Zanjeer

VI

"Well, your baby seems completely healthy. I hope you're taking care of yourself sweetie. Have you not been having enough sleep? Are you experiencing any pain or anything out of the ordinary? " Meher's friend and gynecologist asked her.

"Nothing unusual Aadya, I'm just exhausted these days because I've been decorating the nursery. " Meher told her.

"Why are you doing all this alone, is your husband so damn busy with his continuous business trips that he can't even bother to help his 7 month pregnant wife? " Aadya spat angrily

"Sorry, I know, you've told me a thousand times already that he really can't avoid those trips, but I worry for you. Even though you are fine now, no one knows what could happen during pregnancy.

And please don't say that there is a maid all day at home to take care of things. What about at night. What would happen if you went into labour late at night, and your husband is away on his so-called 'trip'? Huh? "

"He told me that he'll take leave from work for a few weeks when my due date is near. " Meher quietly informed her.

"Wow dude, when I first met that man I didn't think he would be so care less with you. Why are you depending upon him, move in with me. I'll take infinitely better care of you. "

Meher quietly chuckled at the last sentence. She knows Aadya means well and is just angry on her behalf. Heck if Aadya was in her situation, Meher herself would've reacted like this, her best friend of 11 years has the right to be worried about her.

Meher was worried about herself too.

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Meher sat on her bed, mindlessly looking through strollers on her phone, confused about which one to buy, when she heard the bell ring, her heart gave a thud as it meant that Asad was back.

The maid was on leave today, so she was supposed to go and open the door, but her legs froze, no matter how much she willed them to move, she was unsuccessful.

7 months of continuous mental abuse rushed through her, the constant body shaming- taunts about how she looked, the weight she gained, the way she walked, the constant harsh language, the constant pushing and shoving, and the screaming.

But in the end she opened the door, and Asad didn't even spare her a glance as he walked through shoving her aside.

Meher gripped the table at the side tightly to prevent herself from falling down.

She sometimes wondered, why is she allowing him to walk on her like this, treat her like this, but it seemed like she didn't have the courage to confront him.

Heh! Pregnancy made her weak, or maybe she was just all talk in the past, she was actually as much of a coward as she is now.