Chapter 7
Anu wasn't able to sleep, so she went into Abha's room and saw that she was reading a book.
"Why didn't you sleep yet?"
"I want to ask you the same question: Why are you still awake?"
"I don't know; I'm not getting sleep. Can I sleep with you?"
"Yes, of course."
Anu was lying next to Abha, and she was moving her fingers in her hair.
"Aunt, nowadays I am seeing a change in dad's behavior."
"I don't think so. Just two days ago, he took us to Marine Drive for a walk. And what a wonderful time we had together!"
"Hmmm, that's true, Aunt, but I think dad is thinking of getting married again?"
"Why do you think so?"
"One day, when we were taking a walk, he shared his feelings with me that he missed having a life partner in his life, but I fully ignored his feelings."
"Why did you ignore him?"
"I don't want to share my father's love with anyone else. Only Mayank and I have the right to have his full attention and love."
"Listen to me carefully and try to understand.
Being your dad doesn't mean he doesn't have his own personal life. There are so many things that can be done only with one's spouse, not with children. It's been eleven years since he lived alone without your mom. No one can spend an entire life living with memories. He has a right to live his life the way he wants. He supports you in everything you do, and now it's your turn to support him and respect his decision."
"To whom does he want to marry?"
"I don't know that. All I know is that he is thinking of getting married, and your consent matters to him."
"I know you are right, but what should I do with my heart? I am scared to lose him. It is not easy for me to accept my father's second marriage, but I am not selfish enough to ignore my father's happiness for the sake of my own happiness. You tell him that I have no problem with his second marriage.
Can I sleep with you today, Aunt?"
"Of course, Anu."
Abha was still twirling her fingers in her hair. "I wish dad had married you earlier instead of marrying someone else now; then we would have been a family, and I would have called you mom."
"Anu, whether you call me mom or aunt, for me, you will always be my daughter. Your father and I are just friends, and mere friendship is not enough to marry someone. Understood?"
'Yes aunt."
Within no time, Anu had fallen asleep on Abha's chest, and she was thinking about what Anu had said. She had also wished what she had wished. But life doesn't work as per our wishes. For Vikrant, Jiya was right. She was young and beautiful. She had everything that a man looks for in a wife. Her age and beauty were on her side.
While there was nothing in her personality that would have attracted Vikrant to him, beauty is very important in love. A person takes the first step only after seeing the physical appearance of a girl, then attention moves towards the behavior.
Two days had passed since Vikrant had spoken to Mallika, but he had not yet received a reply. He was eagerly waiting for her reply, but he did not want to reveal it by calling himself. He knew that Mallika could not refuse his marriage proposal.
She was deliberately ignoring him to show him she was not desperate to accept his offer. Anyway, he was missing Jiya a lot during this time. His nights were spent looking at her beautiful pictures.
Mallika Sharma was having meetings with the lawyer these days to get the necessary papers made, about which Jiya had no idea. She had gotten all her debit and credit cards and car keys back, so she was spending her time with friends.
When Vikrant's call did not come for a long time, Mallika Sharma panicked, fearing that he would change his mind. She immediately called him, but he did not pick up the phone. Then she called his office and found out that he was busy in a meeting.
The whole day passed, but Vikrant didn't call back. She was afraid to think about what would happen if things didn't work as per her plan.
The next morning, she got a call from Vikrant.
"Sorry, Mrs. Mallika. I was occupied with work yesterday; I didn't get time to call. Why did you call me?"
"No need to say sorry. It's perfectly fine, Mr. Vikrant. I called you to talk about Jiya."
"Hmmm, what did Jiya say about marriage?"
"Obviously, there is a huge age gap between you that cannot be ignored. At first, she was furious when she heard about this, but after a lot of persuasion from me, she has agreed to think about it. She said that she would take a decision only after meeting you.
You have an attractive personality. It will not be difficult for you to convince her to marry; just keep in mind her age. Girls of this age do not have the maturity that people of our age have."
"Yeah, I'll take care of that. I will personally talk to Jiya on the phone about when and where to meet. At the moment, I have to leave for a meeting. I will talk to you later."
"Ok, Mr. Vikrant."
After talking to Vikrant, Mallika took a sigh of relief.
On seeing Jiya go to the gym, she stopped her and started telling her about the conversation she had with Vikrant.
Jiya didn't react and started moving towards the door to go to the gym. Seeing this, Mallika got angry.
"I'm putting so much effort into your marriage to Vikrant, and you're acting like you don't care."
"Mom, you don't need to be angry. I understood what you said. Please accept a big thank you for your efforts. I'm late for the gym; now I need to go."
Hmmm.
"Mom, don't take the stress of my marriage to Vikrant. He won't marry anyone except me."
"Don't be overconfident."
"Leave it; you won't understand."
She walked out, smiling.
Her mother did not know that she had met Vikrant once before. Despite being the owner of such a big company, Vikrant was walking with her on the beach, holding her sandals in his hand. It shows how much he wants her.
♥️ Soniya Jadhav
**Thank you for reading. Your one vote can make a difference in somebody's writing journey.
Do leave a vote/comment behind if you liked this chapter.
YOU ARE READING
Illicit Desire (Completed)
RomanceIt's a love story between a young girl and a middle-aged rich widower who lives with her two children and their nanny. This story has an extra marital twist, but of a different type, about which readers will come to know only after reading the story...