While traveling in the car, Sumon closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the seat, sinking into deep thought. Tears began to roll down his cheeks.
The one I loved never came close. The one who tried to force closeness—I couldn't hold on to her. They say there's no place for lies in love, but what about someone whose whole life is surrounded by lies? Does that saying apply to them too?
The phone rang again. He looked at it with irritation and answered.
"Hello! Yes, baba?"
A voice from the other end asked, "Where are you now?"
"I'm in the car, almost home."
Relieved, the gentleman on the other end ended the call and said, "Cook something nice today with your own hands. The boy loves continental food. It's the first day of the year, and Prasun and his family are coming over. This time, I'll finalize his marriage soon. The doctor says he's much better now, will slowly forget everything."
Soma Devi let out a soft sigh, though she said nothing. She knew what her son was made of. Things wouldn't be that easy. Turmoil was sure to return.
So much money, so much status, and yet, the hearts of everyone in this house are so small, she thought while cooking in the kitchen.
I feel like a caged bird. I don't enjoy this imprisoned life anymore. I want to run far, far away.
Since her marriage, she had never seen her parents' home again. More accurately, she was never allowed to. The marriage had been unlikely, as her father was just a medicine dealer, a worker at Adhikari Pharma. But her father-in-law was a humble man who insisted she marry Shubhendu Babu. She was only twenty-one then, just out of third year of college. She had dreamed of opening a dance school—but it never happened. Her mother-in-law strictly forbade such things.
Daughters-in-law in this house don't engage in music and dance, she had declared.
And even after giving up those dreams, Soma Devi had never won over her mother-in-law. Still, she didn't blame her completely. Wanting the best for one's child isn't a crime.
I want what's best for Sumon and Ruman too. Is that wrong?
But the outside world didn't know these things. Though her husband loved her, he never stepped outside his mother's control.
That's why Soma Devi had grown to despise this life of so-called love and well-being. A burnt smell brought her thoughts crashing down. She hurried to turn off the oven, but hot water splashed on her as her mother-in-law poured water into the pan beside her.
"Go to your room. Even gave your sickness to your son—wasn't that enough? Even today, on this special day, can't keep the boy in line. That modern girl will come over—I'll make her understand. You've poisoned the boy's ears so much he can't think beyond you. But I'll see how you keep my precious son away from someone as cultured and progressive as her."
Unseen in the kitchen, a shadowy figure had overheard everything. No one noticed someone listening from the shadows. Quietly, they crossed the dining area and entered the house, thinking, I have to tell my brother about this.
---
Ambika asked suspiciously, "Didi, are you hiding something from me?"
"Me?" Amba replied with a look of surprise.
Ambika continued, "Then why did you say the person who called was our college senior?"
At that, Amba let out a deep sigh. "I'll tell you some other time. I'm feeling sleepy now."
Then she shouted, "Malti di! Malti di! Can you come here once?"
Ambika insisted, "Please tell me, Didi? If you don't, I'll go straight to Sumon da and ask him myself. Will that be okay?"
Amba replied, "Do what you want. I have nothing to say."
Then she shouted again, "Malti di, where are you?"
Malti came and took Amba to her room.
Ambika looked in their direction, wondering what her sister was hiding. While lost in these thoughts, she mentally drifted back to that morning's college function.
Is Sumon da single or engaged? she wondered.
Can such a handsome man even be single?
After coming home, her mother had behaved oddly. Yet sweetly, she had said, I'll come again sometime.
That pleasant moment was shattered by her mother's scream:
"What's going on with you? Don't you know your sister is sick? Why did you bring that boy here?"
Ambika had no answer to all her mother's questions. Still, she raised her voice and said, "Mom, you're confusing things. What does Didi's illness have to do with Sumon da coming here?"
Her mother replied, "Why so many questions? They are from rich families. We are ordinary middle-class people. People like them don't form bonds with people like us. Today, what your father managed to protect with great difficulty will be lost if you do something foolish. We'll starve. And your sister's treatment will also stop."
Ambika was shocked. She asked, "But Mom, how would Sumon da's father even know he came here? And what harm does it do? I didn't come on my own—Sumon da insisted he would drop me home."
Her mother looked uneasy. Ambika pressed, "Mom, do you know Sumon da? Tell me—do you know him? What is his relationship with Didi?"
"Yes, I know him," her mother finally admitted.
"How, Mom? How do you know him?"
"Stay away from him, please. Believe me, they are very powerful. If they want, they can ruin you. Please believe me. Trust me."
Ambika grew stubborn. There was no way to hide the truth anymore.