SHE SAW ME

THE TALK

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"Did she come?" Kahini's voice broke through the crackling of the fire. She sat, staring into the flames, feeling their warmth.

Sanam was seated in her garden, under a sky full of stars that blinked down on her like old, distant memories. "Yes," she responded, her voice soft, distant. "She was so ashamed of what her son did to me. She wanted me to come back home, to live with her as her daughter after the divorce. But... I couldn't do it." Her voice cracked slightly on the last word.

"I understand. It's better you live on your own now. What about the kids? Did you talk to them? Is Faraz okay?" Kahini's concern was genuine, thick with worry for Sanam and her family.

"I don't know." Sanam's words came out heavy, burdened by uncertainty. She lowered her gaze to the grass beneath her. "He's not talking about it. It was traumatic for him, finding me like that. I feel like... I failed as a mother." The words slipped out before she could catch them, and as they did, she felt a wave of guilt wash over her, leaving her hollow.

"You didn't fail, Sanam." Kahini's voice was tender, carrying all the care and reassurance she could give. "You just wanted to do the right thing. It just took you time to realize that it's only right when it's right for everyone including you. Just give him some time. Even though Faraz is mature beyond his years, he's still a teenager. Finding his mother unconscious... in his own home... that's not easy."

Sanam closed her eyes. Her chest tightened with every breath. "It's funny, you know," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Faraz never really liked Asif. Even as a little boy, he wasn't attached to him. He was around seven or eight when I married Asif, but one day, he came to me and said, 'Why are we going with him? I don't need a new Abu. Ammi is enough for me.'" A bitter laugh escaped her lips, her heart twisting in regret. "I think... I should have listened to him then."

Kahini hesitated for a moment, then softly asked, "Then why did you?"

Sanam blinked, a little confused by the question. "Huh?"

"Why did you marry him?" Kahini repeated, carefully choosing her words, not wanting to push too hard. "If you don't mind me asking... But it's okay if you don't want to answer." She quickly added, unsure if she had overstepped.

Sanam smiled faintly, a small sigh leaving her lips. "If I won't tell you, then who will I tell?" she said softly, the trust between them palpable. "I married him because... I didn't want my son to face the same painful life I did. I wanted to give him a family, a family that I never had."

Kahini frowned, confusion and concern mixing in her chest. "What do you mean, you never had?" she asked gently, her voice laced with worry. She could feel a shift in Sanam's tone, something deeper, something unresolved.

Sanam let out a soft laugh. "You're a very bad example of a fan," she teased lightly.

Kahini smiled, though the concern still lingered in her heart. "I was never a fan," she teased back. "You said it yourself, remember?"

Sanam's smile as she drew in a shaky breath. "I... I was hardly a year old when I was left at the gate of the orphanage where I grew up." Her voice was tinged with a sadness.

"Sanam...?" Kahini's voice was barely audible, shock flooding her system. She had no idea. She had always known that Sanam had struggled to make her name, but this... this was something she hadn't expected. Her heart ached, not knowing how to respond.