Heart's Desire

It's better to walk back than hurting more.

Those words were like swords to Ansh, cutting his heart into pieces. The dream of a happy family had been shattered. He never thought this would be the reason behind their separation. Even though he always said he felt happy and complete with his mother, deep down, his heart unknowingly yearned for a father's love. Now, he couldn't take it anymore. Everything went blank when he heard "DNA test" from his mother's mouth. A sudden wave of pain hit his heart, and he felt the heartbreak and the deep betrayal. Unknowingly, Shivaay had broken his son's heart too.

"There's no courage left in me to tell..." Anika began, but nothing reached Ansh's ears. In an instant, he collapsed unconscious to the floor. Shivaay ran toward him and caught him just before he hit the ground.

"ANSH!" Anika and Nisha screamed, but nothing registered with him.

"Maa... what happened to him?" Nisha asked, panic-stricken.

"Nisha... bring water," Anika stammered. Nisha rushed to the kitchen.

Within moments, Ansh's body began convulsing in fits. Anika stared at him in shock, unable to process what was happening. She stood frozen, blank, unable to cry or react, as she watched her son in that condition. Shivaay tried his best to control Ansh's fits, but he couldn't.

"Ansh!" Nisha screamed, snapping Anika back to reality. Tears streamed down Anika's face as she saw her son like that. If Ansh had been conscious, he would never have let her see his pain because he knew even the smallest wound on him made her cry. But this time, he wasn't conscious.

With Shivaay and Nisha's help, Anika rushed Ansh to the hospital. The sound of the stretcher wheels and seeing her unconscious son left her sick with worry. She didn't speak to anyone, but her tears said everything, telling the world how much pain she was in as she watched her only family lying behind the ICU doors.

"Baby, please wake up for me... please, baby, I can't live without you... please, baby... for your mom, please wake up..." Anika whispered, her voice breaking as doctors administered defibrillation to him. It felt like she was dying when they passed the electric current through his body. She clutched her chest, crying bitterly.

"Why is this happening to me?" ran through her mind as tears continued to flow. Shivaay, on the other hand, couldn't bear to see her in this condition. He felt utterly helpless, unable to console her. He felt responsible for everything.

"He's out of danger," the doctor finally announced as he emerged from the ICU, giving them all a much-needed sigh of relief.

"Does the patient have any disorders or allergies?" the doctor asked Anika. She wiped her tears and replied, "He has thalassemia."

"Was this his first attack?" the doctor asked, and Anika nodded tearfully.

"Alright, he needs to stay in the hospital for four days. Since he's only 14, we can't take any risks," the doctor informed them before leaving.

A man soon entered the scene, inquiring about Ansh's condition. Anika and Nisha became immediately tense upon seeing him at the hospital.

"What happened to Ansh?" he asked in a calm tone. Anika remained silent.

"...Allergy," Nisha lied, her guilt evident. Shivaay looked at her, confused.

"Allergy?" He glanced suspiciously at Anika.

Just then, a nurse came out of the ICU, and he quickly approached her to inquire about Ansh's condition.

"He had fits," the nurse informed them before leaving.

"Fits?" the man exclaimed with a smug smile as he turned to Anika.

"You know what this means, Ms. Rao," he said, a smile plastered on his face.

"Unfit for cricket. But thankfully, you found out now, Ms. Rao. Imagine if your son had a fit in the middle of a match and died on the spot," he said, and Anika stared at him angrily. Shivaay clenched his fists in rage.

"Ms. Rao, tell your son when he regains consciousness: cricket isn't his future. He can be a coach one day, but unfortunately, never a cricketer," he sneered.

"MIND YOUR WORDS, MR. KAPOOR!" Anika snapped.

"Mind my words? Look at yourself, Ms. Rao. You and your illegitimate son don't belong in this society. Came here to become a cricketer? Well, this year, my son is going to get selected for the Bangalore team," he said. The word "illegitimate" hit Shivaay hard, paralyzing him with guilt as he thought about Anika's struggles for the past 14 years.

"Well, let's hope this is his year, Mr. Kapoor. It is his third attempt, isn't it?" Anika taunted him as he left, glaring at her one last time.

Even though she acted unaffected by his words, they haunted her. She couldn't bear it any longer. Tears flowed uncontrollably as she thought about her son's dream, and she felt utterly helpless. The thought of Ansh giving up his dreams tormented her.

Shivaay, unable to see her like this, came over and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. That was all it took for her to break down. Her sobs echoed throughout the hospital. Shivaay couldn't take it anymore. He tried to wipe her tears, but she pushed his hand away and looked at him.

"Why? Why did you come after 14 years?" she asked softly. Shivaay remained silent.

"Silence, again... Tell me, what should I assume?" she continued, her voice trembling.

"For the past 14 years, I've lived for my child... for Ansh. He turned all my worries into happiness. You have no idea what he means to me. His dreams, his wishes became mine. My whole world revolves around him... And now, his dreams..." Anika said, breaking down.

"I'm sorry," Shivaay finally said after several failed attempts.

"Sorry? Really? Do you think that can heal this wound? Do you even realize what you've done? Because of you, my son's dream... Please leave... please..." Anika said, folding her hands. Shivaay looked at her helplessly.

"Please leave... Let us live in peace... please leave," she begged, tears streaming down her face. Shivaay wiped his own tears and stood up.

"I won't interfere in your or Ansh's life anymore. I'm truly sorry for coming back. I hope you can at least forgive me for that... Take care," he said, his voice full of sorrow. Anika didn't even look up at him, but his words echoed in her ears again and again. Sometimes, walking away is the only way to avoid causing more pain.

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