the 𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔣𝔢𝔠𝔱 𝖒𝖆𝖙𝖈𝖍

|| 13 ||

I looked at Nisha Aunty's saddened face, feeling a twinge of pity for the older woman. She'd lost her daughter ten years ago, due to the same reason that was looming over my head like a Damocles sword.

"Nisha Aunty?" I whispered softly, startling the woman out of her chain of thoughts that she'd gotten lost in moments ago. "Are you alright?"

"Should I not be the one asking you that?" She arched an eyebrow at me.

Shrugging in response, I attempted a smile, "I'm as fine as ever Aunty. I dealt with this a long time ago." I held up the blue file. "You, however," my voice dropped to a whisper, "seem to be taking it harder than me."

Nisha Aunty sighed, taking a seat. I awkwardly sat down on the seat, opposite hers. She opened my file, opening her mouth hesitantly, "I used to go to an all-girl's school in the seventies." She looked at me with a smile, "My father was an abusive alcoholic who used to beat my mother daily."

My eyes widened—— she'd never shared her past with me before.

"I remember asking my mother why she didn't leave my father," She smiled sadly, before looking down at my file once more. "She said she loved him far too much to be able to let him go." She sighed, exhaling slowly, "I always hated her for that, you know?" She looked up at me, tears lining her eyes. "I promised myself that I would never love someone more than myself. I wouldn't let them hurt me as my father had hurt my mother for years."

Her voice wavered—— she sniffled, struggling to keep herself composed.

"Aunty," I whispered softly. Her gaze snapped to meet mine, "You do not have to——"

"It's alright, beta," Nisha Aunty smiled sadly, shaking her head. "My father and mother wanted me to get married right after I got into medical school." She looked down at her hands, "But I didn't want to. When they went ahead and planned my wedding anyway, I tried to kill myself."

I gasped softly. "I'm so sorry."

She looked at me, "I'm not."

"Pardon?" I frowned, utterly confused.

"I was admitted to the hospital and assigned a psychiatrist," Nisha Aunty chuckled. "Of course the groom and the family that my parents had chosen for me ended up cancelling the alliance completely." She grinned, "Can you guess who the psychiatrist was?" I shook my head. "Shilpa's father."

I gaped. "You're her——"

"Step-mother," she nodded. Sighing sadly, a melancholic smile graced her lips. "But Shilpa never let me feel that way. Eventually, during the sessions and after, I fell in love with Rajeev, her father." I smiled softly—— it truly was adorable in my opinion. "We got married and I became pregnant. Due to some complications, I lost the baby. Rajeev's family blamed me." Nisha Aunty sighed.

I frowned—— it truly was unfortunate how superstitions and paranoia drove people to be the worst versions of themselves.

"Yeah," she chuckled, seeing my face. "Shilpa had the same reaction. She declared that no matter what, I was already a mother—— hers." Nisha Aunty wiped away a tear that rolled down her cheek, "She was just twelve. And in that moment Annika——" she choked, accepting the glass of water that I'd forwarded to her. "And in that moment I realised that I loved someone more than I loved Rajeev. My mother's words came back to me, and I realised that the love she talked about could've been any—— platonic, motherly or romantic." She sighed, "I always wondered how she loved someone more than her own child, but I realised it was because my father stood by her when her own family abandoned her. Over time, he became her everything—— even when he slowly morphed into the beast I'd watched growing up."