Chapter 3

Janani stared at the picture of her with her sister’s, taken during the other woman's stay with Janani's family, her eyes stinging like mad, her heart squeezing at the misery inside her.

The misery at the thought of never having a chance of knowing her twin.

She had loved Saanvi and hated the reality that fate didn’t give her a chance to bond with her sister.

Born to unknown parents, the twins had gone into different foster homes as soon as they were born.

They had not met until they were adults and Saanvi had tracked Janani down.

Right from the beginning Janani and her parents were captivated by her lively charming twin.

Of course, that had gone wrong for all of them, she acknowledged reluctantly, but it had gone worse for little Advi who would never know his birth mother.

Her eyes rested on the wide awake ten-month-old baby in the buggy near her and her misty eyes brightened, for little Advi is the sun, moon and stars in Janani's world now.

He was the most utterly adorable baby in the world and he owns her heart and soul, had done so since the moment her eyes rested upon his one-week-old self.

"I saw you through the windows from the street. Why are you stating at it again??" A worried female voice asked. Janani simply nodded her head

"I don't understand why you are torturing yourself like this Jan. She is gone and I would say good riddance" the other woman said

"Please don’t say that" Janani urged her best friend Richa whom she had known from kindergarten.

Richa had been with her every step of her life. And Richa had hated Saanvi since their first meet. Janani has simply thought that her possessive best friend is a tiny bit jealous of her new found sister.

Well, it wasn't the case. Richa, it seems, is a good judge of character. She spotted the evil in Saanvi at the first sight. Something even her father failed to do.

"But it's the truth and you have to face it. She almost destroyed your family Janani" Richa said bluntly "I know it hurts you to hear me say this, but Jan your twin was as evil as any witch could get"

"If we had more time together, things would have turned out differently. She had suffered a lot in her life" Janani mumbled

"She stole from your parents, got them into debts. She stole your passport and identity. She snatched your finance from you and left her new born with you. What more could she have done if she had more time with you?" Richa reminded her drily.

"I love Advi and I like taking care of him" Janani argued.

"What about his father? What did he tell you??" Richa asked

"That he had come for his son" Janani mumbled miserably at the thought of losing Advi.

"You do know right, you have to hand him over. He is the baby's father and your twin had crossed him and according to what google says Armaan Verma makes the worst enemy one could have" Richa said and Janani shivered at the sound of that name.

"I know. But I can't hand him over just like that"

"As long as he thinks that you are Saanvi he can't rip Advi off you, but the minute you tell him you are not his mother he will be off with his son before you even blink your eyes" Richa said making a flight motion with her hands.

"What do you mean??"

"Surrogacy or not, Saanvi is Advi's biological mother, so she does have rights over him" Richa said cooing at the baby in the bug and Janani's brain started wheeling.

"So, you mean as long as he thinks I am Advi's mother I can hold on to him??" Janani asked and Richa frowned at her.

"You are not seriously thinking what I think you are thinking, right Jan??" Richa groaned

"Why not??" Janani argued

"Because, you don’t know what Armaan Verma is capable of"

"You don’t either" Janani retorted

"I do now. Google is very informative. He might be sex on legs but not someone you should get involved with in any way, Jan." Richa said

"I will think about it" Janani said to comfort Richa but she had made up her decision.

It's her name in Advi's birth certificate. It's her name Saanvi had given while applying for the surrogacy.

There is no way Armaan Verma would know there are two of them.

Will he?

***

Janani had laid an exhausted Advi on to his little cot and kissed him goodnight.

She was going through the channels on the television without paying any attention to it when she heard the doorbell ring.

She sprang up from the couch and raced to the door.

She can't have the sound wake Advi up.

She opened the door and was stunned to see Armaan Verma at her door step.

Didn't he tell he would come by the next day.

So, what is he doing here at this time of the day?

"It's late" Janani said accusingly.

That morning when he came announcing himself to be Advi's father Janani was stunned to react.

She had no idea about the baby's father. Saanvi refused to share the information as she knew Janani disapproved what Saanvi did to the man.

But one look at Armaan Verma and she knew he was telling the truth. Because Advi is a splitting image of his father.

"We need to talk" came the curt response as his eyes scanned her from head to toe.

She blushed in mortification. She is dressed in her hello kitty pyjamas and wearing her bunny slippers.

Could it be any worse?

Janani tilted her chin up as if she was neither aware of nor bothered by his scrutiny.

She knew that she needed to get a grip on herself and do it fast as she had no idea of what was about to happen to Advi.

It disturbed her that she is about to do something so dishonest and illegal, pretending to be her sister.

Her father would be mortified if he comes to know what is in her mind.

Harshvardhan Trivedi is a stickler for truth and honesty.

Janani had never done anything dishonest in her life.

But this is for her precious nephew, whom she loves as her own. She reminded herself

Armaan was very still, his entire attention engaged by the strange behaviour of the woman in front of him.

Woman did not stick out their chin at Armaan. They smiled at him, flirted with him, treated him to covert glances to make themselves more appealing.

Yet Janani Trivedi is challenging him.

Armaan pushed the half open door and walked past her into the living room making her huff at her behaviour.

"I want a DNA test to be done. A doctor would drop by in the morning to collect samples " Armaan said

"How dare you" Janani asked outraged at the insult to her sister's memory.

"It was what you signed for remember?? Mandatory DNA test was a clause in the contract you signed. It is for legal formalities." Armaan retorted.

The reminder of the contract Saanvi had signed in her name doused her anger replacing it with a sudden surge of shame.

She was going to lie.

To pretend to be someone she is not.

"So, you will agree to this??" He asked looking at her eyes so intensely that Janani forgot to breath

"Yes" Janani muttered looking into his his eyes the colour of liquid chocolate, so similar to Advi's.

Her heart went bang-bang-bang inside her and she felt incredibly dizzy.

"In fact, you will agree to all my demands" Armaan told her without skipping a beat while he silently marvelled at the translucent perfection of her caramel coloured eyes.

He could drown in it.

"Because you are not stupid and it would be very stupid to refuse me anything I want"

And he wants her.

He looked at her dressed in the Hello kitty pyjamas and bunny slippers and wondered how he could be turned on by something like that