Mother of Me

Chapter 32: Crossroads of the Heart

A few days had passed since the chaotic arrest of Selvam. The storm had somewhat subsided, but the wounds both visible and invisible remained raw and bleeding.

Ratish lay in a private room at KG Hospital in Coimbatore, recovering from the gunshot wound to his shoulder. The bullet had been successfully removed, but he was still weak, with his arm in a sling and bandages wrapped tightly around his upper chest. The room smelled of antiseptic, fresh flowers, and the faint scent of hospital food.

The new Sangeetha sat on a chair right beside his bed, wearing a simple cream salwar kameez. For the first time in over a month, she was not wearing the mangalsutra. The gold chain that had felt like a heavy noose around her neck for so long was finally gone. Her neck felt strangely light. Her long hair was tied in a loose braid, and she wore only small earrings and a plain bindi. No sindoor in her parting.

In the corner of the room, the new Prakash (real Sangeetha) sat quietly on a plastic chair, watching everything with complex emotions swirling in his eyes.

The new Sangeetha held Ratish’s hand gently, her thumb stroking the back of his palm. Ratish looked at her with soft, loving eyes, still weak but full of warmth.

“You saved me that day,” she whispered. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

Ratish smiled tiredly. “I would do it again… a thousand times.”

A heavy silence filled the room. The new Sangeetha took a deep breath. She had been thinking about this decision for the past two days , a leap that the real Sangeetha might never have taken, but one she felt was right.

“Ratish …” she began, her voice soft but determined. “I need to tell you something important.”

She looked at the new Prakash in the corner, seeking silent permission. He gave a small, hesitant nod.

“I… I have decided something,” she continued, looking back at Ratish. “After everything that has happened… I want you and me to get married.”

Ratish’s eyes widened in shock. He tried to sit up, wincing in pain.

“Sangeetha… what are you saying? You… you have a husband. Even if he is arrested, you are still married.”

She shook her head gently. “That marriage was never real in my heart. And now… it’s over. I want to start a new life. With you. If you will have me.”

The new Prakash in the corner looked completely astounded. His mouth opened slightly, but he remained calm, processing the words. Shame, surprise, and a strange understanding flickered across his face. This was his mother’s body speaking… but the decision came from the boy inside it.

Ratish was speechless for a long moment. Tears welled up in his eyes.

“You… you would really marry someone like me? A widower with a small daughter? After everything you’ve suffered?”

The new Sangeetha smiled softly, though her heart was heavy. “Yes. I would.”

Later that evening, when Ratish had fallen asleep due to painkillers, the new Sangeetha and the new Prakash stepped out into the hospital corridor for a private conversation.

They stood near the window, looking out at the darkening Coimbatore sky.

“Amma… what are you doing?” the new Prakash asked quietly, still in shock. “Marriage? With Ratish? We are going to switch back soon. How will this work?”

The new Sangeetha turned to him, her eyes filled with a mother’s wisdom that had grown even stronger during this ordeal.

“Listen to me carefully, Prakash. When we switch back, you will return to your body… and I will return to mine. But my life Sangeetha’s life will be completely changed because of everything that happened. Selvam is gone. The trauma remains. I don’t want my real self to live the rest of her life alone and broken.”

She took a deep breath.

“Ratish truly loves Sangeetha. He has shown it again and again. He is kind, respectful, and caring. He will treat her me with love. I want my real mother to finally experience happiness after so many years of suffering. That’s why I made this decision. Right after the marriage registration, we will go to Meera and reverse the switch.”

The new Prakash stared at her, his eyes glistening. “But… what about me? I’ve grown close to Priya. She makes me happy in this body.”

The new Sangeetha smiled sadly and placed a hand on his cheek her own cheek from the original body.

“I know. The switch has changed both of us completely. You have experienced freedom. I have experienced what it truly means to be a woman, a mother, a wife. We have helped each other understand sides of life we never knew. But we cannot stay like this forever. We have to return to who we really are.”

She squeezed his hand.

“Whatever happens after the switch… we will face it together. As mother and son again. But this time, with much more love and understanding.”

The new Prakash nodded slowly, tears falling down his cheeks. He pulled her into a tight hug son hugging mother, even though their bodies were reversed.

“I understand, Amma,” he whispered. “Thank you for thinking about my happiness… even when you were suffering so much.”

Back in the hospital room, Ratish stirred awake. The new Sangeetha sat beside him again, holding his hand.

She had set her path.

A new beginning not just for herself, but for the real Sangeetha who would return to this body soon.

The switch had changed their lives entirely.

It had broken them.

It had healed them.

And now, it was time to return… carrying the lessons, the pain, and the unexpected love they had found along the way.