Khatta-Mitha Ishq

∘₊✧Family #2✧∘₊

∘₊✧Aranyo: In search of Ragini, I get to complete my family ✧∘₊

I nodded, unable to speak as the realization of what awaited inside filled me with hope, fear, and an overwhelming sense of love. My cute innocent billu isn't just surviving in this place alone, it also brings two lives!!

And me!! The loser. I couldn't only be with her when she was going through traumas, I also couldn't be there with her when she needed to be an upcoming mother. I always dreamed of taking care of my wife when she becomes pregnant after knowing how it affects one female emotionally and physically. I am such a loser.

Before I could sink further into those thoughts, the boy tugged at my hand, pulling me inside the old house. His small fingers were firm, urgent. My heart raced as I followed.

We passed through a few rooms, the creaking of the floorboards beneath us barely noticeable as we moved. The air inside felt thick with tension, like something was building. And then, just as we neared another doorway, I heard it—soft, muffled sobs, the unmistakable sound of someone crying.

But it wasn't the gentle cries of babies.

It was the heart-wrenching sound of two young women sobbing together, their voices filled with a sorrow I could feel even from where I stood.

Instantly, the boy's face turned pale with worry. "Moni ma is crying!" he gasped, his wide eyes now full of panic. "The pretty aunty is making her cry!"

Without a second thought, he let go of my hand and bolted toward the sound. "Moni ma!" he yelled, his small voice trembling as he ran as fast as his little legs could carry him.

And before I knew it, my own legs were moving too, instinct taking over. I had to get to her. I had to see her. My heart was pounding as I ran, trying to keep up with him, my mind racing even faster.

The sobbing grew louder as I approached, filling the hall like a storm. And as I followed those little feet, my entire world seemed to close in around me.

I could hear the boy's voice shouting for Moni ma, his panic echoing in the hallway as he disappeared into the room.

And then, without thinking, I followed him inside.

The ground felt as though it was crumbling beneath me with every step I took. My heart pounded in my ears, and for a moment, I thought I might collapse. The sobbing echoed in the room, sharp and painful, but it wasn't until I stepped inside that I felt the true weight of what I was about to face.

I hadn't imagined this—her—like this.

Ragini... my Billu. The strong, fierce woman I had known was barely recognizable now. She sat there, looking frail and distant, her once radiant presence reduced to something ghostly. Her skin was pale, almost sickly, and her frame looked too thin, as if she hadn't eaten in days. Her hair, once full of life, fell around her face in messy strands, clinging to her tear-streaked cheeks.

She looked phobic, terrified of the world around her. Her eyes, those beautiful eyes that once held so much warmth and fire, were now swollen and red, drenched in an ocean of tears. Her whole body trembled, and in that moment, I knew—she wasn't just surviving; she was barely holding on.

It was a sight I had never prepared myself to see. I could have never imagined her like this.

But everything broke the moment her teary, red eyes met mine.

For a second, it felt like the world stopped. Her gaze locked with mine, and I saw something in her eyes—shock, recognition, and something much deeper, something I couldn't quite place. It was as if all the time we'd lost crashed down on us in that single, fleeting moment.