Her Only Saviour

67. Hatred

𝕿𝖚𝖒𝖘𝖊 𝖏𝖚𝖉𝖆 𝖏𝖔
𝕯𝖎𝖑 𝖟𝖆𝖗𝖆 𝖘𝖆𝖒𝖇𝖍𝖆𝖑 𝖐𝖊

𝕯𝖆𝖗𝖉 𝖐𝖆 𝖜𝖔 𝖘𝖆𝖆𝖗𝖆
𝕶𝖔𝖍𝖗𝖆 𝖈𝖍𝖍𝖆𝖓 𝖌𝖆𝖞𝖆𝖆𝖆𝖆𝖆

𝕯𝖚𝖓𝖎𝖞𝖆 𝖇𝖍𝖚𝖑𝖆 𝖐𝖊𝖊𝖊𝖊
𝖙𝖚𝖒𝖘𝖊 𝖒𝖎𝖑𝖆 𝖍𝖔𝖔𝖔𝖔𝖔𝖓..

~~~~~~~~~~

She hadn’t even reached the staircase when she saw them.

The family.

All of them.

Shivaay, Anika, Kalyani Dadi, Rudra, Gauri, Omkara, Saisha. Even the house staff had quietly retreated, sensing the gravity of what was about to unfold.

They were waiting for her.

Not with anger.

But with heartbreak.

“Nandini,” Shivaay spoke first. His voice wasn’t loud—but it carried weight. The weight of a father.
The weight of betrayal, however unintended.

Nandini looked up, her shoulders tensing.

“Come,” Anika said softly, holding out a hand. “We need to talk.”

She followed them without resistance.
Her steps led her to the family lounge. It was the same place where laughter used to echo, where Dadi would narrate old family stories, where Saisha once tried to teach her a dance step and ended up twisting her ankle.

Today, it was heavy. Still.

They sat around her in a quiet semicircle. No judgment.
Just questions in their eyes.

Kalyani Dadi leaned forward first, her voice trembling. “Why didn’t you tell us, beta?”

“I—I was going to,” Nandini began, her throat dry. “I just… forgot.”

The words were out before she could stop them.

A stunned pause followed.

Rudra blinked. “You forgot? You forgot to tell us you were pregnant bhabhi?”

Nandini opened her mouth, then shut it again. How could she explain something she barely understood herself?

Anika’s face was soft but strained. “Beta… this isn’t a missed phone call. Or forgetting where you kept your scarf. This is your baby. Our grandchild. How could that just… slip your mind?”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Nandini whispered, eyes burning now.
“It’s just… everything happened so fast. I found out, and then Anirudh… and then the stress, the distance, the loneliness. I wasn’t even sure—”

Her voice broke.

That confession shook everyone a little.

“I didn’t know what I wanted,” she continued. “And I didn’t want to burden anyone. I didn’t want to answer questions I wasn’t ready for. I kept telling myself… I’d tell you when the time was right. But it never felt right. It just… kept getting pushed.”

Gauri leaned in, her tone gentle but pained. “You could’ve told me, Nandini. Or Anika bhabhi. Or anyone. We’ve all been right here.”

“I didn’t want anyone to look at me differently,” Nandini admitted. “To pity me. Or to get angry. Or to blame him. I thought I could manage it alone for a little while. Just until I was stronger.”

Shivaay let out a breath, running a hand through her hair.
“You don’t need to be strong for us. You need to be you. And we didn’t adopt you into this family for ceremonies, Nandini. You’re ours. Child or no child.”