Page 176 of The Redemption
She pauses, her eyes locking with mine. “Tomorrow, when everyone gathers around me, I wanted someone from my Shergill family, my sasural, to stand beside me as well. Raghav is older to Ayaan ten minutes, which technically makes you my jethani (elder sister-in-law). So who better than you to take that place from this side of the family tomorrow?”
I blink, momentarily caught off guard, not only by the fact that Raghav is older than Ayaan but also by how effortlessly Meher makes me feel as if I already belong here.
And here I was, spending the entire journey wondering what to expect from this place and this family.
The truth is, I’ve never known a family like this before. My entire world has been limited to Mom, Dad, and a brother whose favourite hobby seemed to be bullying me at every opportunity. There were no cousins running around the house. No relatives dropping by unannounced. No large family gatherings to teach me what those bonds truly looked like. I never had friends close enough to trust with my secrets either. The world I grew up in was too dangerous for that. People were either allies, enemies, or risks. Nothing in between.
And yet, standing here now, surrounded by people who have known me for barely any time at all, seeing them welcome me with so much warmth feels overwhelming.
My eyes sting unexpectedly. Instead of saying something foolish, I simply step forward and hug her again, and the nervousness inside me eases a little. As I pull back, my gaze shifts past Meher and lands on Mom, who’s standing a few feet away, watching us with relief in her eyes. For years, she has worried about the kind of mafia family I would eventually be married into. Today, for the first time, I see some of that fear loosen its grip.
Mom finally steps forward and hugs Meher.
“Enough talking now,” she says with that familiar motherly firmness in her voice. “You need proper rest. Look at yourself. You shouldn’t be standing for so long.”
Meher immediately makes a face. “Rest is all I’ve been doing for months now, Aunty,” she complains. “Ayaan and Papa have practically banned me from doing anything except eating, sleeping, resting, eating again, and then resting some more.”
Mom laughs.
“But honestly,” Meher continues, rubbing her stomach affectionately, “I can’t wait for these two troublemakers to arrive. At least then I’ll finally have some real work to do.”
This time, we all laugh… except Raghav, of course. He keeps glancing at me every now and then. He’s standing a little away from us, looking around as if searching for someone. Meher notices it too, and a grin immediately spreads across her face.
“Ayaan isn’t home,” she informs him.
“I wasn’t looking for him,” he replies as if unbothered and turns his attention to the phone in his hand.
“These brothers are impossible,” she continues with a smile. “They fight, argue, and annoy each other endlessly. But the second they can’t find each other, they start looking around like lost children.”
“I said I wasn’t looking for him,” he grumbles.
“Sure.” Meher nods mischievously, then gives him a hug and pats his arm. “Ayaan had to step out for some last-minute work, but he’ll be back soon. Anyway,” she says, clapping her hands lightly, “you all need rest. You’ve had a long journey.”
She looks at Mom. “You can freshen up and relax for a while, Aunty. We’ll all meet downstairs for dinner.”
Then she turns towards me. “Come, I’ll show you your room.”
I nod. But before we can move, Meher suddenly turns back towards Raghav.
“Oh, by the way, Raghav, why did you ask the staff to remove the couch from your bedroom here?”
He did?
Everyone falls silent. I slowly turn towards Raghav, who is now looking at me. Back at RK Estate, I had spent days demanding one for his room, but he had blatantly refused, convinced that the moment a couch appeared, I would throw him onto it. Apparently, the man had prepared for that possibility even before arriving in Mumbai.
A laugh threatens to escape me, but I manage to hold it back. Unfortunately, everyone else now looks thoroughly confused by his decision. Only I know exactly why the couch disappeared from his bedroom here. I look away before my smile becomes too obvious.
“So?” Meher presses. “What was wrong with the couch?”
His jaw tightens. “Do I need permission to rearrange my own room?”
Meher blinks.
“And anyway,” he continues, completely unfazed, “I never liked that couch. So I got rid of it.”
Meher still looks unconvinced. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
