I Marked Her Mine

Opening her office, she saw her bag placed on the desk. She walked inside her office and, picking up the bag, searched for her phone.

Now she knew why she had forgotten her phone. She hardly kept it in her bag. It was either in her pocket or her hands.

Finding her phone, she had just pressed the power buŧŧon only to find it switched off.

"Great!" cursing at herself for forgetting her charger at home, she collected her things hurriedly and, within a minute, she was on the road, waiting for the cab.

"Just because of your carelessness, we have to wait for another thirty minutes to see if Vihaan had even called you!" complaining, her heart spoke.

Ignoring it, Shana waved her hand at one the cab and, to her relief, it stopped. She could not even book an uber or ola because of her damn phone!

What was wrong today! She had a feeling it was going to be a bad day.

After forty minutes, She was standing outside her apartment, unlocking her door.

She did not bother where her bag landed, where her shoes went. All she cared about was to go to her bedside table and plugged her phone while switching it on.

"Let's freshen up!" thinking, till the time she freshens up, her phone will get charged enough she went to the bathroom to change.

Emerging from the bathroom after ten minutes in a red woollen pyjama and blue hoodie, she went to the wardrobe to pick the socks and, sitting on the bed, wearing them.

"What's wrong?" she thought to herself when she saw thirty missed calls!

Panicking, praying nothing has gone wrong, she opened her call details to see all the calls from either Vansh, Avni, Anubhav or Saaransh.

She was about to call Vansh when her phone beeped again, informing her of a text message and, she was amazed to see her message box full of Saaransh's messages.

"Shana, where are you?"

"Shana! Why are not you picking the call! IT'S URGENT!"

"Where the hell is you!"

"I do not know what's wrong with you, but call me as soon as you see them."

Panicking more, she noticed the first message was an hour after she had reached the office, that was, nine in the morning.

She did not bother seeing the timing of the first call. She immediately dialled the topmost number, meanwhile biting her nails continuously.

"Saaransh, Is everything okay?" she did not bother explaining she had forgotten her phone all, she wanted to know was everything is okay.

"Shana..." She heard Saaransh's voice breaking and, she urged him to speak," Saaransh, tell me, what's wrong! Please tell me."

Saaransh: Do not get panicked, okay. Everything will be fine.

Shana: Will you please tell me what's wrong!

She almost felt her legs frozen when she heard the unexpected" Grandma is in ICU since the morning and..."

"And..." with a broken and nervous tone, she could only speak that much.

"Aunt Chaya is also in ICU. She drank the rat poison after knowing about the grandma."

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At present

Her heart was heavy and, she found her legs shaking up.

Avni looked at her left when she heard someone footsteps and saw Shanaya in her messy state coming toward them. She did not know what state she was in, did not know how her swollen eyes were looking, but she was glad.

She was glad to have Shanaya with them.

Shanaya knew it was wrong, but she did not rest her eyes only at Avni. She moved them to saw Mr Rathores tensed face, Mrs Shakti deep in conversation with them and to her no astonishment, Saaransh talking with Vansh or rather, consoling him.

But, she could not see someone she wanted desperately at the moment and, her eyes moved in all directions, waiting for that one person. But, her heart sank deeper when she could not sight him.

Vihaan was nowhere to be seen.

She was worried about Vihaan. She had no idea how he was coping up with his mother and grandmother in a coma.

She wanted to be with him, hug him, console him and ȧssure him she is with him, but, regretfully, she was not.

She walked toward Avni and, before any one of them knew, they were hugging each other.

She had always found it hard to convey how much it hurt her to see her people in pain.

"How are they?" she asked when she sights Vansh coming from somewhere.

Meanwhile, still hugging Avni.

Shana had never watch Vansh that hurt. She knew he had not cried, but the black circles under his eyes, the worry lines on his forehead were enough to tell.

She gestured him for a hug and the relief of being at least of some help when Vansh hugged her and Avni was indescribable.

"Doctor gave them forty-eight hours." Vansh could only whisper.

Shana wanted to cry, wanted to weep along with Avni, but she knew she had to console them and to do that, she had to be strong.

Leading them toward the sofa placed in the lobby beside the VIP room, Shana made Avni sat down while squeezing Vansh's right hand when he left them alone.

Placing her hands above Avni's, cupping them, she spoke slowly and, with the hope, her words would be comforting enough" Don't worry dee, grandma and aunty would be back soon with us. They are fighters. We all know that. They will fight with the trauma and would be back soon with us."

Shana had almost stood up when her eyes locked with his and, she sat back.

He needed love, the love she was unable to give him at the moment.

Withdrawing her eyes from his, even though she wanted to comfort him she looked back at Avni.

But, she hated herself at the moment. For being too revengeful, too selfish, too self-centred, but she knew she had to be.

She had to protect herself first.

Looking back at Avni, passing a comforting smile at her, she spoke when their eyes met," Your mom would be fine soon. You have to be strong just, like your mother."

Avni kept looking at Shana as if something was wrong or something she said was wrong. But, she did not whisper a word.

Sniffing her runny nose, Avni looked at Vansh standing far away with Saaransh, Mr Rathores and then at Mrs Shakti and something changed in her eyes.

Before Shana could understand what it was, she heard Avni, "She is not my mom, Shana." and her world turned upside down.

What the hell was happening!!!

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Enjoy reading it :)

Love to all