Solace

|59|mended

I know it's been a while. I was caught up with a lot of things, but from now on, the updates will be regular!

If you happen to find any typos, tell me through inline comments.

Happy Reading!

***

Nidhi stood still, her gaze fixed on her husband with a quiet skepticism she couldn't shake off. He looked utterly unaffected, as if his sister's hurtful behavior-and her bruised feelings-were insignificant. Slouched lazily over the couch, he was partly hidden behind the glass partition that separated the drawing area from the dining room. His mother and brother were the only ones sitting nearby; had there been more guests, Nidhi knew he would have found an excuse to disappear entirely. He avoided those people like plague.

Suddenly, as if sensing her stare, his eyes lifted to meet hers. For a second, everything else faded away. He arched his eyebrows slightly, a silent question passing between them:

What's wrong?

Nidhi forced a small shake of her head, trying to signal that it was nothing. A lie that sat heavy in her chest.

Because inside her, it wasn't nothing-it was a tangle of emotions she couldn't easily name. Anger. Hurt. A lingering sadness that gnawed at the corners of her mind. She wanted to walk across the room, sit beside him, and say everything she was holding back. She wanted him to see it without her needing to spell it out. But fear pinned her to the spot. Fear of another argument, fear of pushing him away at a time when he already seemed so distant.

Her mind flashed back to that night-how angry he had been when she'd gotten out of the car, slamming the door behind her. And then, later, the way he had come undone in the dark hours of the night. How that vulnerability had clung to him for days afterward, like a raw wound he couldn't hide.

She let out a long, slow sigh and turned her attention back to the kitchen counter. She picked up the plate of sliced apples she had prepared earlier. She had intended them for him, a small gesture of care. But when she had seen him settle among his family without so much as a glance in her direction, she had added more slices-enough for everyone.

The hours kept slipping by, but Nidhi's mind stayed trapped in the same place. Even during lunch, when Aadarsh had teasingly pulled Roshni's leg, it had only deepened the restless knot in her chest. Her mother-in-law had lightly scolded Aadarsh, but that was it.

No real acknowledgment of what had happened earlier-no mention of the argument between Roshni and Aadarsh, no word to Vaibhav about it either.

Moving mechanically, she folded the last of the clean clothes and placed them neatly on her side of the closet. She slid the door shut with a soft click and crossed over to the corner where her husband's document bag sat.

After lunch, he had hurriedly organized his clothes himself, but a sudden phone call had pulled him away to the bedroom. Now, quietly, she unzipped the bag and began taking out the files one by one, stacking them carefully on the dressing table to be moved to his study later.

As she reached in again, her fingers brushed against something unexpected-a brown cardboard box wedged between the files. Her hand hesitated for a moment, a flicker of curiosity cutting through her heavy mood. She pulled it out, her fingertips skimming over the rough texture of the box, and opened it.

Inside, nestled carefully, was a dark purple gown. Long and elegant, it gleamed softly under the muted light. The thin straps looked delicate, almost fragile. For the first time that day, a genuine smile flickered on Nidhi's lips, lifting the weight on her heart just a little.