The Killer's Wife

The Witness

Kritika's POV :

"Ma !" I smile, pretending to be angry by letting out a small huff and ignoring him. He tugs at my dupatta, and I already imagine his pouty face and teary eyes he's gonna make to calm me.

"Maa!" His voice turns wobbly and I finally turn, holding his cheeks. 

"Maa ! No leaving Ar.." I chuckle as he struggles to pronounce his own name, frowning adorably. I smile, pulling him up to kiss his forehead. He giggles, placing a sloppy kiss on my nose as I laugh.

"I will never leave you, Aryan baby.. Now let's go the mall ! We'll eat ice-cream and buy teddy bears.." His eyes light up, and that moment I swore that I would never allow it to dim, despite being a single mother and busy one at that.

A phone call made me put Aryan on the couch, picking up the call. It was my boss, Trivedi Sir. I had to admit that he wasn't like most bosses- snobby and arrogant.

But he could be difficult to work with.

"Yes, Sir ?" I sighed in relief. 

"Okay, Sir. Thank you." I looked at my son, who blinked his innocent eyes at me.

"What Maa?" 

"Come on, baby ! We are going to the mall !" He laughed excitedly, stretching his arms out as I held him close to my heart.

We stepped out of the house in matching attires. I wore a pastel kurti and jeans, while Aryan wore pastel and white outfit. As I put him inside the car, I could sense the judgmental gazes of the neighborhood. 

Most of them were old ladies who had absolutely no sense of privacy and filter. But I honestly didn't get it. Why couldn't just live their elite lives and leave us alone ?

"Ay ! Get married to some man before Aryan realizes how messed up his life is !" 

"And mind your business so that your husband wouldn't divorce you !" I muttered, gritting my teeth, smiling at them sweetly to avoid another brawl.

I was a high level diplomat who wasn't in the need of money. Aryan could comfortably spend his life, and we were rich enough to live in  4 BHK flat in an urban community. As a government official, I had a lot of benefits, so there was nothing to worry about his future.

"Ma! We reached !" I jerked as I saw the huge billboard and the massive neon lights that confirmed his words. I sighed.

I really needed to stop zoning out and focus on the present. He tugged at my sleeve, kissing my cheek with a pleading expression.

"Maa, can we first go to popsicle shop ?" I looked further to the right of the road, seeing a small shop that offered different flavors of popsicles and desserts. 

I nodded, smiling as he held my pinky finger and walked across the bustling road. It was late evening, and the traffic was slowly increasing. 

As we neared the shop, I felt shivers down my spine as I realized that the shop was at the entrance of a dark alleyway. The stares of the men weren't helping either. Most of them were casual wage workers and others were vagabonds, but their stance and gaits were slightly different from the usual men.

It was as if they were a part of a darker group. They didn't look like the usual gangster lackeys, and it scared me. I knew how men would gaze and then make a move. I just wanted to run away from here, but little Aryan wouldn't understand.

He squealed and jumped around as he saw various shapes and different flavors of ice creams, screaming excitedly. 

"Ma, I want this." I nodded, pulling out my purse to pay and get the bill. A waiter in his red uniform gestured for us to sit on the chairs as they got our order.