Page 43 of Mrs. Pandey
Mom's face went even paler. "Ira..." She made me look into her eyes. "Are you still... marrying him?"
"I don't have a choice, Mom." I smiled weakly. "You believe me?"
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she blinked them away quickly. But I saw them. I always did. Pain, fear, guilt, all written across her face.
"Why wouldn't I believe you, sweetheart?"
I gave a small smile, the kind that hides more than it shows. "Because last time... no one did."
Her hands trembled, cotton falling to the floor. The silence between us was thick, heavy enough to crush us both.
For a second, I thought she'd do what she always did. Walk away. Pretend it wasn't happening. But this time was different. She reached for my hand.
Her grip was soft, hesitant. "I didn't know the whole truth. I thought you were making a fool of us," she whispered.
"You didn't ask, you never tried, Mom," I replied calmly.
She looked up, and something had changed in her eyes. "You're not marrying him, Ira. I'll talk to your father. We'll figure something out."
"You don't understand," I said. "Kabir has people. He's not just a monster, he's a powerful one. And Dad... he'll never believe me. I can't bring shame to him again."
Mom wiped her tears, her jaw tightening. "Your father will listen. And if he doesn't, I'll make him. You're our daughter. We failed you once. Not again."
I hesitated. "What about Dad's heart?"
"If anything happened to you," she said, her voice cracking, "it would break him more than anything else. You don't see it, but he's proud of you. He doesn't say it, he never says anything, but when you got into that accident, he was shattered. You are his everything. And mine."
She reached out again, gently holding my face. "We're with you, Ira. No matter what."
The antiseptic still stung, but for the first time in a long time, something else felt stronger, her words and her presence.
I turned back to the window. The moon was still there. It was bright, but this time, it didn't feel like it was mocking me. It felt like it was listening.
________
No one was at home, everyone had gone shopping for my wedding. I was pacing back and forth, unable to make a decision. What should I do? Dad would be disappointed if I refused the marriage, so I agreed. But I would teach Kabir a lesson. He had no idea what kind of woman he was messing with.
I was startled when the doorbell rang. My eyes shot to the door, frowning. I answered it, only to freeze when I saw Kabir standing there with his twisted smirk.
"Miss me?" he said, pushing up his spectacles. "Trust me, I missed you so much."
"What are you doing here?" I snapped, clenching my jaw.
"Is that how you talk to your future husband?" he asked gently, pushing the door wide open and stepping inside. "Are you thinking of cancelling our marriage?"
I slammed the door behind him, but it was too late as Kabir had already stepped in, uninvited, wearing that same arrogant smirk.
"I said, what are you doing here?" My voice was firmer now.
Kabir's smirk deepened. "I came to see my bride. Can't a man check on the woman he's about to own?"
"I don't belong to you," I snapped. "And I never will."
He laughed softly. "Still playing the tough girl, Ira? You forget what I can do to you."
"Get out of here!" I hissed, jaw tightening.
His face darkened. "Enough with the drama," he muttered, and suddenly lunged at me, gripping my wrist. But I wasn't the same woman who used to be afraid of him.
