S*X IN SAREE |18+

—SOHINI—

"Maa—I—I'm pregnant."

My voice trembled as the words left my lips, barely above a whisper. The phone felt slippery in my palm, my other hand clutching the medical report so tightly that it crumpled at the edges. I stared blankly at the exit of the clinic, where couples walked out hand-in-hand, smiling, glowing—whole. They had hope. They had someone. I had no one.

"Are you sure?" Maa's voice came through the phone, hushed, like the truth could disgrace her if it got too loud.

"Yes. The doctor confirmed it." I swallowed hard, tasting salt and something bitter—shame? Grief? I didn't even know anymore. "Maa— I don't know what to do?"

There was silence for a moment. Then her answer came—clear, cold, and swift.

"Then sleep with Ritwik. Don't waste time. Tell him the child is his."

I stood frozen on the sidewalk, her words hitting me like a slap. My stomach churned.

"What?" I breathed out, the word cracked and broken. "Maa—I—I can't. I can't do that to him. I can't lie to him. I can't lie to my child."

I wasn't some heartless monster who could forge paternity like a forged signature on a paper. This wasn't a game. This was a life inside me.

"Then do whatever you want," she snapped, "but don't destroy this marriage. Don't shame us. Don't let your actions soil ours family's reputation."

I blinked, confused, hurt. "Maa—I'm breaking. I can't live like this anymore—"

"And what then?" she demanded. "You'll walk out of your marriage? Be a woman with no husband? You think society will spare you? We won't even be able to lift our heads in public!"

The tears came fast now, stinging my eyes like acid. I had never known my mother could be this cruel. I had never known I could feel this alone while still having a family.

3

"Please," she continued, "endure it. For me. For your father. For your younger brother. For your duty as a woman."

I bit down on my sob. There was no space for my pain. Not in her world.

"Do you understand?" she asked, and her voice sounded like stone.

I wiped my face with the back of my hand, my lips trembling. "Yes," I whispered, numb.

But then I asked the question that had been clawing at my throat.

"Maa—you didn't even ask whose child it is."

There was a pause. Then—

"It doesn't matter. Either it's Ritwik's. Or it's not existing at all."

I felt like I was going to vomit. Did she—did she really suggest I end this life? My child's life?

No. I couldn't.

So I chose the first option. Seduce Ritwik. Sleep with him. Lie. Perhaps it would fix our marriage. Perhaps I could make peace with it later. But I was wrong. So wrong.

That night, I walked into our bedroom, dressed in nothing but my bra and panties. My hands trembled as I stood before him. I'd never felt more humiliated. More filthy. I wasn't a wife. I wasn't a lover. I was just—a woman trying to sell her body to protect a lie.

"What's wrong with you?" Ritwik looked up, confused.

"I—I want to have a child," I forced a smile.

He stared for a moment, surprised. Then he smiled, a little too widely.

"Really?" he asked. "You do?"

I nodded, barely holding my composure. He got up from the bed, walked over to me. His hand cupped my cheek. His skin felt foreign. Wrong.

He whispered softly, "Don't be scared, Sohini."

And then he kissed me.

I closed my eyes and repeated a name in my head like a prayer. Vedant. Vedant. Vedant. The only touch that had ever felt real. The only man who had ever looked at me like I mattered.

Ritwik's mouth tasted of leftover dinner and desperation. When he reached behind and unhooked my bra, something snapped inside me. I couldn't do it.

I stepped back. "I'm sorry—I'm sorry—I can't do this." I grabbed the towel and fled into the bathroom.

I turned the cold water on full blast and scrubbed. Hard. Harder. Until my skin turned red and raw and the tears fell freely.

"Why am I suffering like this?" I sobbed, muffling the sound with my palm. I slid down to the tiled floor, my body trembling.

I knew Ritwik wasn't a bad man. But I couldn't stand his touch. My soul couldn't take it.

That's it, I decided. I'll tell him. I'll come clean. No matter what happens.

I dried myself, wrapped in the towel, and stepped back into the bedroom.

"Ritwik—I have something to tell you," I whispered, my fingers brushing his hand gently.

He looked at me briefly, then turned away and faced the wall.

"We'll talk some other time. I'm not in the mood," he muttered.

"It's urgent," I said, quietly.

"It can wait. You're not dying anyway," he replied coldly, pulling a pillow over his head.

The next morning, Ritwik had already left by the time I walked into the kitchen. The breakfast I made sat untouched. The lunchbox I'd carefully packed for him remained on the counter, still warm.

He was still upset — maybe angry that I'd rejected him last night. I didn't blame him, not really. I blamed myself more. For everything.

But there wasn't time to mourn. I pushed the thoughts away, threw on a saree, and caught the bus to work —

As soon as I stepped into the office building, I noticed something strange — music playing softly, murmurs of celebration, and sweet boxes being passed around with big smiles. Sweets. Dry fruits. A festive atmosphere, almost sacred.

"What's going on?" I asked the security guard as he handed me one of the decorated boxes.

He grinned. "Vedant sir asked to distribute these — he got engaged, maybe. It's a big day."

The box slipped from my hands and crashed to the floor.

It wasn't the sweets. It wasn't the music. It was that single word.

Engaged.

"Madam, don't worry. I've got plenty," the guard said, kindly handing me another box. "Just don't drop this one too."

I couldn't breathe.

I rushed to the supervisor's desk, barely aware of the people congratulating each other behind me.

She looked up from her chair and smiled. "Sohini? You look pale."

"Vedant—he's engaged?" My voice cracked.

"Yes! To a woman named Simran." She beamed. "Simran Arora. Do you know her?"

I nodded, my face frozen in something between grief and humiliation.

"I told him to marry her," I whispered. My voice wasn't mine anymore.

She frowned slightly. "Sorry?"

But I had already turned and walked away.

Every step echoed in my head.

I told him to move on. I handed him to someone else. I gave away the only man who ever truly loved me.

I broke. Right there in the stairwell, I sat down and cried like I hadn't since I was a little girl. Not the silent sobs I'd mastered over the years. This was loud, ugly, broken sobbing.

I had lost Vedant. And I'd done it to myself.

******

I don't know how I got into the cab. I don't remember dialing Ritwik's office. But soon enough, he stormed out to meet me outside his building, his expression laced with irritation and disbelief.

"You're seriously waiting for me here?" he snapped. "I told you we'd talk some other day. You never listen, Sohini!"

I took a deep breath. My chest ached, but I had to get it out. "I want a divorce, Ritwik."

His expression cracked. "What—what the hell are you saying?" he laughed, like I was telling him a joke.

But I didn't laugh.

"Divorce? Why? I treat you right. I respect you. I don't hit you. I don't cheat on you. What are you so unhappy about?"

"This isn't about abuse, Ritwik. It's about love. It's about how I feel like a ghost in my own home. You don't even see me."

He stared at me like I'd slapped him.

"I can't accept this. I won't. You're my wife, Sohini."

"You don't love me. You love the role I play in your life. The meals I cook. The laundry I do. The shirts I iron. That's all I am to you — a live-in maid you sleep next to."

"That's not true!" he grabbed my arms, anger rising. "If you leave, who will cook for me? Who'll pack my lunch? You know I can't eat outside food! Who's going to wash my whites? You think it's that easy to just leave?"

I stared at him. That's all I was to him.

Not a partner. Not a human being. Just convenience.

"Hire a maid, Ritwik."

"You're my wife!" he hissed. "What will people say? They'll assume I hit you. That I abused you. You want that? You want to ruin my image?"

I let out a humorless chuckle. "Tell them I cheated on you. That's the story you want, right?"

His jaw tightened. "You'd really say that about yourself? You'd destroy your own name? Your parents"

"I'm done protecting names that never protected me."

He went quiet.

"I'm pregnant," I said slowly, quietly. "And the baby isn't yours."

His mouth parted slightly. His hand fell away from my arm.

"You're—lying."

"I'm not." I pulled the gynecologist's report from my bag and placed it in his hands. "I'm keeping the child."

His eyes flicked across the report. I could see the blood drain from his face.

"You're too timid. Too—simple. You couldn't cheat on me." His voice was almost pleading.

"I did. I fell in love with someone who actually saw me. Who treated me like a person. Who loved me even when I didn't love myself."

His hand rose suddenly — and the slap stung more than I expected. Not because of the pain, but because of the disappointment. He'd finally become the man I'd feared he might be.

"You hit me?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

"I want to kill you," he shouted. "You're a whore. A filthy, lying slut."

"Yes, Ritwik," I said, bitterly. "Call me what you want. But the truth is — I gave myself to someone who gave a damn."

"You failed as a wife! You're disgusting!"

"I was never your wife. I was just— your unpaid help."

"Get out of my sight!"

"I was already gone long ago," I said, walking away from the man I once tried to make a life with. My cheeks burned, my heart broke, but for the first time in years — I felt free.

 My cheeks burned, my heart broke, but for the first time in years — I felt free

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Just a few more serious chapters left, babies. Hang in there with me, will ya?

Anyway—drop your suggestions for Vedant and Sohini's baby name in the comments! Also let me know—Team Babygirl or Team Babyboy?

I'm reading everything. Always. 🩷