The Hidden Chapters -25

 

With that, I stopped it and got up again. His eyes clearly states he is very horny and he is not done yet. As my petticoat knot, became loose, I tightened it again and he is staring at me as to how easily I tied the knot and adjusted it. As I am moving towards my clothes, he pulled me back and made me lie on bed. He lifted petticoat and stated playing with my shrunken penis. I am totally with shame as I compared my penis with his size. I am ashamed and he is loving it.

I just told him, Manoj, I am very tired, can we please stop for now ? but Manoj responded pinching my ass.

I understood, he is planning to fuck me more now. Though I am afraid, but I realised I need to go through it. He extended his arms to cupboard and pulled oil and applied to my ass and to his penis as well. Now he opens up and tells me that I am big fan of your ass since the day I saw you.

This time, he asked me to keep pillow under my belly, so that It wont hurt me. I really liked and thanked him for his care towards me.

Suddenly, he placed one slap on my ass. Its exactly in the center, half of his hand on my left butt and half of my right butt. I requested me to be gentle and feeling ashamed but he is loving it.

He spread my ass butt and opened my hole with his thumb. I requested him to be gentle. He placed his penis on my anus and I remembered the incident of last night & had goosebumps. He is gentle while entering the tip of his penis in my ass and I felt good sensation. Suddenly with all his strength, he pushed his entire penis in my ass hole. Knowing how thick and big his penis, its literally tearing me apart. I controlled my scream by holding the blanket. He started slapping my left butt. I requested him to stop, but felt another slap on right butt. I accepted that now I am his wife and woman to him.

Its nice sensation but lot of pain. The more I am requesting him, I getting slap. He is acting like wild animal and uncontrollable energy. Each push is much deeper than the previous one. I observed my reflection on the wardrobe mirror. I am with fair skin and Manoj with dark skin riding on me like a powerful man and I ended up giving my ass to him. Felt like small in front of him and at his mercy.

He is not showing any signs of tiredness while I am exhausted fully. Slowly I closed my eyes and now I started enjoying it and whenever I am feeling less pain, he is pushing me hard making me realise that he is man. Room is filled with my moans and sounds of pachak-pachak coming with his each push while riding on me. He continued for nearly 30 minutes and at last his warm juices filled in my hole.

He collapsed on me and rested on me for some time. Eventually, the room grew quiet, and we simply lay beside each other, catching our breath.

When his breathing became normal, he came on my other side and observed my wet eyes . He pulled me closer to his chest and kissed on my forehead and mentioned that he is in total love with me and that’s the reason he gets excited.

After a few peaceful moments, since I was only my orange cotton petticoat I covered my self with blanket, picked panty, bra and wore it. Removed cotton petticoat before getting off the bed. I quietly cleaned myself, then gently helped Manoj clean up as his penis. What surprised me is that with my each touch, his penis is getting stronger. I got totally amazed at his stamina. He pulled me again and this time, I firmly told him to stop as I don’t have energy left in me as you have teared my body completely.

When I looked down at the petticoat afterward, I couldn't help but let out a soft, helpless smile. What shocked me is the blood stains on petticoat when I looked at it.

"Well... I definitely can't wear this again today," I murmured.

Manoj looked at me with an amused grin. He mentioned that I am no longer virgin now and you are complete now as my wife.

As I got up towards washroom, he reached for my hand and gently pulled me closer. This time there was no teasing, only quiet affection. He kissed my forehead, and held me close against his chest.

"I love you, Bala," he whispered. "Sometimes I get carried away... but only because I love being with you."

Hearing those words, I smiled, closed my eyes, rested my head against him and my hand started playing with his chest hair. For a little while, neither of us spoke, simply enjoying the comfort of the quiet Sunday morning together.

As I looked down at myself as I am feeling sticky and uncomfortable. With a small sigh, I turned to Manoj."I think I need a bath." He smiled. "Me too."

A few minutes later, we stepped into the bathroom & Manoj handed me the soap & asked me to help him with his back and shoulders. I laughed and obliged, while I made sure he finished his bath first so that I could take my time and clean myself properly afterward.

I came out of the bathroom with a towel tied neatly around my breasts like a lady, and adjusted it carefully as I walked back into the room. Manoj already slipped into a fresh T-shirt and a pair of shorts.

I stood in front of the wardrobe, staring at the neatly folded clothes.

"What should I wear?" I wondered aloud.I turned toward him. "Should I wear a T-shirt and shorts?" The smile on Manoj's face vanished at once. He looked at me with clear irritation, and anger tone.

"No," he said firmly. "When you are with me, don't think you are a man," he said, his voice edged with anger. "You are my wife and woman for me."

His words made me go quiet and bent down my head. "You should wear a saree or a proper nighty with a petticoat."

I turned back to the wardrobe, wondering whether to choose a nighty or saree.

I nodded. " ok my hubby! you decide." He walked over to the wardrobe with enthusiasm, carefully checking the sarees.

At last, he held up a soft pink cotton saree.“This one.”

I looked at it and smiled. “The pink one?” He nodded. “Simple. Soft. And it will suit you beautifully.”

He picked up the matching blouse, then frowned. “Hmm… this won’t fit.”I glanced at it and shook my head. “It’s not my size.”

Then I remembered Sindhu showing me the ready-made blouse section.

“Oh,” I said, opening the cupboard. “I have one here.”

I found a blouse that matched perfectly and held it up.“There. This should do.”

Manoj’s smile returned. “Perfect.”He reached for the lower shelf and pulled out a matching petticoat, checking it with obvious satisfaction.“And this too.”

He shrugged. “If I’m choosing the saree, I might as well do it properly.”

He placed the saree, blouse, and petticoat on the bed, looking far too pleased with himself.

I glanced at the neatly arranged clothes and then back at him.

“What about bra & panty?” I asked, my tone light but curious.

For a second, he looked caught off guard. Then a slow smile spread across his face.

“That,” he said softly, “is your choice.”. I just laughed back at him, you don’t ask me when removing, but telling me now its my choice. I know I made him happy by letting him know he is a man with penis.

Then I pulled open another drawer and took out my lingerie. After a quick glance, I selected a skin-coloured bra and panty set and placed it neatly with the saree, blouse, and petticoat on the bed.

“There,” I said, turning back to him with a small smile. “Now I’m all ready.”

“Happy now?” I asked.He nodded. “Very.”

I gathered the clothes in my arms and looked at him with mock seriousness.

“Fine,” I said. “Wait outside for five minutes.”

He folded his arms. “Five whole minutes?”

“Yes.”“That’s cruel.”

I smiled, closed the door. Started with bra, panty, petticoat and blouse.continued draping the pink saree.Almost ten minutes later, I opened the bedroom door. The soft pink cotton saree draped neatly, its pleats falling perfectly at the center just as Sindhu had taught me. The pallu rested gracefully over my shoulder, and the glass bangles on my wrists.

Almost ten minutes later, I opened the bedroom door. Manoj looked up—and simply froze.

His gaze lingered on the small red bindi on my forehead before settling on the mangalya chain resting against my breast.

"I don't think I've ever seen anyone look this beautiful."

My cheeks warmed instantly."It's just a simple cotton saree."

"No," he said softly. "It's the way you're wearing it."

I looked down shyly and instinctively adjusted the edge of my pallu.

" I said. "It's almost lunchtime." He sighed dramatically.

"I suppose I'll have to share my beautiful wife with the rest of the house for a little while."

He smiled and pulled me into a warm embrace.

The moment I rested against him, his hand slid gently along my back before settling at my ass crack over the soft folds of my saree. I closed my eyes for a second, enjoying the quiet comfort of being in his arms.

"Thank you," I whispered.He smiled.

"But I'm still not ready to forgive you," I added, looking up at him. "You are very far rough with me and please be gentle next time.”

The Hidden Chapters -24

 

I shook my head and left the room before he could protest. While leaving the room I could sense that he was looking at my ass, so immediately I pulled my pallu, covered my ass and tucked it to waist. I also felt its difficult for me to walk fast due to things happened yesterday night and I am swaying my ass naturally.

A few minutes later, after discussing lunch with the cook, I prepared a cup of tea and carried it to the bedroom I bolted the door.

Manoj was sitting on the bed, waiting and watching me as I am walking. I can sense he is looking at my saree pleats and specifically looking at the safety pin. Immediately, I covered it with edge of saree pallu.

"Finally," he said dramatically. “It’s only been ten minutes." "Felt much longer."

I handed him the cup, but instead of taking it completely, he held the handle and gestured for me to sit beside him.

We ended up sharing the same cup, taking turns sipping the tea while talking about nothing important and he casually keeping his hand on saree pleats and feeling the softness of saree rubbing over it and occasionally keeping his hand between my saree pleats and asked me what is there beneath saree pleats. I softly hit him on his hands and told him “you know very well”. And now he started counting saree pleats. I looked into his eyes and pleaded him to stop it.

Then, Manoj placed cup on the side table, and placed kiss on my lips. My eyes are becoming heavy and this time he bit my lower lip and I could only let out small moan out of pain.

I literally begging him to stop as I my body is aching so much but in unknowingly playing along with his actions. I just told him, “Manoj you are shameless and you don’t have any mercy on me”

This made him further excited, and he pulled me and made me lie on bed and removed my pallu.

While kissing me passionately, Manoj started removing the blouse hooks one by one. He started kissing my neck and tried to remove bra. My eyes were becoming heavy and moaning. And at the same time requesting him to stop. But all my requests went to thin air. But unfortunately, he could not remove bra and he kept kissing my neck and biting my lips. After 5 mins, when he could not remove bra, he looked at me and we both smiled at each other. I just took my hand back and some small sound of click sound came and bra got unhooked.

Manoj could see my breasts and told him it has sweat. But Manoj mentioned it does not matter as I can enjoy it only for couple of more hours and after 5.00 PM it might become normal. Manoj could not control and pounced on it like a hungry lion. I am not sure how to respond or how to react as I am getting both the pleasure and severe pain. He is literally biting and sucking. He is taking turns. While sucking right boob, playing with the left and while sucking left, playing with the right. I am just controlling his head. I covered him with my saree pallu and started tapping his back,when-ever he is biting badly. He is acting like as hungry baby who got breasts after waiting for long time. After some time, he looked at my face and observed that I have sweat all over forehead. He looked into my eyes and softly mentioned “ I love you Bala”, with that I again pulled him close to my right boob and this time I kept it in his mouth & kissed him on his forehead.

Manoj started rubbing my bare back and slowly moved his hand till the ass crack and poking me harshly over the layers of saree. Later, he started pressing my butt very badly. This is really giving me goosebumps and I pushed him away. But Manoj pulled me back. Manoj took my hand and made me to put it on his penis. I quickly try to pull my hand back. I took the long breath and pulled down his track pant. With that Manoj took a small breath of relief as his track pant was making it uncomfortable for him. I looked at Manoj’s face and really surprised at his stamina.

Manoj took my hand and placed it again on his penis. This time, I have not pulled my hand back. I could feel heat coming from his dick. I felt its too big and I remembered how painful it was yesterday night when he inserted his hot flesh in my body. I started playing with it like a wife and suddenly I can feel some smell and I realised its his precum. With a firm grip on his big dick, I started stroke slowly and he is really enjoying it. He pulled me closer.

Manoj asked me to stand up and I did as per his request. He undraped my saree and asked me to remove petticoat. And I requested him not remove it as I told him that I don’t want you to see my penis when I am your dressed. He gave big laugh and I closed his mouth with one hand.

He gave me a kiss where I tied petticoat knot. And he lifted my petticoat and lowered down panty and observed that I am wearing sanitary pad over it. He asked me what is this for. I again told him “girly things and why you want to know?’. Later he kept his hands on my ass-crack and he poked my ass with his finger.

He gestured me to kneel down and I understood his intentions. So kneeled down as he is my husband. I roughly spread his legs in mocking anger & now it became easier for me to access his penis and balls. I started kissing his thighs but he is pushing my head towards his penis. Without any choice, I took his balls into my mouth. i kept one side of ball into mouth and other side later, kept rotating the way he played with my breast. But I am very gentle. I can feel that he started breathing very hard when I tried to put both balls at once. Slowly I moved my hand from his thigh to penis.

He kept saying “ Bala Darling” and it kept encouraging me.

I removed his balls from mouth and started licking his penis with tip of my tongue like we check the taste of cone ice cream. Manoj completely held his head high and closed his eyes. I felt that he is really enjoying, and I realised that I should not stop. Finally my lips around his penis and started to gently suck and holding his balls with my hand. He is moaning heavily and slowly lowered my mouth so get it completely in my mouth. I can feel his heavy breathing and I also knew that he is enjoying my first ever blow job.

I stopped it asked him, let me know when you are feeling to release sperm. But without answering my question, he pulled my head towards his penis and invited me to start sucking it again. Now his penis is completely in my mouth and he is pressing my cheek with his thighs. As I am doing for the first time, felt like throwing up as I am unable to breath.

With that, I stopped it and got up again. His eyes clearly states he is very horny and he is not done yet. As my petticoat knot became loose, I tightened it again and he is staring at me as to how easily I tied the knot and adjusted it. As I am moving towards my clothes, he pulled me back and made me lie on bed. He lifted petticoat and stated playing with my shrunken penis. I am totally with shame as I compared my penis with his size. I am ashamed and he is loving it.

The Hidden Chapters -23

 

After Sindhu left, the house felt unusually quiet. Manoj went to take a phone call in the balcony while I slowly walked back toward the bedroom, adjusting the edge of my saree carefully as I moved.

The bed was still messy from the night before. The crumpled bedsheet. The scattered pillows. The faint scent of perfume, sandalwood, and warmth still lingering in the air. Observed car keys that Manoj has given me as a gift also on corner of bed. And I kept it neatly on the side table.

For a few seconds, I simply stood there looking at it. I quickly began fixing the bedsheet, trying to distract myself. As I bent slightly to straighten one corner, the saree loosened a little at my waist. After adjusting the bed, started walking towards the dining table and cleaned. Felt lot of work to do and really started doing the lady of the house.

The vegetable basket needed sorting. A few grocery items had to be checked and completed the same.

 The washed clothes on the balcony had to be folded. So I took them to the bedroom and started folding. At one point, while folding the clothes, I picked up a bra that had been mixed into the laundry basket. The sight of it immediately brought back memories of Friday evening and everything that had changed since then.

Just then, Manoj also came to bedroom and noticed the expression on my face.

"What?" he asked, trying to look innocent. Instead of answering, I rolled my eyes and tossed the bra directly at him.

He caught it effortlessly. For a second, he looked at it, then at me.

A slow smile appeared on his face."You're mischievous," I muttered. "Me?" he laughed.With a teasing grin, he tossed bra back toward me.

As I continued folding the laundry, I came across the soft blue cotton petticoat I had worn with the cotton Mangalagiri saree the previous day.

For a moment, my hands paused. The sight of it immediately brought back memories of Saturday afternoon—learning to manage the saree properly, adjusting the pleats again and again, Sindhu's constant instructions, and the strange feeling of seeing myself dressed so differently.

I began folding the petticoat neatly and started feeling the softness of fabric. Unfortunately, Manoj noticed.

"Oh..." he said immediately with a knowing smile. "I remember that one."

I looked up cautiously."What?". He pointed toward the blue petticoat in my hands. "That one. I remember seeing it yesterday afternoon."

My cheeks warmed at once."Manoj!" He laughed."What? I'm only saying I remember it."

"You don't need to comment on every single thing."

"I disagree," he replied confidently. "Some things deserve appreciation."

I shook my head and continued folding the petticoat, refusing to encourage him further.

Manoj leaned back against the sofa and watched me for another moment.

"Honestly," he said, "it feels strange.""What does?"

"Yesterday afternoon you were trying so hard to figure out those saree pleats."

I smiled despite myself."I remember and now I know more about you.”

"And now look at you," he continued. "You're walking around the house like you've been wearing sarees your entire life."I folded the blue petticoat and placed it neatly on the stack.

"That's because Sindhu made me practice." "Maybe," Manoj replied softly.

"But I think you learned much faster." His tone had become gentler now.

For a brief moment, both of us remembered how much had changed. Then Manoj immediately ruined the serious mood.

"Still," he added with a grin, "I definitely recognized the famous blue petticoat."

I picked up a small hand towel and threw it directly at him.He burst out laughing.

"See? I knew that comment would get a reaction."

"You shouldn't be looking at a lady's innerwear."Manoj immediately raised an eyebrow.

"A lady's innerwear?" "Yes," I replied, trying to sound serious.

"That's not proper."He folded his arms dramatically and pretended to think about it.

"Maybe." Then a smile slowly appeared on his face.

"But I think husbands get an exception.""Oh really?" I asked.

Manoj stepped a little closer."Besides," he added softly, "you're my wife."

My face immediately grew warm.He laughed at my reaction."What? I'm just stating a fact."

I looked away and continued folding the clothes. And in a softer tone, I responded, you literally troubled me yesterday night”

"And anyway," he continued teasingly, "after everything we've been through this weekend, I don't think you're allowed to be shy around me anymore."

"Who made that rule?"

"Me."

"That doesn't count."

He grinned.

"It counts for me."

I picked up another piece of laundry to hide my smile.

Manoj watched me for a moment before speaking again, this time more gently.

"You know, my favourite part isn't the saree."

I looked up.

"Then what?"

His expression softened."Watching you make this place feel like home."

The teasing disappeared for a moment.And suddenly, standing there surrounded by folded clothes and ordinary household chores, the compliment felt far more intimate than any joke he had made all morning.

I gathered the neatly folded clothes into my arms and stood up carefully to arrange them in the cupboard. After finishing, observed myself in the mirror and checked my reflection.

First, I smoothed the saree pleats, running my palm over them to make sure they were aligned properly. Then I adjusted the safety pin near the pleats and tucked in a loose fold that had come out while doing chores. Next, I straightened the pallu over my shoulder, letting it fall neatly across the front before arranging its border so it sat evenly.

Finally, I checked the mangalya chain resting over my blouse and made sure it was visible and sitting properly, just the way Sindhu had instructed earlier.

Manoj stepped closer."You know what's funny?"

"What?"

"Yesterday you were asking Sindhu if the pleats looked right."

I laughed softly."And today?""Today you're correcting them without even looking."That observation made me pause.

Because he was right.Without realizing it, I had adjusted the pleats twice already.

The pallu too.The habits were becoming natural.

For a moment, I looked at my reflection in the wardrobe mirror.The cotton saree.The neatly arranged pleats.The mangalya chain resting over my chest.

The small red bindi.The woman in the reflection looked calm.

Manoj stepped behind me and wrapped his arms around my newly formed breast slightly caressing them. His chin rested on my shoulder as he admired our reflection in the mirror.

"You've been avoiding me all morning," he whispered.

I smiled softly. "I've been doing housework."

He laughed and held me a little closer.

"You're still tired, aren't you?"

I nodded and looked at him through the mirror.

"You were very rough yesterday and you know you literally tore my body and on top of that you tore both nighty and petticoat. you were like hungry lion" I said quietly. "I'm still feeling it today."

Manoj's teasing expression immediately softened,but i can feel he is feeling proud of himself.

"I know," he admitted. "I got little carried away."

"A little?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I was not aware of this side of your part ".

He laughed softly. "Okay... more than a little."

I turned slightly toward him and said, "I'm your wife. Why are you in such a hurry?"

His smile faded into something warmer. "I don't know," he replied honestly. "Maybe because I still can't believe you're here." 

I shook my head with a shy smile.

"We have plenty of weekends ahead of us."

For a moment, he simply looked at me, his eyes full of affection.

"I think that's exactly what I needed to hear," he said.

Standing there together in the quiet afternoon, neither of us felt any need to rush. The house was peaceful, and for the first time that day, we simply enjoyed being close to each other.

Just as Manoj pulled me closer and the conversation between us began turning more intimate, the cook's voice suddenly came from outside the room.

"Bhabhi?"

I immediately got alert and swiftly stepped away and adjusted my pallu.

Looking back once, I couldn't help smiling, because Manoj trying to hide his erected penis.

Manoj was clearly disappointed by the interruption.

His expression practically said that the cook had arrived at exactly the wrong moment.

I shook my head and left the room before he could protest.

The Hidden Chapters -22

 

Manoj was still lying on the bed, half awake. I quietly stepped inside and touched his feet gently. The moment I did, he opened his eyes. A soft smile immediately appeared on his face.

“Good morning,” he said warmly. Before I could move back, he slightly lifted his arm, silently asking me to come closer.I instantly glanced toward the door and stepped back instead.

“The door is open,” I whispered quickly, trying not to smile too much. “Freshen up first.”Manoj laughed softly under his breath, still looking at me with sleepy affection.

“Alright,” he said. I shook my head and walked out before he could tease me more. However I can feel that he is staring at my hips the way I am swaying my hips.

The moment I stepped outside, Sindhu noticed the confused smile on my face immediately.

“What happened?” she asked, though the amusement in her eyes suggested she already knew.

“Nothing,” I replied too quickly. That only made her smile wider.Just then, the cook arrived.

Sindhu shifted back into her practical tone and instructed him to prepare coffee for both of us.

Then she turned toward me again.“One more ritual is left,” she said. I looked at her curiously. “As the new bride of the house, you have to prepare something sweet and offer it to God as prasad.”

For a second, the words stirred an old memory inside me.I remembered the same ritual from years ago… the way my wife had once stood in a kitchen early in the morning, nervous and smiling, preparing sweet prasad after our marriage rituals.

Her voice softened slightly. “What happened?”I took a slow breath and gave a small smile.

“Nothing,” I said quietly. “I just remembered something.”She looked at me carefully for a moment… but didn’t ask further.

Instead, she touched my arm. “Come,” she said gently. “Let’s make the prasad together.” And she instructed me put some bangles as my hand looks very boring. After that ,Sindhu led me into the kitchen, the soft sound of her bangles mixing with the quiet clatter of utensils already arranged by the cook.

“Today you’ll make it,” Sindhu said, leaning lightly against the counter. “I’ll just help.”

I smiled nervously. “What if I spoil it?” “You won’t,” she replied immediately. “Not with me standing here.”. Her confidence made me relax a little.

I adjusted the edge of my saree properly at my waist and began roasting the rice slowly while the milk heated beside it. As I moved around the kitchen, the soft cotton saree shifted lightly, and the orange petticoat beneath became faintly visible near whenever I stepped forward.

Sindhu noticed and walked closer without saying anything at first, standing just behind me while I stirred the rice carefully.

“Careful,” she murmured softly near my ear. “The flame is too high.”

Before I could react, her hands reached around me to lower it slightly. Instead of moving away, she stayed there, close enough for me to feel the warmth of her body behind mine.

Her arms around my waist in a brief, playful hug, making my hands pause over the spoon. A second later, she pressed a soft kiss near the side of my neck—gentle, teasing, just enough to send a quiet shiver through me.

“You’re doing well,” she whispered. “Add the Jaggery slowly,” she instructed softly, her hand settling over mine for a moment. “Like this.”

I followed quietly.  Now, Sindhu stayed close to me. Her fingers lingered around my waist and occasionally smoothing pleats and touching my penis over the saree pleats.

“You really look comfortable in a saree now,” she said softly. “You taught me,” I replied with a shy smile.“Hm,” she murmured. “Maybe I taught you too well.”Her fingertips briefly brushed one of the faint marks near my neck again. She smiled knowingly when I immediately lowered my gaze.

“And these…” she whispered teasingly, “make you look even more like a newlywed bride.”

“Sindhu…” I said softly, embarrassed.“What?” she asked innocently.

Then she leaned closer once more and placed another light kiss near the same spot before finally stepping back.

“Now focus,” she laughed quietly. “Or the payasam will burn because of me.”

The kitchen slowly filled with the sweet smell of milk, ghee, and cardamom.

The quiet intimacy of the kitchen no longer startled me the way it had earlier. I still felt shy under her touches and teasing, but I no longer moved away from them either. Somewhere between the cooking, the soft morning light, and her constant closeness, I had slowly stopped resisting the comfort of her presence.

Finally, I switched off the stove. Sindhu smiled with satisfaction and handed me a small silver bowl.“One last thing before offering it,” she said.

I looked at her curiously.“Go to the garden and pluck a few tulsi leaves,” she instructed softly. “Fresh ones.”

I nodded and stepped outside toward the small garden near the courtyard. The morning air felt cool against my skin. My saree moved lightly around my ankles as I bent carefully near the tulsi plant.

I gently plucked a few fresh leaves and placed them carefully into the silver bowl before returning inside.

Sindhu was already arranging the pooja plate by the time I came back.“Good,” she said approvingly when she saw the leaves. She guided me toward the pooja room and motioned for me to place the tulsi before the idols.“Now put a little into the payasam too,” she instructed quietly. “It becomes complete only then.” I followed carefully while she watched beside me.The diya flame flickered softly in the still room.Sindhu then handed me the aarthi plate..

“Do the aarthi,” she said gently. “Slowly.”I lifted the plate with both hands and circled it before the idols while the small bells nearby chimed softly. The warm light from the diya reflected against the gold of my mangalya chain resting visibly over my saree, just the way Sindhu had instructed earlier.

As I finished, Sindhu stood beside me silently for a moment, watching.

Then she smiled softly. “Now,” she whispered, “it truly feels like a home.”

As I completed the aarthi, Manoj entered quietly, freshly dressed in a simple white t-shirt and loose track pants, his hair still slightly damp after his bath.

His eyes slowly moved from the pooja plate in my hands to the orange saree draped around me.

“So the new bride has already completed all the rituals?” he asked softly.

Before I could answer, Sindhu replied proudly from beside me.“Bala even made the payasam.” Manoj looked genuinely impressed.

“Really?” he asked, stepping closer.

The calm Sunday morning made everything feel slower and more relaxed than usual. After finishing the prayers, all three of us moved toward the dining table where the cook had already arranged breakfast.The smell of fresh dosa, chutney, and coffee filled the room.

Sindhu served the payasam into small silver bowls while Manoj sat across from me, still unusually quiet.

But slowly I began noticing Manoj’s gaze drifting toward me again and again.

At first I ignored it.Then I realized what exactly he was watching. While eating, the saree had loosened slightly near my waist. Every time I leaned forward for the coffee or reached toward the serving bowls, a small glimpse of my waist and navel became visible before the pallu slipped back naturally into place.

Manoj noticed every single time. Once, when I adjusted the plate near him, I caught him staring for a second too long. After breakfast, I slowly got up to help clear the table, still walking carefully.

Sindhu immediately noticed.“Sit,” she instructed softly. “You’re still tired.”

Just then, her phone rang.The relaxed mood shifted the moment she answered.

“Hello?”Her expression changed almost immediately.“What happened?”Both Manoj and I looked toward her. She listened silently for a few moments before speaking again, calmer this time.

“Okay… don’t panic. I’ll come. ”The call ended.“What happened?” Manoj asked.

Sindhu exhaled slowly and rubbed her forehead lightly.

“My mother slipped while taking bath,” she said. “They admitted her to the hospital.”

I immediately stood up straighter.“Is she alright?” I asked.“Yes,” Sindhu replied quickly. “My brother said there’s no danger. It’s just a small fracture probably… but I can’t stay here now.”

The warmth of the morning suddenly felt interrupted.“I’ll come with you,” Manoj offered immediately.

Sindhu shook her head.“No, stay here,” she said softly. “There’s already enough people at the hospital.”

Then she turned toward me.“And you,” she added gently, stepping closer, “Can you finish all the pending household work.”Her fingers instinctively adjusted my pallu and covered my bra which is slightly coming from the blouse.

“And be safe.” At the door, she turned once more. “Call me if you need anything,” she said to both of us.

After Sindhu left, the house felt unusually quiet. Manoj went to take a phone call in the balcony while I slowly walked back toward the bedroom, adjusting the edge of my saree carefully as I moved.