𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕔𝕖𝕕 𝕀𝕟𝕥𝕠 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕖𝕝𝕤𝕜𝕖𝕥

126

Disturbing Signs
>>>>———— ♥️ ————<<<<

Neha had a baby bump, and it was quite pronounced, as she was, of course, expecting twins. She gently caressed her bump and smiled, half-listening to her husband's distant voice. Her focus shifted towards the front porch, feeling an urge to step outside and catch some fresh air and bask in the sunlight.

Stepping outside her home, Neha noticed a bird's nest lying on the lush green lawn. She tilted her head in curiosity, wondering how it had ended up there. As she bent down to take a closer look, she spotted two bird eggs nestled inside the nest. Smiling softly, she thought about the parallel to her own twins. However, her expression changed as she noticed the eggs starting to crack open. Intrigued, Neha watched intently.

As the eggs cracked open, her frown deepened. There was nothing inside. Carefully, she picked up the empty eggshells, looking beneath them and around the nest for any sign of life. But there was nothing—just empty shells. The unsettling emptiness of the eggs left her feeling strangely hollow. She frowned and looked down, only to see that her baby bump had disappeared. Neha gasped in shock, her hands instinctively moving to her now-flat abdomen, feeling a surge of panic and confusion.

Neha opened her eyes and looked around, disoriented for a moment. She was in her bed, inside her bedroom. Her eyes immediately went to the digital clock on the nightstand, which also displayed the date. Still three months. Of course, there was no bump yet. She sighed in relief, the remnants of the dream still lingering in her mind.

She looked beside her and found Siddharth mumbling something in his sleep. So this was what she had heard in her dream. Neha shook her head, smiling at him. Strange dream, she told herself softly, as Neha sat up tying her hair into her bun.

The alarm was about to ring in a few more minutes anyway, so she decided she might as well get started for the day.

Neha had even stopped experiencing morning sickness—not that she had much to begin with. Rarely afflicted by it in the first place, she was beyond relieved that it had now completely disappeared.

She placed a gentle kiss on Siddharth's forehead and quietly slipped out of bed, ready to start her day.

Everything was just fine.

>>>>———— ♥️ ————<<<<

Vasundhara smiled when she heard the clatter of utensils in the kitchen as she descended the stairs. She knew Neha was in there. The girl never listens, no matter how much they all ask her to rest, especially when the parents pay their monthly visit.

Vasundhara rubbed her eyes and approached the kitchen, but stopped abruptly. She found her daughter-in-law leaning against the kitchen counter, deep in thought, biting her nails. Right next to her, the milk in the pot was boiling over, spilling messily onto the stove.

Neha!

Neha was jolted out of her reverie, her attention snapped back to reality. Startled, she turned to find her eyes fixated on the boiling milk, her lips involuntarily hissing at the sight. Reacting swiftly, Neha instinctively reached for the stove, turning it off. In that very moment, Vasundhara rushed to Neha's side,

Yennama? Sudhu patrundha yenna pannirupae? Idhuku dhan unna kalaila yelundhirikae venamnu solradhu

( What dear? What would you do if you had gotten a burn? This is why I ask you to not wake up too early)

Whenever Vasundhara and Joseph paid a visit, Neha made sure to take the day off to spend time with them. It was an opportunity to relax and recharge, as they would insist she deserved a break. However, Neha's caring nature simply couldn't allow the elders to take care of her. Despite their pleas for her to rest, she could never resist doting on them.