Page 16 of The Unwanted Husband
“Isha,” he said, sitting on the mattress next to her, tapping on her cheek when she didn’t wake up.
Her eyes flew open, still filled with tears and her sobs intensified when she saw him.
“Hey,” he said softly, feeling rather helpless. “It’s all good.”
As if in response to his words, she sat up in bed, her arms wrapping around him as her face crashed into his chest, as she sobbed uncontrollably.
“This is so unfair.”
Her voice was barely a whisper so he could not tell if she was still in her sleep or awake. The sobs continued and she held on to him. Moments passed and he sat on the edge of the mattress, one arm gently around her.
Minutes later, her sobs subsided and were replaced by a soft snore.
Did she fall back asleep?
Her grip around him loosened and he took the opportunity to slowly lay her back on the bed. He was about to sit up and she moved, tightening her hold on him.
“I’m scared. Don’t go.” Her breath was warm on his cheek.
Mixed emotions ran through him. “I’ll be right here.”
He managed to wiggle himself away from her hold and sat up looking at her sleeping form. The woman who had looked indestructible even as she set eyes on her brother’s lifeless body, was in shambles on the inside.
Ashok dimmed the light and settled into the chair to one side of the room. As his eyes adjusted, he could see her face as she slept, somewhat at peace.
Ashok had formed a certain image of his best friend’s sister from what he shared back in college and when he met her for the first time, she definitely lived up to his impression of an uptight woman who didn’t show much emotion.
Even the joy of her brother getting married didn’t seem to excite her. He had only observed her and had not interacted with her at all. And now they were forced to interact, heck even live under the same roof.
A short while later, he got off the chair to go back to sleep. He only wished her nightmares didn’t reoccur but even as he went back to bed, he knew it would take time. Especiallyafter the years of trauma she sustained, he didn’t know when she would recover from it all.
CHAPTER 9
The next morning, Isha woke up to loud wails. The twins seemed to be upset about something but she knew there was nothing she could do to help.
The clock on the wall told her she had slept well into the morning. She pushed away the sheets, vaguely remembering the horrifying nightmare from the night before. She needed to shake off the darkness and the only way to do that was to shower.
Shortly after, she stepped out of the shower and the wailing had only intensified. “What is going on?”
Her plan was to do some research on her father’s lawyer and see if she could contact him. Maybe even dust off the old case files and see what could be done. But there was no way she could with all the noise pollution.
Isha went downstairs and it was utter chaos. The kids’ nannies looked clueless as both kids clung to Ashok, refusing to be even touched by the two helpers. She stood in the dining room watching the scene before her.
The twins didn’t want to be touched by the helpers nor did they want to eat anything and they clung to their uncle like their life depended on him. It did but she didn’t know what had gotten into them.
What was she supposed to do?
“What’s wrong?” she asked one of the nannies who was taking a bunch of toys toward the living room.
The frazzled nanny shook her head. “We don’t know. The kids were restless all night and this morning they are not leaving Ashok sir.”
Something hit her deep inside.
Could the kids be having nightmares like she did? They were too young for it.
She surprised herself when she started moving towards the chaos. She dreaded the scene where the kids would get even more uncontrollable if she got closer. Especially after that episode a few weeks ago after she reprimanded them for their bad behavior.
As a fourteen-year-old, losing parents was devastating. But she didn’t know what these infants were going through. Ashok’s words replayed in her mind. She was all they had of their father and she had to be there for them even if she didn’t like it.
