Twisted Hearts – Chapter 31

Aditya walked out of the room carrying their two-month-old daughter, Shreya, carefully in his arms. Fifteen days after her birth, they had held a simple naming ceremony at home with only close family members. Aditya didn’t want Pallavi or their daughter to get exhausted with too many guests around them. The day had been filled with happiness, laughter and warmth and Aditya had showered both his wife and daughter with special gifts to make the occasion even more memorable.

After the ceremony, Aditya’s parents continued staying with them, while Pallavi’s father and Deepika returned to Chennai. Her mother stayed back for another month to help Pallavi before finally leaving as well. Even after returning, they never missed a single night without video calling just to see little Shreya.

Right now, however, Shreya was cranky after waking up hungry and not finding her mother beside her.

“Shreyu… calm down, princess,” Aditya murmured softly, rocking her gently while looking around for Pallavi.

A moment later, Pallavi stepped out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a towel.

“Aww, my Shreyu… mamma is here, baby,” Pallavi cooed lovingly as she took the baby from Aditya and walked into their room to feed her.

Aditya entered the kitchen and noticed the untouched cup of coffee Pallavi had left behind. Knowing she probably would have woke up hungry, he placed the coffee and a few biscuits on a tray before carrying it into the room.

Pallavi smiled the moment she saw him. Sitting beside her, Aditya dipped a biscuit into the coffee and gently fed her while she continued nursing their daughter.

“I was so hungry. At least I wanted to drink my coffee peacefully, but our Shreyu either starts crying or decides to poop exactly when I sit down to eat. Seems like all those parenting reels on social media were actually true. We are officially living that life now.” Pallavi sighed dramatically.

Aditya chuckled softly before leaning closer to kiss her cheek.

“We are learning every day, baby and our Shreyu is such a cute little baby, so no complaints. Right, Shreyu?” he said lovingly.

He pressed a kiss to his daughter’s tiny head, making Pallavi smile warmly.

Soon, Shreya drifted back to sleep. Aditya carefully placed her in the crib before returning to the bed and rest his head on Pallavi’s lap. He gently kissed her stomach and wrapped an arm around her waist, always careful not to hurt her. Ever since Pallavi’s C-section delivery, Aditya had become extra cautious with everything involving her. Every single day he checked her healing scar with concern and helped her with the light exercises the doctor had suggested for recovery.

Their days now began and ended in each other’s arms. Hugs, kisses and quiet moments had become their language of love, even though intimacy was strictly off-limits for a few more months.

“Get ready or you will be late for office,” Pallavi said, ruffling his hair affectionately.

Aditya immediately groaned dramatically and buried his face deeper against her. Pallavi laughed softly at his antics and pinched his cheek.

“Stop acting like a baby and look to your side, our actual baby is sleeping in the crib. You are a father now.” she whispered.

Aditya lifted his head and looked at her with mock offense. “Excuse me, madam. Let me remind you that I’m a husband too. I deserve pampering.” he whispered carefully, making sure not to wake Shreya.

Pallavi leaned closer and pressed a gentle kiss against Aditya’s lips. Before she could pull away, he cupped the back of her neck and deepened the kiss softly, pouring all his love into it.

“I don’t want to go anywhere. I just want to stay by your side all the time.” he whispered against her lips.

Pallavi smiled lovingly and kissed the tip of his nose. “I’m not going anywhere, Aadhi. Now get ready,” she said gently.

A few minutes later, Pallavi stepped into the bedroom and saw Aditya buttoning his shirt while little Shreya still slept peacefully in her crib. Aditya kissed his daughter’s forehead before pulling Pallavi into a warm hug.

“You know the rules, Pavi. Food and medicines on time. Let amma and appa take care of our princess while you nap. And if she’s sleeping beside you, that’s fine but once I come back, that place is mine.” he said in his usual strict tone.

Pallavi rolled her eyes, already tired of hearing the same instructions every single day before he left for office.

“I have heard of babies keeping parents awake, but here, I’m the one taking care of two babies. Both you and our daughter constantly want my attention.”  she muttered dramatically, twisting his ear lightly.

Aditya widened his eyes innocently. “Am I not your baby?” he asked softly.

Pallavi immediately shook her head in denial, making him laugh before he pressed a loud kiss to her cheek. Together, they walked out of the room.

Before leaving, Aditya once again repeated the same set of instructions to his parents about taking care of Pallavi and Shreya, earning amused looks from everyone.

By late evening, Aditya returned home carrying multiple shopping bags. The moment Pallavi noticed them, she sighed in disbelief.

He grinned mischievously and lightly spanked her before proudly showing her the new maternity gown he had bought for her along with a matching frock for Shreya.

“Be responsible, Mr. Aditya. You are a father to a daughter now. We need to save money for her future instead of wasting it on such lavish things. And what about the future babies we are going to have? We need savings for them too.” Pallavi scolded while unfolding the gown.

Aditya leaned casually against the wall and watched her slip into the new gown. Pregnancy and childbirth had changed her body, she looked beautiful. He always made sure to remind her of that, teasing and appreciating every little change lovingly.

He noticed the soft smile that spread across her face as she admired the gown in the mirror. Slowly stepping behind her, he wrapped his arms around her carefully and rested his chin on her shoulder.

“You complain every single time, yet you love everything I buy for you. Look at that smile on your face… I could do anything just to see you smile like this.” he murmured against her cheek,

Later that night, they lay cuddled together on the bed while Shreya slept peacefully beside Pallavi.

“Pavi, next month there’s a training program in Chennai. My manager wanted me to be part of the training team for the freshers but I rejected it immediately.” Aditya spoke casually while playing with her hair.

Pallavi instantly turned around in shock. “Aadhi, Why would you reject it?” she asked.

Aditya pulled her back against his chest and gently caressed her cheek.

“What kind of question is that? I can barely stay away from you for a few hours. The program is for a whole week. How do you expect me to live without you and our daughter beside me?” he asked, frowning slightly.

“Stupid Aadhi, Chennai is our hometown. This would have been the perfect opportunity to spend time with appa, amma and Deepi. Please talk to your manager and agree to the program. Let’s go to Chennai.” Pallavi muttered affectionately.

But Aditya immediately shook his head.

“If you miss them, we’ll ask them to come here but we are not going to Chennai. Pavi, this house is safe and comfortable for you and Shreyu.” he said firmly.

Pallavi immediately started hitting his shoulder in frustration.

“Stop treating me like a patient” she complained. “I’m not a baby, Aadhi. I can take care of myself and our Shreyu perfectly well. Don’t you think we need a change? We haven’t stepped out properly ever since we found out about the pregnancy. I need fresh air… I miss our childhood home. Just one month, Aadhi… please agree for my sake.” she said and her voice softened as she held his hand tightly.

Aditya looked horrified and silently cursed himself for even mentioning the training program to Pallavi. He tried convincing her repeatedly, but Pallavi refused to listen to a single word. Instead, she turned away from him stubbornly, continuing her silent treatment.

The next morning was no different. Pallavi barely spoke to him, and even his parents sided with her, admitting that they too missed Chennai and wanted a small change after months.

At office, Aditya finally gave in and called Pallavi’s parents. To his surprise, they patiently convinced him that Pallavi and Shreya would be perfectly safe in Chennai, even while he remained busy with the training sessions.

When Aditya returned home that evening, Pallavi completely forgot about being angry the moment she saw him. She rushed forward and hugged him tightly. Aditya instantly relaxed in her embrace and wrapped his arms around her possessively. But within seconds, Pallavi realized what she had done and quickly pulled away before turning her face aside again.

“Pavi, Shreyu is only two months old. How can we take her all the way to Chennai? Here, I at least get to work from home on alternate days. During training, I’ll have to go to office every single day for a week.” Aditya spoke gently, trying one last time to reason with her.

“Aadhi, flight travel is allowed for babies. She will soon be three months old and she will be absolutely fine. Even uncle and aunty haven’t visited Chennai for months. They deserve a break too.” Pallavi said and sighed patiently, hugging him.

Aditya stared at her for a long moment before finally letting out a defeated sigh.

“Okay, I’ll talk to my manager.”  he muttered and Pallavi squealed in excitement immediately.

The sudden sound woke little Shreya, who began crying loudly from the crib. Pallavi bit her lip guiltily and mumbled a soft apology to Aditya before rushing to carry their daughter in her arms.

Meanwhile, Aditya entered the bathroom to freshen up first before taking Shreya from her.

His parents were overjoyed after hearing that Aditya had finally agreed to visit Chennai. Since the house there had been closed for months, they decided to leave the very next day to clean everything before Aditya, Pallavi and Shreya arrived.

After dropping his parents at the airport, Aditya returned home carrying a bouquet of flowers for Pallavi. He found her changing Shreya’s diaper while an open trolley bag lay on the bed beside her.

“You are way too excited for this trip,” he teased, handing the flowers to her before taking Shreya carefully into his arms.

Pallavi giggled happily and placed the flowers in a vase before continuing to pack their things. Aditya merely watched her with an amused poker face while playing with Shreya.

Two days later, in Chennai, Aditya’s parents were busy cleaning the house with the help of hired workers.

Deepika entered the house and found Aditya’s mother sitting on the floor of his old room, sorting through piles of notebooks, files and study materials from his school and college days.

“Aunty, why are you throwing these away?” Deepika asked casually as she sat beside her and flipped through one of the notebooks.

Aditya’s mother smiled fondly. “Aditya never allowed me to clear anything from this room all these years. Dust has collected over everything now. But finally, he agreed.”

“Now he wants the room spotless for his daughter. Children only understand their parents’ worries after they become parents themselves. I kept telling him to clean this room for years, but he never listened. Now suddenly he’s concerned about his little princess.” She laughed softly while tying old notebooks into bundles.

Deepika chuckled at her words and continued flipping through the notebooks and smiling at old memories.

But suddenly, her fingers froze. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she stared at a page filled with her name written repeatedly inside hearts.

“Aunty, you go ahead and supervise the other work. I’ll take care of these,” Deepika said quickly.

Thanking her, Aditya’s mother walked away.

The moment she left, Deepika untied the entire bundle again and began searching frantically through the notebooks one by one. There were countless doodles made by Pallavi during college days, flowers, stars, random cartoons but Deepika ignored them all and continued searching.

Then her trembling fingers stopped at another page. A small photograph of hers was carefully tucked inside one notebook along with a tassel from her old dupatta.

Tears instantly filled her eyes. She quickly hid that notebook behind her and retied the remaining bundles carefully before standing up.

“Aunty, I have tied everything properly. I’ll be back in some time,” she called out from the hall before rushing back home with the notebook clutched tightly against her chest.

The moment she entered her bedroom and locked the door, she collapsed onto the floor, pressing her palms against her mouth to stop herself from crying out loud.

“Why did you lie to me, Aadhi? Why did you marry Pallavi if you were in love with me?” she thought painfully as tears rolled down her cheeks.

She wiped her tears furiously with the back of her hand. “No… I need answers, you are not leaving Chennai without answering my questions.” she whispered to herself.

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