THE RAJHANS SISTERS

A LITTLE HOPE

TWO MONTHS LATER

"Dear, just a little more, please eat some more," Niharika said gently, caressing Nitya's forehead.

"No, Mumma, I don't feel like eating," Nitya replied, pushing the plate aside.

Nitya had been losing her appetite over the past two months and was growing weaker by the day. Her once vibrant eyes were now dull and listless, her energy sapped by the weight of her emotions.

"Please, just a little for your baby," her mother insisted, placing her hand over Nitya's.

Nitya reluctantly took a few bites. Niharika smiled, helping her with another morsel, but Nitya soon started refusing again, her lips pressed into a thin line of determination.

"Nitya, did I ever tell you? When you and Aarushi were in my womb, your father got transferred. I was very upset with him because he couldn't spend time with me. Then, when you both were born and in my arms, your father was overjoyed, but soon he became very worried. Our neighbor, a bhabhi, told me that your father wasn't happy because you both were girls. I didn't speak to him properly for two to three months, thinking he had such a small-minded view. Then one day, I got a call from his office and found out that he had lost his job two months ago, and there was no transfer. When I made him swear, he told me everything. He was working a low-paying job with a lower grade in that city, paying off loan installments, and working overtime to ensure I didn't lack anything or get stressed. He managed everything silently."

She placed another morsel in Nitya's mouth.

"Dear, our perspective is not always correct. Before finalizing the divorce, give yourself a chance to save your relationship, and give Aniket a chance to explain himself..." She was interrupted mid-sentence.

"What are you talking about, Mom?" Nishi said, entering the room. Her eyes blazed with protective anger, her posture rigid.

"No, Di, you are not doing this," she said, taking the plate from her mother's hand and sitting beside Nitya. She put a comforting arm around her sister's shoulders.

"Mom, that man hasn't checked on Di in two months. He didn't even ask about his child once."

"But, dear, I was just..." Niharika tried to explain, her voice wavering with the strain of holding her family together.

"No, Mom, you're wrong this time, and I won't support you in this. That's it," Nishi said firmly. Her voice brooked no argument, her eyes flashing with a protective fire. "Mom, you go. I'll stay with Di."

Niharika looked at her, sighed, and then left the room, the weight of unspoken words and unresolved emotions hanging heavily in the air. She paused at the doorway, casting a lingering look at Nitya, who sat quietly, her gaze fixed on some distant point beyond the walls of the room.

Nishi turned to Nitya, her expression softening. "Di, you don't need to worry about anything. I'm here for you. We're all here for you," she said, her voice gentle but resolute. She stroked Nitya's hair, trying to offer some comfort in a world that felt increasingly uncertain and painful.

Nitya nodded slowly, her thoughts still tangled with memories of Aniket. Despite the anger and betrayal, she couldn't shake the feeling of his hand in hers, the murmur of his voice in the darkness. The conflict within her raged on, unresolved, as she struggled to find a path forward through the emotional wreckage of her heart.

"Di, quickly finish your food, and then we'll go watch an animated movie like we did that day. It's good for the baby," Nishi said, trying to cheer her up.

Nitya shook her head. "No, Nishi, I don't feel like watching any movie today."

"But, Di..."

"I said no, Nishi... please... I just don't feel like it," Nitya insisted, her voice tinged with exhaustion and sadness.