Kirti's car
"Main kya karun, Naira ko sach bataun, Haan mujhe usse batana chaiye. Magar mujhe lagta hai ke Karthik iss liye chup hai kyun ke shayad uss aurat ne Naira ya uski family ko threaten kiya hai. Shayad mein uss parivaar ko khatre mein dal dun, Karthik ka Dil toot jayega agar woh bach gaya aur usse pata chala ke unlogo ko koyi taqleef huyi. Guilt se mar jayega woh.", Kirti spoke to herself
"Lekin kaise chup rahun, mere bhai ko phasi ya umar qaid ho aur mein chup rahe jao kaise", a part of herself questioned her
"Toh kya unn logon ki zindagi mein khatra lao jinn se karthik behadh pyaar karta hai. Woh log Jo kuch jante bhi nahi, woh log jin ki beti ki wajhe se mera bhai dil se hasne lagga, uss Naira ki family, woh Naira Jo mere bhai se itna pyaar karti hai, itna trust karti hai, ke karthik ke kahne par bhi usse yakeen nahi ke Karthik uski maa ki accident ka zimedar ho sakta hai.", another part in her argued back.
"Kaise janne dun apne bhai ko, woh bhai Jo meri jaan hai, Jo mere liye bache jaisa hai, jiss ne humesha mujhe protect kiya", she spoke to herself again as a flashback ran through her head.
____________________Flashback
Kirti had fallen in love with a guy, he seemed loving, caring and a great person to be with. She was dating him for a year before anyone in either of their houses got to know. After he proposed her for marriage, she had talked to Manish about it and since the boy's family was from a well to do and respected family in town, they decided to go forward with the alliance. They met with the boy's family and they seemed like a decent bunch of people. Karthik had only come for the wedding and left the same day as the rituals ended. He had been really happy seeing his sister smile but he had felt something wrong, something unsettling during the wedding and he had told the same to Kirti but she brushed off his concerns. Thinking that the last marriage in their family had been swarna and Manish's and after what happened with that, he was somewhere scared except a new member, so she let it go.
Life was beautiful after marriage, just like she had imagined. Her in-laws treated her like their own daughter, they never differentiated between her and their son, they always motivated her to work, since Kirti had been a topper in the university of architecture she attended, they didn't want her talent to go to waste. Even her husband pushed her to do the same, she felt extremely happy to have such a family. Two and a half years passed by and Kirti found she was carrying her first child and was a couple of weeks into the pregnancy, like any woman who was about to go through the phase, she was extremely happy and content but at the same time a small fear engulfed her heart, that whether she would be a good mother, would she able to fulfil all responsibilities which came in with this new relation. But her in laws and husband put her fears to rest, assuring her that they would always be there for her, she had wanted to give the news to Karthik but her husband had stopped her reminding her that Karthik was in his final year and his final exams were only four months away and he should concentrate on that and on hearing the news he might get super excited and not concentrate on his studies.
"And plus am sure we want to see his face when we give him the news, tum uske chere ki kushi miss karna chati ho.", her husband asked her.
Thinking that he was right she gave her agreement and never told Karthik a word about it.Months had passed by, Keerti was in her fourth month and the fifth month would start in a week and half. Karthik's exams were over and he would be
Keerti was extremely happy that she was going to meet her baby brother in four days and give him the news of her upcoming baby. She sat on the bed caressing her stomach thinking about Karthik's reaction hearing the news whether he would be happy, that finally someone younger to him was coming, giggling to herself as she remembered Karthik always complaining to be the youngest in the family (chacha chachi have no children in this story) on more than one occasion. Or would he be upset that she had hid the good news from him for so long. Her husband entered into the room calling out her name to get her attention.
"Chalna hai, doctor ke pass", the man asked
"tum bhul gaye Veer, meri doctor out of town gayi hai, tum hi ne toh mujh se kaha tha ke unho ne call karke batiya", reminded Keerti
"Hum kissi aur doctor ke pass janna rahe hai, main yeh nahi cahta ke tum apna koyi bhi checkup miss karo", Veer said, caressing her hair making keerthi smile.