41 ~ Its so Big 🔞 #2
I woke slowly, still wrapped in the warmth of the bedsheets, and the first thing I noticed was him staring at me.
I blinked a few times before meeting his eyes.
He didn't look away.
Instead, the corner of his lips lifted into a small smile.
I smiled back. "Good morning."
Before I could say anything else, his arm slipped around my waist and pulled me closer. He buried his face against my neck, making me giggle as his lips brushed softly against my skin.
"Kartik..."
I stirred beneath him, trying to push his shoulder away.
"Let me get up."
He ignored me completely.
I pushed again. "Kartik, I'm serious."
His arms only tightened around me.
Then he lifted his head and cupped my cheeks between his hands, looking at me with an almost childish stubbornness that was completely at odds with the man everyone else feared.
"Stay."
I stared at him. "I have to get ready."
His thumbs brushed gently across my cheeks. "Just stay for a few minutes."
There was something so unexpectedly tender in his voice that I stopped resisting.
I smiled and let myself settle back into his arms.
For a few quiet minutes, neither of us said anything.
And somehow, being held by him felt like the perfect way to start the day.
I was ready for college when I came downstairs, my bag hanging from my shoulder, but the moment I entered the living room, my eyes instinctively searched for Dadi. She wasn't there.
I frowned.
It had been an entire day since I'd properly spoken to her, and I didn't know why, but suddenly I wanted to see her before leaving. Maybe it was because I'd become used to her presence. Her voice, her affection, the way she always asked whether I'd eaten. I wanted at least a few minutes with her.
I checked the sitting area, the dining room, and finally walked toward her room.
But it was empty.
My brows furrowed. "Dadi?"
No answer.
I turned around and started walking back, disappointed, when a faint voice stopped me.
I froze.
It was coming from my father in law's room.
The glass window beside the door was slightly open, while the curtains had been drawn enough to keep anyone from seeing inside.
I could hear Dadi's voice clearly.
I instinctively slowed down.
I should have knocked but before I could make myself move, Dhanraj's voice reached me.
"Main Siya ko kabhi maaf nahi kar sakta. Jo bhi usne kiya, woh maafi ke kaabil nahi tha. Dhoka diya hai usne mujhe."
(I can never forgive Siya. Whatever she did, she wasn't worthy of forgiveness. She betrayed me.)
My heart skipped.
Siya Maa?
I stood completely still.
Dadi's voice came softly.
"Siya ki koi galti nahi thi ismein."
(Siya wasn't at fault in this.)
There was a pause.
Then Dhanraj spoke again, his voice filled with anger I had never heard directed toward Kartik's mother.
"Wo kisi aur se pyaar karti thi, Maa. Aur agar aapko ye baat pata thi... toh kyun karayi aapne meri usse shaadi?"
(She loved someone else, Maa. And if you knew about this... then why did you get me married to her?)
My breathing stopped.
Siya Maa had loved someone else?
My mind struggled to process the words.
"Dheere bolo. Koi sun lega," Dadi warned him.
(Speak softly. Someone might hear.)
"Kaun sun lega? Kartik ke alawa sabko pata hai. Aur usse bhi ye baat aap kab tak chhupayengi?"
(Who will hear? Everyone except Kartik knows. And how long will you keep hiding this from him too?)
My fingers tightened around the strap of my bag.
Kartik knew nothing?
How could that be?
Dadi's voice trembled slightly when she answered.
"Wo bahut pyaar karta hai apni maa se. Ye sab use bata kar tum sirf uske dil mein apne liye nafrat paida karoge."
(He loves his mother very much. If you tell him all this, you'll only make him hate you.)
I felt as though the ground beneath me had shifted.
I slowly stepped backward from the door, my mind spinning.
Siya Maa had loved someone else and apparently, everyone except Kartik knew.
I stared blankly at the floor, unable to move.
All this time, I had thought I understood Kartik's family but suddenly, it felt like there was an entire part of their past hidden behind a locked door and I had just heard the key turn.
I saw Kartik coming towards me.
The moment our eyes met, I walked straight towards him. His usual calm expression settling on his face as I stopped in front of him.
"Main tumhe hi dhoondh raha tha. Chalo, college drop kar deta hoon."
(I was looking for you. Come, I'll drop you to college.)
I nodded quietly.
Everything I had overheard was still rotating inside my head.
Siya Maa loved someone else.
And somehow, there was an entire story about his family that we had never been told.
I looked at him as we walked towards the car, watching him talk about something related to work, completely unaware of the thoughts running through my mind.
It was all in the past.
Whatever had happened between his parents before Kartik was born had nothing to do with him. And whatever secrets this family had carried for years were not mine to expose.
I shook the thought away and decided to leave it where it belonged.
In the past.
.
.
.
I attended my lectures and focus on my studies.
I forced myself to concentrate harder, especially because my exams were approaching. During a free lecture, instead of wasting time, I opened my books and started revising along with Ishika and Ina.
By the time I returned home, I changed into comfortable clothes, sat with my books and continued studying.
One chapter then another.
I underlined important points, made notes.
It was working for a while. Until my phone suddenly began ringing.
I reached for it without looking, still focused on the page in front of me.
But the moment I saw the name flashing across the screen, my fingers froze.
Maa.
My mother was calling after so many days...
My heart gave an unexpected thud. I couldn't understand why.
But something about seeing her name today, after everything I had been through felt strange.
For a moment, I thought about not picking up.
I stared at my mother's name flashing on the screen, my heart strangely heavy but then I answered.
I waited silently for her to speak.
"Chahat..." Her voice sounded broken.