Page 48 of Strictly Solo
“Kriti!” Naina cried out, rushing to her sister’s side, her heart lurching at the sight of her in such distress. “Are you okay? What happened?”
Subodh and Malti were close behind, their faces pale with shock. They hurried to support Kriti. Kaushalya and Ruhaan, who had been standing at the door, remained silent, not wanting to intrude but clearly concerned.
“Who is that?” Ruhaan whispered to his mother, his brow furrowed in confusion.
Kaushalya’s face had gone pale, her eyes wide with shock. “That... that must be Naina’s elder sister,” she said, her voice barely audible. “The one who eloped with a boy from another caste two years ago. But what is she doing here?”
Kaushalya had known about Kriti’s existence through whispers and rumors. She had heard from Ruhaan’s father before Naina and Ruhaan’s engagement was fixed that Naina had an older sister, Kriti, who was a few years older than Naina. Kriti had fallen in love with a boy from her college, an orphan boy from a lower caste. When Subodh had refused to accept their relationship, Kriti had eloped and married him. This act of defiance had enraged Subodh, and for the last two years, he had never fully accepted Kriti and her husband back into the family fold. But now, seeing Kriti here, heavily pregnant and in distress, Kaushalya was baffled.
Kaushalya turned to Malti. “Malti, what is Kriti doing here? When did she return?”
Malti looked flustered, clearly overwhelmed by the situation. “She... she came here just two days ago. We didn’t expect...” she replied hurriedly, avoiding Kaushalya’s piercing gaze.
Kriti let out another pained cry, her hands tightening around her swollen belly. Naina, seeing her sister’s condition deteriorating, turned to her uncle with urgency in her voice.
“Uncle, we need to take her to the hospital—now!”
Before Subodh he could move, Ruhaan stepped forward, already pulling the keys to his car from his pocket.
“I’ll get the car ready. Bring her down as soon as possible,” he said.
Kaushalya, still processing the situation, could only nod as Ruhaan left to start the car. She watched as the Kundra family rallied around Kriti, their concern and fear evident in their every movement. There was no time to dwell on the past or on the reasons for Kriti’s estrangement from the family. Right now, all that mattered was getting her the help she needed.
As the Kundras carefully guided Kriti down the stairs, Ruhaan pulled the car up to the front door. With Subodh’s help, they managed to get Kriti into the backseat, Naina climbing in beside her, holding her sister’s hand and whispering words of comfort.
Ruhaan may not have known Kriti, may not have understood the full story of what had happened, but in that moment, all he knew was that this was Naina’s family, and they needed help.
***************
Hospital
The Kundras sat anxiously in the waiting area, their faces lined with worry and fear. Kriti had been rushed into the labor room, and while they all prayed for her safety, they all were still tensed. Naina, unable to sit still, paced up and down a littleaway from the rest of the family, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as if trying to hold herself together. The doctor had already said Kriti’s pregnancy was complicated and the thought of losing Kriti now, especially after everything she had gone through, was too painful to bear. Ruhaan watched her for a moment before approaching her with a steaming cup of coffee from the vending machine.
“Naina,” he said gently, offering the cup. “Here, you need to drink this.”
Naina shook her head, her hands trembling. “I can’t, Ruhaan... I just can’t.”
Ruhaan, sensing her anxiety, stepped closer. “Please, Naina. Just a few sips. It’ll help calm your nerves.”
Reluctantly, she took the cup from him, her hands still shaking as she brought it to her lips. She took a small sip, the warmth of the coffee barely soothing the cold dread that had settled in her chest. Ruhaan watched her with concern, his heart aching to see her like this.
“Don’t worry,” he said softly, sitting down beside her on a nearby sofa. “Kriti will be fine. She’s strong, and the doctors are doing everything they can.”
Naina nodded, but her eyes remained fixed on the labor room door. They sat in silence for a few moments before Ruhaan broke the silence. “You never mentioned your sister to me. I didn’t even know she was married or pregnant.”
Naina’s eyes filled with tears as she stared down at the cup in her hands. “Your mother knew about her and what happened with her marriage,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “But after what happened... it became a forbidden topic in our house. Uncle was so angry with her for eloping that we were not allowed to speak of her anymore. He loved her so much, and she just... left with the man she loved without trying to convince the family. That broke uncle’s heart. Although Maltiaunty, Suman, and I stayed in touch with Kriti through phone calls, Uncle never spoke about her.”
She took a shaky breath before continuing. “Uncle loved her the most, you know? He had so many plans for her wedding. He’d even picked out a groom for her. But she... she eloped with the man she loved. If she’d just tried harder to convince Uncle, if she’d waited... he might have accepted them. But she didn’t wait.”
Ruhaan listened intently, understanding the depth of the pain and conflict within her family.
“Had I known about Kriti earlier, I would have made sure to speak to her, to get her approval and blessings before our engagement. After all, she’s your sister, your blood.”
Naina felt a lump rise in her throat at his words. The kindness and thoughtfulness in his voice brought tears to her eyes. She hadn’t expected him to care so deeply, and it touched her more than she could express.
She looked up at him, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. “Thank you,” she whispered.
He reached out and gently wiped away a tear that had escaped down her cheek.
