Heal Me

Chapter Two: Nandini

I stood up by the window reading my book, it was one of my favourite comfort books. I was in the room with my sister nyra, she was studying for her exams while I stayed by her.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come innn" nyra almost shouts.

"Ma'am sir is downstairs waiting to speak to you" one of the workers knock at my door while I quickly turn giving them attention.

"W-which sir?" I hesitantly ask, she could see I seemed terrified but didn't ask anything.

"Ishaan sir, he said he wants to see you urgently" she says, I take a breath of relief hearing Ishaan's name.

"I'll be there thanks" I say as she leaves from there, I put my book away neatly.

"Why does ishaan bhai want to talk to you di?" Nyra asks me

"I don't know, tune Kuch kiya toh nahi na?" I raise my eyebrows at her, she was a trouble maker in the house and no one would tell her directly because she never listened to anyone other than me so people would come to me if they have to complain about her.

"No di, i promise I didn't do anything...should I come with you? What if uncle aapko—"

"Nyra, maine kitni baar kaha hai not to mention any of that. Anyways I'll be fine okay? Focus on your exams" I give her a little smile.

"Fine"

I make my way downstairs as I find ishaan, uncle and aunty sitting on the couch discussing something. Ishaans wife had gone to her mothers house so she wasn't here.

"You called me?" I look up at ishaan who stands up seeing me, he gives me his warm smile as he makes his way over to me. I don't not even once glance towards my uncle and aunty.

It felt like I was facing some trial, I could sense some unknown tension and something the three of them were brewing something, something that was related to me.

"Well we need to have a word with you Nandini" uncle speaks as he stays seated with aunty.

I turn around facing them, but my eyes go straight on the floor not wanting to look up.

"It hasn't been easy on us to take you and Nyra in, we did what we could do. It has been hard on us especially after your father—" he pauses for a second "dared to go against us and join hands with the enemy gang, but we did raise you and nyra despite all of it"

Which was true. they had given me shelter, education, but never the affection or the love that made me feel like me and nyra weren't truely alone in this world and we weren't punished for what our father did. If I recall my life after my father and mother passed away, I've never truly felt like I belonged here, I merely just lived in this house but never felt like a family member. I'm not saying I'm not grateful, I'm very grateful for what they have done. Ishaan and his wife to an extent were easy with us, ishaan made us feel like we belonged here he genuinely cared about us but there were some times when he was bound too by uncle and aunty and I don't blame him.

"But now you are a grown woman Nandini, and it's time for you to have your own home become a wife, a mother" My aunty stands up.

My stomach tightened but I kept my face blank, over the years the one thing I've learnt is to hide my emotions. "Y-you found a h-husband for me?"

I wonder Who it is that agreed to marry me? Despite what my father did and how that effected our lives I was still the capo's cousin which meant that would over look it.

My Aunty looks at me as if she felt no guilt at all but she was happy with all this. "Yes"

"I know you aren't aware of my business but we could be at a potential war" ishaan speaks up this time.