Echoes of Silence

Devansh let out a sigh of relief and thought to himself, "I can never let this family fall apart, no matter what I have to do. I cannot let my sister-in-law’s years of hard work go to waste. As for Vishu, all she needs is love. Ever since our parents' death, she has become so insecure. What she really needs is the right guidance, and I know that one day, she will understand everything. She just needs some time."

Thinking this, he gently stroked Vishakha’s head.

---

On the other hand, Sarika took the kids to their room, asked them to rest for a while, and then headed to the kitchen. Just then, Adrijay grabbed her hand and pulled her to the courtyard. Shocked, Sarika looked at him and asked, "Why did you bring me here?"

Avoiding her gaze, Adrijay bit his lower lip and said, "I didn’t like what happened earlier!"

Sarika, confused, asked, "What are you talking about?"

Looking at her, Adrijay said, "The way you folded your hands and cried in front of Dev! You are my wife, Sarika. You should be respected in this house accordingly. You can't just—"

Sarika cut him off, lowered her eyes, and said, "Not 'someone,' Ji. He is your younger brother and my younger brother-in-law. And I did that so he wouldn't hold anything against his heart. Why don’t you understand? Living together as a family is important to me!"

Adrijay, slightly irritated, asked, "That’s what I want to know—why is it so important for us all to stay together when they don’t even consider us their own?"

Sarika, upset, replied, "If they didn't consider you their own, Dev wouldn’t have taken your permission before deciding to marry his wife. He wouldn’t have needed your approval. After Maa Ji, if he respects anyone the most, it's you. You are like a father figure to him. How can you even say he doesn’t consider you his own?"

Hearing this, Adrijay softened and said, "Sorry! That’s not what I meant… Anyway, listen, Sarika, from now on, you won’t bow down to anyone. Until you respect yourself, how can you expect anyone else to?"

Sarika gave a faint smile, looked away, and said, "Respecting myself? That’s something I gave up the moment I stepped into this house…" (Her eyes filled with tears, but she quickly wiped them and said to Adrijay,) "Anyway, I’m going to get food for the kids. You should come too—I’ll serve you something to eat." Saying this, she walked away.

Adrijay watched her leave with sadness, then looked at the clothes hanging on the line for a moment before heading inside.

Sarika quickly prepared food for the kids in the kitchen, served it on a plate, and went to their room to feed them. After feeding them, she went downstairs, washed all the dishes, and started preparing the fasting meal for Yamini Ji, Vishakha, Devansh, and Adrijay.

After about an hour and a half, she plated Yamini Ji's food and walked toward her room.

Taking a deep breath to gather courage, Sarika knocked on the door. When Yamini Ji opened it and saw her, she frowned and asked, "Why are you here now? Wasn’t it enough for you to create a fight between my sons?"

Hearing her harsh words, Sarika took a deep breath, steadied herself, and softly said, "Maa Ji, I’ve brought your food… Please eat."

Yamini Ji, furious, yelled, "This food and household chores are the root of all problems! And didn’t your husband proudly declare that you wouldn’t cook anymore? So, what are you trying to prove by bringing me this food? That you are some great, self-sacrificing woman? I know your true colors! Don't act in front of my son—he may be blind in your love, but I am not. Now get out of here and take this disgusting food with you! Skipping a meal for a day won’t kill me!"

Tears welled up in Sarika’s eyes as she lowered her gaze and said in a choked voice, "Please, Maa Ji… Don’t take out your anger on the food. I don’t want you to remain hungry while fasting. It won’t be good for you. You also have to take your medicine… So please, eat."

Yamini Ji, still enraged, shouted, "You don’t understand, do you? Wait, let me show you!"

She was about to grab Sarika’s hand when Adrijay, who had been looking for Sarika, arrived just in time and overheard the conversation. Stepping between them, he firmly held Sarika’s hand and said, "Take the food and go to the room."

Sarika looked at him with teary eyes and said, "But—"

Adrijay sternly repeated, "Go, Sarika!"

Silently, she took the plate and walked away.

After she left, Adrijay turned to Yamini Ji and said, "What kind of behavior was that, Maa? Even after I told her not to, she still brought food for you, and instead of being grateful, you shouted at her?"

Yamini Ji, still fuming, said, "Don’t talk to me! You only care about your wife now! She controls you like a puppet. Do whatever you want, but I’ll do what I want too! When you were publicly humiliating me in the hall, did you even think about how I felt? So don’t come here pretending to care!" With that, she slammed the door shut.

Adrijay let out a deep sigh and thought to himself, What’s happening to Maa? She was never like this. Why is she behaving this way?

Deciding it was best to leave her alone for now, he walked back to his room.

Inside the room, he found Sarika crying. He walked over and asked, "Why are you crying now?"

Sarika wiped her tears and said, "Nothing… This is nothing new for me. Sometimes, it feels like these tears have become my friends—they always come to share my sorrow."

Hearing this, Adrijay, irritated, said, "Please, Sarika, stop trying to make me feel guilty! You always act as if you’re the only one suffering. Do you think none of us have problems? For God’s sake, stop portraying yourself as a helpless victim! I stood up to Maa for you, didn’t I? Then why are you still crying? Will you say something or not?"

Sarika looked at him with disbelief, pointed at the food, and said, "Nothing… I’ll just go check on the kids."

Saying this, she quickly wiped her tears and walked away.

After she left, Adrijay realized his mistake and, frustrated, slammed his fist on the dressing table, muttering, "Damn it! I always mess things up!" He then sat on the bed, closing his eyes in frustration.

Meanwhile, Sarika, crying in the corridor, leaned against the wall and sobbed, Did I ask him to say all that to Maa Ji? I was trying to stop him, but he… He blamed everything on me. This is why I never trust him—because I know he will never truly accept me. Then why does he play with my emotions? What does he get from doing this? Why? Ji, why do you always do this to me? She broke down, sobbing.

After some time, once she felt a little calmer, she wiped her tears and walked toward the kids' room.

Days passed, and the distance between Sarika and Adrijay had grown even more. Sarika had completely stopped facing Adrijay, and whenever she had something to say, she conveyed it through the children. This started to irritate Adrijay. On the other hand, Devansh and Vishakha’s life had returned to normal. As promised, Devansh would help Vishakha after coming home from the office. Meanwhile, Vishakha had also let go of her feelings regarding Adrijay. Adrijay had apologized to Devansh, and Devansh forgave him.

As for Yamini Ji, Sarika was still responsible for preparing her meals, as Vishakha only took care of herself and Devansh. Thus, all of Yamini Ji’s tasks were still managed by Sarika. Since the incident that day, Vishakha and Sarika had not spoken at all. Vishakha had also stopped talking to Yamini Ji and focused only on her own matters. This attitude started bothering Yamini Ji, but she remained silent because she didn’t want to lose Vishakha and Devansh.

Time passed quickly, and soon, the day of Navami arrived.

That morning, everyone bathed early and gathered in the temple. The hall was filled with little girls, and among them sat our beloved langoor Tanishq, eagerly waiting for his share of halwa puri.

Langoor is a boy who sits with the girls during Kanya pujan/kanjak Pujan in Navami. Navami before Dussehra, also known as Maha Navami, is the ninth and final day of Navratri and holds great spiritual and historical significance. It is the day before Vijayadashami (Dussehra), which marks the victory of Lord Ram over Ravan and Goddess Durga over Mahishasura.

Many devotees perform a havan (fire ritual) to seek divine blessings and eliminate negativity. Worshiping young girls (symbolizing Goddess Durga’s forms) with a langoor is a key ritual, especially in North India. It is the second last day of Durga Puja, with grand processions, cultural events, and rituals leading up to the immersion of Goddess Durga's idol on Dashami. Maha Navami symbolizes the final battle between good and evil, setting the stage for the celebration of Dussehra, the ultimate victory of righteousness.

After completing the recitation, Sarika called Tanishq and the other girls to the temple for the aarti. As she started the aarti, women from the neighborhood who had come to take girls for the ritual also joined in.

As Sarika hummed the aarti, one by one, everyone stepped forward to take part. Once it was completed, she moved through the house with the aarti flame before placing the plate in front of Goddess Durga and inviting everyone to take blessings.

Just then, a woman remarked, “Yamini Ji, wasn’t this Vishakha’s first Navratri? Shouldn’t she have performed the aarti? Why did Sarika do it instead?”

Hearing this, Yamini Ji glanced at Vishakha, who averted her gaze. Yamini Ji sighed deeply and was about to respond when Sarika interrupted, smiling, “Aunty, please come to the hall because you have to take all the girls to your home for the Puja, and uncle also has to leave for the office, right? So, let's go.”

The woman smiled at her and nodded before heading toward the hall. Vishakha let out a silent sigh of relief, briefly glancing at Sarika before following them.

When Sarika entered the hall, Adrijay looked at her and said, “Sarika, we need to prepare for washing the girls' feet. Tell me what to do—I’ll help you.”

Without looking at him, Sarika simply replied, “No need, I’ll manage,” and walked away.

Adrijay stood there, watching her leave, feeling the weight of guilt settle over him.

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I know all of you feel that the story has come back to where it started, but that’s not the case. Please try to see things from Sarika’s perspective—she made a promise to someone, and she is fulfilling it, which is why she doesn’t want any conflicts in the house. But from this part onward, everything that happens will definitely make you love the story, and that’s a guarantee from me! So please, don’t be disappointed.

Next chapter is now updated in scrollstack.

Scrollstack I'd:- Ms_rose

Next chapter target:- 500 votes and 120 comments.