"Stop it!" Anuradha decided to break the freezing silence. 

Rakshit furrowed his eyebrow in confusion. "Huh?"

Anuradha and Rakshit were sitting in her living room, as per she called him over to talk about something important which had not been disclosed yet. After Avantika's ultimatum, Anuradha was miserable to make a decision on either of the options. And last she made it after being a lot of debate to herself, and that's why her biggest enemy or nightmare or whatever was sitting in front of her. 

"I said stop doing that." Anuradha closed her eyes, annoyed. How much she wished to kick him out of their home, but she couldn't. Because she was the one who called him to meet her, she was competent. 

"What?" Rakshit asked innocently. His eyes do not even dare to move from her furious face. A sly smile on his lips. 

"Staring," Anuradha huffed. For the past fifteen minutes, since he had arrived the only thing he's doing is nothing, but staring at her like she's the most mesmerizing thing he'd ever seen.  

"Staring? What staring?" He acted coolly, still his eyes on her as if challenging her to do something. 

"Don't play your innocent card to me." She screeched like a tigress. Her hands aching to pull out his eyes. How dare he? Can't he be a gentleman for at least some time? 

His brown orbs twinkled in amusement. She seemed like a fiery cat. Only he knew how much he was controlling himself to not pull her cheeks, and kiss her fuming red nose likewise he wanted to pamper her face with enormous kisses. And he was already aware of his limits at least for now, so he could only sit back watch and drool over her.

Anuradha wanted to get over with the matter as soon as possible, but him being a jerk of the century, how could she let him show his attitude. So she was saying, "I have been seeing you for years. I know you are anything, but innocent. And I'd realized myself the bare self of yours without this innocent facade."

"Probably you'd seen it, Radha." He shrugged as if it's an obvious thing. "You are my child's mother after all." A smile formed at the corner of his lips, but he didn't let it bloom as if he wanted to hide it from her bare eyes. 

"What do you mean?" What's so funny that made him smile? She failed to get the entendre. 

"Nothing," he forcefully took his eyes off of her for the first time after he came here. If he continued with his challenging staring mission, he might have ended with a black eye. 

Meanwhile Anuradha was pondering over her previous words whether to check, she said anything bad or funny that made him smile. And while doing that a particular word struck her, 'Bare', and the exact moment his eyes collided with her. 

"Rakshit!" She jumped from her place literally. 

"Radha?" He was still playing cool. This time his eyes were smiling at her.

"Arrr..." she sat back down, dejected, holding her head. Her fingers were irking to pull out hair in frustration, not her, but the cocky bastard- Rakshit's.  

She shook her head, muttering, "it's not going to work." 

"We haven't tried yet. How could you say, it's not going to work then." Even though he was not sure about what's going on in her head, he couldn't stop himself from saying it. 

"You know what, I should not have called you here in the first place. Then, I should not have watched your arrogant face. I know it's my fault. I thought... I thought it's gonna be the end for everything. How stupid am I!" She face palmed herself for her stupidity. 

Rakshit pushed himself forward to take a hold of her hand, but before he could cross the line his conscience reminded him what he's up to. He cleared his throat, as if clearing out the awkwardness around them. 

"Hey, don't degrade yourself. You are the bravest and strongest woman I have ever seen." He coaxed her, affirming that she was wrong about herself. When she did not respond to him, he added, "And you are beautiful too, Radha." 

"Mind your tongue." She sneered. She saw red. "Would you think I fell for your flattering? You are wrong, then. I know what nasty intentions you have." She misunderstood him entirely after she heard about his wish to have a baby girl with her. Since then she was waiting to confront him, but she was not courageous enough to say it out verbally. 

"I have only one intention, Radha. You and Ved! Though you guys are technically mine, I want to make it official." His sincere reply made her more furious. 

"I'm not yours." She retorted. Honestly she had begun to regret her decision, and she knew that it's too late to think any other way. 

Rakshit did not drag it over as a mature man, though he would like to see her anger personally. It's not the right time for his entertainment. They hadn't even talked about the matter yet, so he thought to let her calm down sometime. 

Two minutes of good silence had broken by her again when she felt an intense gaze on her.

"What?" She asked. 

"You haven't changed at all. You are still fiery, Radha back in college." He smiled. 

"Stop it with your endearment, will you?" She couldn't take it anymore. Did he really want to piss her off?

"I won't." He said nonchalantly, but his words were determined. 

"Why?" She furrowed her eyebrow. 

"Because I don't want to," he shrugged. 

"I don't like it." She sounded like a child. 

"I am afraid I can't change my habits." This time he thought to go along the flow. He really missed their little fights. 

"You never change," She muttered under her breath. 

"C'mon, Radha. You can't just get me here for this. Seriously? This is why you called me first in the morning to warn me about calling you Radha?" For a moment he believed that she had called him for these unwanted arguments. 

Even Anuradha felt they were moving away from the real topic, wasting time over silly quarrels. She took a deep breath before speaking, "It's-- it's about our future," she looked up to him. 

"Hmm," he was waiting for her to continue. 

"That's..." she was hesitant to complete it. It felt like she accepted the defeat. She did not want to sound like that. 

He was waiting... 

It felt like eternity, she'd utter a word for more than half an hour. He could feel the world revolving around them as he was waiting to hear out the decision she made.

"I am ready." She said, breaking the thick silence gently. 

His heartbeat raised up, thinking what she was ready for. Whether she meant what he wanted?

"Ready for?" Holding his breath, he asked carefully, not pushing her into an edgy temper. 

She found herself staring at his eyes. Never in a million years did she think that she would agree to him.

"Marriage"

He felt like the world stopped moving, hearing the most happiest yet unbelieving thing. 

He could even tell anything before she cut off his wings which he used to fly in the sky after hearing her consent. 

"But, I won't be your wife." That's a slap on his face. 

"What?" He did not get what she meant, because he's on cloud nine, so couldn't pay attention to the lady.

Her silence was a reply. 

"You're ready to get married to me, but you won't be my wife? How?" He felt a little bit of irritation. Her glare made him gulp down.

"What I meant is that after marriage we become husband and wife naturally. It's a fact, Radha." He said carefully, not wanting to provoke her anyway. 

"I will be your wife in name only." She clarified him. 

"Oh?" He nodded as if he understood her wicked scheme. "I should have seen this." He smiled at his false belief, shaking his head. 

"What do you think? I will succumb to you as a good little wife?" She did not want him to make a big dream out of their wedding. 

"That you will be," he whispered. 

"What?" She did not hear it well. 

"Forget it," he did not want her to change her decision now. 

"No, what did you just say? Say it out again," she demanded. 

"I said leave it to me I will take care of it." 

"In your dreams," she scoffed. 

"Look Rakshit, I have agreed to what you begged, despite being I can't stand you for a second. Now it's your turn to be a man and respect my terms." She laid out her condition. 

"Are we going to sign a deal or what?" He asked. It's turning into another heated argument. 

"Consider it as one. Whatever, don't ever think to disrupt it." She warned him. 

"So, will this marriage be a deal? For what?" He needed her, but the terms and conditions were not acceptable. 

"Why can't you just understand I am doing this for my son?" She reasoned. 

"He's mine too, Radha." His tone had a bit of seriousness. "He's my own flesh and blood. You can never deny it." It's a kind of declaration of right. 

Anuradha chose to be silent or she might end up killing him. 

Rakshit thought for a second before speaking, "Can you tell me the truth? I want to ask you since I came to know about Ved?" 

Anuradha frowned, asking what he wanted to know.

"What did you feel? I mean, what's actually going through your mind when you come to know that you're pregnant with my baby?" Honestly he was afraid to hear her answer. It's obvious it would hurt him, yet he wanted to know. She kept staring at him, not answering. 

"I can imagine that. You might have hated it, right?" He answered instead of her.

"Why did you ask me when you can imagine yourself?" It's indeed a mockery from her side. 

"But still I want to hear it from you," he was adamant. 

"You won't like it." She mumbled. 

"Since when did you start to care about my likes and dislikes," he said.

Aware of his stubbornness, she decided to speak, "I felt--- I felt numb. I don't know how to say it. I felt nothing, just nothing." She did not want to relive it again. Those old days she wanted to forget it. 

His eyes were fixed on her and his ears were keen to catch her almost silent emotions. 

"I want to burn myself. Never... Never ever in my life I thought why didn't I die already. That moment I just wanted to end it. It's felt like a venomous poison was eating me up--" 

"Radha, please..." Rakshit interrupted her, not able to hear anymore. "Please don't... It's our baby." He pleaded. 

Her holding tears sprung out, bringing her vulnerability before him. "Why Rakshit? Why did you do this to me? You'd made me hate myself, because of your sinful act. You were successful in breaking me, Rakshit. Why?" She yelled.

"I--- I don't know--" he bowed his head. He didn't dare to meet her eyes. 

"I know I've done heinous things. Yeah, I was wrong. Terribly wrong in every aspect, but I am deeply regretting everything." He moved towards her and took her hand in his. 

"I can feel you, Radha since the wound I have left is still fresh. Let me heal you Radha, please... I will rectify the things I've done and prove myself worthy for you." She was listening to him without responding, so he went on, "I won't ask you more, just one chance. That's all I needed. Please..." 

She gave him a slight push while standing up and turned to him. "Why? You want me to let you ruin me again?" She yelled. 

"Radha!" He stood up as well, towering over her.

Anuradha turned around to the other side. "Get out, please. I have told my decision. You can take your time." 

"I have nothing to think about. I want you as well as my son." Rakshit did not want her to change her decision over the time being.

"It's fixed then, we'll get married soon. You can decide the date." She told him. 

"I'll call you later." He knew she wanted to be alone, so thought to let her be. "I will take your leave now." He turned around and found his mother, Avantika, standing at the threshold. It's pretty obvious she heard their conversation. 

Avantika walked towards Anuradha after he left. "Anu?" She put her hand on her shoulder. 

"Ma?" She was surprised. 

"What was that? Marriage? What did I hear?" Uncertainty was evident in her tone.

"I haven't left with much choice. You gave me an ultimatum the other day." Anuradha said.  

Avantika remembered what she mentioned. "You are doing this for me? No, Anu, don't make a decision which will cost your life." 

"No, Ma. I am gonna do this for everyone, including him. You are right, we don't want to drag it on our entire life, do we?" 

"I don't think it's a good decision. I won't let you spoil your life." Avantika could sense she was calling for a disaster. 

"Your son has already made it." Anuradha rebuked before she could even take it back. 

"A--Anu, I am sorry." Avantika felt guilty for her son's deed.

"You don't have to be, Ma. It's not your fault that he'd born in your womb." Anuradha knew she's hurting the woman who's been her mother for years, but she was equally hurt. 

"Even if I want to hate him, I can't..." Avantika said. 

"I understand." Anuradha nodded. 

"Do you really want to give him a chance? Are you sure?" Avantika asked, hoping she would give a chance for their marriage. 

"Yeah, it's his desire to enjoy a matrimonial life with me, then let it be." Anuradha smirked. 

"I could only pray to God that your decision won't bring any demise." Avantika got her answer. It was disappointing. 

"You're worrying for nothing, Ma. We are going to be fine. Trust me," Anuradha tried to assure her. She smiled and hugged her. 

"I'm sorry, Ma. I hate myself for lying to you. I am gonna break your son. I will make sure that he won't live in peace." She asked for Avantika's forgiveness in her mind.