It's been two hours since brother Advait left.
That phone call—no one knows anything about it. We couldn't understand whose call made him rush out like that. Was it from his girlfriend? An office call? It felt unbelievable.
Then he came back.
With a baby in his arms.
We were all left shocked.
"Whose baby is this, brother?" I asked, my voice shaking.
"Mine," he answered calmly. "He is my baby."
Everyone froze.
"You bastard! Did you get married without telling us? Get lost!" Papa screamed in anger.
"No, Papa," brother said quietly. "About a year ago, someone drugged me, and I slept with her. I thought she was in cahoots with enemies, so I gave her money and told her never to come back. But today I got a call from my assistant. She gave birth to a baby about a month ago, and she's in the hospital. I went there. She's out of danger now. I'm thinking of marrying her."
"Good then," Maa said softly, without hesitation. "Let's go meet her, okay?"
We left for the hospital.
She was lying on the bed. We were seeing her from outside when suddenly a man came in and started beating her. She was begging, crying, and we rushed inside to save her.
"Stop, Papa! Stop beating me! I'm sorry!" she cried.
"No, you bitch! You gave birth to a bastard!" he raised his hand again.
Before he could hit her, my brother punched him hard. The man fell down.
She was trembling, terrified.
I went toward her and hugged her tightly.
"Don't cry," I whispered. "Don't cry. It's okay. Everything is okay."
She was shivering, sitting in the corner like a little child, scared, clutching me the way Sarthak holds me when I break down. My eyes filled with tears.
I gently picked her up and made her sit on the hospital bed. She refused to leave me when I tried to move away.
"No… don't leave me, please," she cried.
"I'm not leaving you, okay?" I said, sitting beside her.
After a while, I asked softly, "How old are you?"
"Twenty-seven," she replied.
I turned and stared at my brother.
"Bro, you spent a night with a girl who is only one year older than—"
I almost said bullshit, but under my brother's sharp stare, the word twisted out of my mouth, "—bulletin."
He glared at me.
"I didn't know she was twenty-seven. How would I? I was drugged, you little troublemaker."
She laughed softly through her tears.
"You're quarreling like me and my brother," she said.
Then her smile faded.
"Huh… your brother and you… where is your brother?" I asked gently.
She broke down again.
"He died… with my mother. After their death, my father changed. He started yelling at me, beating me. He stopped loving me," she cried heavily.
I hugged her tightly.
"It's okay," I whispered. "Don't cry now. Everything is done by God for our good."
Then I smiled softly and said, "By the way, I don't even know your name. Let me introduce myself. I'm Dr. Samira Mishra. I'm a year younger than you. I'm engaged to Sarthak Shukla—yes, the second richest man after my father. I have a PhD in law and recently became a professor in the city's best college. Don't be scared of me. I know your pain. Don't tell anyone, but I still cry secretly for my first brother Aarnik's death. It was a miserable nightmare for me."
She wiped her tears and smiled faintly.
"I'm Arya Sharma. I'm a business student, currently working on a startup with my bestie Kartika. My father isn't bad… he's just traumatized after my mother's death. They used to love me so much. I was their little baby girl. But after they died in an accident, he changed."
"We're friends now," I said warmly. "My brother can be possessive sometimes, but he loves us, okay? We'll irritate and annoy him together."
She smiled, and we hugged.
That night, brother Advait took us home. Everyone was already ready with plates for aarti, flowers in their hands. As she entered the house, flower petals showered over her. She stood there, stunned, not believing she was living that moment.
The aarti thali was there. She placed her foot on it and took her first step inside the house. Everyone smiled, welcoming her into the family. It was a beautiful night.
Later, she sat on the couch. I sat beside her. Brother Advait sat a little distance away, holding the baby. Everyone gave her beautiful gifts and jewelry. She smiled, overwhelmed.
They left for their room.
But later that night, when I went there, I saw her sitting alone.
"Where is bro?" I asked the maid. "Why is she sitting alone?"
"He asked us to prepare the nearby room," the maid said. "The rooms are connected by a door."
I entered Arya's room. She was playing with the baby. I sat beside her and gently placed my hand on her shoulder.
"What happened after coming here? Tell me," I said softly.
"He gave me contract marriage papers," she whispered. "He said our marriage will last until our baby grows up. He said he will never expect anything from me as a wife… but he doesn't want me to be with anyone else."
My ears rang.
I rushed to my brother's room and jumped onto the bed where he was lying.
He woke up immediately. "What are you doing? You're pregnant! How can you jump like this?"
"Bro," I said angrily, "I know you gave contract marriage papers to Arya. How can you do this? You will regret it."
"She told you this?" he said coldly. "And no, I will never regret this decision. I will never fall for a girl like that."
"I can't believe you're my brother," I said, my voice shaking. "Think if someone did this to me."
"You're a good girl," he replied harshly. "She is not. Now go and sleep."
I opened the door and saw Arya standing there. Her eyes were filled with tears. She ran to her room.
My brother and I stared at each other. He looked shocked. I looked angry.
I ran after her. The door was closed. I sat outside.
"Don't cry," I said softly. "He will definitely fall for you and regret this decision. Then you'll say these exact words to him. Remember them, okay? Let's wait together for him to regret it. You're one of the kindest, most broken people I've met after my bestie. I'm with you."
I went back to my room.
Tonight, Sarthak was sleeping with uncle Anirudh because Anvi had a fight with him.
It felt like I forgot something.
Oh shit.
I didn't tell Lavanya about Kartikey's marriage.