Remarriage

Three Weeks Later....

Brinda worked in the kitchen with focused attention, meticulously adding each spice and stirring the rich, creamy Sahi paneer she was preparing for the day.

"Brinda," Samrat's voice called from the doorway. She immediately placed the lid on the kadai.

"Ji, coming!" she replied. She was about to turn when Samrat entered the kitchen. She looked at him, a question in her eyes.

"Samrat ji, I was just coming. Why did you come here?" Brinda asked. He shook his head gently. "It's alright. Give me the grocery list. I'm going to the market; I'll bring everything."

Brinda nodded, wiping her hands before going to retrieve the list. She handed it to him, and he scanned it before asking, "Do you need anything for yourself as well?"

Brinda shook her head. Samrat nodded, and she asked him, "Please eat something before you go. Then you can leave."

Samrat shook his head again. "Don't worry, Brinda. If I get hungry, I'll eat something outside."

"If you had told me earlier that you needed to leave urgently, I would have prepared food for you beforehand. Now you're leaving without eating anything," she said, a hint of concern in her voice. He looked at her, noticing the worry etched on her face. He suppressed a smile at her earnestness; she took his well-being so seriously.

He didn't want to appear insensitive to her care, so he controlled his amusement and said, "Brinda, I'm not hungry right now. When I feel hungry, I'll eat outside, okay? So, it's fine."

He repeated, trying to reassure her that she didn't need to be so worried.

"Brinda," he said, raising his eyebrows slightly. She finally smiled, a small, genuine curve of her lips.

"Okay, but don't stay hungry," she instructed. He nodded and then left the kitchen. She sighed softly and turned back to her preparations, the house help assisting her with the rest of the lunch for everyone.

Brinda was just about to start kneading the wheat flour for the chapatis when Viraj's cry echoed through the haveli, immediately followed by her grandmother-in-law calling her name.

"Brinda bahu!" Her eyes met the house help's, who nodded understandingly. Brinda quickly went to see her son.

She found her grandmother-in-law holding a fussing Viraj. The elder woman gently handed him to Brinda, who soothed him and carried him to a quiet room to feed him.
_____

"There was nothing, Thakur Sahab. We checked the whole place, but nothing was found in that area," the man said, his voice flat. Samrat nodded, his jaw clenched, and the man quickly left. Samrat watched him go, a prickle of unease settling over him. The man's behavior had been odd - his eyes hadn't met Samrat's, he'd seemed to actively avoid his gaze, and it wasn't out of respect.

"Now I'm sure something is damn wrong here," he whispered to himself, getting to his feet and walking out.
_______

Samrat entered the haveli to find his grandmother and father engaged in quiet conversation, while his mother was playing with Viraj. He knew Brinda would likely be in the kitchen.

"Samrat, you've come," his mother said, looking up. He nodded. "Go freshen up; dinner is about to start."

"I'll give these groceries to Brinda and then go change and freshen up, Maa," he replied. His mother nodded, and he headed towards the kitchen with the grocery bags.

He entered the kitchen, and Brinda looked up as he placed the bags on the counter.

"Samrat ji," Brinda called as he was about to turn away, her voice laced with concern. She moved towards him. "How did you get that injury?"