ShaKhi One Shots (OS)

Shakhi OS Silver Linings

Backstory: This OS takes place right after Anokhi witnesses Shaurya telling Astha that he doesn't care if she lives or dies when she comes to meet him on his birthday.

ShaKhi OS | Silver Linings |

Anokhi saw how Shaurya behaved with Astha. He just declared he doesn't care if his mother lives or dies. She was taken aback to see how much Shaurya hated his mother.

'Koyi apni maa se aese kaise bath kar saktha hai?' was the only thing playing in her head.

Before she could do something, she saw Shaurya getting on his car and raced away from the spot, leaving behind a broken Astha. She rushed to her Astha mam and held her.

"Mam..."

Astha cried, holding onto Anokhi, repeatedly saying what a bad mother she has been all these years. Anokhi don't know how to console Astha. She made Astha sit in the nearby bench and held onto her, letting Astha to cry out her pain.

"Mam, sambhaliyeh apne aap ko. You are not completely healed yet" She said "Let me get you some water"

Anokhi went to the canteen and came back with a glass of water and asked Astha to drink. Astha refused.

"I have been such a bad mother all these years" Astha cried "He hates me, Anokhi. My son hates me so much"

"Mam, aap aese math sochiyeh. Unhe galat faami hui hai. Sab kuch teek ho jayega. Aap fikhar math kijiyeh. Sambhaliyeh apne aap ko" She tried her best to console Astha.

Astha hasn't spoken about her pain to anyone in the past 25 years. She kept it all inside her. She thought it'll make her strong but she was wrong. She felt the pain tenfold today.

Anokhi let Astha cry. She knows it's the only way Astha can feel better. She needs to let it all out. She embraced her Astha mam and caressed her hair, letting Astha know that she is there for Astha. They sat in silence.

"Shaurya was nine years old when my brother died in Accident" Astha spoke after a long silence. Anokhi stiffened but said nothing, urging Astha to continue.

"My father was long retired. There wasn't anyone to take care of them. I wanted to take care of them, support them. Tej bhaisaab asked me not to think about them as I'm a Sabherwaal now. Devi Bhabhi, who always wanted Shaurya for herself, took advantage of the situation. She said I can't use Sabherwals money to take care of my old parents. That's why I decided to work again. But Sabherwal Bahu's can't work. They can only be a home maker. I argued with Tej Bhaisaab and Devi Bhabhi. Shaan can't even say anything to stand my cause. That is when Tej Bhaisaab and Devi Bhabhi decided to remove me from Sabherwal mansion. They just didn't remove me from their house but also from my son's life. I begged them to let me take Shaurya with him but they refused. Devi Bhabhi made sure to fill Shaurya's mind with hatred for me. He grew with this hatred for 25 years, Anokhi. Its true that I didn't fight for him. I thought if I fight for his custody then I will put him under pressure at such a young age. I thought Shaan would raise him better but Devi Bhabhi took over Shaurya. She manipulated him that I have left him for my career, that I only care about me and not him. She told him that I gave up on him and left him because I was selfish"

Astha cried while Anokhi could do nothing but hold onto her Astha mam.

"I have spent endless hours at the gate of Sabherwal mansion just to get a glimpse of my son. When I came to know he got into an accident, I rushed to the hospital but Devi bhabhi's people didn't let me meet Shaurya. She repeatedly manipulated him over and over for 25 years. I'm sure not a day would have passed without Devi Bhabhi filling his head against me. His hatred towards me is justified. In the end It was me who left him motherless. Patha hai, in childhood, he wouldn't even sleep without my stories or lohri. Every night after I left, I couldn't sleep in the thought that what Shaurya would do; Will he able to sleep without me? I wrote him countless letters. All came back with 'returned' stamps. As years passed, I grew to live with this pain. Shaan would send Shaurya's pictures every now and then. That is what made me kept going in life. I heard from people that he hates me. But when he voiced it to me, I couldn't handle it..."