Not My Little Sister

Chapter 35 - Strangers

"Nithin etta?" Vinaya's voice dripped with sugar. Nithin looked at her, perplexed. She wore a simpering smile that seemed entirely out of place on her face.

"Did you check on the baby?" she asked, to his utter confusion. "I told you not to leave the baby alone with the maid."

Nithin closed his eyes, mustering his patience. He had worked tirelessly to persuade his parents to consent to arranging a marriage with Vinaya. They had reluctantly accepted, knowing they would face taunts within their community, both their children having married outside of their caste. He didn't need Vinaya adding fuel to the fire.

"Nithin etta, please go and check on our baby," she repeated, louder this time, ensuring the gossipy women could hear every word.

Not knowing what to do or say in the moment, he covered her mouth with his hand.

"Ouch!"

She had bitten him!

He pulled his hand away, shaking it in pain. He felt four pairs of eyes on him and forced himself to regain his composure.

The women's whispers grew louder, their curiosity piqued by the unexpected twist.

"Nithin etta," Vinaya continued, undeterred. "Why don't you call the maid and check? You know that our Unni Kuttan loves to hear his daddy's voice."

"Vinaya, stop it," Nithin hissed. "This isn't funny."

"Aunty," she addressed the most malicious elder in the group directly. "Is it good to leave a one-year-old baby alone with the maid?"

The woman's eyes widened as she shook her head. Clearly, the women hadn't expected that they already had a child.

"See, I told you." Vinaya turned to Nithin and smiled sweetly.

"Aunty, Vinaya just likes to joke about these things..." Nithin started, but the woman cut him off.

"Joke or not, a baby shouldn't be left alone with a maid," she admonished, her voice dripping with disapproval.

"Mone, you don't have to be ashamed. At least now you are taking responsibility for your actions and getting married," another woman said, her tone laced with condescension.

Nithin turned to Vinaya, gritting his teeth. "Why did you have to do that?" he whispered, the frustration evident in his voice. These women would spread the word, and in the end, it would be his parents who would get hurt. He was determined not to let that happen. His parents had been proud of his achievements, but they had also suffered from the community's backlash over what was being said about him in the tabloids.

Nithin looked at her pleadingly, hoping for some support. Instead, she winked at him and moved away from the crowd. He had hoped she would put those women in their place. Instead, she had turned the tables on him, leaving him feeling exposed and vulnerable.

"Aunty, she heard you say she was pregnant, so she was just making a joke..." Nithin explained, trying to smooth things over. He couldn't have cared less about what they thought if it hadn't affected his family.

"What is this, Nithin?" his mother asked, tears in her eyes, holding up an iPad with the article about him and the actress.

"Amma, you think I would do something like that?" he asked softly. Did no one believe him? He had all the money and luxury he could want, but he felt like he had lost everything.

"I don't know what to think!" she cried. "I don't even know you anymore."

"Amma, her husband was abusing her. And then donating a large amount of money to charities against domestic violence. She couldn't do anything against him," he told her.