The Unwanted Princess

part-15

"And maybe one day when I look into your eyes I won't see the haunting past but a peaceful smile of solace."

Shivaaye

His home was visibly glowing with happiness after so many years of sorrows and fear. He watched in fascination as some kind of new lively energy seemed to have surrounded the elder members of OM. An energy that was missing in this house from past 19 years seemed to have reignited at once with a name resonating through everyone's veins.

For him time seemed to pass really slowly and the wait felt unbearable. Ishana didn't inform Anika when Shivanya will come and that felt frustrating now as his gaze again traveled to the main door searching for any sign indicating her presence, no one knew when she will come but he couldn't wait to see her in person after so long.

He hasn't seen her in person since what felt like ages. The last seemingly close memory of them he remembers is the time when a 4 year old Shivanya got afraid of thunderstorm and slept with them, hugging him tightly whole night afraid of the thunderous sound and that memory always followed the memory of a 8 year old Shivanya scared of thunderstorms coming to them for solace but they had turned her away that night saying it was just thunderstorm and it was stupid to be afraid of those sounds.

After that Shivanya never confided in them with her fears. She didn't seek them out when she was scared and never uttered a single word of retaliation towards anymore but looks like fate has it's own way of punishing them. The daughter he cared about yet was too angry to display his feelings now is so angry at them that she doesn't even wants to call them her parents. He clearly remembers the day OM unexpectedly faced a power cut and he knew she was as afraid of darkness as her mother but she didn't come out of her room and when he went to check on her. He found her sitting on her bed wrapping herself around her teddy bear, her eyes shut close and shivering with fear. He had called her out to be with them that day he has seen the hope, happiness and love shinning in her eyes. Hope, that everything will be same again her parents will love her as much as they loved her before that dreaded incident. She will be her papa's princess again but that never happened everyone was too bitter and angry to forget that incident anytime soon.

He thought time will heal those wounds but that never happened, the wounds just deepened with time. There was a haunting absence surrounding them every moment no one could imagine a Shivanya without Shivaansh. They both were twins always with each other and connected to each other. Watching Shivanya the deep hollow Shivaansh left in their will always resurface no one could stand in Shivanya's presence knowing Shivaansh wasn't there and he didn't know when sorrow changed into resentment. he didn't know how time didn't heal the wounds but carved new once in an innocent heart. He didn't know when the whole family started blaming Shivanya for Shivaansh death, he didn't realize when they started making Shivanya feel like a murderer. He just knew they all were drowned in sorrow and pain after Shivaansh's supposed death, blaming themselves when that blamed shifted to Shivanya he didn't know but he knew he tried to be there for her, tried to act as if he wasn't in pain every time he saw her and realized Shivaansh wasn't there. Shivaansh would also be this old, Shivaansh would do this?? Will Shivaansh like this or that?? What will Shivaansh be like ?? The questions always tormented his soul and he could clearly see Shivanya could read the pain in his eyes and seemed more depressed in his presence. So, he kept his distance and tried to make sure she gets whatever she wants but looks like he failed and that too miserably. 

Their distance never let them know what Shivanya was like really?? He didn't know his own girl not at all and that day with Shivika in I.C.U and all the clues pointing towards Shivanya they all lost themselves in grief again. The memory of Shivanya pushing Shivaansh down the hill flashing freshly in their mind. They had lost Shivaansh and were on the verge of losing Shivika and in grief lashed out at Shivanya, no one noticed her wounds in their grief. Not even he himself who claimed to look after her somewhat when everyone else were too lost in their own grief and that was the last time he saw his girl. He remember searching for her like a frantic knowing she wasn't at home. He remembered screaming her name in the dark stormy thunderous night, sometimes the thunder will drown his voice but she didn't reply. He remember watching the footage of how Shivanya rescued Shivika, he watched with seething fury and utter helplessness as those beasts kicked and punched his daughter mercilessly and she didn't say a single world, ready to bear any pain for her sister. he watched how risking her life she securely took her sister in the hospital and never mentioned her own injuries. He had noticed the look few known men shared if the wounds went untreated for long and get infected she will scumbled down to them. He didn't want to believe his daughter was dead no he hadn't shared that footage with anyone. It was all his the fire in her eyes, the disregard of her own life, the way she look death in the eye without fear was all his to torment his self and remind him that he failed. His daughter thought her life was valueless that she didn't matter to them, only Shivika did. She thought they won't be sad if She died they will be only heartbroken if something happens to Shivika.