A Loveless Arranged Marriage Chapter 15. Time to welcome the baby

  Previously, we saw that Deepa’s father, mother, and brother came to Mumbai to celebrate Diwali with Rishi and Deepa. When they arrived in Mumbai, they were greeted by Rishi at CST station. That evening, Deepa prepared dinner for all of them. The next day, they did some shopping for Diwali, and over the weekend, they toured around Mumbai. They celebrated Diwali with joy and happiness, and after four days, Jayraj, Parvathi, and Ashwin returned to their hometown. Now, let’s see what happened next.

  It was 3:15 p.m. in Rishi’s office. Arvind sat still, lost in thought and clearly tense about something. Rishi noticed and asked, "Hey Arvind, what’s wrong?" Arvind replied, "Nothing." Rishi, unconvinced, said, "I can tell you're stressed. Just tell me what’s bothering you." Arvind hesitated for a moment and then said, "I was thinking about whether I should cancel the baby shower or not." Surprised, Rishi asked, "Cancel the baby shower? Are you mad or what?" Hearing the exchange, Akshaya, Ibrahim, and Sunny joined in, asking in unison, "Hey Rishi, what happened?" Rishi replied, "Arvind is thinking about canceling the baby shower." Shocked, they all turned to Arvind, asking why he was considering such a thing.

  Arvind sighed and began explaining, "Yesterday, I tried to inform my parents about the baby shower, and I also told Shahina’s parents. I thought it would be great if our parents could attend the event. I knew they would be angry, but I was confident I could convince them somehow. When I told my parents about the baby shower, they simply said, 'Why are you telling us this?' That’s when I realized they had disowned me. After that, I informed Shahina’s parents, and they said, ‘The girl who dishonored our family should not come to her own baby shower. We don’t care whether she lives or dies.’ I got so angry that I yelled at them. When I told Shahina, it led to a fight between us this morning. After all of this, I’m wondering why I should even hold the baby shower."

  Akshaya responded, “Arvind, you’re seriously going to cancel the function for this? You and Shahina had a registered marriage against both your families' wishes. Of course, they’re still angry, but that doesn’t mean you should cancel the baby shower entirely.” Ibrahim added, "Arvind, think about why you're holding this function and for whom." Then Sunny chimed in, “I’m younger than you, Arvind, but I have to say, you’re wrong here, bro.” Rishi followed, saying, “Arvind, out of all of us, you’re usually the one who makes the right decisions. But this time, you're making the wrong call. Don’t cancel this function—it’s an important moment in Shahina’s life. When you go home after work, apologize to her."

  After hearing his friends' words, Arvind realized his mistake. He admitted, “You’re right. I was wrong to even think about canceling the function over something like this.” Akshaya smiled and said, “Good. Now that you understand, focus on how you're going to organize this baby shower." With that, they all returned to their work.

 After some time, Arvind's workday came to an end, and he returned home. When he arrived, Shahina was sitting on the sofa, watching television. She was in her 35th week of pregnancy. Upon seeing Arvind, she switched off the TV and went to the bedroom. Arvind, noticing this, understood that Shahina was still upset. He followed her to the bedroom to check on her.

 When he entered the room, he saw Shahina sitting on the bed, scrolling through her social media on her phone. Although she saw Arvind come in, she ignored him. Arvind approached the bed and sat beside her.

He began, "Shahina, I’m really sorry for what happened this morning. I shouldn’t have taken it so seriously. I got angry because your parents said they don’t care whether you live or die. I was just trying to convince both our parents so we could have the baby shower with their blessings. But please forgive me. Say something, Shahina."

  Shahina finally spoke, "What do you expect me to say? Arvind, it’s been two years since we went against our parents. We know they’re still angry with us. If we invite them to the baby shower, their answer will either be yes or no. We shouldn’t let their harsh words affect us." Arvind responded, "But they said they don’t care if we live or die. How do you expect me to just ignore that?" She replied, "You don’t need to react at all. One day, our parents will realize their mistake. For now, we need to focus on our lives and the fact that we’re about to have a child." Arvind sighed and said, "Hmm, let’s have dinner. It’s getting late." They left the bedroom to have dinner.

  Two days later, Arvind’s house was beautifully decorated with garlands of flowers. A royal chair was set up in the living room. In front of it, there was a bowl of sandalwood and turmeric paste, a plate full of bangles, and a sprinkler bottle filled with rose water. Rishi, Deepa, Akshaya, Kathir, Akshaya’s daughter Nithya, Ibrahim, Sunny, and some of Arvind and Shahina’s neighbors were present for the baby shower.

  While everyone waited in the living room, Arvind and Shahina emerged from the bedroom, holding hands. They were both dressed in traditional outfits. Shahina wore jewelry, and her hair was styled in a braid. She took a seat on the royal chair. Arvind then gently took some of the sandalwood and turmeric paste and applied it to Shahina’s cheeks and hands. He placed bangles on her wrists and sprinkled rose water over her. After that, each guest came forward, one by one, to perform the rituals. The function was filled with joy, happiness, and a few lighthearted moments.

  After three hours, the function came to an end, and everyone started heading home. A while later, Rishi and Deepa also left for their house. Back at Arvind's house, Shahina was sitting on the bed, checking the gifts she had received at the baby shower. As she was doing this, Arvind entered the bedroom, covering one of his hands. He walked over to her and asked, "What are you doing?"

  Shahina replied, "Can’t you see? Hey, Arvind, I have to say, Akshaya has great taste in picking sarees." Arvind smiled and said, "Yeah, she does. Hey, here’s my gift." He handed her a letter. When she opened it, she saw that it was a letter from Arvind's company, approving his two-month work-from-home request. Shahina was thrilled and said, "That’s great, Arvind!"

  Arvind replied, "Yay! Now I’ll be by your side for the next two months." Shahina smiled and said, "But you’ll still be working, right?" Arvind reassured her, "Don’t worry about that. I can take care of both things." They then continued checking the remaining gifts. Afterward, they went to bed to rest.

  Five weeks later, on December 6th, Arvind and Shahina were watching a TV program together. Shahina had her head resting on Arvind’s shoulder as they watched. Out of the blue, Shahina asked, "Arvind, if I die during childbirth, will you be able to take care of our child?" Arvind was shocked and immediately asked, "What are you saying?" Shahina repeated the question, and Arvind, now angry, replied, "Shahina, are you mad? Why are you talking like that all of a sudden?" Shahina explained, "It’s not like that, Arvind. You know that during labor, there’s always a risk."

  Arvind, clearly upset, said, "First of all, don’t talk like that. You know I can’t live without you. If something happens, of course, I’ll take care of our child. But please, don’t think like that." As he said this, he gently placed his hands on Shahina's stomach. Shahina replied softly, "I’m just saying. Nothing more." Arvind, trying to calm her, said, "Shahina, you could go into labor in a day or two. If you start thinking like that, it might raise your blood pressure. Please stay optimistic." Shahina nodded and said, "I know." After that, they continued watching the program.

  The next morning, Arvind was working in the kitchen while Shahina was browsing her social media. Suddenly, she began feeling labor pains. She tried to call Arvind, but her voice was too faint, and he didn’t hear her. As the pain intensified, she shouted for him. Arvind rushed into the living room and saw that she was in severe pain. He hurried to her side and said, "Shahina, try to stay calm. We’ll be at the hospital in 30 minutes." He quickly went to the bedroom to grab some clothes for Shahina and her hospital reports. After gathering everything, he helped her into the car and started driving to the hospital.

  During the drive, Arvind was distressed seeing Shahina in pain. He asked her to hold on, but Shahina struggled to manage the pain. After 22 minutes, they reached the hospital, where Shahina was immediately admitted to the labor ward. Arvind stayed outside, anxiously waiting. His anxiety and fear continued to rise, so he decided to call Rishi. He asked Rishi to come to the hospital, and Rishi assured him that he would be there in 45 minutes. As Arvind waited, he could hear Shahina’s cries of pain from the labor ward. Feeling helpless, he prayed for both Shahina and their baby’s safety. After 38 minutes, Rishi and Deepa arrived at the hospital.

 Rishi and Deepa saw Arvind waiting outside the labor ward. Noticing the tension on his face, Rishi approached him and asked, "Hey Arvind, what happened?" Arvind replied, "Shahina is still in the labor ward. It’s been more than an hour since I heard her crying and shouting. I’m starting to get a little scared, Rishi." Rishi reassured him, "Don’t worry, everything will be fine."

  Just then, they heard Shahina scream, louder than before, followed by the sound of a baby crying. When Arvind heard the baby’s cry, some of his fear subsided. Moments later, a nurse came out of the labor ward, carrying the baby wrapped in a blanket.

Arvind's eyes filled with tears as he saw the baby. The nurse handed the baby to Arvind, saying, "It’s a girl." Arvind was overwhelmed with joy as he held his daughter in his arms. Rishi and Deepa were also filled with happiness. Before leaving, Arvind asked the nurse about Shahina. "She’s fine," the nurse replied, "but she’s unconscious right now." After that, the nurse left.

  All three of them, along with the baby, entered the labor ward. They saw Shahina lying unconscious on the bed. Arvind turned to Deepa and said, "Deepa, please take care of the baby and Shahina. I need to go get some food for her." Deepa reassured him, "Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything."

  Arvind and Rishi then left the hospital to get some food for Shahina. On the way, Arvind couldn’t contain his happiness. He said, "Rishi, I’m so happy right now. You know, holding my baby in my arms, I feel like my life is complete." Rishi smiled and replied, "Congratulations, Arvind. You’re a parent now."

  They went to a nearby hotel and bought food for Shahina. When they returned to the hospital, they saw that Shahina had regained consciousness and was holding the baby, who was peacefully sleeping in her arms. Arvind placed the food on the table beside her. Shahina looked up and asked, "Where did you go, Arvind?" "I went to get some food for you," Arvind replied. Shahina smiled and asked, "Did you see our baby?" "Yeah, she’s adorable," Arvind said, smiling. Shahina replied, "I feel like our life is complete now." As they were talking, Rishi asked, "Arvind, what name are you going to give the baby?" Arvind replied, "We’ve already decided. Her name will be Isha."

  Rishi smiled and said, "Isha, that’s a lovely name. But why did you choose that name?" Shahina answered, "We chose it because of Ishwari aunty. It’s thanks to her that we’re together today. That’s why we named her Isha." Rishi, touched by the sentiment, said, "If mom were here, she’d be so happy." Arvind nodded, "Yes, we miss her." After that, Shahina had her breakfast, and they continued chatting.

  With that, the chapter came to an end. Let’s see what happens next in the upcoming chapter. Until then, stay tuned!