Broken Hearts and Strange Girls || Shivika AU FF

𝐗𝐗𝐈𝐕

Annika was seated at the poolside, her tears flowing freely when she felt someone approach. Hastily, she wiped her tears and stared at the water in hopes of being left alone. Her luck wasn't on her side as Shivaay tossed his shoes to the side, rolled up his pants, and sat beside her. "What happened?"

"Nothing. Where were you?" Annika questioned him instead. Shivaay looked down. "At the office," he said quietly. Annika looked over at him with her watery brown eyes. "What?" she whispered.

"I went back today. I tried to get some work done. But, the entire time, I couldn't stop thinking about you, so I came home. It isn't exactly the most comforting thing in the whole world to come home to the person you've been thinking about all day, only to see them crying. Worse is probably to see them attempt to hide it from you," Shivaay said softly, cupping her cheek with one hand and wiping away a fallaway tear.

Annika grabbed Shivaay's hand and held it between her two palms. Something about Shivaay's touch, his words, his concern made Annika's walls melt away, and her tears began flowing freely. "What happened, Annika?" Shivaay asked again, gentler this time.

"Papa. Aishu brought him here. I-I don't want to see him, Shivaay. I'm sc-scared of him."

"Why?" Shivaay asked worriedly.

"Because I love him," Annika sobbed. "I'm scared he'll tell me to give it all up, and I'm terrified that I'll listen. Shivaay, I've spent such a long time running away from him, I'm scared of losing control once I see him again. Everything I've worked for, everything I've dreamed, it'll become a distant memory. I don't want that to happen."

"Tell me everything, Annika."

Annika looked into Shivaay's worried blue eyes hesitantly. She saw pure, unadulterated love in them. She saw pure, unadulterated love for her.

She took a breath, and began.

"Papa was the greatest man I knew. I loved him way too much for my own good. He cared for everyone. He had the biggest heart. He had the most amazing passion for his work. He was a businessman. Like you and Om and Tej Uncle. He was giving.

He married my birth mother, Ankita, for the sake of his family's happiness. He tried to love my mom. He did the best he could, he really did. She never appreciated Papa, though. She drained all of Papa's joy from his soul and ran away.

I was only four months old when she packed her bags and left in the dead of night. Papa had nothing but a note telling him not to look for her, and an infant in a blanket. He helped me grow up. Papa started coming back to life as he raised me. He started smiling and laughing like he used to.

Then, he met Disha Maa and Aishu, and my Papa was back. He was back and brighter than ever, and Ankita could do no more harm to him or his family.

And then, Papa changed. Slowly, his focus started drifting to the future of his daughters. It started clouding his vision until he stopped thinking of our happiness. All he could think of was what happened once he was gone.

Aishwarya had just graduated college when Papa came home with a marriage proposal. He told Aishu that it was good for her. And that's when I started to change, too."

"Papa, marriage?"

"It's best, Aishu, beta."

"But, Papa, what about Aishu's career?"

"Aishu should be focused on raising her family. She was made for motherhood, Anni. You, of all people, should know that. Aishu practically raised you from the age of four to nineteen."