Page 72 of Right Where I Belong
“Friend?” her mother-in-law scoffed. “Don’t insult me, Sabrina. I’ve seen the way you look at him and the way he looks at you. I’ve heard the way you laugh and giggle when he’s around. You sound like a silly schoolgirl. At least have the decency to accept that he’s your boyfriend.”
Sabrina’s face flushed hot, but she stood her ground. “Alright. Aditya is my boyfriend. I like him. I like the way he makes me feel—young and a woman in her prime. I won’t let you belittle me for finding happiness again. I have every right to it.”
Her mother-in-law’s eyes flashed as she rose, her voice sharp as she spoke, “Your husband is dead, Sabrina. My son is gone. And here you are, erasing his memory by bringing another man into this house. Soon, Ahaan will forget Ajay completely, just as you seem to have.”
Sabrina’s breath caught, but even through the sting of her cutting words, she saw the pain etched on the older woman’s face. Grief, raw and unhealed, still lived there. It softened her anger, just enough that her voice gentled.
“No one will ever take Ajay’s place in Ahaan’s life, Ma. He was his father. That bond is forever.”
“That isnow,” her mother-in-law screamed, her voice rising in anguish. “But what about later? When you marry that rich man and take Ahaan away from this house—fromme. Then what? I won’t stand for it. I won’t allow it. I won’t let my son be forgotten!”
The force of her words left Sabrina reeling. Shock and hurt coursed through her.
“Ma,” she said steadily, “Aditya and I… We’re just getting to know each other. We haven’t spoken about the future yet. And if we ever do, Ahaan will always come first. Always. I would never do anything to hurt him. I will protect him.”
Aditya’s face flashed in her mind—always smiling, always constant. The way he was so gentle with her, so patient with Ahaan. So caring. So loving. Her heart twisted painfully. He was everything she hadn’t known she needed. Perfect. And she was falling in lo…
She sucked in a breath as that realization settled. A flood of feeling crashed straight into her heart, filling all the empty, aching spaces.
Oh God, no. Now was not the time to dwell on that conclusion. Now was not the time to think about how Aditya could be so good for her, about how he could be a good father figure for Ahaan. But the thought lodged deep and undeniable.
God, he really could be.And the truth was, she wanted him to be. She was suddenly so tired of being alone, of carrying the weight of everything by herself, when she knew all she had to do was take Aditya’s hand. He would hold her, steady her, and be her strength. He would never let her go. The knowledge settled in her chest like a certainty, spreading warmth through the cracks of her heart, making her stronger. Braver.
She forced her focus back to her mother-in-law.
“Aditya is a good man,” she said, her voice steady. “He makes me happy. And after everything, I think I deserve that.”
The older woman’s face hardened, the lines around her mouth tightening.
“Happy?” she snapped, her voice sharp enough to cut. “You think your happiness matters more than Ajay’s memory? More than Ahaan’s stability? You’re blinded by that man, Sabrina. Blinded by his money, his power, his charm. You can dress it up however you like, but at the end of the day, you’re choosing him over your son. You’re erasing his father’s memory, because like Aisha, you too want to marry a rich man.”
The words struck like blows, cruel and unrelenting. Sabrina’s chest burned, but then she straightened. “You’re wrong, Ma. No one will ever erase Ajay from Ahaan’s life. Not me, and not Aditya. Ajay will always be his father. But I will not let grief be an excuse to stop Ahaan and me from living. Not anymore.”
“It’s because of that man that you’re speaking back to me when you have never done before. I won’t stand for it, and I won’t allow him to replace my son. Do you hear me? I won’t allow it.”
Pain erupted in Sabrina’s chest. It was always about Ajay for his mother. He’d passed away years ago, and yet his mother had ensured that his shadow hung over Sabrina and Ahaan. It hurt her that she never saw Sabrina as a young woman with a life still ahead of her. That she could long for happiness, or deserve a partner who made her feel alive again. That Ahaan, too, could have a more fulfilled life if things with Aditya worked out. As long as Sabrina stayed within the terms her mother-in-law dictated, it was acceptable. But the moment she dared to be different from what was expected of her, the older woman became difficult, unyielding, and determined to hold her back.
“Aditya isn’t replacing anyone,” Sabrina said, her voice shaking with pain and fury. “He’s just… giving me something Ihaven’t had in years. Peace. Care. Happiness. Maybe even love. And I won’t apologize for that.”
Her mother-in-law’s voice rose, her tone sharp and dripping with scorn. “You selfish, ungrateful girl. I took you in when you had nothing—no money, no background, and a past you refuse to speak of till date. I gave you a job in my restaurant when no one else would. You were all alone in this world, and I cared for you. I introduced you to my son. I got my son married to you. Thanks to me and Ajay, you now have safety and stability. And this is how you repay me? By bringing another man into our home? By tarnishing the memory of my son? By talking back to me?”
“Ajay is dead, Ma. When will you accept that?”
Her mother-in-law’s nostrils flared, but Sabrina pressed on, her words spilling out now, pushed by years of pent-up anger. “At Aisha’s wedding, you promised her—and me—that you would change, that we all deserved to live again. But you never lived up to that promise. You’re still cold and unfeeling toward her, still blaming her for Ajay’s death when it wasn’t her fault. He was drunk, Ma, yet he fought with Aisha to drive. It was his mistake. But you refuse to see that.”
The older woman opened her mouth to say something, but Sabrina cut her off with a flick of her hand.
“No, Ma. Tonight,youwill listen to me. I should have done this much sooner. I should never have allowed you to walk over me. You’ve never accepted the truth about Ajay. He left me drowning in debt, one I could never have paid without Aisha and Rithwik. You’ve always painted Ajay in a golden light, but he was anything but an angel. He was a womanizer, a gambler—addicted to alcohol and poker. And while I am grateful you once took me in, I will no longer stand by and let you make a shrine for him when you know the truth as well as I do.” Her throat tightened, but she pushed the words out. “You knew Ajay waswild in his ways. Yet you forced him to marry me because you hoped I’d be a stable influence on him. But you also knew I had no family, so no matter what he did, where would I even go?”
And that was the absolute truth. Where could she have gone? She’d run from Delhi and reached Mumbai. She’d worked for a year at two other restaurants—neither of them safe—sometimes cooking, sometimes waitressing, always evading advances from the dodgy customers, sometimes even the staff. She’d always lived with the worry that someone would hurt her, or someone from her past would find her, until she’d heard about an open position at Ajay’s mother’s restaurant. It was a small café, but in an upscale location. To her luck, his mother had hired her on a trial basis for a month, but seeing Sabrina’s diligence and hard work, she’d kept her on. It was a stable environment, and the older woman was giving her a good salary, thanks to which she’d even found a decent lodging close to the café.
Soon, Aisha had become a friend to her. Ajay used to flirt with her whenever he came to the restaurant, but she’d never taken him seriously.
Two years later, when Ajay’s mother had suggested a marriage between them to tame his wild ways, she’d agreed. She had no one—no proper education, and nowhere to go to. Marrying him would give her safety, security, and a family… something she’d been desperate for. She already respected his mother, was grateful to her for giving her this job, and Aisha had become her lifeline. Marrying Ajay and staying in their family had made so much sense to her then. Of course, the marriage hadn’t been a bed of roses. But then, giving birth to Ahaan had been the best thing in her life. She finally had someone to wholly call her own.
Her eyes burned with unshed tears for her younger self, who hadn’t had the guts to say no to marrying a man she’d knownwouldn’t keep her happy. She’d instead found her happiness with Aisha, Diya, and Ahaan.
“Ajay gambled away our earnings,” Sabrina continued. “He put the restaurant up as collateral. He came home drunk and angry when he lost at poker. So many nights he came smelling of another woman’s perfume or had her lipstick marks on his clothes. He never raised a hand on me, but the verbal and emotional abuse wasn’t less. I kept trying to shield Ahaan from his wrath. It was so hard, yet you refused to see the pain he caused me then, and you refuse to see it now. You kept brushing everything he did away, telling me that he’d get better and that marriages are like that. Until Aisha married Rithwik, I didn’t know marriages could be different. That they could be filled with love, laughter, loyalty, and happiness—everything that Ajay never gave me.”
