I frowned when he asked in a low tone,“Could you please give us a moment alone?”
I gulped and looked at everyone—their eyes wide in disbelief.
Nandani stepped forward.
“But she needs to get ready for the prayers at the right time,”
His eyes lingered on me for a moment, then swept to the table filled with all the jewellery.
“Don’t worry, Bhabhisa, I’ll help her get ready,” he said.“Now, can you please give us a few moments?”
His words carried seriousness beneath the surface.
I looked at Nandani and nodded. She stared at me, but before she could say anything, Rani-maa said,“Alright, Kunwar Agastya. We’ll be waiting for her outside.”
They all exited the chamber quietly before closing the door.
My heart raced as we stood alone. To calm myself, I turned to face the mirror and picked the earrings to wear. But as I lowered my head, my dupatta slipped off my head, and I felt his hand on my shoulder.
“Suman,” he muttered.“I need to talk about something,”
I nodded.“Ji,” I looked at him in the mirror while wearing the earrings.
He seemed restless. His fingers shivered as he took the earring from my hand when I couldn’t put it on.
He cleared his throat.“Suman,” he called again, taking another earring from my hand.“Your parents are here, and they want to take part in our wedding.”
The moment I heard those words, my fingers froze, leaving me shuddering in place.
Flashes of my previous wedding, my vidaai52,and the horrific scenes from my late husband’s funeral burned my insides, and I stumbled back on my feet.
“Suman,” he quickly steadied me, holding my waist.
I shook my head rapidly. In that moment, nothing was visible to my eyes other than them.
My teeth ground together. My eyes filled with tears. It was like I could see them.
He cupped my cheeks.
“Hey, I’m here with you,” he muttered, and suddenly, I felt as if my breath was stuck in my throat.
The flashbacks of my first wedding night with that nasty animal ran through my head. The way he tore my wedding dress, the pain, every memory left me shaken to the core.
I closed my eyes, clenching his kurta.
“I... do... I don’t... want them here,” I stammered, barely able to open my mouth.“I cannot see them... no … please no… Kunwar-sa,” I tried forming words through sobs.
“Wh—when… I went back... to them, they didn’t... accept me. They didn’t want me... They’re mean... they left me alone... they’re not my parents, they’re not my parents,” I hiccuped, breaking into tears.
“Hey, hey, my love,” he said, embracing me tight.“Shhh… I’m with you; you’re safe with me. I love you so much. You are my Suman now. You are not their daughter. Calm down, love, calm down,” he murmured against my hair, and I sobbed even louder.
“That’s it. You don’t have to say anything,” he said, rubbing my back.“They will not come to your wedding. I will ask them to leave. Okay?”
I closed my eyes, inhaling his calming scent as he continued to rub my back, then pressed a kiss to my head.
“Oh my love, calm down, my lucky charm,” he whispered, and I wrapped my arms around him.
I sobbed silently when, out of nowhere, he leaned in and said something in my ear that made me laugh through tears.
