My Cheating Husband

☆ Chapter 22 ☆

AUTHOR'S POV

"Papa, where is Mama?" Asked the innocent, cute looking 3yr old Kiaan.
Karthik couldn't help but melt by the cuteness of his son. "Mama went to office baby" replied Karthik. Karthik loved his son Kiaan more than himself because he looked exactly like Prisha.

After prisha went to office, Karthik took Kiaan to park, he was happy playing with the other kids. After sometime, Karthik was approached by the nanny who was looking after Kiaan. Karthik felt something was wrong. "Kiaan is missing" shouted the nanny. Karthik was scared and started searching for Kiaan everywhere. He looked under the slides, ran around the fountain calling out Kiaan's name but couldn't find him. He was completely lost, he started feeling guilty for not paying attention to his son and now he lost him. "No this can't be true" Karthik thought to himself, how will he face Prisha now. After an hour of searching at the park he couldn't find Kiaan, finally he had to make a call to Prisha with a heavy heart and inform her about what happened.
"What do u mean you lost our son? " asked Prisha angrily. "How can you be so irresponsible? You only had him for few hours , didn't I ask you to look after him?" Prisha lashed out.
"I know I am really sorry Prisha you have every right to get angry with me, I know how much you love Kiaan. I will search the entire city but I'll find Kiaan, I promise you " Said Karthik, apologising repeatedly. Prisha started to cry and said angrily "How dare you lose my son? He is my everything, you have no idea how much I love him. I'll kill you if something happens to him"

While Karthik and Prisha were searching for him relentlessly, little Kiaan was happily watching cartoons in the car and enjoying snacks for hours. He had asked a kid in the park to help him get in the car. Finally he was sleepy and dozed off in the car itself. Prisha and Karthik were searching him everywhere but little Kiaan was sound asleep in the car without them knowing. As Karthik was on call with Prisha, he looked inside his car only to find little Kiaan sleeping peacefully in his carseat. His heart almost skipped a beat, then he was filled with joy seeing Kiaan. He informed Prisha that Kiaan was found and everything was okay.
He drove all the way home, Prisha was on the door step waiting for them in tears when they came back.
"He is fine right? You found him?" Prisha asked concerned. ''yes yes he is fine, sleeping in his car seat'' replied Karthik.
Prisha gently picked him from the car and rocked the sleeping Kiaan in her arms. "Thank God" breathed Prisha with a relieved smile. Karthik was relieved too , he thought he would never forgive himself if something happened to kiaan. They both smiled lovingly at little kiaan as he slept peacefully in Prisha's arms.

Prisha apologised to Karthik saying she over-reacted in the situation earlier and shouldn't have behaved that way. Karthik assured her that it was completely alright, considering the circumstances and comforted her. "But it was still my fault kiaan got lost in the first place , it was my job to look after him but I didn't. I have no right to be forgiven" said Karthik guiltily. Prisha reassured him that accidents happen and it was not entirely his fault. "What matters now is that Kiaan is home safe and sound". Prisha handed Kiaan to the nannny who took him to his room.
"So now that we have a little break from the kiddo, can we talk about something?" Karthik teasingly asked Prisha. Prisha noticed the mischievous sparkle in his eye and knew she was about to be teased. "What is it? Spill out" she asked, amused.

Karthik moved closer to Prisha, a playful smile on his lips. "You know, when you called me irresponsible and yelled at me earlier, I almost felt butterflies." He said, teasingly. Prisha laughed, rolling her eyes at his playful words. "You're ridiculous, you know that?" She replied, though her grin gave away her joy. "What can I say? Your angry side is kinda sexy." He countered, smirking as he continued to tease her. Prisha burst out laughing, shaking her head in disbelief, her cheeks flushing slightly at his words. "You're so cheesy, you know that right?" She teased, pushing him lightly on the shoulder. "Hey you find cheesy hot, and that's all that matters." He grinned, pulling her closer, his arm around her waist. Prisha giggled, her heart fluttering as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Alright, Mr. Cheesy, you win this round." She laughed, melting into his embrace.

Prisha sighed in contentment, resting her head on his chest, feeling his heartbeat. "Alright, enough teasing for now. You're lucky I love you, cheesy and all." she smiled looking up at him. Karthik grinned, placing a kiss on her forehead. "I love you too, angry and all." He teased, holding her closer as they shared the intimate moment. Karthik's phone rings.

As Karthik saw Nikhil's name on his phone, his mood slightly changed, remembering the painful memories of the past. He picked up the call reluctantly. "Hey Nik, what's up?" He asked, trying to keep his tone neutral, though an edge of coolness could be detected in his voice. Nikhil on the other side of the line sounded cheerful. "Hey Karthik! It's been a while, how are you and Prisha?" "We're good, just busy with work and kid." Karthik replied curtly, not feeling much like engaging in small talk. There was an awkward silence for a moment before Nikhil sighed and spoke up. "Look, I know you've still got this grudge against me after what happened with Myra, and I don't blame you but-" Nikhil begins but was interrupted by Karthik. "Not really in the mood for this conversation right now Nik, I'm busy." Karthik interrupted, feeling the old bitterness resurfacing.

Despite his attempt to brush off Nikhil's call, Prisha nudges him, giving him a look that says "be civil". Gritting his teeth, Karthik reluctantly continues the conversation. "Alright Nik, what do you want?" He asks, trying to keep his voice level, not letting the bitterness seep through. Nikhil pauses for a moment before continuing cautiously. "Look, I know we didn't part on the best terms, and you have every right to be angry. But I was hoping we could move past that and be friends again." Karthik was momentarily taken aback by his words, feeling a strange mix of emotions. On one hand, he still felt resentful towards Nikhil for his past actions, but on the other hand, he missed the friendship they once had. Feeling Prisha's encouraging gaze upon him, Karthik takes a deep breath, trying to push aside his lingering resentment. "Look Nik, I'm not saying we'll suddenly go back to being best friends just like that." Karthik starts thoughtfully. "But I'm also not holding onto the grudge forever. It's just.. it's gonna take some time for me to fully trust you again, you get that right?" Karthik's voice softens, a hint of vulnerability in his tone. Nikhil listens on the other side of the line, his voice sounding sincere. "I understand Karthik, and I'm willing to give you that time and space. I genuinely want to make amends for what happened." As the conversation ended, Karthik hung up the phone, feeling a mixture of emotions. He glanced at Prisha, who was looking at him with understanding and support.

Despite his attempt to hold it in, a question that had been lingering in his mind suddenly slips out. "Why are you so forgiving of Nikhil, Prisha?"

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