I smiled at my daughter. She was starting to grow sleepy while nestled against my bosom. I caressed her little head and pulled my pallu around her, in case she felt cold.

The curtain shifted, and Bhairav Ji appeared with a bag in his hand. He froze, "Doosra kaha hai?"

(Where's the other one?)

"So raha hai," I smiled and gestured at the crib beside my bed.

(He's sleeping.)

"Acha, ise bhi sula do. Aur tumhare liye kapde laaya hu. Badalkar tum bhi so jao," he told me, and took out a sari of mine from the bag.

(Okay, put her to sleep as well. And I've brought clothes for you. Go to sleep after changing.)

"Utni aasan thodi hai aapki beti ko sulana?" I kissed her little nose, and she sneezed before giggling sweetly. "Itni pyaari hai... Neeche rakhne ka mann hi nahi karta!" I groaned.

(It's not that easy to put your daughter to sleep. She's so adorable... I don't want to let her go at all!)

My husband didn't say anything. He sat on the edge of the bed, watching her, and occasionally his eyes would drift to our son sleeping in the crib.

"Abhi bahut pyaare hai dono, maanta hu... Jab Keshav aur Bhargav paida hue the, mai bhi aise hi sochta tha," he smiled. I grimaced, "Humare bacho ka tulna unse mat kijiye." He chuckled at this.

(They may be really cute now, I agree... When my brothers were born, I thought the same way.)

(Don't compare our kids to them.)

Our daughter's eyes began closing slowly, and she yawned. My heart melted. I had never seen a baby more adorable than my twins. They were my whole world.

Bhairav Ji took her from my arms carefully and placed her in the crib. He helped me change into my fresh sari as well, and I was amused by the fact that he knew how to drape a sari.

"Aap toh bade ache se sari baandh dete ho..." I eyed him as he made pleats for me.

(You know to drape a sari quite well...)

"Utarna aata hai toh baandhna bhi seekhna hoga na?" he replied nonchalantly.

(If I know how to remove a sari, I need to know how to drape it as well, right?)

I felt my cheeks heat up at his response.

Bhairav Ji helped me lie back down in bed, while he sat on a chair facing me. "Aap kaise soyenge?" I asked, and she shrugged, "Aise hi. Kal subah aaram se ghar jaenge. Waha sabhi intezar kar rahe hai..." He smiled to himself, "Bacho ko milne."

(How will you sleep?)

(I'm fine like this. We'll go home calmly in the morning. Everyone is waiting for us... Mainly to meet the children.)

Bhairav Ji crossed his arms and raised his feet on the bed. He closed his eyes to sleep just like that. It must be very uncomfortable, but he didn't complain. My hand gently moved to touch his feet.

"Thakur Ji?"

He hummed with his eyes closed.

"Maaf kijiye... Meri wajah se aapko aisa sona pad raha hai..." I mumbled.

(I'm sorry... You have to sleep like this because of me...)

"Bas karo, Sanjana," he sounded irritated, "Shaadi ke itne saal ho gaye hain... do bachche bhi hain. Ab bhi parayon ki tarah maafi kyun maangti ho?"

(Stop it, Sanjana. It's been so long since we got married, we have two kids as well. Why are you saying sorry like strangers?)

I smiled and softly caressed his feet, "Aap mujhse utna pyar karte hai?"

(Do you love me that much?)

He didn't reply, and I felt a little sour. Just a little. It would have been nice to hear those words out of him, but I felt like I was being greedy.

The room lay in silence for nearly an hour. The dim hospital lights drew in a few drifting fruit flies. Though exhaustion weighed on me, sleep refused to come.

My children slept soundly. I knew it from how quiet they were. Through a small tear in the curtain, I could see the other women on the beds nearby. Some lay asleep, while others stared into the dark, kept awake by pain. From somewhere down the corridor, a baby cried sharply.

And slowly, almost without noticing, my eyelids began to grow heavy. "Jitna pyaar tumse karta hoon, utna kabhi kisi aur se nahi kiya hai..." Bhairav Ji whispered.

(I've never loved someone the way I've loved you.)

A strange flutter stirred inside my chest. Butterflies sang ghazals in my stomach. For a moment, I wondered if I had imagined it. Had he been thinking about me for the past hour? Was it only a foolish dream my heart had made up? Maybe it was all in my head.

Still... it felt nice. To be loved like that.

My husband was never the affectionate sort. He didn't whisper sweet words or make grand, romantic gestures like the ideal men my classmates used to giggle about.

But when things felt difficult, he stood by me. Bhairav Ji cared for me not with words, but with actions. And somehow, that was more than enough.

***

Bhargav drove us home in the Jeep. My daughter was in Bhairav Ji's arms while our son nestled against my bosom. Since he began crying sharply, my husband instructed that I feed him.

Bhargav kept his eyes on the road while I pulled my pallu down and covered myself entirely to feed my baby. I rocked him gently in my arms as well, and soon he fell silent while suckling.

When we reached the haveli, the celebration was grander than ever before. Villagers were gathered in the courtyard to meet our little angels. I felt proud.

Maa and Keshav gushed over my children. Saarang launched at me for a hug, but Bhairav Ji warned him to be careful.

"Sanjana, kamre mei aa jao," Dadi instructed and led me into the bedroom.

(Sanjana, come inside.)

My happiness evaporated as soon as I saw her stern face.

"Ek mahine ke liye is kamre se bahar mat aana. Bacho ko nazar lag sakti hai. Tumhara khaana hum yahi layenge. Aaraam karo."

(Don't step outside the bedroom for a month. It could bring bad luck for the children. We'll bring you food here. Take rest.)

She locked me in the room.

My breathing turned laboured as I didn't understand what was happening. Why couldn't I go out? What about my children? When would I get to be with them again? Was this another custom that I had to get used to?

"Mere... B-bache..." I whispered, weakly tapping the door, but nobody opened it.

(M-my... kids...)

Really?

After everything that I had been through?

There were tears in my eyes. Even Saarang was outside, and I didn't even get a chance to look at him properly.

Why was the world so cruel?