Her Nightmare | 18+

| Tangled Desires |

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PARINIDHI

It was late in the evening when I glanced out of the window, expecting to hear the familiar sound of Devansh's car pulling into the driveway. But this time, there was no sign of his car.

An entire week had passed, and still, there was no word from Devansh. He hadn't called me, and I couldn't muster the courage to call him either.

Mukul had decided to move out of the house due to Devansh's absence.

Mom and Rahul had also returned home, and yesterday, I had invited Kusum and her friend over for tea.

During our conversation, I learned that they were currently staying in a hostel and looking for jobs. I offered to help them find employment since I had been searching for a job myself for the past week.

Being alone at home was becoming increasingly tedious, and time seemed to drag on endlessly.

Although I managed to engage in occasional conversations with Anshika, most of her time was consumed by studies. She had fallen behind in her studies due to recent events, and catching up seemed to be a daunting task.

With Anshika returning to college next week, I found myself contemplating how to occupy my time alone at home. Thus, I began scouring job vacancies in hopes of finding a new opportunity to fill the void.

Amidst all these thoughts, one notion kept resurfacing in my mind: my initial reason for coming to this house had been to ensure Rahul's safety. With that problem resolved now that Rahul had been proven innocent.

The hatred I harbored towards Devansh had also dwindled in the past few days, leaving me without any lingering animosity. Now, there seemed to be no purpose left for me in this house, no justification for my presence.

Yet, even in Devansh's absence, I couldn't bring myself to leave Anshika alone. I resolved to wait for Devansh's return before making any decisions. Once he was back, I would have a conversation with him and then bid farewell to this house and his life forever.

Strangely, the thought of leaving Devansh's life behind left a pang in my heart. Shaking off these thoughts, I pushed them aside and stepped out of my room, making my way to the living room where Anshika sat studying on the sofa.

"Hi, bhabhi," Anshika greeted with a smile, neatly stowing away her books in her bag.

"Hello. Finished with your studies?" I inquired, settling onto the sofa.

Anshika nodded, and just then the maid announced that dinner was served.

As we prepared to leave, Anshika's phone chimed. It lay on the sofa, displaying Devansh's name on the caller ID.

Anshika picked up the phone, casting a quick glance my way. "Please bhabhi, don't say anything. I'm putting the call on speaker," she said.

Before I could respond, Anshika answered the call and set it to speaker mode.

"Hello, bachha," Devansh's voice resonated through the room, and hearing him after so many days stirred something deep inside me.

"Hi, bhai," Anshika replied warmly.

"Where's Pari?" Devansh inquired, and Anshika looked at me with a knowing smile before responding, "Bhabhi is in her room."

"Oh, okay. Has she had dinner? Have you?" Devansh continued, his concern evident.

"No, bhai. But why are you calling me?" Anshika asked, her curiosity piqued.

"What do you mean?" Devansh sounded puzzled.