Heart's Desire

Scared and Alone.

Shivaay's heartstrings were pulled tight when he heard about Anika's health condition. He couldn't stop himself from rushing to see her. When the doctor announced that she was in a depressed state again, Shivaay immediately took all the blame upon himself, failing to realize that he was the one she needed most.

Shivaay felt proud when he saw how Ansh consoled his mother like a child. He also knew that soon Ansh would be faced with the difficult decision of choosing between him and Anika. Shivaay's heart was already broken, and he didn't want to play with his son's emotions by staying in front of him.

He drove his car faster, trying to escape from his family, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't silence the sound of Ansh's voice echoing in his mind. His harsh driving nearly caused several accidents, but it was the thought of Ansh that saved him each time. Ansh's voice was all he could hear. His heart wasn't ready to stop, but his car did, stalling in the middle of the road, leaving him frustrated.

He got out of the car in anger when his phone beeped. To him, the beep sounded like "life is calling." He saw Ansh's name on the notification and quickly opened the email, reading it in a matter of seconds. Despite being saddened by Ansh's decision, he was also happy. His son had made the decision that he himself had hesitated to make 14 years ago. But one sentence in the email broke him completely:

*"If possible, I would cut myself into two parts and stay with both of you."*

The situation Shivaay had dreaded was now coming true, delivered to him in written words. On one hand, he was happy to know that he would always have a place in his son's heart. But on the other hand, he couldn't bear to see Ansh torn apart like this. His mind flashed back to memories of the past.

He didn't want everything to be just a dream—the moment he met his son at the bar and heard Ansh call him "Dad" for the first time. His mind kept telling him it was all a dream, but his heart refused to listen. Tossing and turning in his sleep, Shivaay found himself lying on someone's lap. He stretched out his hand without opening his eyes, realizing it wasn't Om or Rudra's lap. Then whose was it?

He opened his eyes, but the vision before him seemed like a dream. Rubbing his eyes, he tried to wake up, but it wasn't a dream. He was lying in Ansh's lap, to his surprise. In that moment, he felt truly alive for the first time, as if he could finally breathe. He could feel the warmth of his son's tears.

*"It's not a dream... It's real... My son is here... right in front of me..."* His mind stammered, and every part of his body seemed to awaken, giving birth to a new version of himself.

*"Has he forgiven me? Or is he doing this out of kindness? Is this real? Am I still dreaming?"* Shivaay thought as he confusedly touched his lap, feeling the swelling there. He stood up suddenly.

"Ansh!" he called out, his voice impatient.

"Wha... what happened?" Ansh woke up with a start, still half-asleep.

"What have you done?" Shivaay asked, rubbing his swollen lap as tears filled his eyes. Ansh opened his eyes fully, and the sight of Shivaay's care brought tears to his own eyes as well.

"Does it hurt?" Ansh asked, his voice filled with concern.

"This pain is nothing compared to the pain you've been carrying here," Ansh replied, pointing to his heart.

Shivaay looked at him, confused and surprised. Tears continued to flow from Ansh's eyes, uncontrollably.

"I can bear this pain. It'll go away in a couple of days. But I'm surprised... How did you bear this much pain for 14 years?" Ansh asked, tears streaming down his face. Shivaay, overwhelmed, felt as though a great weight had finally been lifted from his heart. For the first time in a long while, he felt light.