"Happy Married Life, Shivya Pathak" I weakly smiled seeing my condition, mangalsutra dangling in my neck, vermilion in hair and both hands filled with gold bangles.
"Come out quickly or do you want me to break the gate," my husband knocked again...
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Vedant raised his hand to knock on his sister's door, but before his knuckles could touch the wood, he noticed that it was already slightly open. He pushed the door gently and stepped inside, closing it behind him quietly, though he didn't lock it.
His gaze immediately fell on the small figure lying on the bed, completely covered under a yellow duvet. "Ruh," he called softly but she didn't move.
Vedant stood there for a moment, watching the still mound under the blanket. He didn't need to see her face to understand what was happening. Since childhood, she had always had this habit-whenever she cried, she would hide her face completely, as if the blanket could protect her from the world and from anyone noticing her tears.
Sighing quietly, he walked toward the bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress. The bed dipped slightly under his weight. Slowly, he reached for the duvet and tried to pull it down from her face, but Ruh had wrapped herself tightly in it, clutching it like a shield.
"I don't want to talk to you," her muffled voice came from beneath the blanket. Vedant frowned slightly, though there was more concern than irritation in his expression. "You don't want to talk to your brother now?" he asked gently. "And why is that?"
Without waiting for an answer, he carefully tugged the duvet away from her face. This time she didn't resist much. The blanket slid down, revealing her tear-streaked face. Some tears were already dry while new ones continued to roll down her cheeks. The sight made his chest tighten painfully.
"Because you aren't my brother anymore," she said suddenly. She sat up on the bed with her legs folded beneath her, her voice trembling as she spoke. Vedant felt his heart clench at those words.
Ruh was his baby sister. Technically she was only his sister, but in many ways she had always been more like his child. Their mother had not been the one who truly raised her-it had been him. During his teenage years, when most boys were busy with friends and careless days, Vedant had spent his time taking care of her, comforting her during nightmares, and making sure she never felt alone.
And now she was sitting in front of him as if he had abandoned her. "Who put this nonsense in your head?" he asked quietly.
Ruh didn't answer immediately. She simply stared at her hands resting in her lap. Vedant waited patiently. "I figured it out myself," she finally murmured.
He remained silent for a moment, studying her face carefully. "And how exactly did you figure it out by yourself, bache?" he asked as he wiped away the tears on her cheeks with his thumb.
Her lips trembled again.
"Because... you don't talk to me anymore," she said in a broken voice. "You don't come to my room at night to wish me good night like you used to. You're the only person I like talking to except Aakshi. You promised me that you would always be my brother."
