CHAPTER XLVIII
Sasha drove Sita and me to what she called our "new home." The car ride was quiet, but a strange heaviness clung to the air. Sita had her head resting against the window, her soft breath fogging up the glass, while I stared out at the blur of city lights rushing past us. My heart was pounding—not with excitement, but with the weight of everything I was hiding.
When we finally arrived, Sasha stepped out first, her keys jingling as she unlocked the front door. The moment I stepped inside, I froze. The house smelled faintly of lavender and old wood, a scent I instantly recognized. My eyes swept across the spacious hall, and that's when I saw it—a large, framed photograph hanging proudly on the main wall. It was of my brother and his husband, smiling warmly, frozen in a moment of love and defiance that had once changed my life.
Sita's curious voice broke the silence.
"Who are they, Sasha?" she asked, tilting her head toward the portrait.
I glanced at Sasha, then back at Sita. Something twisted in my chest as I walked closer to her, my voice calm but firm.
"They're the owners of this house," I said softly. "And their photographs… we're not taking them down. Not from here, not from anywhere."
Sita blinked at me, surprise flashing in her eyes. "Ved… you've been acting strange lately. It feels like you're… hiding something. You're not the same."
Her words hit me harder than I expected, but I quickly forced a smile—a fake, practiced smile that hid all the storms raging inside me.
"There's nothing wrong, Sita. Really," I said, brushing it off. "I'm just… tired. I need some rest."
Before Sita could press further, Mia slipped her arm through mine. "Sita," she said sweetly, "I need to talk to Vedu about something important. I'll bring her back in a moment."
Sita nodded hesitantly, her suspicion still lingering in her gaze, but she didn't protest. Mia gently tugged me toward one of the rooms, her grip unusually firm, and I followed her without resistance. Sasha trailed behind us silently, her expression unreadable.
The moment we entered the room, Sasha shut the door with a soft click, and suddenly the atmosphere shifted. The warmth I had felt from them in the living room was gone. They weren't smiling now. Instead, they stood before me—Sasha with her arms crossed, Mia with her piercing gaze fixed on my face.
They didn't speak at first. They just stared at me, their silence louder than words, their eyes searching for answers I wasn't sure I could give. The tension in the room was suffocating, pressing down on me like a weight I couldn't shake off.
I tried to break the silence, forcing a nervous laugh. "What's with the interrogation look?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly.
Neither of them smiled. Instead, Mia took a step closer, her eyes narrowing.
"Ved… there's something you're not telling us, isn't there?" she said quietly, her tone calm but sharp enough to cut through my defenses.
Sasha's gaze was no softer; she leaned against the wall, arms still folded, her jaw tight.
"You've been acting… off," Sasha added. "Even Sita feels it. And now that you're back here, it's like you're carrying secrets that could burn this entire house down."
Their words made my throat tighten. My heart thudded painfully in my chest, and for a moment, I felt like a deer caught in headlights.
I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. Because deep down, they weren't wrong.
I was hiding something.
And sooner or later, they were going to find out.
I let out a shaky breath, forcing my lips into something that resembled a smile.
"Mia," I said softly, "there's nothing like that. You're overthinking."
But Mia's sharp gaze didn't waver. Her voice was calm, yet every word felt like a blade slicing through my fragile composure.
"If there's nothing, Vedu," she said, "then tell me why you insisted on moving all of yours and Sita's belongings here… Why bring her into this house?"
Before I could even form an excuse, Sasha's voice cut through the air like a whip.
"And why," she demanded, her arms crossed over her chest, "did you send Rama away to a hospital in another city? Do you think I wouldn't notice? The doctors have been updating me, Ved. They said Rama's condition is improving. She's starting to move her fingers… her eyes are following movement now. The doctors believe she'll wake up from her coma very soon."
Her words struck me like a physical blow. For a moment, I forgot to breathe. My chest tightened, and I felt the weight of every decision I'd made crashing down on me. Rama… waking up. The thought should have been a relief, a glimmer of hope, but instead, it filled me with dread I couldn't explain.
"That's… that's good news," I said finally, my voice low, hoarse with exhaustion. It didn't sound convincing, even to me.
Mia's expression softened for only a second, but then her sharpness returned. She tilted her head slightly, her piercing eyes studying me like she was solving a puzzle.
"Tell me the truth, Vedu… Sita isn't in love with you, is she?"
The question felt like a dagger to my chest. I froze, staring at her, my mouth opening but no words coming out. My heart thudded painfully against my ribs, panic clawing at me from the inside.
"W-What do you mean by that?" I finally managed to whisper, though my voice cracked under the weight of her accusation.
Mia didn't hesitate. She stepped closer, her voice calm but laced with a sharp edge.
"I mean," she said, "that I know your marriage isn't real. I know it's all just a contract."
The air left my lungs. My head snapped toward Sasha instinctively, betrayal flashing in my eyes. Sasha stood by the door, her expression unreadable but her guilt showing in the way she avoided my gaze. Mia's voice was steady as she went on,
"Did you really think she wouldn't tell me? We're a couple, Ved. Sasha and I don't keep secrets from each other."
Her words echoed in the room, bouncing off the walls and sinking into my bones. My hands trembled slightly, and I clenched them into fists to hide it.
They knew.
They knew everything.
The walls I'd been building for so long—lies, half-truths, smiles that hid my heartache—were crumbling around me.
I swallowed hard, trying to speak, but the words stuck in my throat. All I could do was stare at them, feeling like a cornered animal. There was no use denying it anymore. They had stripped away my defenses piece by piece, and now, standing here in this unfamiliar room that didn't feel like a home, I felt exposed, vulnerable, and terrified of what they would say next.
To be continue....