Hello my dear Butterflies,

A brand new story for you guys.

Hope you all are going to enjoy the book.

Mehra's and Kashyap's are the two most renowned business families in India. Both families maintained a good friendship since they worked together on a project, which led them to become business partners. As time passed, both families decided to turn their friendship into something more, and getting their children married to each other was the best option they found.

Arjun Kashyap and Shalini Kashyap had two daughters - Shraddha and Swara Kashyap. Shraddha was the eldest and the most pampered and loved one because she was the perfect child anyone could ever wish for. She was both parents' favorite. Swara, being introverted and shy, was always sidelined by her elder sister's charm, who was just two years older than her.

Sooraj Mehra and Priya Mehra had only one child, who is the sole heir of the Mehra family - Adith Mehra. He had a life that everyone would die to have. He is handsome with a body not less than that of a Greek God. Being the only heir of an enormous empire, he didn't even have to worry about money. But what made him different from everyone else was that he was blessed with an IQ of 164 along with a photographic memory. He was the golden child in school who excelled in both curricular and extracurricular activities.

Adith and Shraddha had been best friends and inseparable since childhood. So, when their parents suggested they get married, they both had no objections. That's how they got engaged at the age of 20 on Adith's birthday. Both were young and decided to enjoy their life before getting married, and also they wanted to achieve their dreams. So the wedding was planned for five years later when Adith and Shraddha would take their respective positions as CEOs in their family businesses.

The day of their engagement was celebrated throughout India. The couple looked perfect for each other and happy as the media eagerly snapped their pictures. All the while, everyone forgot about one person whose heart cried seeing her sister being in the arms of the man she loved. Swara had always had a crush on her elder sister's best friend, who never spared her a glance as he was always lost in her sister. But still, she managed to develop a crush on the most popular senior in her school. Not only her, but half of the country had a crush on the handsome heartthrob who had only eyes for her sister. Her little heart broke into a million pieces when her sister informed her of her engagement with her best friend. Swara was heartbroken, but she didn't show it on her face, as she knew very well that nobody would care about her stupid feelings. And it was just a crush, anyway.

Days passed and turned into years, but she couldn't get over her crush on her sister's fiancé. Swara knew that she was wrong, but she had no control over her heart when it came to him. That's why she decided to pursue her degree out of the country. She enrolled herself in the best school for fashion design in New York. She wished that now that she was away from him, her feelings would fade with time, but she didn't know at that time that they would only increase. Forgetting him was not the only purpose behind her moving to New York. She wanted to protect her heart from hurting more than it already did. Her heart cried whenever she saw both of them laughing together. Her heart would yearn for a look from him when he was lost in her sister's talks. What hurt her more was their public displays of affection. Even before their engagement, they would always stick together, but after their engagement, she started to find them in more compromising positions: sometimes hugging in the hallways and sometimes kissing in the corners. It was more than her little heart could bear. So she did what was best for her, ran away while collecting all the pieces of her broken heart. Her parents also didn't object to her decision, probably because they didn't care if she got a fashion degree or not.

.☘︎ ݁˖

Even after shifting to New York for three years, Swara couldn't get over her crush on Adith. Is it still a crush? she wondered.

It was a sunny Sunday morning when Swara was disturbed from her sleep by the loud ringing of her phone. It was her last semester, and she had a ton of assignments to submit. After finally completing the tasks, she just wanted to get some much-needed sleep. She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was her mother. Her mother never contacted her unless it was very important, so she immediately picked up the call.

"Hello, Mom," Swara asked with a sleepy voice.

"Get back here on the next flight, Swara. Your sister has been taken to the labor room," her mother said in a serious tone, hearing which all the sleep left Swara's eyes.

Sister? Labor room? What's happening? Last time she checked, her sister wasn't pregnant; hell, she wasn't even married yet.

'Well, the last time was almost one and a half years ago,' her mind whispered. After coming to New York, Swara hadn't been in touch with her sister, as it was painful for her to see them together. And it's not like they were close. Shraddha was never the elder sister she should have been to Swara.

Before she could answer and clear her confusion, her mother had already cut the call. Her mind started processing what her mother had just said, and when she finally did, her heart broke again. Her sister was going to give birth to the babies of the man she loves.

Even after so many attempts, she couldn't stop herself from loving Adith Mehra, who is already in love with her sister, Shraddha Kashyap, and is going to be the father of her child.

Why was it so painful to love someone?

.☘︎ ݁˖

As she stepped out of her father's private jet, Swara was greeted with the hot wind of Mumbai. It was May, and it was unnecessarily hot here. After landing at the Mumbai airport, she went straight to the hospital where her sister had been taken. Facing Adith was the biggest problem in front of her for now. She knew it would hurt her, but one-sided love always comes with a lifetime of pain, right?

She wiped her sweaty hands on her black hoodie to get some relief from all the stress she was feeling as she stood outside the door of her sister's private room, which was owned by the Mehras. Even though Shraddha hadn't become the daughter-in-law of the Mehras yet, she got all the privileges from them.

Sighing deeply, she twisted the knob of the door. The security allowed her because they knew her. As soon as the door opened, her eyes met with the most beautiful pair of green eyes. Adith had a beautiful pair of green eyes that he inherited from his great-grandfather, and it was one of the many reasons why all the girls who met him fell in love with him. Swara was no different. She was always curious about the color of his eyes since childhood. She wanted to ask him why he had such nice eyes when she had just plain black eyes, nothing special. But as he never spoke to anyone other than her sister, she didn't have a chance to have a conversation with him. As their eyes collided, she felt all the love she had for him resurfacing.

Adith smiled at his fiancée's sister. He was the happiest man alive on earth today because he had become a father. Anyone who saw him could feel the happiness he radiated. Swara's heart swelled seeing him after so long, but it all wiped out when his gaze went to his hands. She looked at the line of his sight, and her heart started thumping fast. He was holding a baby covered in a light blue towel. His eyes held a soft look as he kissed the forehead of the baby with so much love. Her gaze then went towards her mother, who was holding another baby in her hand, covered with a pink towel. Swara's eyes widened in surprise. Her sister had twins, and she didn't even know until now that she was pregnant. Didn't they think that she was important enough to know about her elder sister?

Gulping the lump formed in her throat, Swara entered inside. Everyone inside the room looked beyond happy, and she felt like even if she wasn't there, they would still be happy because her presence didn't matter. She walked towards her mother and looked at the small baby girl who was sleeping in the comfort of the towel. Swara always loved kids; she felt comfortable around them. Maybe it's because they were innocent and wouldn't judge her or compare her with her sister. Or maybe it's because she could never become a mother. Swara was born with a weak uterus, which had caused many problems for her in her teenage years. As per the doctor's suggestion, she had undergone a hysterectomy at the age of seventeen.

"Can I hold her, Mom?" she asked her mother, who nodded in return and placed the baby in Swara's outstretched hands. As soon as the baby was shifted to her arms, the baby opened her eyes, and Swara was immediately in love with the little girl. She had similar facial features to her sister, but she had the beautiful green eyes she inherited from her father.

"She is so beautiful, Mom. Look at her, she has the same eyes as her father," Swara said with happiness, and everyone chuckled at her joy, which didn't sit well with Shraddha.

"Give me my daughter," Swara was brought back to reality by her sister's harsh tone. With a heavy heart, she placed the little girl in her mother's arms, who immediately slept being in her embrace. Adith walked towards the mother and daughter duo with his little boy and took a seat beside them. He was in love with his small family.

A lump formed in Swara's heart as she saw the family of four. Adith kissed Shraddha's forehead, and she closed her eyes in contentment.

"Thank you so much for these angels, baby," he said, and their parents looked at the lovebirds in awe. Shraddha looked tired after pushing out two humans from her body, but she felt content as Adith embraced her with love. They looked so much in love with their little bundles of joy that they created with love.

Adith and Shraddha always had a close relationship since they were each other's best friends. That closeness only increased after they got engaged. They always stayed within their limits, but last year on Shraddha's birthday, they both were drunk, and one thing led to another. The result was finding out she was pregnant the next month. They were both scared as they were only twenty-three and hadn't even gotten married yet. But Adith didn't want to terminate the pregnancy. He was in love with his children as he saw them as dots in Shraddha's first ultrasonography. So he convinced Shraddha and their parents. They didn't have a problem and decided that after the kids were born, they would get married in six months.

As Swara looked at the new family, she knew that he was never meant to be hers, and she was going to forget him no matter how much the process would hurt her.

.☘︎ ݁˖

Swara didn't go back to New York as her mother asked her to stay. She was happy, thinking it was because her mother loved her, but her hopes died down when her mother revealed the real reason. Shraddha didn't want to sacrifice her studies because of her kids, so she started going back to college just two weeks after delivery, leaving the kids with her mother, Shalini. Adith wasn't very happy, but he understood the situation as he was also in his final year of a master's degree in business along with Shraddha. However, Shalini, being a well-known lawyer in town, couldn't just sit at home and look after the kids. So she asked Swara to stay back and look after them. Swara's fashion degree didn't mean much to either of her parents. So, to look after her two-week-old niece and nephew, she stayed back.

As the days passed, she grew attached to the little angels, Rithvik and Ruhani. Adith would visit them every morning and night. It was difficult for Swara to see him again and again, being happy with her sister and their kids. So she decided that she would go back to New York as soon as Shraddha and Adith got married.

.☘︎ ݁˖

Today is the day when the heirs of two powerful families are finally tying the knot. The whole world was anticipating their grand wedding. The Mehras and Kashyaps didn't leave any leniency in their children's marriage.

Adith was very happy as he would finally become the husband of the mother of his children. He loved and missed his kids so much, and now finally, they would be together with his wife.

"You two look like angels. Nazar na lag jaaye kisiki," Swara said while gushing over her niece and nephew, who giggled at her change in expressions. She immediately took some kajal from her eyes and placed it behind their ears.

The two kids looked at their favorite person with grabby hands.

"Ma-a," little Ruhani said in her broken voice, and Swara melted at her cute voice. The two kids started calling her Maa from the moment they began speaking. Being six months old, the two kids were very healthy and happy with whatever their Maa did.

"You two are going to be with your Mom and Dad from now on. So don't ever forget your Maa. I love you so much, my precious babies," Swara said, picking up the kids in her arms and kissing all over their faces as tears left her eyes. She didn't know how she was going to manage without them, and how they were going to manage without her, because during these six months, they had never slept without being in the embrace of their Maa. Every night after coming from shopping and college, Shraddha would come to take her kids from Swara. The kids would be happy to see their Mom, but every time in the middle of the night, Shraddha would give them back to Swara because they disturbed her beauty sleep. Swara and the kids would be happy together again. But from now on, everything was going to change.

.☘︎ ݁˖

A worried-looking Shalini walked towards Arjun and whispered something in his ear, which didn't go unnoticed by the Mehra's. Sooraj, Priya, and Adith walked in the direction where Arjun and Shalini went.

"What do you mean by you can't find her?" The harsh voice of Arjun welcomed the Mehra's.

"What's going on, Arjun?" asked Sooraj with confusion written all over his face.

By looking at the tense face of Shalini, Adith could tell that something was wrong. And when she gave him a paper, everything made sense to him.

"Dear Adith,

I know what I am going to do right now is going to break you and our family. But I can't do this again. I can't pretend like I am happy and fine when I am not. I love you so much, you are my best friend. I thought we had time after engagement. I don't want to get married this early, and I honestly never wanted to become a mother this early. They weren't supposed to be here; it was just a drunken mistake. I can't look after and take the responsibility of a mother when all I want to do is study and become the CEO of Kashyap Groups. I have got a scholarship from Harvard University for a degree and I cannot waste this opportunity. I am sure the kids would be fine without me. I'm going, and I'll come back to you after achieving my dreams. I love you, Baby.

And I'm really sorry, everyone.

Shraddha."

Everyone was shocked after reading the letter; it would be an understatement. And the most affected one was Adith. He thought they made their babies with love. He loved her. How could she call them a drunken mistake? But he was brought back to reality by the angry voice of his father.

"What the fuck is wrong with your daughter? What will happen when the media gets to know about this? What about our reputation?" Sooraj asked angrily while taking off the turban from his head. Priya tried to calm her husband down, which seemed impossible at the moment.

"Not only your reputation, my family's reputation is also at stake," Arjun said angrily.

"Yeah, congratulations. All this is happening because of that stupid daughter of yours," Sooraj said sarcastically, and Arjun stayed mum as it was true. He never thought that his precious daughter would do something like this to tarnish their reputation and family name.

"We need to do something before the media gets to know about her absence," Priya said, making everyone look at her.

"What is left to do, Mom? She has left, leaving me and our kids," Adith said, his voice broken and heavy, heavy with the betrayal from his best friend.

"We have a solution," Shalini said after some time, catching the attention of everyone.

"What are you suggesting?" Arjun asked his wife, looking at her with questions.

"Let Swara take Shraddha's place," she suggested, and everyone went silent for a moment, which was broken by Adith.

"Are you out of your mind, aunty? Are you making Swara a scapegoat for Shraddha's mistakes? And what do you think my life is? Some joke?" He was angry, very, very angry.

"Don't shout at her. We don't have a better option to solve this problem, and also think about your kids. They are very fond of Swara, and she treats them like her own, so it's a win-win," Priya said, and Adith looked at his mother unbelievably. What was she suggesting? Is his life some business deal?

"No, nothing like that is going to happen, and I am not going to marry Swara," Adith said, his voice stern and clear.

"Lower your voice, Adith. And Shalini, get Swara ready for the marriage. We don't have time," Sooraj said and left the room along with others, leaving a confused and angry Adith behind.

.☘︎ ݁˖

Life is unpredictable. Swara had heard that so many times, but never in her wildest dreams would she have thought that her life would turn upside down in the span of a day.

She sat in the middle of the bed, which was decorated with flowers and lights. Her head was covered with a heavy red dupatta. Her lehenga skirt was sprawled over the bed. She didn't like the color of the lehenga, and it wasn't even her fit. And that's because everything in her life right now was not meant to be hers. It was all supposed to be her sister's, but now here she is.

The sound of the door opening caught her attention. She wasn't nervous because she knew nothing could happen between them, even before he said it. The door opened, and in came her brand-new husband, who was also the father of her sister's children. What a joke her life had become.

Adith didn't even know what was happening in his life anymore. He entered his room and saw his wife sitting there, dolled up in a dark red bridal lehenga. She was supposed to be his sister-in-law, and now she's his wife. He wanted to scoff at his destiny, at how messed up his life had become.

"Look, Swara. You and I both know that this marriage is just a compromise and nothing more, so let it always be just that. You are here because of my children, and that will be the only reason you will be here forever. I will respect you as the mother of my children, but I can never accept you as my wife." He said and left the room without even bothering to spare her a second look.

Swara anticipated all of this from him, but still, it hurt her so much. She knew he loved her sister, and she was just a replacement in his life. She was okay with that because she accepted getting married to him only for the sake of her kids.

Yes, her kids. Her Rithvik and Ruhani.

────୨ৎ────

ADITH MEHRA ( 48 YEARS )

SWARA ADITH MEHRA ( 46 YEARS )

RITHVIK MEHRA ( 25 YEARS )

RUHANI MEHRA ( 25 YEARS )

SHRADDHA KASHYAP ( 48 YEARS )

Hey Butterflies,

Hope you all liked the prologue of the first story.

This one is special as it's not about the usual replacement marriage books. Hope you are going to love Adith and Swara as my other characters. Till the next update.

Bye

Ash🦋