I exhale sharply and flop onto Sonia’s bed, my eyes shut, my heartbeat pounding loudly against my ribs, as if every lost moment, every denied joy, is pressing down on me.
“Meera.”
At the voice, my eyes snap open, and I freeze. No… it can’t be. I am imagining it. My stupid brain is playing tricks on my mind and making me hear things.
“Meera beta…”
At the second voice, my breath lodges in my throat and my fingers curl into the bedsheet as every hair on my body rises. No. No way. They can’t be here.
For a heartbeat, I just stare at my parents standing in the doorway. I am terrified that if I run to them, they’ll disappear… and I’ll realise it was all just my imagination.
“Meera…” my mom whispers again, taking a step inside.
My lips part, but no sound comes out. My chest rises in a shaky breath that barely makes it past my lungs.They’re here.Actually here.
My parents’ eyes soften, filled with something between concern and the kind of tenderness I’ve been starving for. They walk towards me and sit on the bed, one on each side. Mom hugs me tightly and cups my head, pressing a kiss into my hair, as though making up for the time she wasn’t there. Dad wraps his arms around both of us, his chin trembling against my head.
“Are… are you really here?” I manage, the words barely a rasp.
“We’re here, beta,” Mom confirms quietly. “We came for you.”
My chest caves in, and a small, broken whimper catches somewhere behind my ribs.
I pull back, clutching both their hands in mine, unwilling to let go. “Maa… Papa… I am so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. I swear I didn’t—”
“Hush,” Mom whispers, her tears falling with mine. “Bas, beta. Don’t say sorry.”
Dad cups my cheek and wipes my tears with his thumb just like he used to when I was a child. “We should have come sooner. We should have listened instead of reacting. We are the ones who should apologise.”
My heart twists painfully. “I missed you. I missed you both so much.”
Mom pulls me in again, her voice trembling, “We missed you too, beta. Every single day.”
“Our home felt empty without you,” Dad says, gently moving his hand over my head.
I hold her tighter, feeling the ache in my chest finally give way.
After a long moment, Mom pulls back, brushing my hair aside as her eyes sweep over my face.
“You look thinner,” she fusses softly. “Are you eating properly?”
“Maa…” I breathe out a trembling laugh before whispering, “I was so scared… I thought I didn’t have you anymore in my life.”
Dad’s eyes soften as he speaks. “Beta… did you really think we would abandon you forever?”
“I did,” I confess shakily. “You weren’t calling, you weren’t picking up my calls… I thought your love for me was gone.”
“We were shocked,” Dad admits. “Angry. Hurt. But we never stopped loving you.”
“And we never will,” Mom adds fiercely.
Just then, there’s a knock on the half-open door. All three of us look up to see Samarth step inside, offering a respectful nod to my parents. His eyes flicker to me, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Dad clears his throat lightly. “Beta, Samarth is the one who got us here. He met us a few days back. Sat with us for hours and told us everything. Explained your side… made us understand the circumstances under which you got married.”
“We are proud of you, beta. For your beautiful heart, always putting others first, even if it meant sacrificing your own happiness.” Mom wipes her eyes and squeezes my hand gently.
I stare at Samarth, teary-eyed and grateful. I had told him how much I was hurting without my parents, how every day felt like a part of me was missing. He had held my hands, looked me straight in the eyes, and promised me he would make it right. And he had kept his word.
