Flaming Sun Collection 3: Perfect Twins Find Anya (Box Set with 3 novellas)

by Sundari Venkatraman

  Anya stared at him, listening to the bizarre story. “We got married when I was twenty-two? But that’s so young. Why did my parents want to get rid of me? Was I such a troublesome daughter?” she asked, her voice small. Though she couldn’t remember a damn thing, Anya somehow found it difficult to relate to herself as a troublemaker. She hadn’t had any urge to be aggressive over the past two days.

  Farhan shook his head vigorously. “Your parents didn’t want to get rid of you. They wanted to marry you off since every girl in your extended family was married off by the time she turned twenty. You were the one who got to be a spinster till the ripe age of twenty-two,” he grinned. “And as for being a troublesome daughter, you were anything but that. You were chirpy, happy-go-lucky and just wanted to live your life. You had a rocking career. After BMS, you went on to do an MBA. We got married immediately after that and now you know why. We both shifted to Mumbai, more for getting away from our families than any other reason. You took up a job with a private company and have been doing extremely well there.”

  “Oh my God! Do the people in my office know that I’ve had an accident? I...” She bit her lip, a bitter look on her face. “I can’t recall a damn thing,” she growled.

  “I called up your boss and told him about your accident and that...you can’t remember anything as of now. I...”

  Anya placed her hands on the sides of her head, holding it gingerly, careful of not touching the stitches at the back. “Right now it feels like I’m never going to remember anything. Whenever I try to reach within my mind, I feel as if...as if I’m walking through a cloud. Do you understand what I mean? There seems to be a substance that appears out of reach, until I wade through it. And then what? Just nothing.”

  Farhan held her hand in both of his. “Anya, sweetie, please don’t fret. Allow your body to heal first. And then...”

  “And then what?” She glared at him. “Do you know Dr. Adnani says that he cannot guarantee that I’ll ever regain my memory?”

  Farhan looked into her stormy brown eyes for a few seconds before nodding slowly. “Yeah, I know. But then, we have to live in hope, right? How else can we survive?”

  She lifted a hand to wipe away an angry tear that rolled down her right cheek. No, she will not cry. As if that helped anyone, ever. “Go on with your—our—story. So, are we still husband and wife?”

  “We got divorced barely half an hour before your accident. You see, I met Arth, my lover and partner, a few months ago. And the time had come for you and me to part ways. You don’t know how glad I was—I am—that I hadn’t seriously got tied with a girl in marriage.”

  “So, you have moved in with Arth?”

  “Yeah, and the apartment we both used to live in, is all yours.”

  Anya’s eyes darkened. While it was good to know that she had a place to go to, it wasn’t easy being completely unaware of how the place looked.

  Seeing her expression, Farhan’s hold on her hand tightened. “Do you want me to shift back home with you? I can, as long as you need me.”

  She shook her head. “No Farhan. It must be barely a few days since you moved in with your new partner. I don’t want you to rock that boat for my sake.” Anya was clear about that.

  “What will you do? Go live with your parents then?” he asked, worried about her.

  Anya gave him a bitter smile. “Who are my parents? I don’t know anyone.” It was only Dev she knew. It was only Dev she felt safe with.

  Anya came back to the present, wiping one more tear that had followed the first. Meeting her parents had only reinstated her decision. The woman who had called herself her mother hadn’t even given her a hug. And the man with her—supposedly her father—had had only a frown to offer. She simply felt no connection with them. Shouldn’t she have felt some kind of a spark? Something to show that they were connected by blood? It was so frustrating that Anya felt nothing for them.

  9

  Amal Chhabria sat crying beside her husband as Dr. Adnani spoke to the couple. Farhan sat in the third chair, silently listening. “Mr. Chhabria, the brain is a sensitive organ. When your daughter Anya had the accident, she hit her head against the divider; that is what Mr. Dev Wadhwa told us. She was lucky to have had him around to help her. You may have heard of a number of cases where victims lie on the road without help for hours. We conducted all possible tests and gave her the best treatment that our hospital has to offer. She was in a coma till two days ago. It was only after she woke up we realised that she had no memory of her past.”

  Gaurav looked at the doctor with a heavy frown, trying to grasp the meaning of his words. “How is that possible, doctor? She hurt her head and her brain. How can that impact her mind? Isn’t it the mind that holds the thoughts?”

  “We can argue about this forever, Mr. Chhabria, and still not arrive at an answer. According to science, your daughter’s had a head injury that has affected her memory. To put in layman’s terms, let’s look at this...the brain and mind work in tandem, one helping the other. So, a disturbance in one, impacts the other. Since her brain is hurt, it’s disturbed her mind...”

  “Then shouldn’t we assume that once her brain is healed, her memory should return?” asked Gaurav shrewdly.

  Amal looked from one man to another, feeling the tension roiling within her.

  “Ideally yes,” said Dr. Adnani. “But going by past history, I can’t promise such a result. The wound heals, of course. But obviously, the impact continues till the time the patient regains her memory. Well, to be truthful, there have been a few case histories where the patients never remembered their pasts.”

  “Are you saying that my daughter might never recall who she is?” Amal asked, her voice dangerously soft.

  “Yes, Mrs. Chhabria, that’s what I am saying,” said the doctor, a look of relief on his face. It hadn’t been easy dealing with Anya’s parents. It never was easy, handling the family of amnesia patients and he had seen a few in his lifetime. But these two were the toughest.

  Amal got up, pushing her chair back noisily. “We understand that this hospital is not good enough for us. We would like to move Anya out immediately and shift her to a better one.”

  Farhan and the doctor looked on in shock when Amal walked out of the cabin with Gaurav in tow.

  “But it’s too early to discharge her,” said the doctor to Farhan, a worried frown on his face. “I don’t want Anya to become more ill than she is.”

  Farhan straightened his shoulders, as if getting ready for battle. “No worries there, doctor. Anya’s parents believe that she’s still married to me. I’ll take the decisions, as her husband.”

  Dr. Adnani’s eyes twinkled behind his spectacles as he gave a small nod to the young man.

  “Uncle, aunty,” called out Farhan, catching up with the older couple as they continued to walk to the reception. He guided them to a corner and made them sit down. “Anya is too ill to be discharged. I...”

  “But the doctor is an idiot for all we know. Amal’s right. It’s best to get a second opinion,” said Gaurav. He didn’t like the situation one bit. “Anya has medical insurance, right?” he asked.

  Farhan found the opportunity he was looking for. “But uncle, we’ve spent more than the insurance cover. And...”

  “See, I told you. They are cheats, all of them,” declared Amal in an angry voice.

  Farhan could see Anya’s father’s mind working. Her parents weren’t all that rich. “But uncle, acha khasa treatment is going on here. Why do you want to change things at this point? Dr. Adnani has actually pulled Anya out of the jaws of death,” he exaggerated. “If we take her to another hospital now, they will again want to do all the scans and tests. We’ll be spending double the money. For all you know, the doctors there will also say the same thing.” He drove his point home, looking only at Gaurav and not Anya’s mother.

  Gaurav could see Farhan’s point. “So what do you suggest?”

  Farhan gave a sigh of relief. “Let Anya get physically he
aled. I’ll take her home after that, give it some time and maybe go for some other treatment if things don’t change.” He knew that after today’s fiasco there wasn’t a chance in hell that Anya would go to live with her parents.

  Amal began to cry. “What are we going to do? That girl doesn’t want us. She never did like us,” she wailed.

  Farhan came to a quick decision. “Aunty, will you please take my advice?” When she nodded, he continued, “You and uncle are too old for this trauma. I called you here only because you might want to see Anya after the major accident she had. But now she’s on the road to recovery and there isn’t much you can do here. I think it is best you go back home.”

  “What?” asked Gaurav, “are you sure you can manage? And what about that Dev Wadhwa? What if he interferes?”

  “It’s not a question of Dev interfering uncle. He’s been a help throughout. I’ll manage, you don’t worry.”

  Gaurav turned to look at Amal. “What do you say?”

  She sniffed. “It’s obvious that we aren’t wanted here. So, it’s best we go. But Farhan, do bring Anya home if she wants to come. Our doors are always open for the two of you,” she declared dramatically.

  “Of course, aunty,” said Farhan, hugging her. “Would you like me to book your tickets?” he asked solicitously, keen to have them out of his hair at the earliest.

  “Could you do that? Thanks,” said Gaurav.

  Farhan ensured that they left within the hour, to stay in the airport VIP lounge, so that they could catch the early morning flight.

  Breathing a sigh of relief after he seated the two of them in a cab, he went to Anya’s room to see how she was faring.

  Opening the door, Farhan found Anya in Dev’s arms. He left, closing the door silently behind him. It was obvious that the man had fallen for Anya in a big way. Farhan crossed his fingers, hoping that her life changed for the better from now on. Sending a WhatsApp message to Dev about Anya’s parents being on their way home to Chandigarh, he left the premises, a smile on his lips.

  10

  Anya turned to the door when she heard it open. She smiled through her tears when she saw it was Dev. And what was he carrying? A bunch of flowers! When he got closer, she noticed that the bouquet of peach coloured roses was beautifully put together along with white coloured baby’s breath. The whole thing was tucked into a ceramic vase with a blue glaze. Anya’s eyes shone with joy as she eyed the flowers.

  “Are they for me, Dev? They look so gorgeous,” she smiled broadly. “I love roses. They are my favourite. Wherever did you find such fresh ones?”

  Dev placed the vase on the table next to her bed, moving the table so that she could look at them whenever she was awake. He smiled back at her. “Roses are your favourite. Did you just remember that?” he asked.

  Her eyes went wide in surprise as she turned from admiring the flowers to look at him. “Oh my God! You’re right. I remembered something, didn’t I? Oh Dev! You don’t know how thrilled I am. Do you think I’ll recall everything soon?”

  He walked closer, taking her slender hand in his. “Let’s believe that.”

  She held on to his hand, her grip a trifle desperate. “You never did tell me. Where did you find such fresh flowers?”

  “I had them delivered from my farm in Karjat. They were plucked barely three hours ago.”

  “What are you saying?” Anya was excited. “Do you have a flower farm?”

  “Yep, I do,” he smiled at her indulgently. This was the first time she appeared excited about something. Her parents’ visit had been pure drama. Thank God Farhan had accompanied them when the nurse shooed them both out.

  “How lovely! What all do you grow there?” she asked.

  Dev looked at her pale face, wanting to hold her close to his heart. Refraining himself, he said, “I grow roses in eleven different colours, there are gerberas, orchids, carnations, lilies, baby’s breath and a couple of other varieties...I think you should see them for yourself.”

  Her eyes had gone wide. “That’s a lot of flowers. How big is your farm?”

  He smiled. “Twenty-five acres. It’s set close to the hills actually.”

  “Wow! I’d love to go there.”

  “That’s exactly where I’m taking you once you’re discharged from here.” Living in nature was sure to heal her faster.

  Her eyes turned wary. “Are you sure? Those two people who came today with Farhan...they said they are my parents. What if they make me go with them?” Her voice turned to a whisper. “I’m scared, Dev.”

  He pulled her into his arms, rubbing his chin on the top of her head, his large hands keeping her close to his heart in a secure hold. “No one will make you do anything you don’t want to do.” He lifted her chin to look down at her with a smile. “We know that you aren’t a minor, but all of twenty-four. You take your own decisions. If you want to go with me to my farm, then that’s where you get to go.”

  “Who all are there in your home?” asked Anya.

  “My grandmother’s there. Then there are four dogs and a few cats. Six families live and work on the farm along with me. They have their own quarters on one corner. What?” he asked, when her mouth opened wide.

  She shook her head. “Nothing. I’m just surprised at how big your operation is. So many dogs, and cats too. I like cats,” she declared.

  “Cats and roses, just my kind of woman,” he said, pressing his lips to her soft cheek, unable to stop himself.

  Neither of them heard Farhan open the door and leave almost immediately, shutting the door quietly behind him.

  They sprang apart when Dev’s phone pinged. He laid her back down gently on the bed before checking his phone. Farhan had sent him a message saying that Anya’s parents were on their way back home to Chandigarh. Dev let out a sigh of relief. He looked at Anya but didn’t say anything when he saw her eyelids drooping.

  11

  It was Friday noon when Anya was discharged. Farhan had come over to the hospital to help Dev get all the papers in order. He had also brought the original documents that he had for Anya’s medical insurance from her apartment. Farhan was happy to know that Anya was in safe hands when Dev told him that she was going to his farm in Karjat to recuperate.

  “Let Anya remain there for a couple of months. Nothing like the fresh air and pampering to cure her of what’s ailing her. Let’s take a call after that,” said Dev.

  “Thanks buddy. You sure have taken a huge weight off my shoulders. Anya refused to let me stay with her at her apartment when I asked. I had been wondering what to do. I know for a fact that it was never a good idea to send her to her parents.”

  Dev grinned. “I agree with you on that point. Was she unhappy as a kid?” he asked.

  Farhan shrugged. “Not unhappy exactly. Just that there were too many restrictions that Anya didn’t care for.” He smiled at Dev with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “She got into a number of scrapes. I followed her everywhere and the two of us landed in trouble more times than I can count.”

  “You obviously rescued her from that life,” said Dev.

  “We rescued each other.”

  Farhan had brought Anya’s clothes packed in a couple of suitcases and her laptop in its back backpack. He had also purchased a smart phone for Anya and added his number, her parents’ numbers and those of their common friends. He handed the phone to Dev, saying, “I’m sure she’ll find it useful.”

  “Of course,” said Dev, tucking the phone in a side pouch on the backpack.

  “Will Anya be able to take the long drive to Karjat?” asked Farhan.

  “We are flying by helicopter from Juhu. No worries there.”

  “That’s awesome bro. Then allow me to give you both a ride to the heliport.”

  “That would be nice.”

  Farhan hugged Anya when she got out of his car at the heliport. “You take care, sweetie. And get well soon,” he said.

  Dev shook Farhan’s hand. “You must visit us at the farm. And bring Arth alo
ng. You tell me when and I’ll get Shaan to pick you up,” he offered.

  “That’d be great. I’ll definitely take you up on your invitation the moment we can get away for a couple of days,” said Farhan, touched by the offer.

  He waved them away as Anya was safely tucked into the passenger’s seat, moving away to get into his car when the rotor blades started circulating for takeoff.

  Anya was excited about the helicopter ride. “I don’t think I have been on one before,” she chattered, “This is too much fun.”

  Dev gave her an indulgent look, pointing out the mountain range they were crossing. They even saw a train chugging its way on a railway track.

  She was surprised when they landed barely twenty-five minutes later, on a flat area marked with a huge H within a circle. Dev explained that the concrete helipad belonged to the Wadhwa Farm.

  Anya’s eyes went wide in surprise. “You have your own helipad? You mean you own this helicopter?”

  Dev smiled, his teeth shining in the sunlight, as he nodded.

  “Oh my God!” She pressed both her hands one on top of the other over her mouth. “You must be super rich.”

  “I suppose,” said Dev, turning to look at the car that had come to pick them, colour running up his rugged cheeks.

  Anya took in their surroundings. She could see a bungalow further down from where she stood, set against green hills in the background. There were a number of closed in structures, built at intervals. “What are those?” she asked, a frown of concentration on her face. “Hey, are they greenhouses?” she asked in excitement, when she thought she recognised them.

  Dev turned towards her with a jerk. “You know what they are?”