About a month ago, Webnovel rejected my contract. That moment broke me completely. I had made up my mind to stop this novel then and there.
But… seeing the attachment of some of you readers, I held myself back. I started writing again — only and only for you. Because I believed that maybe you were waiting for my episodes.
To tell you the truth, Webnovel doesn't pay me a single rupee anymore, yet I continue writing from the bottom of my heart every day. Why? Because I believed that maybe you connect with my words, that you feel what I try to express.
But it hurts… deeply… when none of you leave a comment or even a like. I don't understand — has my story stopped touching your heart? Has something been missing in my writing lately?
If you can take time to read the entire episode, is it really that hard to leave just a small comment or a like? It may take you only a second, but for me, it means motivation, it becomes strength to keep going.
If my story truly doesn't touch you anymore, then fine… I will stop this novel right here. Because I cannot keep writing when no one seems to feel or acknowledge my efforts.
Still, I sincerely thank those few readers who have supported me till now.
I'll be waiting — for just one reaction, one word — something to tell me that my story has touched your heart.
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Your Author
Suman Sahani