Chapter 1 — The Husband Who Never Looked Twice at a Saree
Arav and Meera had been married for three years. Their home was small, comfortable, and usually filled with the sounds of Meera singing while she cooked or Arav talking about work.
Meera loved sarees. She collected them in different colours—ruby red for festivals, pale yellow for ordinary mornings, and deep green for family celebrations. Her jewellery box held gold earrings, glass bangles, tiny bindis, and a necklace her mother had given her on her wedding day.
Arav, however, never understood the emotional importance of these things. To him, a saree was simply fabric, bangles were ornaments, and makeup was something that took too much time.
One evening, Meera stood before the mirror, adjusting her earrings.
“Does this green saree look good on me?” she asked.
Arav glanced up from his phone. “Yes, it looks nice.”
“You didn't even look properly!”
He smiled apologetically. “You always look nice, Meera. I don't know anything about matching jewellery.”
She laughed, but she wished he understood that dressing up was not merely about appearance. Sometimes, wearing a saree made her feel connected to her mother, her childhood, and the woman she had grown into.
A week later, Meera received news that she would need to travel to another city for an extended work assignment. Her parents, Vasundhara and Raghav, offered to stay with Arav so he would not have to manage the house alone.
Arav agreed without hesitation.
He did not realise that Meera's departure would change more than his daily routine. It would challenge everything he thought he knew about himself.
Emotional turning point: Arav watches Meera leave with her suitcase, wondering how he will manage without her.
Discussion (0)