I was speechless, tears streaming down my face. I had never imagined that a husband who loves his wife and children could be so insensitive.

I just gave birth to my baby seven days ago. I was still weak, the incision in my abdomen was still hurting, my milk wasn’t enough, and the baby was crying nonstop at night. While I was struggling with diapers, medication, and formula, my husband – Arjun – returned home with a happy face, holding a brand new birth certificate that still smelled of ink.

“I got the child’s birth certificate made, so you don’t have to ask anybody else,” he said, as if boasting of an achievement.

I took a look with the intention of smiling, because I was so tired, but then my eyes stopped at that line: Full Name: Arora Ananya.

Ananya?

I stammered, my voice breathless:

“Ananya? Why Ananya? We had agreed to name the baby girl Priya Sharma, right?”

Arjuna scratched his head and smiled lightly:

“I think the name is nice, gentle, sounds like a peaceful life. I love it. ”

But I’m not stupid. I saw this name on his phone screen one night ago, drunk one night and forgot to delete the message. A few words of craving and regret sent to a girl named Ananya – his ex-girlfriend, whom I knew he loved very much even before he met me.

That day, I said to myself: “Everyone has a past. Provided he is completely devoted to me in the present. ”

And now, that name – the name that once struck my heart – was passed on to my daughter, the baby girl I carried in my womb for nine months and ten days.

I tried to keep my voice low so he wouldn’t get startled, but I was still irritated:

“Are you crazy? Why did you name your child after your ex-boyfriend?”

Arjuna immediately refused:

“Don’t overthink. I just like that name, not like anyone else’s name. ”

I was speechless, tears rolling down my face. I had never imagined that a husband who loves his wife and children would be so heartless that he would name a newborn baby full of nostalgia. Am I a decoration to decide everything arbitrarily?

I called my mother-in-law into the room, asked her to take care of the baby, then quietly packed up the baby’s belongings. Arjuna ran after me holding my hand.

“I’m sorry, but don’t think too much. It’s just a name, as long as our child is fine, it doesn’t matter. ”

Until then, he didn’t understand what he had done wrong. Maybe he thought I didn’t know his past, so he “dared” to do it.

That night, I took my child and came back to my mother’s house in Udaipur. As I was leaving, I looked at him, I had anger as well as sadness inside me.

Am I overly sensitive to postpartum hormones, or did he really never get over his ex-wife?

What should I do now? Should I keep the same name for our relationship, or should I be resolute and ask for a new birth certificate so that I don’t feel heartbroken every time I call my baby’s name?

The truth
behind Ananya I thought that when I would take my baby girl back to my mother’s house in Udaipur, everything would calm down. But I was restless. On the one hand, I wanted to convince Arjun that the name Ananya was just a coincidence; My common sense, on the other hand, was telling me that she had not yet broken away from the past.

Two days later, when I returned home to buy some more things for the child, I saw Arjun’s phone lying on the living room table. The screen flashed – a WhatsApp message from “Ananya Kapoor”:

“Did you really name the baby girl?” Me… I don’t know what to say…”

My heart sank. I clicked on the chat. The messages appeared like knives:

Arjun: “I want you to know that you will always be a part of my life. ”

Ananya: “Don’t say that… I have a family. ”

Arjun: “But when I named the baby girl Ananya, I felt like you are still there.” ”

I was trembling. It wasn’t just a doubt – it was the naked truth. He didn’t just choose this name because it was “cool,” as he said it, but because it was a hidden message for his ex-girlfriend.

I calmly put down my phone and went straight to the bedroom. I opened Arjuna’s cupboard and found a paper box. I found a thin envelope underneath the bank records. It was in… A picture of Arjun and Ananya in Pushkar many years ago, holding hands and their faces lit up. At the back Ananya wrote:

“If someday we separate, remember – you are still my Ananya. ”

Everything suddenly came to mind. Name. The joy in her eyes when she gave me the birth certificate. And the way he smiled lightly when I protested.

I didn’t cry. Instead, I called my mother-in-law and my parents. While they were all there, I put the birth certificate and Arjun’s phone on the table and opened the chat. Nobody said a word. My mother-in-law’s face turned pale and my father slammed his hand the table:

“Naming your child after her ex-boyfriend is a disgrace to this family. ”

Arjun stammered and tried to explain himself, but I stood up with the baby in my arms.

“From today onwards, her name will no longer be Ananya. I will reissue the birth certificate. And Arjuna… You should be thankful that I didn’t tell the whole family about this. ”

I turned around and left. Behind me, my mother-in-law burst into tears and Arjun stood there stunned.

The Last Twist:

A couple of weeks later, when the new birth certificate was issued under the name Priya Sharma, I received an envelope that didn’t have the sender’s name on it. Inside was a hastily written note:

“Thank you for setting me free. I’m going to get married soon, and I don’t want to be dragged into the past anymore. – Ananya Kapoor”

That’s when I realised – I realised that Ananya had moved on long ago. Only Arjuna was still trapped in that old shadow… And almost dragged me and my son down with him.

Three weeks after an unexpected encounter to change
my son’s name on his birth certificate, I felt it was all over. But life isn’t that easy.

That day, I took my son to a spa and beauty centre in central Jaipur – where my mother had given me postpartum recuperation treatment. As I entered the lobby, a familiar faint laughter came from the reception desk. I turned around – and my heart stopped.

Ananya Kapoor.

She was dressed in a turquoise-coloured sari, hair tied at back, smiling politely at her customers. But when her eyes met mine, her smile stopped for a moment.

My intention was not to create a public spectacle… But my steps led me straight to him.

Me: “Ananya Kapoor?”
He: (softly) “Yes… And you…?”
Me: “Arjun’s wife.” And the mother of that little Ananya for whom she messaged you. ”

Ananya’s eyes widened a little, but she quickly regained her composure.

Ananya: “You are misunderstanding. Now I have nothing to do with Arjun. I was going to message you… And I sent the letter. ”

I looked him straight in the eyes:

Me: “If you really wanted to break up, why did you reply to the message?” Why did you give him the illusion that you were still “a part of his life”?”

She was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled – a smile that made my spine shiver.

Ananya: “Because I wanted to know… How much a man who has not broken ties with the past will cling to me. Now I know… He never loved you as much as I did. ”

This sentence was like a slap in the face. But I didn’t lose my composure. I picked up my daughter, kissed her forehead, and turned to say every word clearly:

Me: “Thank you for being so simple. But let me tell you – your name has been erased from my child’s birth certificate. And it will be erased from my life. As far as Arjuna is concerned… You can cherish all the memories. Because I’m going to make it a thing of the past just like you. ”

There was a sudden silence in the spa lobby. The staff and some of the guests looked at me, but I didn’t mind. I turned and left, Ananya just stood there, her confident smile disappearing.

The last twist of Part 3:
That evening, when I returned to my mother’s house, Arjun was waiting at the gate, his face expressionless.

“I heard… You met Ananya today. He called me…”

I interrupted and said:

“Good. So you can meet him for the last time. Because from tomorrow, my lawyer will contact you. ”

My daughter gently took my hand, as if trying to confirm it: It’s time I shut the door of the past forever.