Love Happens

Chapter twenty-three

Mumbai
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Poonam assembled her bags in the hall. She finished crying a long time ago. In there were her grandmother, grandfather, and sister, Riddhima. Her father was nowhere around. She coated her sadness with a brief smile as she hugged Riddhima.

"Take care of yourself. Don't use my bed. I don't like it when people touch my things even when I'm not around." she informed her while pulling away.

"I won't. But I'll miss you a lot." Riddhima's tears were endless. She didn't ever want to be separated from her sister. Poonam's palm caressed her cheek as she passed her another smile. She moved to her grandmother to say her final goodbye.

"My adorable baby!" her grandmother placed soft kisses on her face with love. "Don't worry. I'm coming this Saturday itself to visit you. We'll have lots of fun together. There's no way I'm going to let you spend any weekend alone."

She forced a smile in response. She didn't really mind whether anyone visited her or not. Already, her father has made her coldhearted.

"I love you my child." she engulfed her in a hug.

"Love you too." she put a hand against her back for a while before they pulled from each other. She continued walking towards her grandfather whose eyes softened for his granddaughter.

"Take good and extra care of yourself, Poonam. I'll ensure you live in the highest comfort." he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

She sighed while nodding. "I trust you."

They embraced each other for some time.

"Make sure Shraddha doesn't wake up." she mumbled in his ear. Her hateful voice first made his eyes to be widened, but then, he smiled.

"She'll anyway be discarded like trash after the elections so even if she wakes up, she won't live in the house for long."

"I'm going." she waved her hand at everyone. They all escorted her to the car. She weaved in, and the driver started driving. She sighed after her house became far away from them and tumbled back against the seat.

The car halted.

"Are we here yet?" she lazily asked.

"No Ma'am. There appears to be an accident. I'll go and check." the driver told her and went out. She hissed in annoyance while shrugging because it wasn't one of her family involved, so there was no need to care. She closed her eyes, humming a random song and aboding into a calmful world when a harsh knock on the window startled her. She opened her eyes and lowered the glass down. An old woman was there. The old woman had a trembling body with pale skin and dark spots all over her face.

Poonam gulped slowly from fear. She was very close to her. She could strangle her if she wishes to and her driver wasn't there to save her.

"May you be blessed, my child. May your hands be blessed as you give me what I'll take to my family to eat."

Poonam saw her hands that were resting on the half-open window glass.

"Get your filthy hands off my car." her voice was rude, loud as it gathered not only the attention of the others, but also one specific young adult boy who had a clean shaved beard, dark brown orbs, and a full hair.

"Get it off. You don't deserve anything. Poor people like you don't deserve to be in the presence of rich people like me. And you dared to ask me for charity. We only exchange gifts with people of our class." she spits verousioisly.