Her Heart Keeper ✔

~ 48 ~

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While in Sakshi and Rishi's room, Sakshi was sitting on the bed, lost in her thoughts. Vyshali's words were echoing in her mind. Unknowingly, her hand went onto her tummy, where she had carried Maya for nine months and where her baby was nurtured. A few tears left her eyes. When did she become so hard? So hard as a rock that she wasn't able to see her daughter's pain. She paid deaf ears to all her sufferings. Her heart twisted more in pain as she remembered Rajesh's words. She closed her eyes in pain. She felt suffocating. How could she trust an outsider over her family?

But what made her trust someone else but not her daughter?

Just then, Nandan entered their room. He looked at his mother, who was looking vulnerable. He made his way towards her and laid down on the bed, keeping his head on her lap.

A tear fell on his cheek.

He got up and sat down, taking her hands into his, and asked her, "What happened, Amma?"

"I'm sorry, Nandu," Sakshi said, looking down.

Nandan looked at her confused, as he didn't know the chaos that had happened in the house from the beginning. He just knew something was wrong. He tried to ask the others many times, but they used to divert the topic.

"Why Amma?" asked Nandan.

"I failed as a mother, Nandu. I... With my own hands, I tried to destroy my daughter's marriage," Sakshi said, crying bitterly.

Nandan looked at her wide-eyed and asked her, "What the hell, Amma? What are you saying? Tell me what happened exactly."

Sakshi told him what happened on that day in their home, how she believed Vyshali and Rajesh's words and was about to slap Maya and accuse her, and how she asked her to divorce Avi. She told him everything that had happened until now.

Nandan looked at his mother in shock. He never expected this. Yes, he knew their parents were strict and quite busy with their work, so they didn't have enough time to spend their time with their children. Suddenly, he felt guilty. He doesn't know what's happening in her life. He used to be jealous when he saw the bond between Arjun and Maya. She used to be free with him and share her every secret with him. But with him, it's totally different. He knew she never neglected him. Maya always used to play with him, guide him, and narrate bedtime stories. After some time, he used to be busy with his friends, studies, and sports. He loves sports, especially badminton and kabaddi. But Maya is not into sports. She loves painting. In fact, she won many awards for her paintings at a young age. And she loves music; she is a keyboard player. She always encouraged him to chase after his dreams. It was because of her that he was studying law today. She argued with their parents, stopped eating for two days, and didn't step out of her room for two days. When she left for Hyderabad for graduation, her visits to their home decreased, which decreased the communication between them too. But she always used to send him gifts and letters. Her sister plays magic with the words on the paper.

He was overjoyed when his sister informed him that she had gotten a job through campus placements. But that happiness didn't last when their parents told her to quit the job after her graduation. He knew her sister always gave her 100 percent. And when she didn't pass her civil examination, they started searching for alliances for her. He asked his mother if it wasn't too early for her to get married. But she told him that he didn't know anything and to stay silent. Deep down in his heart, he used to fear the groom, though he knew that their parents would choose the best. And his fear flew away when he came to know that Avi was going to be his Bava (brother-in-law). He felt content when he saw her happy face on her engagement day.