Epilogue 1
Author's pov
Two and a Half Years Later.
Dandwani Mansion.
The sun hadn’t fully risen, but the golden blush had begun to spill through the sheer silk drapes of the master suite. The bed was tangled in rich ivory sheets, the air still heavy with the warmth of the night before. In the middle of it all, wrapped in the serenity of love and exhaustion, lay Vanya Kapoor Dandwani and her husband, Aaryaant.
His arms were snug around her waist, face buried in the crook of her neck, breath slow and even. She stirred first. Her body was achy, flushed, but humming with a softness only he could give her. Slowly, carefully, she slipped out of his arms, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead before padding across the room.
An hour later…
Vanya stood before her in-house temple, dressed in a soft cotton saree with no ornaments but a single gold chain pendant gifted by him, adorning her neck, her damp hair falling over her shoulder as she rang the temple bell gently. Her lips moved in a silent prayer, offering fresh tulsi leaves and white roses at the feet of her Thakurji—Lord Krishna.
She closed her eyes and smiled peacefully.
“Thank you… for everything. For him. For this love. And… if there’s more, I’m ready.” She thanked her lord for everything. A normal thing of her daily routine.
Dandwani Private Gym | 6:00 a.m.
The gym was sleek, flooded with sunlight and the scent of eucalyptus. Vanya had tied her hair up in a messy bun, dressed in a cocoa brown sports set.
Aaryaant entered behind her wearing a black gym set, eyes locked on her like she was the only weight he ever wanted to lift. They did the warm up. And were ready for the gym.
“You know I don’t need dumbbells, I've got you!” he smirked, walking over.
Before she could respond, he’d swept her up in bridal style, doing slow squats with a grin while she shrieked.
“Aarya!..you're insane! ” she laughed. He grinned against her skin.
“And hopelessly in love with you. Let’s call it balanced.” he said still lifting her. She wiggled out of his arms, laughing breathlessly.
“Let me try now, Mr. Dumbbell-flirt.”
She picked up a weight, adjusted her stance, took a breath and suddenly, everything tilted. The room spun. Her eyelids felt heavy and she fell.
“ANYU!”
The dumbbells clanged to the ground, the echo deafening. Aaryaant caught her just before she hit the floor, panic erupting in his chest like wildfire.
“Love?! anyu—anyu, open your eyes. Please, just open your eyes!”
"If you're fucking joking, then stop! It's not funny!"
He laid her down, shaking slightly, sprinkling water on her face. Nothing. His voice cracked as he called out his brothers
“Vir! Avi! Call the doctor—NOW!”
Within minutes, his brothers were there—faces pale, voices trembling. Vanya is more than just family to them. She's more like a mother to them. She is the strength behind their strongest brother.
An hour later, in the medical suit, Vanya blinked slowly, her vision clearing to Aaryaant’s teary face hovering above hers.
"I'm okay!" Relief crashed over him as soon as she whispered. The doctor entered, holding a file and a knowing smile.
“Mr. and Mrs. Dandwani.....We ran the necessary tests. Her vitals are fine… but the fainting spell was because—” he gently paused. Aaryaant held his breath unknown to what's coming their way.
“Congratulations. You’re expecting.”
Silence.
And then, Vanya gasped, eyes wide with tears. Aaryaant sat frozen, emotion flickering in every inch of him.
“We… we’re going to have a baby?”
The doctor nodded, excusing himself to give them a moment. Aaryaant pulled her into his arms, holding her like he’d almost lost her and now like he never would again.
“You scared me to death,” he whispered into her hair.
“You’re stuck with me,” she smiled tearfully, placing his hand over her stomach. Aaryaant kissed her forehead, then her stomach.
“Hi, baby… this is your dad. And I already love you more than life.”
Outside the door, Ariv wiped his eyes while Aavyaan muttered a soft prayer of thanks. Inside, two soulmates held each other. Their hearts full, futures forever changed.
Few Hours After Delivery in the evening
Private Maternity Wing of Dandwani Hospital
The air was scented with fresh lilies. The corridors were dimmed, quiet, yet every Dandwani present was pacing with bated breath. Aryan sat with a teddy clutched in his hands for his niece, while Ariv coordinated with hospital staff to ensure no one disturbed the new mother. And Aavyaan making arrangements for the decoration of the whole mansion for a new life's welcome.
But Aaryaant, he stood frozen outside the delivery room, his hands clenched, jaw tight, eyes glued to the door. Inside was his world.
He hadn’t seen her since they rushed her in. And even after the soft cries of a newborn echoed through the corridor, and the nurse had come out, smiling brightly and announcing,“It’s a girl!”. He still hasn’t moved.
“Can I… see my wife now?” he had asked, voice trembling. Not daughter. Not even himself. Just his wife. His anyu. Because before anything else, he needed to see her breathing, safe, whole… in his arms.
Inside the room…
The door creaked open, and the world stilled for him. There she lay, propped against pillows, her hair a bit messy, face pale but skin glowing with sweat and a mother’s radiance. The little bundle was in the bassinet nearby, asleep—already the center of everyone else’s attention.
But not his. At least for now.
His eyes didn’t move from Vanya.
“Aarya…” she whispered with a soft, tired smile.
In three strides, he was beside her. He knelt down, cupped her face gently like she might break, and then, unable to stop himself—he pulled her into a careful yet desperate embrace. She buried her face into his shoulder, exhausted, and he breathed in her warmth, her scent, his home.
“You scared me again. But my Love!....you did it!” he murmured, eyes moist.
"I'm super proud of my superwoman!"
“We did,” she whispering corrected, smiling at him.
He kissed her temple, her forehead, her mole at the corner of her right eye, her lips, every part of her he could reach, whispering prayers of gratitude with every touch.
“I didn’t even ask about the baby, I couldn’t think about anything until I saw you—until I knew you were okay.” He confessed in his shaky voice. She cupped his cheek, her thumb brushing away a tear.
“She’s perfect. But I knew you’d come to me first.” He smiled, pulling back to look into her eyes.
“Always. Before the world, before everything… it’s you, Vanya. It’ll always be you.”
Only after kissing her knuckles and sitting beside her, with her fingers intertwined in his, did he finally glance at the little miracle lying in the bassinet.
“Can I…?” he asked softly.
"You're her father!" Vanya said. And he proudly nodded. Like he achieved everything. He stood up and walked over, hands trembling slightly as he reached for the tiny being who had already captured his soul.
As he held his daughter for the first time, his heart thundered. But behind the awe, the tears, the wonder, he turned his gaze back to the bed.
Back to Vanya, who now smiled at him through heavy lids.
She was still his first breath.
The baby is their forever.
He stood frozen, holding her—their daughter—as if even the softest breeze might take her away. So small. So warm. So unbelievably perfect. His arms were steady, but his heart was a wreck.
Vanya took her phone wanting to record his reaction. He, unaware of her antics, adoring the little creature in his arms. His eyes moved over her small chubby and red cheeks, her delicate lashes, the way her tiny fingers curled instinctively around his thumb, all ready to hold his hand. She shifted gently, lips parting in a sleepy breath—and then…
She opened her big eyes.
And time collapsed.
Aaryaant gasped, staggered a step back instinctively, blinking fast—because there, staring up at him with soft, slow blinks…were his eyes. That exact shade. The lightest brown. Like melted sunlight in amber. The same hue Vanya had once called “her favorite part of him.”
His throat clenched. A choked breath escaped. And then—tears. Not quiet ones. But torrents. And He broke down.
Tears rolled down his face, lips trembling as he dropped to his knees beside the bed, still cradling the baby in his arms like she was a crown and looked up at Vanya with sheer disbelief.
“She has.....my eyes, Anyuuu.....she looked at me......with my eyes.” he whispered, his voice cracking with every word he uttered.
Vanya’s vision blurred too, overwhelmed by the rawness of his emotion, by the man who had once guarded every part of himself like armor, now completely undone by a tiny pair of brown eyes.
“She saw you first, of course she'd carry your light.” Vanya weakly whispered. Aaryaant leaned forward, resting his forehead gently against Vanya’s while the baby lay nestled between them.
“Thank you,” he whispered, voice quivering.
“For her. For you. For everything. I didn’t know I could love anything more than you until....she blinked.”
He pulled back slightly, brushing his lips across Vanya’s hand, then the baby's forehead, whispering between soft sobs:
“You’re my beginning… and you my baby is our eternity.” he said to his wife and his daughter. And in that single moment, with his heart in his arms and his soul beside him, Aaryaant Dandwani fell in love all over again—with both of his girls.