Knotted Destiny

10

📌Listen to Dynasty by MIIA

P U R V I

"

Hop off my bike, quick! I ain't got all night to stand in front of your house!" he huffed.

"Stop being a bitch, Aarav! I have no interest in staying on your damn bike forever!" I retorted, hopping off his so-called ‘baby.’

He scoffed before replying, "You know, it takes one to know one. Bye, Miss Fiancée." With that, he rode off, leaving behind a small trail of smoky exhaust. Even though it wasn’t much, it still irritated my airways, making me cough vigorously.

Bastard.

He never gives me a moment to appreciate him! Every time I think—maybe he’s a decent human being—he proves me wrong. Asshole.

Sighing, I entered my house.

Even though my parents knew I was with Aarav, I couldn't shake off the guilt. Today was my engagement. I shouldn’t have left with him.

Yeah, what he said was true—I shouldn’t care what others think. But I’m not thinking about others. I’m thinking about Mom and Dad. They’ve already endured so much because of me.

I don’t want them to suffer anymore. I don’t want to hurt them anymore.

As I stepped inside, I was greeted by our maid, Komal didi.

She offered me a warm smile before asking, "Choti didi, should I serve you some food?"

"No, didi, I'm not hungry right now," I replied, returning her smile.

I noticed Maa sitting on the couch, arranging some boxes. Wait… they look familiar.

I walked towards her and stopped a few steps away, eyeing the boxes. Oh, these are—

"You're back. Come, sit here," she patted the space beside her on the couch.

She smiled at me. My mother is beautiful—her face, her eyes, her smile—everything. Everything about Maa is so beautiful, and I feel truly blessed to have inherited even half of her genes.

Returning her smile, I sat beside her. She took my hands in her soft palms and said, "They love you a lot."

By they, I knew she was referring to the Malhotras. Love? I don’t know. But they are the kind of in-laws I never expected to have. The way Mrs. Malhotra took my hand and went searching for Aarav, offended that her son had left me alone, was something I hadn’t anticipated.

I nodded, smiling at Maa, who released my hands and turned her gaze toward the two boxes on the center table. One looked familiar, but the other…

"I kept the jewelry given by the Malhotras in this box. Here, take this," she said.

Oh! Now I remember. This was the same box Aarohi had been holding when Mrs. Malhotra handed my parents their ancestral jewelry before the rituals.

"Okay," I said, taking the box onto my lap.

Maa smiled and opened another box. “These anklets, this necklace, and these bangles were left by your Nani. She told me how much you loved the anklets she used to wear,” she said softly, her voice laced with nostalgia.

Nani.

It’s been seven years since she left us. She was the only escape for both Bhai and me. I smiled, reminiscing about the times we would fight over who would get an oil massage from her first.

Good old days.

Maa continued, “She left these for you, Purvi.”

My smile faltered.