It was morning time. The faint light of the sun was coming in through the window curtains, but even in that light there was a strange coldness. The rest of the people in the house had woken up, but Merry was lying silently in her room. Her eyes were open, but she did not want to get up.
Today she had made a decision — *she will not do anything*.
No kitchen work, no cleaning, no service to anyone. Today she will just see what the family does if she remains silent.
After some time, voices started coming from outside.
"Hey, go and check, has she still not gotten up?" a woman's sharp voice came.
The other replied, "Don't know how long she will sleep. She has no shame at all."
After a while, the room door was opened forcefully. A sharp look was cast at Merry.
"It's been so long, and you are still lying down? What are you doing here?"
Merry closed her eyes, as if she was still sleeping. She did not give any answer.
"See? She has become completely shameless. No answer, no work!"
The taunts kept increasing.
Every single word was piercing Merry's heart like an arrow.
But today she was silent.
She just held back the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Leave her. Today we ourselves will do everything," someone said angrily.
And then truly, the family members themselves cooked the food, themselves ate it.
Even while leaving they kept saying—
"Her mind has gone bad!"
"She needs to be fixed!"
Till evening, a strange silence hung over the house.
Merry did nothing the whole day. No talk with anyone, no reaction.
But a storm was raging inside her.
"For how long?"
This question kept rising in her heart again and again.
The next morning, without telling anyone, Merry took a little of her belongings and went to her parental home.
When Merry reached her parental home, her father opened the door.
As soon as he saw his daughter, both surprise and pain came into his eyes.
"Merry? You suddenly… is everything alright?"
Merry remained silent.
Everything was written in her eyes.
Her father made her sit inside, gave her water.
Then slowly asked, "What happened, beta?"
And then…
Merry broke down.
She laid out all the pain of her heart in front of her father.
Every taunt, every humiliation, every day's sorrow.
Her father kept listening quietly.
Tears came out from his eyes.
"Everyone had forbidden… but I did not listen," he said slowly.
"I got your marriage done there… I myself ruined your life…"
Merry immediately said, "No papa, don't say that…"
But her father's guilt was not decreasing.
"Now you will not go back," he announced his decision.
"You will stay here, with me. Now I will not send you back to that hell."
Merry looked at him.
In her heart there was peace too… and confusion too.
Days started passing.
Then weeks…
Then months…
Almost 2–3 months had passed.
Merry now started looking a little better.
Her body also seemed fuller than before.
A little weight had increased, a light glow had come on the face.
But the pain inside her was still alive.
One day suddenly, a man from her in-laws' side came to their house.
"Namaste," he said.
"Just came to check on you."
He looked at Merry —
And his gaze stopped for a moment.
"She has changed a lot…" he thought to himself.
He drank water, had some formal talk, and went back.
When that man reached back at the in-laws' house, all the people were waiting for him.
"Tell us, how is she?"
He paused for a bit,
"She… is fine… but…"
"But what?" everyone asked together.
"She has become a little fat… and… it seemed like…"
"Like what?"
"Like her stomach was a little protruding…"
Complete silence spread in the house.
The same question came to everyone's mind —
"What if she is pregnant?"
One woman immediately said,
"That's why she hasn't come back for so many months!"
Another said,
"Definitely she has done something wrong at her parental home!"
The seed of doubt had been sown.
And now it was slowly turning into poison.
A few days later, some people from the in-laws' house came to her parental home to take Merry.
"Come on, enough now. Come home," they said directly.
Merry's father immediately refused,
"My daughter is not going anywhere!"
But then he looked towards Merry—
"Beta, if you don't want to go, then I will refuse."
Merry became silent.
A lot was going on in her mind—
"How long will I stay here?"
"Tomorrow my brother will get married…"
"Then will I become a burden?"
She took a deep breath.
"Papa… I will go," she said slowly.
Father tried to stop her, but Merry made him understand.
And then…
She started walking back towards that same house—
From where she had once come back broken.
As soon as Merry reached her in-laws' house, all the people started looking at her.
"What's the matter… you've become quite fat," someone said laughing.
"Seems like papa took great care of you," another taunted.
Merry only listened to their words…
But didn't say anything.
She started her work again.
But this time…
Something inside her had changed.