Her Only Saviour

48. Peace, joy... and you

𝕶𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖚𝖙𝖙𝖊 𝖇𝖊𝖍𝖐𝖊 𝖆𝖓𝖐𝖍𝖎𝖞𝖆𝖓 𝖒𝖎𝖑𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉𝖊

𝕹𝖆 𝖏𝖆𝖆𝖓𝖆 𝖍𝖚𝖒𝖊 𝖙𝖚 𝖐𝖆𝖇𝖍𝖎 𝖈𝖍𝖍𝖔𝖉
𝕿𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖚𝖙𝖙𝖊 𝖒𝖆𝖗 𝖉𝖆

𝕻𝖞𝖆𝖆𝖗 𝖙𝖊𝖓𝖚 𝖐𝖆𝖗 𝖉𝖆
𝕸𝖎𝖑𝖊𝖌𝖆 𝖙𝖚𝖏𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖆 𝖐𝖔𝖎 𝖆𝖚𝖗

𝕿𝖚 𝖇𝖍𝖎 𝖆𝖆 𝖘𝖆𝖇𝖐𝖔 𝖈𝖍𝖍𝖔𝖉 𝖐𝖊
𝕿𝖚 𝖇𝖍𝖎 𝖆𝖆 𝖘𝖆𝖇𝖐𝖔 𝖈𝖍𝖍𝖔𝖉 𝖐𝖊 𝕸𝖊𝖗𝖎

~~~~~~~~~~~

The front door swung open, and Nandini stepped in first, her heels clicking softly against the marble floor.
Anirudh followed right behind, tugging his blazer off, only to be ambushed by a familiar chorus.

“What happened?”

“Did she yell at you?”

“Did she throw hot tea?”

“Was there crying? Screaming? Dramatic monologues?”

Nandini blinked.

Rudra, Saisha, and even dadu stood in the living room with popcorn bowls in Rudra's hand like he’d been watching a live soap opera.
Others were sitting in utter anticipation.

“You people are unbelievable,” Anirudh muttered, shaking his head.

Nandini laughed despite herself.
“No tea was thrown. Kaamini bua was… different. Tired. Softer.”

“She cried,” Anirudh added, tugging at his collar dramatically. “It was emotional. I nearly joined.”

Rudra gasped theatrically. “Bua ji cried? That woman has more pride than a lion in silk pajamas!”

“And she apologized,” Nandini said, her voice turning quiet. “She said… she was wrong about me.”

A hush fell.
Even the popcorn chewing stopped.

“She what now?” Saisha asked, eyes wide. “Did she hit her head?”

“Maybe Parth’s betrayal broke her ego,” Shivaay muttered thoughtfully.

“She looked broken,” Nandini admitted. “But she let me in. Not completely, but… I saw the cracks.”

“And Raghunath?” dadu asked.

“He’s recovering. The doctor says the medications are helping,” Anirudh replied.
“Still silent, though.”

“Spooky silent?” Rudra asked, wiggling his fingers. “Like ghost-grandpa-watching-you sleep silent?”

“Rudra!” Saisha smacked his arm.

Nandini just shook her head, smiling. “He watched me a lot. Didn’t say a word. But… he noticed things. Maybe it’s just age. Or maybe…”

“Maybe he remembers all the chaos Parth caused and is just trying to block it out,” Rudra said seriously.
“I do that when I see your math test scores, Saisha.”

Saisha threw a cushion at his face.

Anirudh dropped onto the couch with a content sigh. “Anyway, it went better than we thought.”

Nandini sat beside him, curling her feet up. “Strange. But better.”

And for the first time in a long while, the house filled with laughter—light, teasing, and real.
The kind that reminded Nandini of what she still had, despite everything lost.