Three months later

Rishi's pov,

My work in Paris was finally completed and after two days I am returning to India.

I was in my study to complete the process of handing over the work to my most trusted aid.

When I was 22 my father was diagnosed with hypertension. After that I took over my father's business. He is now in his 50's and enjoying his life with my mother and my little sister. My work was almost done when my mother called. Now she is doing her next job, my marriage.

"Hello mom. My work is done and I am going to sleep." I explained as usual

"I know how much you sleep."

I was silent.

She sighed and said, "Rishi, your father and I found a girl for you. She is beautiful. She is the relative of your father's friend. I hope you will try this time. Look if you don't like her, we will not force you but my son we want you to be happy so please meet her atleast once for us. The decision will definitely be only yours."

"Alright mom"

"What!" My mom screamed deafening my ears.

"What did you just say?" My mom excitingly asked me like a child as if she was getting a candy.

"I will meet her. And now don't scream otherwise I will change my decision."

"Ohh..oh..ohk...waiting for you my son...come quickly" I hunged up the phone and smiled.

My mom sometimes behaves like a child. I walked in my room and sat on bed remembering those memories.

I was 8 when my biological mother passed away...yes she is my stepmother. I was 10 when my father remarried to my mom. I was angry at that time as how could my father give my mother's place to someone else.

From then on our relationship furthered away. I hated my stepmother...I mean my mom at that time. I also used to think like other people in society that a stepmother can never be a mother. She would definitely do something to strangle me. But she didn't. On the contrary, she used her own means to win my heart. I thought she is doing this to trap me or to mislead my father. With the passing time, I didn't saw anything unusual but I was on alert.

When I was 12, my world took a different turn.

Once I came early at home on weekend. I was usually used to spend time away from home. I heard some arguments between my mother and father.

"Why did you this? There was no need damn it." My father angrily said and threw the vase.

I had never seen my father like this angry. What happened to him.

"There was a need Aniruddh. I don't want him to live in fear that his stepmother one day will strangle him or hurt him."

I was shocked. I was somewhat sure that they are talking about me.

"But that doesn't mean what you did is a solution" my father once again shouted.

My mom let him sit on the bed and she crouched down on floor and held his hands. She then softly said, "Aniruddh, I know you don't want me to do it but please listen to me once."

My father looked at her but didn't said anything.

She wiped her tears and slowly explained, " Rishi is just a 12 year old child Aniruddh. He have the reason to hate me. I took his mother's place. No child would want that. But I want to be his mother and it is the only way to make him secure that I will not do anything to him.

He is just a child. This period will change him completely. He needs care, love and sense of security. That is what I could provide him. If he didn't have fear that his siblings would fight with him, he will feel relieved. May be one day he will accept me."

"And for that you steriled yourself" my father said with tears in his eyes.

I was hell shocked outside their room. I don't know how to react.

"Don't you want to give birth to your own child?" My father asked her and I also waited for answer.

"I just want Rishi to be my child Aniruddh."

She sighed and stood up, "you know Aniruddh that I also have a stepmother who is actually scheming and vicious. I was in terror all those years when she planned against me and made me lose my value in my father's eyes."

She wiped her tears and continued, "She made me believe that a stepmother can never be a mother. I don't get the love, pampering, care, security in my own home. I have experiend all those things that is bothering him."

She walked towards window and continued, "my half siblings made my life a living hell. I lost my childhood and adulthood in struggling. I don't want this for Rishi. When I look at him I find myself in him. Those eyes of hatred, filled with insecurity. He becomes conscious infront of me as if I would hurt him. I can understand him very well becoz I have experiend the same. And that's why I don't want him to lose his childhood. According to society, stepmother is a curse for any child.

Society is prejudiced towards stepmothers. I know this very well and that's why I don't want Rishi to feel that he is cursed. I just want him to grow healthy and happy and I will do anything that I could."

I found myself in tears standing outside the door. I don't know what should I do.

My father then hugged her. Both were in tears.

Then she said, "Promise me Aniruddh, you won't tell this to Rishi."

My father was about to say when he spotted me at the door. He then said, "promise, I won't tell him" looking at me.

I ran back to my room and locked the door. I sat on the bed in tears. And that time I realized my mother never hurt me. She never did anything that could harm me. She never ill treated me. On the contrary, I had shouted on her many times.

After a while, there was a knock on my door. I washed my face and went to open it. My father was standing there.

He sighed and just said, "don't let her know that you knew" I nodded and he rubbed my head and left.

From then on I treated my mom with respect. I listened her many times. She was more than happy to observe such change in me.

I also changed slowly as to not let her get suspicious. But there was an unknown knot between us. I never called her 'mom'. I called her 'aunt'. I know she expected me to call her mom but I couldn't. I couldn't give my mother's place to her.

But a sudden incident changed our strange relationship into the most beautiful one.

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