The Third String. [ SAMPLE, FULL BOOK ON AMAZON KINDLE ]

Chapter-1

Shivanya's POV-

" Hii Aditi di. Are you okay? It must be late night in India. What happened?" I asked, almost panicking.

" Shivanya, I am dying. I want you to come here as soon as possible. Please." I heard her voice from the other side.

" What are you talking about di! Please calm down and tell me what has happened?" I asked her.

" I have leukemia. I just one month at the most. Please Shivanya, I need to talk to you before I go. I haven't seen you in six years. You could not even attend the wedding." She pleaded.

I got numb.

" Shivanya....please say something!" I heard her desperate voice.

" Di, nothing will happen to you. I am taking the earliest flight home." I said somehow, chocking over my own voice.

" Doll, as soon as we all accept the truth, it will be easy for all of us. I don't have long. You haven't met Sahil yet. I want you to meet him and talk to you." She said, sighing.

I somehow held back my tears.

" I'll see you tomorrow di. I love you." I said, ending the call.

I booked the next flight to Mumbai from New York where I was working as a lawyer after graduating from Harvard Law School. Then I resigned. I will go back and take care of her. Besides, I wanted to shift anyway.

My flight left in five hours. I packed and took a cab to airport. All the way, I could not stop crying.

Aditi di is my first cousin. We were very close back in India. She is a single child of my bade papa and badi maa. I couldn't even attend her wedding six years back because I had just moved here and settling. Now I regret every moment that I could have been with her but missed it.

I quickly paid the driver and checked in to the airport.

The flight to Mumbai was depressing. Those sixteen hours were hell. All I wanted was to see my sister, my confidant immediately.

I landed in Mumbai at around 2 in the night. Deciding not to disturb Aditi di, I went to my home.

" Shivanya, why did you not tell me that you were coming?" Mumma asked as she took me into a hug.

" Mumma, why did you not tell me about Aditi di?" I asked her.

" She forced us not to tell anything. She thought that you will jeopardize your career and rush back here." She informed.

" How should she?" I shouted.

" Calm down doll. Go and sleep for now. You can go and meet her tomorrow morning." Mumma said and accompanied me to my room.

" Are you hungry?" She asked.

I nodded negatively. 

" When did you all get to know about it?" I asked her.

" Six months back Shivanya." Mumma sighed.

" I had a right to know. It was my call to make." I said, anger rising within me.

" Shivanya, let's talk about it tomorrow. Please take rest or you'll spoil your health.

" Fine maa. You should go and sleep too." I told her and then went to the washroom to freshen up.

Sleep was miles away because of this situation and the damn jet lag.

Finally, sleep engulfed me at around 6 in the morning for some two hours because at 8, I was up again.