A baby. Her head swirled, and when it stopped, her world had shifted its center. A small four-letter word, indicating a person who didn’t even exist yet, had now taken center stage. Clutching her pregnancy test, Aditi stared at the two red lines when Sonal’s angry voice pierced her ears.

“You have to abort it, you know that, right? This is impossible. Don’t even think of keeping it.” Aditi signed. Sonal was understandably angry. Muttering under her breath, she paced the room as Rohit and Aalok watched from the sofa. The mood in the room was somber, and nothing new for them nowadays. “Think of yourself, Aditi. This is not the time to get saddled with an unwanted baby.”

“It’s her decision, Sonal. Let Aditi decide, and Darsh needs to know too.” Rohit’s calm voice interrupted Sonal, but she was in no mood to listen.

“Darsh doesn’t need to know anything. He left her, for God’s sake! The man only cares for money.”

“Every man cares about his child,” Rohit leveled Sonal a gaze and she looked away, seething. Aditi wondered if they too had some secret of their own. “And from what I have seen of Darsh, he will definitely want to know.”

“What will he do if he knows? Mark my words, he’ll want her to get rid of it. He must be already preparing to move on. He doesn’t give a damn.” She turned to Aditi. “It’s decided then. Tomorrow we will...”

“Stop this, Sonal!” Rohit shot up to tower over Sonal, who squared herself without flinching, ready for a fight. Aditi watched them with a dumb expression; a protective hand covering her belly to keep the unformed fetus from this hostility.

They were arguing unnecessarily. This baby changed nothing, neither her situation nor her decision. She had no intention of aborting the baby nor of going back to Shaurya. Looking back now will only take her in circles. She had to move forward and leave the past truly behind.

She leaned back tiredly as Sonal and Rohit kept bickering while Aalok watched quietly from the sofa. He got up when she caught his eye and came to sit next to her.

“Whatever you decide, Aditi, I am with you.” His voice was so gentle it left her startled. For the first time in years, she realized his words held more meaning than he let on. “Do what you want, whatever you think is best. It’s your life and your child. And anyway, for Darsh, the game is over.”

What an apt description! Yes, the game was over, and she had gotten a new lease on life. She had to make the most of it. Start over again, possibly with new players, possibly with a new avatar. And hopefully, the second round will belong to her.

*****

Aditi called Uncle Shekhawat and gave him two names. Pradyumna ‘Paddy’ Chaudhary - the brother of Delhi-corporator Anil Chaudhary - currently doing his stint in the Indian Navy. And Ajay Parmar, the son of a prominent businessman in Delhi, who was pursuing his MBA in Dallas. She needed information, the more the better. Her plans henceforth depended on it.

A couple of hours later, she had the information in her mailbox - two detailed folders on the two men, and a third one that she had requested as an afterthought. Now that she was in a mood to start anew, she had to close all the back doors. Moving on meant letting others move on, too. And what better time for the gesture than now, when she was still in her dazed, upbeat, and magnanimous state?

She picked up her phone and dialed a number. The recipient picked it on the second ring.

“Is this Mrs. Ananya Rawat?” She asked and heard a soft sigh from the other end.

“Formerly, Mrs. Rawat. Now just Ananya Sahay. How may I help?”

Perfect! Aditi couldn't believe her ears.

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“My name is Aditi Sharma, formerly Mrs. Aditi Darsh Rathore,” she said as her heart rate increased. Something pricked her eyes, but she was in such a good mood, she hardly noticed. “I’d like to meet you if you could spare some time?”

*****

Cafe Grandiose, five PM, the same day. Aditi sat at a table opposite Ananya Sahay. The woman was beautiful. Tall and thin with sharp angular features. Yet there was something hard about her. Maybe it was her pixie cut that gave her face a slightly haughty look. But she tried to see her with Darsh’s eyes. This was the woman he’d loved for seven years. There must be something about her she didn’t have. There must be something that she, Aditi Sharma, would never have.

“He needs you. He is still waiting for you. After all these years, he still hasn’t forgotten you.” She took a sip of her coffee, a sweet latte with dollops of cream and chocolate sprinkles on top. Ananya had ordered a black coffee, no milk, no sugar.

“Did he tell you this?”

“Yes,” Aditi shrugged. “He still keeps your mementos. He had this sweet poem that he had written especially for you. He tore it when I found it, but he had it nonetheless.”

Ananya sighed and wiped her lips with a tissue.

“It’s not that easy. My father does not approve of him.”

“But you love him, right? And he has money now. He’s worked hard and made his place in the world. He is not the same young boy you left all those years ago.”

“Are you suggesting I left him for money?” The woman’s face was red. Aditi bit her lip but stood her ground.

“Did you not? As far as I know, he only ever loved one girl in this world and that’s you.” Her voice stretched thin as she somehow finished her sentence without it breaking. Ananya pursed her lips and looked away.

“Well, it’s complicated. Money was a part of the reason, but not in the way you think.”

“Then fill me in. I am all ears.”

“We were twenty-three when we met. Too young, too naïve to know any better.” Ananya shook her head. “I was working part-time in Rajeev Bhai’s office, he is my cousin. Darsh was a junior engineer. We hit it off instantly. Everyone was impressed with him. You know how he is... I was swept off my feet.” Yeah... Aditi knew the feeling. The buzzing bees, the daze, the glamour. The longing, the ache, the desolation of it all. There was nothing new; she suffered it daily.

“So what happened?”

“My father. He started pushing me for marriage. For him, it was the right age. I, too, wanted to get married, but Darsh wasn’t ready. Twenty-three was too early, he said. He wanted to make money, do something in life before settling down.” Her eyes went distant, as if in the past. “He was driven, and I loved him for it. But there was something more to it, and it was to do with his father. He worked with a vengeance as if he was exacting revenge. As if he wanted to earn so much name and fame, it would erase that part of his life.”

“Have you ever felt it?” Ananya suddenly asked, tilting her head. “Have you ever felt he would do anything for money, that he was so affected by his birth status, he would do anything to rectify it? You are rich yourself. Was that the reason he married you? To erase his past, to make up for that deprivation by attaching himself to an old family like yours?”

Aditi felt weak. A sudden burst of tears threatened to gush out, but she somehow stayed calm.

“No. Everyone tries to better themselves, and Darsh is no different. But if money was his priority once, he has definitely grown out of it. Or he wouldn’t have let me go.”

“You have a point.” Ananya nodded. “So… he left you?”

“Yes.” Aditi colored. Ananya licked her lips before plodding on.

“I waited for as long as I could, then married Rajat. He was much richer. Darsh obviously thought it was for money. He came to talk to me the day before. It was my birthday. He found my father instead. I haven’t heard of him ever since.”

Ever since he had pined for her. Living his life yet not living at all. Aditi was getting a taste of it for the past week and wondered how he had survived so many years. The conversation after that was sparse. They stared at their fingernails and sipped their drinks.

“So, why did you separate?” Ananya shrugged.

“We fell out of love. We were never in it, to begin with. And you know how it is. No man ever measures up once you are with Darsh. You are stuck forever.”

Aditi swallowed and gave a pitiful nod. She had to finish this now. She could not bear it any longer.

“So what do you say? You are already divorced. Why not give Darsh a second chance?”

“I’ll think about it.” The woman was still non-committal. Aditi wondered if she had made a mistake. But what was done was done and she wanted this to work for Darsh.

“Well, don’t take too long. It’s already been years...”

“Why did he not get in touch?”

“He probably thinks you are happily married. Why didn’t you?”

“I didn’t know he would be waiting.”

“Well, he is.” Aditi smiled. “He needs you. After all these years, he hasn’t been able to forget you.” She signaled for the bill when Ananya picked up her purse to leave.

“Why are you doing this when you love him so much?”

“I want him to be happy.”

“And what about you?”

“Don't worry about me. I’ll be alright.”

***** *****