Page 10 of Protect my Heart
Her face freezes, eyes widening. The room goes still. Just the slow whirring of the ceiling fan overhead.
“Why?” Maa finally yells. And before I can even explain, the rest of the house starts waking up. Doors open. Footsteps shuffle in. Faces appear one by one—Badi Maa, Bade Papa, Dadu.
“Maa,” I began, but she cut me off harshly, her voice booming across the living room.
“Don’t give me any justification,” Maa snaps, her voice shaking.
“Because no matter what you say, this is wrong.”
Tears roll over her cheeks. Badi Maa rushes to her, concern flooding her features.
“Naina? What’s wrong?”
Maa doesn't utter a word; she looks so broken—it breaks my heart. Bhabhi steps ahead and answers in a whisper, “Aarav got married. She’s Anika. His wife.” Their reactions hit me like a tidal wave—shock, anger, and disbelief.
“How could you do this without telling us?” Bade Papa’s voice booms, laced with disappointment.
The silence that follows feels like it might crush me. I step forward, struggling to find words. “I know this is sudden. And I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. But this was necessary.”
“Necessary?” Maa repeats, her voice breaking; she stares at me as if I have betrayed her. “Without rituals? Without blessings? Is this how we raised you?”
I glance at Anika, who’s standing there like a deer caught in headlights. An urge to pull her close, protect her, and take the weight off her shoulders fills me.
“I understand your anger,” I begin softly as I reach out to Maa, but she turns away from me. “And I’m sorry for the way this happened.”
“Sorry doesn’t change anything,” Badi Maa snaps.
“Enough!” Dadu’s voice slices through the chaos like a blade. The room goes still.
“Tell me the reason behind this. Let me decide if it was right or wrong,” he demands, his tone full of authoritativeness. I suck in a deep breath. My hands are trembling. I run onethrough my hair. I am not afraid of anyone, but when it comes to my family, especially Maa and Dadu, I am terrified. They have always loved me; they rarely yell at me, and when they do, it's bad.
“Dadu... I went to Vikram’s mansion.”
“Khanna?” Bade Papa interrupts.
I nod. “He leaked internal info about my company. It cost me a two-hundred crore deal.”
Soft gasps echo around me. I see Bhabhi and Anika both flinch. “ He ran away. He was supposed to marry Anika. Her mom’s health is fragile." I look at Maa. "We already know that. She couldn't take it that he left Anika on the aisle; it could break her.”
I pause, trying to steady my breathing. “We got married to stop that from happening.”
Dadu doesn’t say a word. Just turns around and walks into his room, shutting the door behind him. I swear under my breath. If he doesn’t approve, no one will. The silence hangs heavy. My heart pounds in my chest. I glance at Anika—her eyes are glossy, and I know she’s holding everything in.
Then, the door creaks open. Dadu steps out and walks straight past me. My breath catches. He stops in front of Anika. She lifts her gaze, fear written all over her face. Dadu holds out a blue velvet box toward her.
“Welcome to our family, Anika,” he announces. She blinks, unsure if she heard him right. She slowly takes the box, her hand trembling. He places a gentle hand on her head.
“You’re one of us now,” he tells her. Relief floods through me. One hurdle down. A million more to go.
Because she might be part of the family now… But only for six months.
CHAPTER 6
ANIKA
I slump on the edge of his bed, my hands resting in my lap, fingers twisting the edge of my dupatta.I'm in his room.Aarav’s bedroom. It’s changed so much over the years—grown up, just like him. Gone are the posters and messy cricket gear. Now it looks like a minimalist Pinterest board. Darker colors, sharper edges, everything neat and cold. He’s not a kid anymore. None of us are.
But the familiarity still clings to the walls—the paint, the layout, even the faint scent of that lemon room freshener Aunty used to use. I used to love being here. This house used to feel like my second home. I’ve spent so many childhood afternoons in this room, surrounded by this family that once felt like mine. But now... now they feel like strangers. Just a distant memory. All of them.
