Flawless Silence

Chapter 36

With a broad smile, she observed the little one attempting to grasp her tiny feet with her plump arms. Her little one smiled toothlessly, drooling on her onesies. The mother laughed, stroked the child's cheeks with her thumb pad, and wiped away the drool.

"Silly girl." She chuckled as she saw her antics. Mrityunjay, her father, entered the porch with an assortment of newspapers and envelopes. As he saw his youngest granddaughter use her saliva to blow bubbles, he smiled a little.

"Kya bat hain daddy? You appear to be in a foul frame of mind." Sensing the dense mood that enveloped the room as soon as he stepped inside, she inquired. Rather than answer, Mritunjay rolled his eyes and plopped down in the rocking chair next to her.

After a few minutes, he still didn't reply. She saw her older two girls playing in the garden and hunting for the squirrel, but didn't push any farther and instead played with her youngest. "My children are growing rapidly. Aren't they?"

With "Kritika," he began. He played tensely with his fingers, not daring to look into his daughter's hurt, resentful, and regretful eyes. "Shakti Ji had emailed me this morning."

"Oh." She gazed at the far tree. "What did he mention in his mail?"

"I understand that this is harsh, but ultimately, it's your call. We are not invited to the housewarming celebration at their new place, but Shakti Ji invited us to the Sankalp Pooja, which is held later. He wants you to take part in this initiative." His voice was weak when he spoke.

"There is more to this, isn't there?" Kritika inquired while holding her child.

Mritunjay let out a huge sigh and hummed. "It appears that Shivaay's wife has been expecting a child, and she is about halfway through the course. I think he would like you to take a look at his daughter-in-law, whom he selected."

"He is cruel, as he tries to rub salt over my fresh wound." She muttered. "However, I suppose I am also worthy of this. I simply want to get my sh*t together and move on entirely, at least after seeing my past with someone else. Oh, what time is it? In addition to planning our stay, we also need to book the tickets."

"He is a terrible person. He wants us to constantly think about betrayal and anguish, but he hasn't revealed the dates yet." After Mrityunjay wrapped up his analysis, Kritika agreed-sort of. This was the greatest approach to retaliating, Mrityunjay thought, even though Shakti was a despicable person who was skilled at comebacks.

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Pinky waited for the finely chopped onions soaked in chickpea flour batter to crisp and crispy in the oil while leaning on the marble countertop of the kitchen. Occasionally, she stirred the fritters in the oil while glancing at her son, who was seated on the living room floor with his Pranjapee book on jurisprudence and D. D. Basu's commentary on the Constitution spread out on the floor.

She turned off the stove and drained the fritters when they were done. She then moved to the living room, set the onion fritters on the tea table, and sat down on the couch after placing them on the tissue-spread plate.

"Shiv have them," Pinky said, pushing the platter forward so he could have some fritters and go back to studying. "Anu, your snack is on the dining table." She said quickly after noticing her daughter-in-law quickly waddle her, her hands resting on her swollen stomach, in excitement about her favourite onion pakoras.

Annika whimpered and twisted her mouth, perfectly aware that her snack was roasted makhana, or, in the evening, fruit salad mixed with yoghurt. She had only an ordinary snack, while the others-her in-laws and Shubh-had fritters, chai and toast throughout the week.