No matter how much Sejal tried to calm her racing thoughts, nothing was helping. The weight of everything her father had said still pressed heavily on her chest, suffocating her. Last night had been sleepless. She had tossed and turned in bed, trying to process the reality of what was happening.
Her family had made a decision—a decision she hadn't even been given the chance to oppose. And now, all that was left was for her to obey.
The sun had barely risen when she arrived at the hospital. She walked in, carrying a small bag of fruits in one hand, the other instinctively resting over her belly.
Her father, Ajit, was sitting upright in his hospital bed, his expression unreadable. Beside him, her mother, Kalpana, sat silently, her hands folded in her lap.