CHAPTER 1

Author POV:

“Aahana, did you pack the jewelry carefully? I heard there are more chances of theft in Delhi.” Kavita asked her daughter-in-law, Aahana, from the living room.

Aahana, who was in the kitchen, pretending to make chai for everyone—applying the brown nail polish with utmost care—yelled back, “Yes, Maa,” to her mother-in-law.

The daughter of the house, Zerina, who was washing the dishes, has been quietly doing her work. The house has been bustling with work for the past two days. And tomorrow, it will be even more. They are departing tomorrow.

Everyone is getting things ready for the trip, buying Jhumkas, and Anarkali suits to blend well into the bustling crowds in Delhi. Except Zerina.

She was devastated. Protested that she didn’t want to go. But it all fell on deaf ears.

It was a whole family trip—to someone’s wedding with fifteen members. Zerina felt suffocated whenever she was exposed to the crowd. She hated to slip that picture-perfect daughter mask on her face in front of everyone.

And her first time on this trip, she didn’t want to be with her family; she wanted to be there alone for the first time. But not every dream is meant to be fulfilled.

“Zerina dear, could you make the tea and serve it to all of us? Maa is calling me to discuss something private.” Aahana asked sweetly—too sweetly for the person you hate, emphasizing the word “private.”

“Okay, bhabi.” Zerina replied meekly. She dried her hands on the edge of her dupatta and moved to the stove to make tea.

As per her sister-in-law requested…

Or ordered?

She quietly made tea; her movements were calculated and practiced through years. After pouring it in ceramic cups and arranging it on the tray, she went to serve where everyone was seated.

“I heard the groom’s family is very rich. They bought the whole diamond and emerald set for the bride, Divya. Can you believe that, Aahana?" Her mother, Kavita, exclaimed. She was gossiping with Aahana when Zerina entered the living room.

“I can’t believe it either, Maa. They aren’t even married yet, and they’re pampering their daughter-in-law like a princess,” Aahana commented; her voice was full of twisted envy and poison.

“You’re right. What if she runs away with that jewelry or what? God forbids that, but what will they do?” Her mother said. Zerina’s stomach twisted at her mother’s sick words.

‘How can one be this cruel? Spitting venomous words just to satisfy their ugly jealousy. What if one of the bride’s family members is here? And they will start to doubt their own daughter hearing strangers' words.’ She thought.

But didn’t voice out. She never did. She knew the outcome.

“You, Zerina, don’t you dare to misbehave at the function! If there's something you can do good for us, then you better seduce the son of that groom’s side. What do you think, Aahana?” Kavita brought it forward, laughing at her own sensitive comment. But her eyes told a different story.

Like she meant every word she said.

Zerina’s stomach dropped. Her mother’s words echo in her mind.

Seduce? Did she mishear?

The words taunted her. Her finger curled around her dupatta, holding onto something, anything. To anchor herself. Her eyes stung with the unshed tears.

How can she say these things to her own daughter? Before she could shed a tear, Zerina excused herself to her room.

Their laughter echoed in the walls of the living room seeing the state of Zerina. And no one cared to fix it.

After closing the door, she slid down on the floor along the door. Her tears finally found their way. Her shoulder shook lightly. Her knees curled up to her chest, and her head hung low.

Her hands were furiously wiping off the tears that were streaming down her face, hot and unforgiving.

“No, I can’t cry like this. I can’t let their words affect me,” she whispered to herself. Trying to get ahold of herself.

She sat there for a while, rubbing her arm up and down—expecting that action to console her. Her eyes were distant, staring at nothing in particular.

Abruptly, she stood up and went to the bathroom. She turned the faucet on and splashed the cold water on her face. It made her slightly relaxed.

Everyone has packed up their things, except her. She was still waiting for the unexpected miracle to happen—that somehow cancels this departure. But she is not an idiot to completely depend on that.

She had to go. That was the final decision they left her with.

Sighing, she took the suitcase from the base of her closet and put it on the floor. Took the clothes, one by one, from the shelf and arranged them neatly.

While she was packing it, humming to the song in her gloomy, quiet room. A knock startled her bittersweet solitude.

The person didn't even wait for Zerina's reply; they just pushed the door open and entered. It was none other than Kavita.

Her stomach knotted. Whenever her mother came on her own, it never ended well. Anxiety is gripping her throat, throttling her breath. Fear clawing up to her chest. Her hands were clammy from sweat.

“Maa, what happened?” She asked; her voice was barely audible—even in that silent room. Her mother's unreadable look made her more scared than she was.

“Aw, did I scare you, child? No worries, I'm not here to punish you this time. I'm here to give these to you.” Her mother mocked her, sitting on her daughter's bed. For the second time.

Child. The word is tasting bitter on her tongue. Unfamiliar. Unforgiving. Unbeknownst.

She looked at her mother and then the velvet box in her hand. Her mother’s hard glare silently urged her to take it fast.

Zerina reluctantly took it from her mother’s hand after battling inside her head for a while over whether to take it or not. The voice inside her screamed it must be a trap of hers. But she can't defy Kavita.

“Open it.” Kavita asserted harshly, making Zebrina visibly flinch.

This is the first chapter. I hope you like it. I'll try to update a chapter once a week. Thank you for choosing my book, Loveliesss 💗

Yours,

Safa💌💋