Hold my hands love 💕(A Mafia Love)

Chapter 21

3rd Person Pov

Atharva opened his eyes, feeling a weight on his legs. He looked beside him for Sitara, but instead of her whole body, he found only her legs draped over his.

He sat up and saw that Sitara was sleeping, clutching her stomach. One of her hands was gripping his leg tightly. It seemed clear that she wasn't feeling well, yet she was still trying to find a comfortable position to sleep, even in her discomfort.

Realizing she was on her period – there were stains on his clothes as well – Atharva gently nudged her awake. "Tara, Tara, wake up, love," he said with concern.

Sitara slowly opened her eyes to see Atharva's worried gaze. The pain in her stomach intensified, and it took a moment for her to realize what was happening. Panic rising, she blurted out, "I am so sorry!"

Atharva cupped her face before she could apologize further. "Shh, relax," 

he soothed. "I just woke you up to change. Go, get comfortable. I'll clean the sheets in the meantime."

She nodded, attempting to rush to the bathroom. But a sharp pain shot through her abdomen as she rose from the bed, forcing her to sit back down clutching her stomach.

Atharva rushed to her side. "Relax," he said calmly. "Go slowly, take your time. No need to hurry."

Sitara simply nodded, her eyes downcast, noticing the bloodstain on his pants. With a sigh, Atharva scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bathroom. Her face had paled considerably, but he gently placed her down and closed the door behind him, giving her privacy.

Sitara emerged from the bathroom to find Atharva sitting on the bed. The bedsheet and his clothes had been changed. She moved slowly towards the couch and sat down. Atharva glanced up from his phone and asked, "Why are you sitting there, jaan? Come here, let's sleep."

She looked at him with tired eyes and said, "You sleep there. I'll take the couch tonight."

He raised an eyebrow, questioning her statement. "Why the couch?" he asked.

She then replied, "Actually, I'm worried I might dirty your clothes again, that's why."

He chuckled and said, "So what? I'll change them again. At least I can do that for you."

She refused, saying, "I'm sleeping here only," and settled down on the couch.

Atharva was taken aback by her hesitation. Did his wife still fear him? It seemed she always disagreed with him. He rolled his eyes but instead of arguing, picked her up and gently placed her on the bed. She made a half-hearted protest, but he stopped her with a playful warning.

"If you try that again, I'll kiss you, Tara. The choice is yours."

She covered her mouth with her hand, blushing, and turned away from him. A few minutes later, she felt something warm on her stomach and back. Opening her eyes, she saw that Atharva had placed hot water bottles on her for comfort.

Before she could speak, he gently hushed her. "Shh, sleep now. No more arguments for tonight."

Sitara closed her eyes, a wave of drowsiness washing over her, and sleep soon claimed her.

NEXT MORNING :

Atharva opened his eyes to find Sitara fast asleep. Her head rested on his stomach, her body curled away from him. He realized she must be uncomfortable sleeping during her period.

He rose quietly and headed to the kitchen. Knowing her love for chocolate, he made her a delicious chocolate pancake breakfast, along with a sandwich and juice.

Meanwhile, Sitara woke to find herself alone. Recalling Atharva's busy day at the office yesterday, ending with him leaving early due to her health concerns, she assumed he'd already gone to work. She clutched her stomach, the dull ache still lingering. After freshening up, she returned to the bedroom and saw Atharva setting breakfast on the table.

"Come eat breakfast," he said, looking at her.

She stared at him, surprised. "You're here? You didn't go to the office?"

"No, it's a holiday at the office today," he replied.

"Oh," she simply acknowledged.

A sudden realization dawned on her. "But there's no holiday today. Why would your office be closed?"

Atharva smiled. "Because I wanted some rest. I've been working on a project and haven't had a chance to relax."

Sitara seemed to accept his explanation and didn't ask any further questions.

Other side of City 

A man, getting ready for the day, spoke on the phone. "Yes, Mom, I'll go meet him today. I'll finally see who this 'bride of the devil' really is."

The woman on the other end replied, "Alright, go ahead, but be careful. Nobody should find out about our plan, not even that girl."

The man smirked. "Of course, Mom. Some things just have to stay in our favor. I can't risk revealing it to my clueless girlfriend."

The woman seemed impressed. "Good thinking, son. Now, I'm going to scout the area and get a lay of the land so we can use this information later."

The man smiled again. "Alright, boss, whatever you say. Love you, bye Mom."

The woman smiled back. "Bye, my darling."

In Atharva Home  

Sitara's face lit up at the sight of her breakfast. A chocolate pancake! It had been ages since she'd had one. In her old home, nobody made them; she was the only one who loved them, and nobody cared about her preferences.

"Thank Martin Uncle from me for making this," she said to Atharva, who looked like someone had stolen his candy – and that someone was his own cook.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, Atharva sat down beside Tara with his black coffee. Tara took a bite of the pancake and let out a happy moan as the chocolate flavor hit her tongue. But then she paused, inspecting the pancake as if something was amiss. Taking another bite, she looked at Atharva with suspicion.

"Did you make this for me? It tastes different," she asked.

Atharva, caught red-handed, simply nodded and said, "Yeah, now eat."

Sitara smiled at him, her teeth stained with chocolate. "Thank you," she said.

Atharva was about to reply when a loud shout came from downstairs and he ran toward door before something happen.

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Hello everyone!

I'm happy to be back with a new chapter for you all. I know you've been waiting, and I appreciate your patience.

I loved seeing Sitara's reaction to the chocolate pancake. What did you think of that scene? Let me know in the comments below!

I'm excited to share more chapters with you regularly. Stay tuned!