chapter 25

Only three days after their wedding, tragedy struck. The village had always harbored resentment toward their love. Shri had been from a family of healers, a lineage shrouded in mystery, and the villagers, superstitious as they were, had always kept their distance from her. They whispered about her in the market, accusing her of casting spells, of using dark magic to seduce Maan. But Maan didn’t care. He loved her, and that was all that mattered.It was the evening of their third day as husband and wife, and Shri was busy preparing dinner in their small, cozy home. The scent of fresh herbs filled the air, and she hummed a soft tune as she moved about the kitchen, her heart light with joy. She couldn’t wait for Maan to come home so they could share their first candlelit dinner as a married couple. Their wedding had been small and intimate, with only a few friends brave enough to defy the village norms and bless their union.Shri glanced out the window, expecting to see Maan’s familiar silhouette approaching, but instead, a group of figures emerged from the distance. The closer they came, the more familiar they became, and her heart dropped.Maan’s parents and hers, accompanied by several villagers, were marching towards the house with grim expressions on their faces. Shri’s pulse quickened as she rushed to the door, fear gripping her heart. She could hear their angry murmurs even before they reached the porch.When they finally arrived, Maan’s father, a stern man with deep-set eyes, was the first to speak.“Shri,” he spat her name, his tone cold and venomous, “we warned you about this. We told you that no good would come from this marriage.”Shri swallowed hard, her hands trembling as she tried to remain composed. “What are you talking about?” she asked, her voice shaky but firm.Maan’s mother, her face twisted in disgust, stepped forward. “You know very well what we mean. Since you came into our son’s life, misfortune has fallen upon this village. Crops have withered, cattle have died, and sickness is spreading. All because of you!”Shri’s breath hitched in her throat. She shook her head, trying to make sense of their accusations. “That’s not true! How could I have caused any of that?”“You bewitched him,” one of the villagers shouted from behind Maan’s parents. “You used dark magic to make him marry you, a woman from a different caste. You’ve cursed us all with your unnatural union!”Shri’s heart pounded in her chest. Her eyes darted toward her parents, hoping for support, but all she saw was the same coldness mirrored in their faces. Her mother, once so kind and loving, now stood rigid, her lips pressed into a thin line of disapproval.“Mother?” Shri whispered, her voice breaking.Her mother shook her head, refusing to meet her daughter’s gaze. “You brought shame upon this family, Shri. We raised you to know better than to marry outside your caste. Now look at what you’ve done.”Shri felt the world closing in on her, the walls of her home suddenly feeling suffocating. She had expected some resistance when she and Maan decided to marry, but she had never imagined it would escalate into this—accusations of curses, of black magic, of ruining lives.“Maan and I love each other,” Shri said, her voice trembling with emotion. “Isn’t that enough? Can’t you see that our love has nothing to do with the village’s misfortunes?”