CHAPTER XLI
The next morning, when I returned home, the air inside felt heavy—almost suffocating. My heart sank the moment I saw them… my sister's in-laws were there, their faces twisted with anger and disgust. They were blaming my sister for running away from Jasmine's house, as if love itself was a crime.
Their voices rose like sharp daggers, cutting through the stillness of the house.
One of them spat out bitterly, "She ran because of her sin. How could she ever love another girl? This is unacceptable. Shameful."
My fists clenched, but I kept my tone steady as I stepped closer. "What's wrong with it?" I said, my voice trembling with both rage and conviction. "This is normal. Love is love. Maybe Jasmine tried to tell you, maybe she tried to make you understand, but you never would have listened. That's why she ran away."
But my words didn't soften them. Instead, my sister's father-in-law turned to me, his eyes full of venom. "Ved, maybe in your house this nonsense is normal, but not in mine. There's nothing more disgusting in this world. Just imagine—girl with girl—it sounds filthy even to say it aloud!"
His words struck me like thunder, but I didn't flinch. I lifted my chin, letting the weight of my own truth steady me. "Do you know what it was like," I said quietly, my voice cracking, "when I first realized about myself? I was terrified. I thought—what will happen next? Who will stand with me? Will anyone ever accept me? But later… I understood something. What I am is not something shameful. It is something beautiful. God hasn't created anything more precious than this truth inside me."
For a moment, silence fell. But then my sister's mother-in-law broke it with her poison. She turned toward my mother, her finger pointing at me like an accusation. "You see? This is her doing. She must have corrupted my daughter. Look at her—she herself married a girl. Who knows how she trapped Sita and dragged her away from a proper life. And now she's pushed my daughter towards another girl too."
That was it. The blood boiled in my veins, and I could no longer hold back. My voice roared through the room. "Enough! I have never spoken to Jasmine about such things—not once. And let me remind you—Sita is not just anyone. She is my wife. My life. And if anyone here dares to speak ill of her again…" I stepped forward, fire in my eyes, "I will forget all ties, all respect, all boundaries of relations."
The room froze. My mother's face paled, my sister's in-laws glared, and for a moment no one breathed.
It was my father who finally placed a hand on my shoulder, trying to steady me. His voice was low, almost pleading. "Vedehi, calm yourself. Let us handle this… let us talk."
But inside, I was shaking—not from fear, but from the fury of love and the weight of truth I had carried for too long.
My father, who had remained quiet until now, suddenly stepped forward. His hands folded together, trembling as he bowed before my sister's father-in-law. His voice cracked as he pleaded, "Please, believe me… my daughter has done nothing. She had no idea Jasmine would do something like this. Please don't punish her for something she never knew of."
The sight broke me. My father—who had always been the pillar of our house—was reduced to begging, just to protect the peace between families. My chest tightened, anger and helplessness colliding inside me.
Before I could speak, my sister's husband surged forward, his face red with fury, his arm raised as though he would strike. My heart stopped.
But instinct took over. In a flash, I grabbed his wrist mid-air, my grip iron-strong. My voice came out like a growl.
"What do you think you're doing?" I demanded, staring straight into his eyes. "Don't you dare. Don't you even think of raising your hand against my sister. If you so much as touch her disrespectfully…" I leaned closer, my words low but sharp as a blade, "…then you will face me. And trust me—it will not end well."
The room fell into stunned silence. His rage faltered beneath my gaze, his arm lowering as if weighed down by the force of my warning.
But before I could steady myself, I heard a voice behind me. My sister's voice—shaking, filled with tears.
"Vedehi… stop. Please. Stay away from all this." She looked at me, her face pale, torn between fear and guilt. "Don't make things worse. Just… stay away from them."
Her words cut deeper than any blade. For a moment, I couldn't breathe. My own sister—the one I stood for, the one I tried to shield—was pushing me away.
And then, my mother's voice struck me like a thunderclap.
"Vedehi," she said coldly, "pack your things. Leave this house. And don't ever come back."
I turned to her, shocked, but she didn't flinch. Her face was stone, her eyes refusing to soften.
"Eight years ago," she continued bitterly, "you didn't care for us. And even now, you don't care. You've brought nothing but shame. You've torn this family apart. So go—leave. From today, you are no longer my daughter."
Her words shattered something inside me, but before I could even process them, my sister's mother-in-law laughed cruelly, her voice dripping with mockery.
"Yes, go, Vedehi. Run to your brother Manav's house." She smirked, pausing deliberately, before twisting the knife. "Oh, I forgot… not brother, isn't it? Sister."
The insult hung heavy in the air, poisonous, humiliating. My chest burned, but I refused to lower my head.
I turned slowly toward my mother, my eyes stinging with unshed tears. My voice trembled, but each word carried the weight of a thousand storms.
"Are you listening to her, Maa? She's saying anything she pleases about your child. About me. And all of you—" I looked around the room at their accusing faces, "—all of you are piling your blame, your anger, your hatred onto me… as if I am the root of every problem."
My throat tightened, but I stood my ground. I wanted to scream, to break, to cry—but instead I let the silence of my pain speak louder than their cruelty.
To be continue....