Chapter 1
2000 Words
Ananya's POV
Walking on the familiar streets of Mumbai at 4 am didn’t bother me or scare me in any way. My mind and heart were already distressed because of something or rather I should say someone.
With my head hung low and one of my hand dragging the trolley bag on the pavement. The, tire would make a sound every now and then whenever a stone would come in its way.
"You b***h, you bloody gold-digging w***e. How could you do this to me Ananya? How could you? Tell me Damn it. I loved you with my heart and soul and you pay me back like this by f*****g someone else on our marriage bed. I hate you Ananya I hate you."
His words kept on ringing in my ears. Three years, THREE freaking YEARS!!! and still he didn't have even an ounce of trust on me. I regret falling in love with him, I regret the day I met him, I regret the day I married him, but I don't regret the day I got pregnant with his child.
'That jerk. Bloody bastard.' I cursed him under my breath
I stop at the gate of the place I call home since I've gained my senses
"Lil Angel's Orphanage"
Yeah, I'm an orphan, people say that my Mom left me here when I was just two months old.
Taking a deep breath, I walked inside and pulled my bag along with me.
I knew everyone would be asleep at this point of time. I kept a hand on my lower abdomen
"I'll protect you with my everything baby. Just trust me little one. Just trust me." I spoke to the little one inside me while caressing my barely visible bump
With this I slept on the bench present outside Sister Adriene’s office. The memories which I created with him started to play in front of my eyes like a sideshow and soon I drifted off in a deep slumber
Flashback to 2015 (in italics)
I was wrapping up my work because I had to go and meet the new architect.
My boss had already given me half day leave and I was just giving final touches to the new project assigned to me.
"You're still here Ananya?" Jay my best friend asked me as soon as he entered in my cabin
"I'm almost done Jay."
"You better hurry up or else you'd be late, don't you know how terrible the traffic of Mumbai is?"
"Yeah I know."
I kept the file in the drawer and locked it. I turned around to face Jay and saw him fidgeting on his spot clearing telling me that he wants to ask me something, but he is feeling nervous
"What's wrong Jay?"
"Well what was the name of those flowers which Maya likes?"
Maya is the receptionist of our building and Jay has a huge crush on her. Last weekend after gathering enough courage he asked her out and I told him about her favorite flowers.
"Tulips. The red and white tulips."
"Ah yeah Tulips."
"So, how was your date with Maya?" I asked while wiggling my eyebrows in a teasing way at him
"It was good." He said in a bit shy voice and I saw that his ears were turning a bit pink, he was blushing
"Kungi you're blushing."
Kungi is his nickname which only I can use and only I've the right to use it
"I'm certainly not blushing Mungi."
And he calls me Mungi
I kept the other files in the different drawers according to their priority and work done. I started arranging my table and Jay helped me in doing that.
Taking my handbag in my left hand and application clutched in the right one, I walked towards the receptionist.
"Maya would you please stamp my application?" I politely asked Maya
"Sure Ananya." she said with a beautiful smile on her face. She stamped my application and handed it back to me.
"You know he likes you a lot."
I said in a teasing tone, her face flushed hearing that because she knew that I was talking about Jay. I just shook my head and smiled at her,
"Ananya you're getting late."
Jay said as he came to the reception to take a package
"It'd be better if you guys get married soon and have kids, I so badly want to become an aunt." I said in a typical Indian old lady tone.
"ANANYA!!!"
They both squealed, Maya threw a paper ball at me
"Just go before I kill you."
I made a scared face and ran from there to save my life.
I hailed a cab and sat inside after explaining the driver the directions to the destination.
I reached my destination and paid the driver. Walking inside the building with the name of 'Building Dreams' it was a new construction company started in Mumbai.
I approached the receptionist and tapped on her desk
"Hi how may I help you Mam?" She asked in a polite tone
"Hello, I'm here to meet Mr. Arjun Malhotra."
"I'm sorry Mr. Malhotra is in a meeting right now. If you don't mind can you, please wait for him. He'd done be real soon."
I nodded, she showed me the way to Mr. Malhotra’s cabin. I sat on the couch present outside. I grabbed a magazine from the magazine stand kept nearby.
I was browsing through the pages about beauty, makeup, designs, celebrities when I felt a shadow hovering over me, I stood up as a reflex.
"Hello, I'm sorry to keep you waiting Miss. I'm Arjun Malhotra."
He said with a killer smile and raised his hand for a handshake, I was feeling something weird in the pit of stomach because of his smile, but tried to maintain a professional look on my face
"No, its fine Mr. Malhotra and the pleasure is all mine. I'm Ananya."
With this I took his hand for a handshake and I felt electric current passing through it, I doubt if he felt the same, because there was no change in his facial expressions
"Please come in Ms. Ananya."
He led me inside his cabin, it had a mixture of cream and coffee brown colour with the walls painted in cream and the sofas being of the coffee brown colour a brown colour table was kept near a wall with files neatly arranged on it, a leather seat behind it and three chairs in front of it.
Mr. Malhotra rounded up the table and sat on his chair
"Please have a seat Ms. Ananya."
"Thank you, Mr. Malhotra."
"So how can I help you Ms. Ananya?"
"Well as you know the Vrinda Orphanage is about to shut down. So, our orphanage that is the Lil Angel's Orphanage has decided to adopt the kids from there. So, we're planning to make an extra floor in the building to accommodate the new kids."
"Yeah so you want us to do the job for you."
"Yes Sir."
"Can I have the current blueprints of the building?"
"Sure."
I took out the blueprints from my bag and passed them towards him.
He spread them on the table and started analyzing them. He was giving ideas and I was giving suggestions wherever I felt like
"Correct me if I'm wrong. By any chance are you an architect?"
"Yes, I work for the Imperial Architects."
"So why didn't you give them the project?"
"Well Sir. No offence but their rates are quite high which our funds can't afford also not only rates for per Sq. metre are reasonable but also your designs are which will perfectly match with our current building style."
"Thank you for appreciating our work Ms. Ananya. Are you one of the founding member of the orphanage as you are referring it as Ours.?”
That question had taken be my surprise, I took a deep breath before answering him
"No Mr. Malhotra I'm not a founding member of the orphanage. The headmistress Sister Adriene William adopted me without any paperwork."
"I'm really sorry Ms. Ananya. I didn't mean to offend you."
"None taken Mr. Malhotra."
We both shook our hands one last time and I again felt the sparks, I quickly let go of his hand and walked out of his cabin.
Flashback over
I woke up because of the uncomfortablenes I was feeling while sleeping on the hard-wooden bench.
Opening my eyes, I came face to face with the worried faces of Sister Adriene and Jenny, confusion clearly written on their faces.
"Ananya what are you doing here and where is Arjun?" sister asked me while gathering my figure in her fragile arms giving me the motherly love that I needed so badly
"He divorced me sister." I said in a cold voice which clearly meant that don't mess with me or else you'd be dead.
"He what?" this time it was Jenny who screamed
Sister led me to her cabin and made me sit on a chair
"Jenny get her a glass of water."
Jenny nodded and brought me a glass of water. I quietly drank the water slowly allowing it to relish my dry throat.
"Ananya tell us what happened exactly?" Sister Adriene asked in a soft voice and that was when I broke into tears. I narrated them everything that how Arjun called me names, accused me of infidelity, divorced me and kicked me out of the house.
"That jerk. I want to rip his head off."
"Jenny." Sister Adriene said in a threatening voice
"Sorry sister." Jenny apologized her head hung low
"Ananya did you tell him about the baby?"
"No sister and now after what he has done he doesn't even deserves to know."
"But it's his baby too Ananya."
"Sister even if I tell him that I'm pregnant he'll believe that it's not his baby but of someone else."
Sister got sad hearing this
"Okay go and have some rest now, your room is still there."
I smiled at this, Jenny took my bag and we made our way to my room
"Even after you were gone, she still didn't gift me this room."
"Because it's mine Jenny." I said while flipping my hair in the air
"Okay so do you want something to eat?" Jenny asked me after keeping my bag in a corner
"Yes. Please the baby's hungry." I said while rubbing my stomach
"Okay I'll fix you up a double cheese vegetable sandwich."
We both went in the kitchen and Jenny started preparing the sandwich, she was adding sauces to it when
"Jenny please don't add the chilly sauce." I said when she was adding chilly sauce to the sandwich
She looked at me with her eyes wide as saucers
"But Ananya you love chilies and spicy food."
"Arjun didn't like chilies or spicy food much. So, after three years of living with him my habits have also changed."
"So, this will be your first step in order to forget about Arjun."
Saying this she added the chilly sauce to my sandwich. She gave it to me in a plate and after I took a bite, I realized that I had indeed changed myself for him, but he couldn't trust even an ounce.
I quickly finished my sandwich and went back to my room and took my medicines and slept.
Narrator’s POV
In a room which has white walls, an old lady is sitting on the chair next to a writing table and writing something on a paper
"Maa dinner time." Another lady in her mid-thirties appeared at the threshold of the room
"Ananya has come home?" The old lady turned on her chair and asked the young lady
"No Ma she is not home yet. She said she will be working late, she asked us not to wait for her." The young lady lied to the older lady with a heavy heart
"This girl needs to understand money is not everything." The old lady spoke while shaking her head
"Yes Maa, you should punish her." The younger lady said while giggling
"I will, let her come home. She has a lot to explain." The old lady stood up with the help of her walking stick
"You can do anything you like, but only after you eat dinner and take your medicine." The young lady said in a strict tone
"Sometimes, you become like Hitler you know that Aditi?" The old lady said with a smile while patting the cheeks of Aditi
"You leave me with no choice Maa, now come everyone is waiting for you." Aditi took hold of the old lady’s hand and led her out of the room while turning the lights off
- Writer
