Rishtey

Chapter - 20

Vineet sat in his dimly lit room, the phone still clutched in his hand. Ashok’s words echoed in his mind, but it was the revelation of Anamika’s pregnancy that shook him to his core. She was carrying his child—his own blood—and yet, she didn’t even want him to know. 

His gaze fell on the empty whiskey glass on the table, but for once, he didn’t reach for the bottle. Instead, he leaned back in the chair, staring at the ceiling, his mind swirling with memories he had long tried to suppress. 

He thought back to the early days after their separation. The phone calls Anamika used to make, one after another, each time more desperate than the last. At the time, he had dismissed them as her stubbornness or attempts to pull him back into the relationship. 

“I was wrong,” he muttered, his voice barely audible in the silence of the room. 

Now he understood. Those calls weren’t about control or stubbornness—they were cries for help, for support, for him. She had been reaching out, clinging to whatever shred of connection they had left, hoping he’d see the pain she was in. But he had ignored her, too consumed by his pride and anger to recognize her vulnerability. 

The guilt weighed on him like a crushing burden. His mind replayed the scene from earlier in the hotel, her eyes filled with a mixture of defiance and pain. And now, knowing she was pregnant during that encounter, he felt like the worst kind of man. 

He pressed his palms to his face, his fingers trembling. “What kind of husband was I? What kind of father am I going to be?” 

His mind traveled back to the memories of their happy moments together—Anamika laughing at his silly jokes, the way her eyes sparkled when she talked about her dreams, the gentle way she’d place her hand on his chest when she needed comfort. He had promised to protect her, to stand by her no matter what, and yet he had abandoned her when she needed him most. 

The thought of her carrying the burden of their child alone tore at his heart. She must have been terrified, navigating her pregnancy without him, while he drowned himself in work, anger, and distractions. And now, she didn’t even trust him enough to share the news herself. 

“Why did I let it come to this?” Vineet whispered, his voice breaking. 

His mind churned with questions. Was it too late to make things right? Would she ever forgive him? Did she even want him in her life anymore, or was she ready to cut all ties for good? 

But above all, one question haunted him the most: How could I have been so blind to her pain?

He sank to the floor, his head in his hands, as waves of guilt and regret washed over him. For the first time in months, he allowed himself to feel everything—the vulnerability, the helplessness, and the crushing realization that he might have lost the only woman he had ever truly loved. 

And yet, amidst the pain, there was a flicker of resolve. He couldn’t erase the past, but he could try to make amends. Not for himself, but for Anamika and the child they had created together. 

“I won’t let you do this alone, Anamika,” he whispered, his voice filled with quiet determination. “Not anymore.”  

......

Anamika sat on the hospital bed, her arms wrapped protectively around her belly, as if shielding her unborn child from the storm raging within her. The sterile white walls of the room offered no comfort, no solace for the ache in her heart. Her sobs were quiet but relentless, her body trembling with the weight of emotions she could no longer contain. 

Her mind replayed Vineet’s words from earlier, each accusation cutting deeper than the last. “You couldn’t be a good wife… you only cared about yourself… you’re selfish…” The words echoed like a cruel taunt, piercing her heart like needles.