When she disappeared, I heaved out heavily and looked at Suman, wiping tears from her cheeks.
“Hey,” I muttered, stepping closer to her.
She broke into more cries, and I wrapped my arms around her, caressing her back.
“Bhala itni si baat par koi rota hai,”“Does anyone cry over such trivial matters?”
She hugged me back tightly.“I'm sorry. It's all because of me,” she muttered, and I closed my eyes, kissing her head.
“No, nothing is because of you. Why are you even crying? This was inevitable,” I said, but she shook her head.
“But she got angry because of me,” she sobbed, and I kept stroking her back.
“She wasn't angry,” I said, pausing just long enough to find the right words.“She had been experiencing postpartum mood swings since she had just had a baby. It’s normal,” I explained, and she chuckled, pushing me away.
“Do I look like a fool to you?” she asked, pouting, and I shook my head.
“No, you look like my wife,” I couldn’t help but say.
“No one is going to agree with us. She agreed because I’m her best friend. Ranaji, Prince Ranvijay, and the other kingdoms won’t like it,” she said, tears streaming down her face.
I cupped her cheek to make her look at me.
“Agastya Dev Singh kahenge to Bhagwaan ko bhi maanna padega, ye to phir bhi chote-mote raja hain,”“When Agastya Dev Singh speaks, even God must listen. These are merely petty kings in comparison.”
She laughed at my words, and I wiped the tears from her cheek.
“But I hurt her,” she said, and I pulled her into my embrace again.
“That’s okay; I'll gladly be her pet in return,” I said, remembering what Bhabhi-sa had asked me to do as part of our arrangement this time.
“What would she ask you to do?” she asked, pulling away.
I looked into her eyes filled with love.
“Nothing,” I paused,“Just stirring up a bit of drama between her and Bhai-sa so their relationship continues to blossom, and finding some useful information for her—things she likes but doesn’t share with Bhai-sa,” I said.
She frowned.“What things?”
I pursed my lips.“Um… that’s a secret between us?”
And she nodded.“Of course.”
“Mitti ka sewan karti hai tumhaari priya sakhi,”“Your dear friend craves edible clay.” I said, and her eyes widened in shock.
“What? She didn’t give that up?”
I raised my brows.“Does she look like someone who gives up on anything? Just think about how she won over my Bhai-sa.”
She narrowed her eyes in return.“Don’t you feel ashamed saying those words in front of her? I mean, isn’t she like a mother figure to you?”
I took her hand, guided her to the edge of the bed, and sat her down. Pulling her closer, I settled her on my lap.
“I do, but she doesn’t see me as a child,” I said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Every time I saw tears in her eyes, I lost my composure.
The moment Bhabhi-sa was about to raise her hand at her, I lost it. I understood they were best friends, and her family treated Suman as one of their own. Daadi-sa cared for her, Abhinandan was like a brother to her, and my brothers respected her immensely. Still, I couldn’t tolerate anyone raising their voice at her, because she didn’t deserve it.
I had always seen her waking up before everyone and being there for Bhabhi-sa whenever she needed her. And she never made it seem like it was all a burden to her. She had forgotten herself for this family—my family.
