"If life can remove someone you never dreamed of losing, it can replace them with someone you never dreamed of having."
~~
"Mom! Please stop forcing me to get married!"
"I am not forcing you to get married, Tillu! I am requesting you! It has been three years since Mauli passed away. Life has to move on, Tillu! You cannot remain like this all your life!"
"Mom, I loved Mauli with all my heart and I cannot love anyone else."
"Stop thinking about only yourself, Mom! Think about Nidhi as well! She needs a mother."
"I am her mother as well as father, Mom! She does not need anyone else!"
"She does, Neil! You have a six to eleven job! She needs a mother who will spend time with her, love her and take care of her!"
"Fine! Do whatever you want! Meri aaj kal sunta kaun hai?"
Shweta sighed as her son stormed out of the Khanna mansion. Three years had passed since the death of the Khanna family's daughter in law, Mauli. The house which used to be a happy haven with cheerful giggles echoing around had turned into nothing more than an unhappy house. Her son, Neil had stopped living for himself, he lived only for his four year old daughter, Nidhi.
~~
"This is Avni, the girl I was talking about. Avni, this is Neil and this is Nidhi!"
Avni smiled, greeting the family who had come to ask for her hand in marriage. Her eyes fell on Nidhi who was sleeping in Neil's arms and forwarded her hands to Neil with a silent request in her eyes to hand over Nidhi to her.
Neil looked at her thoughtfully, as if he was contemplating trusting her with Nidhi but then he had one look at her eyes and he gave Nidhi to her. He wondered what he had seen in her eyes but he didn't know.
Avni held Nidhi's hand gently, not wanting to hurt the delicate bundle of happiness.
Nidhi slowly opened her eyes and whispered, "Mumma!"
A tear trickled down Avni's cheek. She had never believed in love at first sight but this meeting had made her believe in it. She looked at Nidhi lovingly and smiled, she had fallen in love!
A pair of eyes looked at both of them and knew that she was the one, the angel who would love his daughter more than herself, the fairy who would put his daughter before her, the girl who deserved to be his daughter's mother!
~~
"Mujhse shaadi kyu karna chahti ho?", Neil asked.
"Mujhse shaadi kyu nahi karna chahte?", Avni asked, equally stubborn.
"Not like I don't want to marry you but you are basically spoiling your life by marrying me!"
"How am I spoiling my life?"
"Tell me one thing, what will you get by marrying me?"
"A true family!"
"What do you mean?"
"I have been brought up in an orphanage, never had a real family. I met your mother when she came to donate at the orphanage."
