Chapter 9: New Arrangements

True enough, giving brings returns.

From that night, Neha changed. She deleted and blocked the rishta guy’s number, her fingers trembling just a bit before she hit ‘block.’ She started calling me Bhaiya, sometimes even Daddy, giggling into my chest. She stayed after, curling up beside me, whispering sweet nothings in the dark.

But her possessiveness grew. She wanted me to spend the night more often. Priya was trusting—she wanted me home every night, but if I said there was work, she let it go. I checked her face for suspicion, but never found any. So time passed, and Priya’s due date drew near.