Sameera's P.O.V.

"Dad what the hell are you talking about!" Kriti interrupted him.

He then realised what the words that came out of his mouth meant. Mom looked at Dad surprised and shocked.

"Yes you are correct I am not your daughter. All I have been is a burden, Right? Tarnishing your name, embarrassing you, leaving the best husband in the world, no matter if he is sleeping with other girls and cheating on his own wife! But one thing I got to know today is that I am just a burden. Don't worry now you don't need to pretend to be my father. If I can leave my husband, I can also leave my so called Dad! Thanks Dad, thanks for everything!"

"Sameera!" He called my name in a warning.

"I don't need anyone of you!" I screamed and took my suitcase which I have been carrying and left the house. My family kept shouting my name but I didn't stop. I just can't after what I heard!

I kept walking with my suitcase for sometime and reached the bus stand. I sat on the bench there. It was then I realised I don't have anywhere to go! A part of me told me to go back but my ego didn't allow me to! Now I am alone! I don't have anyone neither do I have anywhere to go!

I am alone in this bus stand. I could call my old friends but I didn't because we have lost touch and they weren't even that good friends that I could call them and spend a night there.

I didn't even had much money to book a room in a hotel and I don't want to use my Dad or Nikhil's credit cards. The money I have I would need them for my food.

I sat on the bus stand bench for almost two hours not knowing what to do. My mind could think of only one place where I could at least spend the night. But I wasn't sure if it was a good idea. The orphanage.

I reached the orphanage after one and half hours. I met Rani there. She has grown up to be so big. It's been 5 years I have seen her. She was so happy to see me after so long. In fact all the kids there were so happy to see me! They were laughing and jumping with happiness.

"Didi you didn't got us any gifts, like always?" Ramu, a small boy asked me.

"I am really very sorry Ramu I forgot. I promise the next time I will definitely bring gifts for you." I don't know if I will be able to bring them gifts at all but I can't deny these kids.

I played with the kids for sometime and completely forgot the situation in which I am!

"Sameera! When did you come to Mumbai?" Miss Anna asked me.

"Today itself! I wanted to talk to you something." I replied.

I asked the children to excuse me and Miss Anna and went to her cabin.

"I don't have any place to stay." I spoke the moment we entered her cabin.

"What?"

"Yes!"

"What about your husband and parents?"

"I caught Nikhil cheating on me! So I left him and my Dad didn't believe me so I left him too!"

"Are you crazy Sameera. Now you don't have anywhere to go and they are your parents. You should make them believe you, not run away when they don't."

"They are not my parents! And I know I don't have anywhere to go so I have come to you. Please keep me here!" I requested her.

"Sameera I can't keep you here!" She answered immediately.

"Then find me one place."

"How will I find you a place right now.... Wait! I have a room vacant in my flat if you want you can stay with me but you will have to pay rent." She spoke business.

"Okay I will pay you rent." I don't know actually how I will pay her rent because I don't have much money but there wasn't any option left in front of my eyes so I said yes.

We went to her house. It was just five minutes walk from the orphanage. I didn't expected it to be a luxurious one but what I saw was worse than what I had expected. The living room of her apartment was smaller than the bedroom of the the house I lived in with Nikhil. In fact it was smaller than even my bathroom. There was just a small sofa in one side of the room in which not more than two people can sit at a time but one half of the sofa was covered with a heap of clothes. The opposite side of the entrance gate had two rooms. And the other side had the kitchen in the corner. I could clearly see the kitchen properly from the place I was standing. There was only one stove with only one burner and all the utensils and boxes of food items were kept in a tasteless manner. All I can think of now is how I will stay here for a long time. And the worst part was I still haven't seen my bedroom.

I went inside the bedroom which Miss Anna told me would be mine. It really was a bedroom because there wasn't anything other than a bed for one person, covered in a white bed sheet and a grey coloured almirah smaller than the bookshelf in our room. But that wasn't a problem because I hardly have two pairs of clothes because all my clothes are in London and I only carried one pair when I went to NYC. The problem was there wasn't any attached bathroom. I went outside to see where the bathroom is and realised there is a door just in the right of the sofa which was of the bathroom. There was just a tap, below which a bucket with a mug inside it was kept. A wash basin was just opposite the tap and in the corner was a squat toilet. A squat toilet!

I went back inside my room, closed the door, kept the only two pairs of clothes I had in the cupboard and lied down on the bed.

I stared at the ceiling thinking about all the events that took place in one day. Thinking about how in just one day my whole life changed. I didn't realise when I fell asleep.

Miss Anna banged the door and woke me up from my sleep. She called me to have dinner. I put my phone on charge and realised that my phone's dead. I went to eat Miss Anna's dinner. The only good thing here was the good food. Miss Anna was a hell of a good cook. Her normal dinner of chapatti was also appetizing.

I went back in my room and switched on my phone to find 6 missed calls from Nikhil, 13 missed calls from Mom and 31 missed calls from Kriti. I didn't call back anyone of them because I know their first question would not be if I am safe but 'where I am' or 'if I am crazy'. It's better not to call any one of them.

After 5 minutes my phone rang again. It was Kriti's. I thought whether to pick it up or not, then decided not to. She will get to know that my phone is now switched on and I am not interested to talk to her. But instead I got a message from her.

K: Pick up the phone dammit.

I instantly replied to her,

S: I don't want to talk to you or to anybody.

K: Please Sameera!

This would be the first time my sister is saying please so I decided to call her.

"Where are you dammit? Are you crazy or what? Who leaves like this?" She yelled the moment I called her. I knew this would be the question she would ask me.

"Of course where I am! You don't care whether I am safe or not."

"Of course I care about your safety. Please tell me where are you! I am coming to pick you up!"

"No no no. You won't!"

"Are you crazy Sameera? Where are you? I am worried about you."

It was shocking that Kriti Oberoi was worried about me but anyway I gave her the address of Miss Anna's residence with a promise that she won't tell Mom and Dad about it. She was going to come right now but I insisted not to and asked her to come tomorrow. She was a bit shocked about what I was doing here.

I couldn't sleep that night. Maybe it was because of the bed which was very uncomfortable or because my mind was constantly thinking about Nikhil and my Dad. I do agree with Miss Anna and Kriti that I shouldn't have left my parents' house but I can't stay with people who don't believe me.

I finally slept at four in the morning and my alarm woke me up at seven.

I brushed my teeth and took a bath and then ate Miss Anna's delicious breakfast. I still don't know how I will pay her rent.

Miss Anna left for work right after breakfast and Kriti came an hour later.

"What are you doing here?" She questioned me the moment I opened the door for her.

"First you tell me, you haven't told anyone that I am here. Right?"

"Of course not!"

She scanned the whole house especially my room.

"Sameera are you sure you want to stay here."

"Oh come on its not that bad." Of course it is and I have no idea how I am gonna stay here.

"It's not at all bad but the Sameera Oberoi I know will not even step in such a house, staying here for her entire life is impossible."

"Who said I will stay here for my whole life. I will earn money and buy a house of my own." I told her about my plans.

She started laughing. "You will earn money and buy a house of your own! Sameera you don't even have any qualification!"

"Why can't I earn money?" I asked her.

"Okay how will you earn money?"

"I will look for a job!" I stated the obvious.

"Have you short-listed any?" She asked stopping laughing.

"No I didn't found one which has vacancy."

"No one will give you a job without any qualification."

"At least I want to try. I no longer want to be depended on any one. Be it my cheater husband or my so called Dad!"

"Sameera what happened between you and Nikhil jiju?" She asked being serious. Tears started welling up in my eyes. Kriti saw it and hugged me tightly.

I told her everything that happened on Nikhil's birthday. After that we cursed him together.

"Sameera, I am thinking about one thing since yesterday. I even asked Dad about it but he didn't answer me. Why did Dad say you aren't his daughter?" I should have known she will ask me this. I don't know should I tell her everything or not. I thought about it for a long time and then chose truth above lie.

"Because I am not his daughter!"

"What?! Shut up! How can that be true?" I always expected this response from her.

"I was eight when my real parents died. Your father and my father are brothers. After my parents death your parents took care of me as their own." I told her the truth but I didn't say the entire story. Because I don't have the strength to think about all of that again. When I looked at her, tears were flowing down her cheeks. I don't know what is there to cry but she hugged me tightly.

"You are my sister. My own, one and only sister!"

"Yes Kriti, I am your only sister and nothing can change it." I assured her. I felt a strange connection with my sister which I never felt in all these years.

"I love you Sameera Di!"

"Wait what did you say? Di? I need to note this day. You addressed me as Di." I asked her slightly shocked.

"Shut up! It's not how you reply to I love you." She hugged me again still crying.

"I love you too Kriti!"

The next two hours we spent looking for a job for me. We could find only one vacancy. It was a big fashion house looking for new and upcoming designers. But the only problem was it was a very big and popular one. Singhania Studios.

I filled the job application form for it.

Kriti and I spent the next few hours talking while she gave me tips on how to be polite and impressive in front of your job interviewers.

___

Hii guyss!

So, the Past is completed. You can go to chapter 1 and realise that it is the continuation of this chapter. I intentionally ended the chapter here so you can connect to everything that I wrote in the first few chapters.

Tell me what do you think about the fact that Sameera and Samar Oberoi are not biologically related. Or actually they are. But, Samar Oberoi is only her Uncle and not her father! So, what do you have to say about this?

The next update will be on Sunday.

Till then buh-bye.