GAURII’S POV

I was still in his arms when I slowly stirred awake. I was used to being close to him by now, but… not this close. He noticed me waking up and gently made me sit on the couch.

I blinked at him in confusion.

“Why was I in your lap…?”

He looked at me with a soft, concerned smile.

“Actually, it was already night. I tried waking you up for dinner but you wouldn’t wake up… so I carried you out here.”

I made a small ‘oh’ face, embarrassed. He started serving me food.

“You won’t eat?” I asked, looking up at him.

He scratched the back of his neck nervously.

“I… actually ate before you.”

I made another ‘oh’ face and continued eating. The food was tasteless, barely any spice, but I forced myself to finish it. He kept watching me while I ate.

I frowned. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

He immediately looked confused.

“Okay fine! If you don’t want me to look at you, I won’t.”

And he turned his face away dramatically.

Why does he always assume the opposite?!

“N-Noo, that’s not what I meant,” I said, stammering. “Let’s… talk about something.”

He turned back instantly, his face lighting up.

“So,” I asked, “you’re almost 30… are you married and do you have kids?”

He chuckled.

“Neither of them.”

I nodded. After everything that happened to me… I don’t believe in marriage anymore. If someone had asked me years ago whether people should get married, I would’ve said of course. But now, looking at myself… my answer is never.

“Good,” I said quietly. “Marriage is an important decision. You should think a lot before taking it.”

He nodded and then asked, “Okay, you tell me—when did you get married?”

“Seventeen,” I replied flatly.

He made a surprised ‘oh’ face. Then, a little hesitantly, he asked,

“So… do you have kids?”

The spoon froze in my hand.

My breaths turned uneven. Did he… somehow know about my pregnancy? Was he going to do something to me? Fear crawled up my spine.

“I–I’m done eating,” I said suddenly, standing up. “I’m going to sleep.”

“Gauri—?” he tried calling me, confused, but before he could say anything, I rushed to the room and shut the door instantly.

What answer am I supposed to give him…?

Do I have kids?

I sat on the bed, knees pulled to my chest. Tears began falling—first slow, then uncontrollable. I cried until my eyes swelled and my body gave up.

And I fainted… thinking of my three baby girls.

A loud knock pulled me out of sleep.

“Come in…” I murmured, still half-awake.

The door had barely opened when a sudden wave of nausea hit me like a punch. My stomach twisted. I clamped a hand over my mouth and ran straight to the washroom.

I barely made it to the toilet before I started throwing up. Tears stung my eyes from the force. My entire body trembled.

Suddenly, warm fingers slipped into my hair, gathering it back. Another hand rubbed slow circles on my back.

When I finished, a steady hand appeared in front of me. I weakly held it and stood up.

I lifted my head…

Abhimaan.

He was standing right there, watching me with worry all over his face.

He guided me to the washbasin. I rinsed my mouth while he quietly handed me a soft hand towel. Before I could step back on my own, he scooped me into his arms and carried me to the bed, tucking me gently under the blanket.

He placed the back of his hand on my forehead.

“No fever,” he murmured. “It must be indigestion.”

I didn’t know what it was myself… but I felt drained, weak, empty.

He stepped out of the room for a moment. I curled into the blanket. A few minutes later, he returned with warm lemon water. He lifted my back gently.

“Slowly,” he said, helping me drink. “Your body is very weak, Gauri. You need rest.”

I hummed softly before sleep dragged me under again.

---

When I woke up an hour later, I felt lighter. Tired, but not sick. I pushed myself up and slowly walked to the bathroom to freshen up.

I had just stepped into the shower when a gentle knock came.

“Gauriii, are you okay?” Abhimaan asked from outside.

“Yes, I’m fine,” I replied. “Just taking a bath.”

When I finally came out, the room was empty. I slipped quietly into the closet, and there it was—a long wall mirror.

I looked around once to make sure I was alone.

Then… I dropped the towel.

My breath caught.

For the first time with my own eyes… I saw my body.

My tiny baby bump.

Small… yet so perfect.

So real.

I touched it with trembling fingers. A silent tear rolled down.

I hurried to wear the clothes kept there. The undergarments were soft but a little tight—not uncomfortably, just noticeable. I picked a long, loose kurti-like dress. It covered everything, airy and comfortable.

I stood before the mirror, combing my hair.

Instinctively, I reached out to search for my sindoor… my bindi…

But then reality struck me like a slap.

I had run away.

I wasn’t his wife anymore.

I was just… Gauri.

A mother.

Not someone’s wife.

The thought hit so hard my chest tightened. A sob escaped me before I could stop it. Tears fell one after another.

What would people in the village think?

What would my mother think… the shame, the anger…

My heart felt too heavy to carry.

I broke down on the floor.

A knock sounded.

“Gauriii?” Abhimaan’s voice was concerned.

My throat was so tight I couldn’t speak.

“Gauri!” he called again, louder. “I’m coming in!”

The door opened, and he froze when he saw me on the floor, trembling and crying. He rushed to me immediately.

He wiped my tears gently, tucked my hair behind my ear, and cupped my face.

“Gaurii… what happened? Why are you crying? Are you in pain? Did something happen?” His voice shook with worry. “Tell me… please.”

But I couldn’t speak. My breath kept breaking.

I just leaned forward and hugged him tightly.

He held me carefully, protectively, and lifted me into his arms again. He took me back to the bed and sat down with me in his lap, holding me as if I’d shatter.

“Okay…” he whispered softly. “Now tell me. What happened?”

I couldn’t look at him. My voice cracked.

“I… I have to go back to my husband,” I whispered. “I can’t live here.”

ABHIMAAN’S POV

Her words hit me like a punch.

“I have to go back to my husband… I can’t live here,” she whispered.

For a moment, I just stared at her.

“What happened, Gaurii? Tell me,” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

She looked at me with red eyes and shook her head. “I… I cheated him. I ran away. I was married to him. I should’ve stayed—good or bad.”

I inhaled sharply.

Why… why do women think it’s their duty to stay even when they’re dying inside?

She was trembling so badly that I picked the glass of water from her bedside and held it to her lips. She drank without meeting my eyes.

I kept stroking her back, gently running my fingers through her hair, trying to calm her shaking body. After a while when her breathing softened, I whispered:

“Better?”

She didn’t reply. She just slipped out of my arms.

I didn’t force her. I only took her hand gently and pulled her to sit in front of me. She looked shattered, lost.

And then… I pinched her hand.

“Ahh!” she yelped. “Why did you pinch me so hard?”

I stared at her for a second—and pinched her again.

She jerked her hand away instantly. “Why are you pinching me?”

I smiled a little. “Why can’t I? I am your friend. In other words one of your well wishers, You said it’s a wife’s responsibility to stay even when her husband is bad… even when he hurts her. So it’s your responsibility to stay with me too, right? Even when I pinch you? Even when I give you pain?”

She blinked, trying to understand.

I leaned closer and said softly, firmly:

“Gaurii… it’s not a sin that you left him. You saved your life. I saw you that night—you didn’t see yourself. I did. You were in pain… real, dangerous pain.”

Her lips trembled.

“And listen to me carefully,” I continued. “If you don’t want to stay with me, I won’t force you. But I will not let you walk back into that hell just because of society.”

She finally nodded, slowly… brokenly.

“You need rest,” I said, brushing her hair back. “Stop thinking about everything. Just think about yourself.”

I left her to sleep and later brought soup. She woke up weakly, and I fed her slowly until she drifted back to sleep.

---

Days passed.

Every morning she threw up.

Every evening she felt dizzy.

In between, she was fine… glowing even.

But she was changing. Healthier. Softer. Sometimes smiling, sometimes crying.

One afternoon, I heard her laugh with the staff as she ate imli ( tamarind ) . She looked… happy. Normal. I couldn’t help smiling.

But evenings were hard. She threw up again, trembling, holding her stomach. I held her while she leaned into me and whispered:

“Please… pass rhiye na…”

( please … stay near to me.. )

And of course, I stayed.

Later that night, I ordered fruits—papaya, pineapple, apple, banana, plums. When they arrived, I washed them and started chopping.

The female staff stood behind me and said, “Sir, give them to me… I’ll cut the fruits.”

Without looking up, I said, “No, I’m making fruit chaat for Gauri.”

She gasped. “Sir… are you sure you’re giving these fruits to ma’am?”

I frowned. “Of course.”

“Did you check with the doctor?”

“Why would I need a doctor for fruits?” I asked, confused.

She hesitated, then asked, “Sir… is this your first time?”

I glared at her. “Have you lost it?”

She muttered under her breath, “Haan… I didn’t see any kids so…”

Then loud enough for me to hear:

“Sir, pineapple and papaya should never be given to pregnant women. That’s why I asked.”

My knife slipped slightly on the board.

I looked up slowly.

She continued timidly, “Yes, sir… Ma’am is pregnant.”

I stood completely still.

“She told you?” I asked, voice dangerously calm.

She shook her head.

“No, sir. I’m almost like a midwife. Morning sickness, craving for imli, mood swings, sudden tears, sudden laughter… all signs. So I guessed…”

I raised a hand, signaling her to stop.

Inside me… something exploded.

Shocked.

Confused.

Worried.

Protective.

She was pregnant all this time… and she didn’t even tell me.

I left the fruits there only and told the staff, “Clean this up and leave. Pack the things for yourselves.” They nodded, and I walked away toward my study, still in shock.

How was I supposed to react?

Should I feel hurt that she didn’t tell me?

But then again… it wasn’t her fault. She’s pregnant, her husband isn’t here, and she can’t trust any random man with her baby’s life. Maybe she herself didn’t even know…

God… what should I do?

I was still drowning in confusion when she entered the room.

“Abhimaan… let’s eat dinner,” she said softly.

Her voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I nodded, made her sit in the living room, and went to prepare plates for both of us. But I couldn’t focus on eating. My mind was stuck on how to tell her… or how to ask her… if she already knew.

She looked straight at me.

“What happened?”

I shook my head and continued eating, but an idea slowly formed in my mind. I decided to ask after dinner.

When she was about to get up, I gently stopped her.

“Gauriii… sit.”

She did, and I said calmly, “You’re getting sick every day. I think we should see a doctor tomorrow.”

She froze—horrified.

“There’s no need,” she said immediately.

Her reaction… the fear… it confirmed everything. She always panics when I mention a doctor.

“It’s necessary,” I repeated quietly.

She stepped back, and I maintained the distance. Then, with all the caution I had, I asked:

“Is there something you’re hiding? Something you want to tell me?”

Her hand instantly went to her belly.

She knew.

She said nothing. Just shook her head.

I nodded once.

“Alright. Goodnight.”

This time, I didn’t carry her to her room.

Not because I was angry…

Not because she hid things…

Not because she didn’t trust me…

I just… couldn’t.

I went to the room where I had been sleeping recently. Or more like… a room where I try to sleep. Ever since she came here, sleep barely touches me. Just her thoughts, her pain, her presence keep me awake.

I didn’t know if she went to her room or if she was crying. I left her alone because she needed space to think… maybe to gather courage.

But then—

A knock at my door… in the middle of the night.

I opened it and saw Gauriii standing there, crying. Tears everywhere, her hair sticking to her cheeks and lips. She looked shattered.

My stomach dropped.

I never wanted to see her like this.

I immediately pulled her close, wiped her tears gently.

“Shhh… Gauriii, I’m here. Look at me.”

She hugged me tightly, trembling, and whispered in a broken voice:

“Please… please don’t… kill… my baby…”

I froze.

What was she saying?

I made her sit on the bed, brought her water. Her hands were shaking too much, so I held the glass for her.

“Calm down… nothing will happen to your baby. Take deep breaths, okay?”

She tried, and after a moment, she whispered without looking at me:

“I… I am pregnant. Five months… and maybe two weeks.”

I was shocked. Completely.

But I stayed silent. I didn’t react the way she expected, maybe. I didn’t know whether to congratulate her… or apologise for everything she had gone through.

Before I could decide anything, she continued.

“And maybe… she would be a girl.”

Now I was confused.

How did she know?

“I mean…” I said slowly, “it could be a boy too… but even if it’s a girl, I don’t have any problem. I love girls… I mean—like as babies—cute little kids—”

She chuckled at my nervous blabbering.

Good thanks no one from my office was here to see Abhimaan Greyson stammering like an idiot.

But at least she smiled and she continued with a sad face " Everyone doesn't think like that.. I got married when I was 17 years old I wanted to study but my father couldn't afford as it was his last time he wanted me to get married so he could die peacefully he make me married to my husband who is almost 12 years elder than me but it is common in our village our marriage was going good until I get pregnant he was very happy but then my baby died and again this happened and my both babies died... ” she narrated the whole story how she got to know about her husbands truth how she ran away just to save this tinny living being

I quietly pulled her into a hug.

“Listen to me,” I whispered against her hair.

“Until the day I’m breathing, nothing will happen to you. Or this baby. Girl or boy—I don’t care.”

GAURII’S POV

As he hugged me and said those words… I remembered whispering the same words to my child when I was running away. I slowly came out of the hug.

He cupped my shoulder lightly and said,

“You don’t take stress, okay? Go to sleep. Leave everything on me… I’ll handle it.”

I hummed and walked out of the room.

Earlier, I was confused about telling him everything… but now, I feel strangely relaxed.

But there’s something more.

I feel a pull toward him.

I hug him more often now—something I never did in my whole life. And sometimes… I’m the one who wants that closeness. That warmth. That touch. Even just holding his hand feels like peace.

I lay down in my room, and for the first time ever… I didn’t think about anything else.

Not my parents.

Not my marriage.

Not my baby.

Only me… and him.

---

NEXT MORNING

I wore a loose kurti again. When I came out, he was already ready in formal clothes—navy blue shirt, cream pants… but even his shirt looked a little loose on him today.

He held my hand gently and said,

“Let’s go to the hospital for a checkup. I searched a lot last night. I’ve taken an appointment with the best female gynaecologist in town.”

I was shocked listening to all that.

We stepped into the lift. As it started moving, a slight jolt came and my hand instinctively grabbed the corner of his shirt.

He looked at me, smiled softly, and held my hand.

When we reached down, he made me sit in the car himself.

The whole drive, I kept staring at him.

Do men really care like this…?

Is this a dream?

Me and my baby having peace?

We reached the hospital. A huge one—much bigger than the government hospital. I held his hand tighter, scared I might get lost.

He looked down at me and whispered,

“Don’t fear.”

Inside, a girl was standing outside the doctor’s cabin.

“Gaurii Greyson,” Abhimaan said.

I stared at him in shock.

The girl, who was smiling earlier, gave a small confused smile and led us inside.

He pulled a chair for me. I sat.

The doctor looked at both of us and said,

“Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Greyson.”

My eyes widened… but neither of us corrected her.

Then she asked,

“So, are you pregnant or do you want to check?”

Before I could say anything, he replied calmly,

“We know she is pregnant. Around five… five and a half weeks.”

She noted it down.

“Age?”

He answered again,

“Nineteen.”

The doctor stiffened.

Then asked,

“First pregnancy or…?”

She stopped. Looked at me.

And again he answered,

“Is it necessary to tell?”

She hummed.

Then he said,

“It’s her… fourth pregnancy.”

The pen slipped from her fingers.

“She’s just 19. Do you know the laws? This means she conceived at 15. It comes under the POCSO Act—consensual or not!”

I didn’t understand much… only that she was angry at him.

She was about to call someone when he said sharply,

“Stop.”

The doctor stared at him, confused and angry.

He continued calmly,

“Ma’am, please do the urine test first. I will answer every question after that. Just… please do the test.”

She didn’t like it, but she agreed.

A nurse came toward me.

I looked at him with fear.

Everything here was new. Huge. Unfamiliar.

He held my hand lightly.

“Go. It’s just a urine test. Ten minutes and you’ll be back near me. Tension not.”

I nodded and went.

After the test, when I came back, the doctor was calm.

Maybe he explained something.

Maybe he lied.

Maybe he said the truth.

I don’t know.

I only know that remembering my past makes me weak.

Remembering how I trusted my husband…

…how I let him kill my babies… my daughters.

The doctor looked at me gently now.

“We’ll have to run some tests for you and the baby. To know the health of both.”

I nodded.

The nurse guided me to a small changing room. I changed into a hospital gown.

Then they made me lie down on a stretcher.

Abhimaan sat behind the curtain.

The doctor pulled my gown up a little and did the physical test. It was a little uncomfortable for me but I have already experienced it before also so I felt fine after she opened the curtain.

She looked at him and asked,

“Do you want to see the baby? And hear the heartbeat?”

His eyes widened.

“Uhmm… can I? Really?”

He walked to my side.

I immediately held his hand.

The doctor applied the cold gel on my stomach.

I shivered.

“Look, here is your baby.”

She was so tiny.

So fragile.

Like a small bean… a small girl… my baby.

Tears filled my eyes.

Then the doctor said,

“Listen… your baby’s heartbeat.”

The room filled with the fast, tiny thumping sound.

I looked at Abhimaan.

He was staring at the screen—so carefully, so silently.

I couldn’t understand what he was feeling.

It’s not his baby… but seeing a small life changes something in a person.

Then the doctor said,

“The baby is fine. But for five weeks… the baby looks a little weak.”

I froze.

Before I could ask, he spoke,

“Doctor, the baby will be fine, right? Can this weakness be treated? There’s nothing to stress about?”

I stared at him.

He… actually cared.

I can’t expect fatherly affection from him.

Why would he give it?

I’m a stranger.

He’s just helping me.

The doctor smiled gently,

“Yes, the baby is fine. She just needs proper food from now on. If she eats well, both mother and child will be fine.”

We both nodded.

She gave me a cloth to clean the gel.

As I lifted my hand, he took the cloth from me and gently wiped my stomach.

My breath hitched.

My toes curled.

My fingers twisted the bedsheet.

I looked away shyly.

The doctor said,

“We have to run some blood tests because of the earlier pregnancies. Everything seems normal… but for safety, we’ll test.”

We both nodded.

He led me into one of the small rooms. A nurse came in and prepared the tray.

When she inserted the needle, the blood came out very slowly. She frowned and said,

“You have a blood deficiency. You must eat nutritious food… for yourself and the baby.”

We both hummed.

She filled the first tube… then the second… and by then my head had already started spinning.

By the fourth, I felt my whole body losing strength.

The nurse immediately handed me a glass of orange juice.

“Drink this or you’ll faint.”

Before I could take it, Abhimaan took the glass from her hand and gestured to her leave the room.

He gently brought the glass to my lips and made me drink slowly.

The juice was sweet… but I felt like crying from weakness.

He pulled me into him, holding me firm and warm.

“Gauriii… no, no… you can’t faint,” he whispered, almost panicked.

I hummed weakly.

Then he tried to distract me,

“Okay, tell me… do you want a baby girl or a baby boy?”

I blinked at him slowly and murmured,

“I don’t know… maybe a boy. After… after losing my three girls, at least my son will survive.”

His face softened.

He stroked my hand gently and said,

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl. Either will survive. And… personally… I want a girl. A girl just like you.”

I looked at him and gave a small, tired smile.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

My drowsy eyes met his steady ones.

“Why are you helping me? Why are you saving me and my baby?”

He paused… and then smiled softly.

“Uhmm… because I owe you something.”

I frowned, confused.

But before I could ask, he placed a finger on my lips,

“Shh. No more questions. Rest.”

.・゜゜・

_________________________________________________________

Hello Everyone !!!!

Hope you all liked the chapter of my third book

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CHRONIC

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