The jump was breathtaking! It literally took Anya's breath away, when she was pushed by the boy who was being her instructor for the session. Beneath her, she saw a little thing that was flying all alone. Her little princess was quietly doing the same thing she had said she would do, She was flapping her hands and she was flying!

Anya directed her head towards the earth and folded her hands close to her body so that her body would make a streamline shape. She reached near Noah and Shaan who were laughing, laughing as it would be the last day of their life! Anya saw Noah's pale face shining brightly in the sunlight, and for the first time, she saw the true shimmer of those glittering blue eyes. Maybe that showed how Noah actually felt shining from within, being alive.

For several minutes they were falling freely, Noah threw out her hands so that she could catch both of her parents hands and Shaan and Anya smiled at each other and they held the free hands of their's. A triangular formation was done and Noah was laughing all the time. Varun who was the instructor for Shaan hand signaled Noah that the time for opening her parachute had come and she nodded in agreement with a smile and that made Varun smile brighter than he usually did. He could see the happiness of Noah through the helmet she wore. He thought

That little girl is so lovely!

And at some point of time, Varun instructed Noah to pull out the socket and she executed it meticulously. Anya couldn't believe, how much a person could change while doing just one thing they loved to do!

My Noah is going to live!

All the three reached the ground as safe as everyone else. Noah got drifted away and she landed a bit distant from her parents. As she landed, all Anya could see was her little daughter jumping and rejoicing. Anya had also felt that, the joy of being weightless. The joy of flying. When the instructors were untangling the wires of the parachutes, Noah screamed aloud

"Mama... Papa... I love you!!!"

"I love you too, my darling!" Screamed Shaan and before Anya could scream the same, Noah suddenly fell to the ground, into the cover of the big parachute that was still in her back.

***

The rain droplets that sprinkled on Anya's face made her come back to the present. The weather had suddenly changed and the clear blue sky was now draped with black foggy clouds. She flinched when she felt someone's hand touching her shoulder. She found Shaan when she turned around. She pulled her shoulder forward so that she could take off his hand from her shoulder.

"Don't touch me"

Anya snarled as Shaan took a step forward.

"I said... Don't touch..."

Shaan almost pounced upon her and held his wife as tight as he possibly could. And that was the first time Anya had heard Shaan's cry. She hadn't heard him cry when Noah had collapsed, she hadn't heard it even when Shaan had carried her to the medical facility of the flight center, even when Noah was said to be in a severe hypoxic condition. And not even when...

Anya didn't want to remember those bitter moments of her life. She wanted to burn those memories, but mother nature had her own twisted rules, she made the happiest moments forgotten into nothingness and the bitter moments kept on revising.

"Leave me... You are the one who killed her, didn't you?"

Said Anya without giving into his grip. He sniffed and said

"Yes... it was inevitable."

"What was inevitable?" Anya almost got her breath choked in her throat "Shaan... are you serious?"

When Shaan tried to hold her tight, she pushed him as hard as she could and screamed when Shaan collapsed to the ground

"Get away from me..."

"I couldn't have seen her die, without her wishes getting fulfilled... Anya... please try to understand."

And Anya could see those blue eyes, those glittering blue eyes of Shaan which always showed happiness was now drenched with dismay. Anya didn't hate Shaan but because of him, she had lost her daughter. Her lovely princess. She resisted but the words of the doctor clung on to her memories just like some strong adhesive. And there, she was remembering that day again

"She has undergone severe hypoxia. Ma'am, is she having any medical conditions?"

The medical professional had asked her at the medical facility of skydiving center. She eyed Shaan who was looking down, a drop of tear swiftly dropping on her cheeks, her voice almost a whisper

"You... didn't inform... them?"

Shaan hadn't made his eyes meet Anya's. He couldn't face her, instead, he handed the phone to the medical professional with Vivek on the other side. He had just gone away, leaving Anya on her own. And now after two months, this was the first time Anya had seen Shaan's eyes and she saw a deep secret that he was desperately trying to hide. Something that would make Anya go more into depths of depression. But she wanted to know

"What is it?"

"What?" Asked Shaan with his eyes wet and his voice cracking

"What are you trying to hide?" Asked Anya kneeling beside him

"Nothing..." It almost sounded like a whisper

"What more did you dooooo...?" Asked Anya holding the collar of the loose shirt that Shaan was wearing

"Vivek lied to you..." He looked up to her and he didn't wait for her response "Noah didn't have six months..." He felt the lump in his throat getting harder and harder "She only had a month to live."