Chapter 1

*Premila Pov* 

“Where are you going, Tajwar?” I asked, still checking the letters and heard him huffing but walked near to me. 

“How do you know that I am leaving, Mom?” He asked, moving to my front near the couch. 

“I am your Mom. Of course, I know.” I replied, shrugging and frowned at the letter I am reading. 

“I am going back to college.” His words made me look up from the letter. 

“What do you mean getting back to the college? You still have an one-week holiday, right?” I asked him frowning. 

“I know! However, I am going to some tour along with my friends. They all are returning from their homes to the hostel, and I am doing the same.” He explained. 

“And when are you going to tell me about it?” I asked him with a raised eyebrow. 

“I am not a kid, Mom.” He replied shrugging. 

“You are just nineteen. You have to tell us about all these things.” I said in a hard tone. 

“I am not going to stay here and present for the stupid parties. I even decided to do a post graduation in another city away from home.” He said getting up. 

“You will not change your mind?” I asked him frowning. 

“No! But I will call you frequently and will even take care of myself along with staying out of trouble.” He replied staring at my face. 

“Fine! If there is even a single trouble, then you will be locked in the house.” I stated to which he chuckled. 

“I love you too, Mom.” He said walking away. 

I shook my head and stood up before walking inside his office room holding the letter tightly in my hands. 

“Next time you need to tell me correct numbers regarding the statistics in the city.” I heard his voice and saw him talking to Aahil again about politics. 

“Aahil! Go outside and play.” I said, gesturing at him to leave the room. 

“What is it, Premila? I was teaching him something important here.” Abivanth said when Aahil walked away. 

“He is just sixteen. Give him some break. Anyway, I have some important matter to discuss with you.” I said sitting before him. 

“What is it?” he asked checking the files in front of him, and I sighed before thinking about the matter. 

“Your sister wrote another letter. When will you go and help her?” I asked directly. 

“Can’t she understand that I am not going to respond to any of her letters?” He asked in a cold tone. 

“She needs your help and she is your sister. It is not like we don’t have anything to give. Don’t forget she has a right in the properties you got in heritage.” I replied to which he glared at me. 

“My Dad wrote them off to me completely. I have not taken them by coercing him.” He said raising his voice. 

“I know! Just a small help, Abhivanth. You will not lose anything.” I mumbled, staring at him. 

“Why should I? Did she care about anything when she ran away with that low-class person? Did she care when Dad got a stroke because of which he died in a few days of not being able to come out of shock? Did she care how she destroyed my only dream of to be a politician?” He shouted, standing up from the chair and walked near to the window. 

“She just fell in love. She didn’t know that it is stupid thing to do.” I shouted back fed up with his behavior even after all these years. 

“You don’t know how I feel, Premila. Each day I feel like a failure when I remember the day I was not given a chance because of her actions by joining a person of low caste.” He said shaking his head. 

“Don’t be a fool, Abivanth. Each day I too felt the death of our love, which happened in your hands with your anger and frustration of being a failure in achieving your dream. If I know that you can live normally only by fulfilling your dream, then I wouldn’t have married you at all.” I said glaring at him. 

“She will not enter this house no matter what. I have given my promise to Dad not to make her come here or even give her a right of being a vishwanth in the past.” He stated with a no way to change his opinion. 

“Fine!” I said walking outside the room and stepped near to the dining area to see Dileep sitting on the chair looking at the table. 

“You returned from the ground? Shall I give you something to eat?” I asked, smiling at him while he stared up with no smile. 

“Are you both fighting?” he asked directly. 

“I will bring some snacks.” I replied, walking inside the kitchen and walked back only to see him climbing the stairs. 

I slumped in the chair before closing my eyes and then remembered the letter in my hand which I am crushing. 

“Ask the driver to take out a car.” I said to the maid before walking into my room and took out my bag, filling it with liquid cash I have aside from the house expenses. 

I gave the driver the address to a village and leaned back in the car, hoping I am doing a correct thing. After a half-day of traveling, we reached the place I asked him to and looked outside to see a tiny house in the fields. 

I stepped near to the house after asking him to park it away and knocked on the door. I heard the tiny footsteps and then saw a little girl when the door got opened. 

“Are you here to meet my Mom?” She asked politely. 

“Yes! Is she inside?” I asked her back, which she nodded and moved away, allowing me to enter the house. 

“What is your name?” I asked her following the way she was walking. 

“Mridula!” She replied, smiling a little at me and asked, “Yours?” 

“Premila!” I replied, brushing her hair to which she ducked shyly and called for her mom. 

“Who is it, Mridula?” I heard her voice and glanced up to see Sharadha walking near us. 

“Bhabhi? You are here?” She asked when she saw me and moved to hug me but stopped herself. 

“Is Bhai here?” She asked, looking behind me with wishful tone. 

“No! How are you?” I asked, placing my hand on her. 

“I am fine! Go and bring some water for your Aunty.” She said, glancing at the little girl. 

“Aunty?” She asked in a surprised tone, but did as her mother asked her to. 

“You didn’t write how much help you want, Sharadha. I brought as much as I can for now.” I said, opening my bag, but she stopped me. 

“I don’t need money, Bhabhi.” She said shaking her head. 

“Then what help do you need?” I asked her frowning. 

She stopped from saying the reason by seeing Mridula walking near to us. She gave me the glass and stood near her smiling a little. 

“Go and see whether your Dad needs your help or not.” Her Mother said to which she walked away nodding. 

“Her Dad is becoming weak, Bhabhi. There is no medical condition or disease but just tired with all the work he had to do with his fields.” She started saying, and I didn’t disturb her. 

“You have seen Mridula right? She is a good child, but she will be growing more, and we don’t think we can give her the needed education or even security. It is difficult for us to even go through a month with proper food, and we don’t want to get her in any danger.” She added before staring at me. 

“Can you take her with you and provide a little education? I know I am asking for too much, but we both want nothing but her good future.” She said pleading me. 

“Your brother…” I started saying, but stopped myself when she nodded understandingly. 

“I understand! I don’t want anything from the heritage or anything else. I just want my girl to have a good life.” She said looking down. 

“Leave it! Have some food, Bhabhi.” She said smiling at me and stood up before I could stop her. 

“Madam!” I heard a new voice and turned to see Hari entering the room weakly. 

I nodded and then glanced at his Daughter who is smiling at me. I gestured at her to come near me which she did slowly and sat beside me. 

“What are you studying?” I asked, holding her hand. 

“Eight!” She replied and then glanced at her mother who walked near is to come for lunch. 

Mridula stood up and walked to the food before taking out plates for us without her Mother asking her to. She was still shy around me even after having the food. 

I glanced at Hari to see what Sharadha was talking about. He is really tired and I suddenly felt fear for Mridula’s security with no house around theirs and only fields near to them. 

“I will take her with me, but you need to allow me to give you some money for every few months.” I said looking at Sharadha. 

“But…” She started saying, but I shook my head not wanting to hear her objections. 

“Will we come there to meet her, or she can come here?” Her Dad asked looking at their Daughter. 

“This is going to get tough. I can keep her with me against your brother’s wishes, but she will be at the end of his wrath for you guys. So, if you cut all the ties with her, then he can give her uncle’s love which she should get.” I said and waited until they get adjusted to my words. 

It took them until evening to even come up to the words and accept them. She sat with me and asked about my sons. 

“Dileep is younger. Aahil was a baby when you left.” I said talking about them. 

“Bhai always used to say that one of his sons would marry my daughter if I have one before he got to know about Hari.” She said shaking her head. 

“Will you get her married to a good guy?” She asked suddenly with worry in her eyes and tone. 

“I promise you that if any of my sons like her, then she will become my daughter-in-law with her wish otherwise she will be married to a good family. Trust me!” I said, promising her to which she finally let the worry leave her face. 

“I will go and talk to her.” She said getting up and walked near Mridula. 

After hearing her Mother, her eyes welled up asking, “Why are you sending me away, Mom?” 

“Aunty will take good care of you, Mridula. She will help you to get a good education, and you will be happy.” Sharadha said brushing her tears away. 

“But… I don’t want to leave you both.” She said shaking her head. 

“She will take good care of you. If you go with her then, she will send help, which will reduce Dad’s work.” Hearing these words, Mridula slowly nodded but didn’t stop crying. 

“Listen to her every word and do as she likes to ask you to. You shouldn’t disappoint her. Always ask her anything you want to and help her.” Sharadha continued talking stopping herself from crying and after a few hours, I sat in the car along with Mridula. 

She sat crying, but without making a slight sound. I placed my hand around her shoulder and moved her towards me. She cried herself to sleep clinging to me, and I rubbed her back. 

“Where were you, Premila? You just went away without saying a word to anyone.” Abhivanth said when I entered the house near to midnight. 

“Did the kids slept?” I asked him to which he nodded and then glanced at Mridula standing near me yawning. 

“Who is she?” He asked, staring at her. 

“Your Niece Mridula!” I replied, and he stared at her in shock. 

“Come here!” He asked, moving his hands forwards, but she hid herself near me not moving near him. 

He composed himself and asked, “You went near her without asking me. And you brought her here?” 

“She will stay here with us from now on. I am not asking you to help your sister but at least help your niece. She will stay in the guest house behind ours, and I will be with her until the upper wing gets remodeled.” I replied and walked inside the kitchen to get ourselves some food. 

“You can’t take decisions without asking me.” He shouted, standing near the dining table. 

“I just did.” I said to which he huffed and walked away while Mridula stared at us with wide eyes. 

“It is good for married people to fight sometimes.” I said, assuring her, to which she nodded and continued to have her food along with me. 

“You will be fine!” I said, assuring her before lying on the bed in the master room in the guest house after tucking her beside me. 

I hope she will not cry herself to sleep, missing her parents. It is best for her to live here than in that house with no one around to protect her from danger. 

I patter her until she drifted off into sleep, and I followed her suit.