68. NIGHT
AAROHI:
The night feels unusually quiet, almost too quiet.
I wake up slowly and turn toward his side instinctively, but the bed feels empty beneath my fingertips.
My sleepy mind takes a second to process it.
His side is cold. My chest tightens immediately.
I blink slowly in the dim yellow light spilling softly from the hallway lamp near the door.
"Veeransh?" I whisper quietly into the silence, but there is no response.
The emptiness around me suddenly feels heavier than it should.
Carefully, I sit up, remembering every warning the doctor gave me about sudden movements and stress.
Still, uneasiness curls inside my stomach.
I slowly push the blanket aside and stand up.
The hallway outside is dark except for a faint strip of light coming from the study room downstairs.
The door is slightly open. I walk toward it quietly, my heartbeat growing louder with every step.
And the moment I peek inside, I freeze completely.
He is sitting at the desk with a glass in his hand and a bottle beside him.
Alcohol. For a second, I genuinely think I am imagining it because Veeransh never drinks.
Never. "Veeransh..." I whisper softly. He turns immediately toward me.
His eyes look tired and slightly red, and somehow that hurts more than the bottle itself.
"What are you doing awake?" he asks calmly, too calmly.
My throat tightens painfully. "You're drinking.
.." I say quietly, unable to hide the shock in my voice.
Instead of answering, he exhales slowly and asks again, "Why are you awake at this hour?
" I stare at him helplessly. "I just woke up.
" "Then go back to sleep," he replies firmly.
Something feels wrong in this moment, unfamiliar and distant.
I slowly step closer to him. "Veeransh..
." His expression hardens slightly. "Aarohi," he says more sharply this time, "go back to the room.
" My eyes immediately drift toward the glass again. "You never used to drink before..."
Silence fills the study heavily. He lifts the glass and finishes the remaining alcohol in one swallow.
The sound of the empty glass touching the table echoes loudly in the quiet room.
My eyes burn instantly with tears. "Veeransh.
.." I whisper again, softer this time. He stands up suddenly and walks toward me before gently holding my shoulders.
"Come," he says quietly now, his tone softer again.
I do not resist. I just let him guide me back toward the bedroom while my chest aches painfully.
He helps me sit on the bed carefully before pulling the blanket over me.
I can still smell the alcohol faintly on him, and for some reason, that breaks something inside me completely.
Tears slide silently down my cheeks. "Sleep," he murmurs softly.
I turn my face away from him and cry quietly into the pillow until exhaustion pulls me under again.
Somewhere deep inside, it feels like I saw a side of him tonight that I was never meant to see.
When I wake again the next morning, sunlight already fills the room warmly.
My hand reaches automatically toward his side again, but it is empty.
The memory of last night crashes back instantly.
The bottle. The glass. His tired eyes. My throat tightens painfully, and before I can stop myself, tears begin falling again.
I sit there on the bed crying softly, trying to understand what I saw and why it hurt this much.
The door opens quietly a few moments later.
"Aarohi, beta?" Maa's voice comes gently from the doorway.
The moment she sees my face, concern fills her expression instantly.
"Why are you crying?" she asks while walking quickly toward me.
"Maa..." My voice breaks halfway. She sits beside me immediately and pulls me closer comfortingly.
"What happened?" I wipe my tears weakly before whispering, "Veeransh.
.. last night... he was drinking." Her expression changes slightly in surprise.
"Drinking?" I nod helplessly. "He never drinks, Maa. .."
Fresh tears spill down again, harder this time.
Maa strokes my hair gently while holding me close.
"Shh... calm down," she whispers softly.
"I'll talk to him." I nod weakly against her shoulder while trying to steady my breathing.
"Don't take stress," she says quietly, but my heart still feels heavy and unsettled.
Somehow it was not just the alcohol that scared me.
It was the sadness in his eyes while drinking it.
By afternoon, Maa insists I sit in the garden for fresh air.
The sunlight feels warm across my skin, but my thoughts remain tangled and restless.
I hear footsteps approaching behind me. I already know it is him, but I keep staring at the grass silently instead of looking up.
He stops beside me quietly. "Aarohi..." he calls softly.
I do not answer. My eyes fill again immediately.
He exhales slowly before kneeling down in front of me and gently lifting my chin.
The moment he sees my tear-stained face, guilt flashes across his expression instantly.
"I'm sorry," he says quietly. Tears spill down again before I can stop them.
"You were drinking..." I whisper. "Just a little.
" "You never drink." "I know." "Then why?
" He pauses for a long moment before finally saying quietly, "Just frustration.
" "With what?" I ask weakly. His fingers tighten slightly around mine. "With myself."
I stare at him quietly while he takes both my hands carefully into his.
"I swear I won't touch it again," he says firmly.
"Promise?" I ask softly like a child asking for reassurance.
"Promise." Something inside me slowly settles hearing that single word.
I lean forward suddenly and wrap my arms tightly around him.
For a second, he simply holds me close while gently rubbing my back soothingly.
Then after a moment, he suddenly asks quietly, "Who is Nirav? "
I blink in confusion. "What?" "Nirav," he repeats calmly.
The name feels distant and faint in my memory.
I frown slightly while trying to remember.
"Oh... school friend," I say slowly after a moment.
"Childhood friend." His eyes study my face carefully, but I genuinely barely remember anything beyond that.
"Why?" I ask softly. He shakes his head immediately.
"Nothing." But his expression still looks thoughtful, almost tense underneath the calm.
Before I can ask further, he kneels lower and places one hand gently against my stomach.
"Well," he murmurs softly toward the babies, "your mother cries too much.
" I sniff lightly and glare at him through tears.
"Because of you." A faint smile finally appears on his face.
"Don't listen to her drama," he whispers to them.
"She's emotional these days." I lightly hit his shoulder weakly.
"Veeransh..." He chuckles softly before pressing his ear carefully against my stomach.
"As punishment, both of you will behave, understood? "
Despite everything, a laugh escapes me through my tears.
He stands slowly before offering me his hand.
"Come." "Where?" "Inside." I place my hand in his, and he helps me walk slowly and carefully back toward the house like I might break apart if he lets go for even a second.
Somehow the heaviness inside me begins easing little by little with every step beside him.
By evening, exhaustion crashes over me again.
Pregnancy feels strange and unpredictable.
One moment I feel normal, and the next I feel like my body weighs twice as much.
He sits beside me on the bed quietly while gently brushing my hair back with slow comforting movements.
"Still upset?" he asks softly. "A little.
" "I apologized." "I know." "I won't drink again. " "Promise?" "Promise."
I study his face carefully for a long moment.
His eyes still look tired, but honest. Real.
Slowly, I lean against his shoulder, and within minutes, sleep begins pulling me under again.
He carefully lowers me onto the pillow, pulls the blanket over me properly, and keeps one warm hand resting gently over my stomach protectively.
Even with my eyes closed, I can feel it there, steady and reassuring.
And just before sleep fully takes me again, I hear him whisper softly into the quiet room, "Take care of her."
He is talking to them again.
To those two tiny heartbeats inside me.
And somehow, hearing that makes me feel safe enough to finally let go and sleep peacefully again.