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When Naima returned home, the air was thick with the scent of incense and the soft murmur of prayers echoing through the house.
She stood at the entrance for a moment, feeling a mix of emotions—grief, nostalgia, and an overwhelming sense of responsibility.
Just as she was about to step inside, her brother Karthik rushed towards her, his arms wrapping around her tightly.
"Naima!" he exclaimed, burying his face in her shoulder. "I missed you so much!"
Naima hugged him back fiercely, her heart aching at the sight of him.
Karthik was in his final year of college now, and although he was growing up, she still felt the weight of being his guardian since their father's passing.
"I missed you too, little bro," she whispered, pulling back to look at him. "How have you been holding up?"
Karthik's face fell slightly, his eyes darkening. "I'm okay... but they didn't wait for you to come back for the rituals," he said quietly, glancing toward the living room where a few relatives were gathered.
Naima's heart sank. She had dreaded this moment—the relatives who had never fully accepted her choices.
Their disapproval of her playing on the men's cricket team had always loomed large in family gatherings.
"They didn't?" she asked, trying to mask her disappointment.
"No, they didn't think it was necessary. They said it was better to get things over with," Karthik replied, bitterness seeping into his tone.
"They're all in there now, talking about... about everything."
Naima took a deep breath, steeling herself. "Okay. Let's face them together, yeah?" she said, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.
"I don't want to," he muttered, but she could see the tension in his jaw, the way he was trying to be strong for her.
"I know, but we have to. You're not alone in this, Karthik. We'll do it together," she reassured him, glancing toward the living room where she could hear the voices rising and falling.
