I stirred in my sleep, instinctively reaching out to the empty side of the bed. A pang of loneliness hit me as my fingers grazed the cool sheets. Slowly opening my eyes, I noticed a nurse adjusting the machine connected to my body. My shoulder throbbed with pain, making it hard to move, but I tried to speak. The nurse noticed me stirring and offered a gentle smile.
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As Abhimaan helped her with the after-birth diaper, she whispered, โMaanโฆ can I ask you one favor?โ He looked confused. โWhat is it?โ She looked down, her voice shaking with pain and tears. โThis thought has been in my mind since the day I ran from that house. Every time I saw you with the baby, with meโฆ I kept asking myself this questionโฆโ Abhimaan held her hands. โSay it, Gaurii.โ She broke down, hugging him. โIn our society, children are known by their fatherโs surname. Single mothers like me are judged so badly that people even call them โฆโ Before she could finish, Abhimaan cut her off softly, โShhโฆ donโt think like that.โ She cried harder, clutching his shirt. โWill you give her your name? Will you give me your nameโฆ without marriage? I canโt give you anything in return, Maan, but pleaseโฆ Iโm begging you. I donโt want anyone to ever call my baby fatherless.โ Abhimaan hugged her tightly. His voice trembled.โNo. Never. She is my daughter. And you are my partner. In the worldโs eyes, you are my wife. In my eyes, you and I are best friends. And husband and wife are also best friendsโa team. We may not be married, but we are a team who will live for each other and for our baby.โ
He took her hand and led her out into the garden, where all his guards and his right-hand man were standing in a straight, disciplined line. As Vaniโs eyes moved over them, a flicker of fear ran through her. She instinctively stepped behind Vidyut, peeking from his shoulder. Vidyut noticed and, secretly, he liked it โ the way she knew she had him to protect her from anything. Meekly, she whispered, โWho are they all?โ Vidyut chuckled and then said curtly, โBOW DOWN, EVERYONE. SHE IS THE OWNER OF YOUR BOSS.โ Vani froze at his words, stunned. She looked up at him, but he simply took her hands and guided her to stand in front of him. Her dupatta had slipped over her head, framing her delicate face, still shocked and unsure. One by one, the men bowed before her. Vani gasped and stumbled backward, but Vidyutโs hand steadied her at her waist. Before she could process what was happening, Vidyut gestured to Malvika to send the children inside. The guards stepped aside, revealing a disturbing scene. Several women were dancing, but at the center was one woman unlike the rest โ she danced barefoot on burning coal, her body engulfed in flames, yet she kept moving as if bound to some unseen rhythm. Horrified, Vani turned her face toward his chest and clung to Vidyutโs chest and whispered fearfully, โWhy is she dancing like this?โ Vidyutโs gaze stayed cold. In truth, he had planned to tell her that during the hawan, the firewood had not been wood at all โ but the bones of the principal who had failed to protect her in his absence. And the dancer was vaishya who had dared to slap her; he had her lips stitched shut so she could not speak, and shackled her feet to the burning coal until she would burn to death. But he decided against telling her โ not tonight. She would be frightened of him. Instead, he stroked her hair and said lightly, โItโs nothing, baby. Just a professional dancer.โ
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