Hiya sat on the bed, her fingers nervously tracing the rim of her tea cup. Dev was beside her, but she could tell his heart was beating just as fast.
"You don't have to tell them today," he whispered, brushing her knuckles.
"I do," she replied softly. "They deserve to know… before anyone else."
She took a deep breath and dialed.
The screen lit up: Riddhi di.
The call connected.
"Hiyaaaa!" Riddhi's cheerful voice rang through the speaker. "We were just talking about you two! How's your midterm madness going?"
Hiya smiled nervously. "It's… it's more than that."
Riddhi paused. "What happened?"
Dev leaned in, placing a steady hand on Hiya's thigh.
Hiya's voice wavered. "didi… I'm pregnant."
For a moment, the line was silent.
Then came a soft gasp — choked, tearful. "Oh, my baby girl… Oh, sweetheart."
"I'm scared," Hiya admitted. "I don't know how I'll do it. The studies, the… everything."
"You won't do it alone," Riddhi said, her voice thick with emotion. "Not for a single moment."
"Ma… I haven't told her yet."
"You don't have to. I will." Then a pause. "Wait—Dev? Put him on."
Dev took the phone.
"Yes, didi?"
"You take care of her. Better than you ever have. She's strong, but now she's carrying your world in her. Promise me."
"I promise."
Riddhi's voice softened. "We're coming. Soon."
Three days later
A group video call.
Hiya sat between Dev and Riddhi, looking at Ma, Baba, and Dev's elder brother on the screen.
Tears. Laughter. Blessings whispered in Bengali and promises to visit soon.
Ma kept touching the screen like she could touch Hiya's cheek.
Then Ma said something unexpected.
"We've been planning something for a while."
Riddhi raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Baba smiled. "We bought a house."
Dev's jaw dropped. "A house?"
"Not just any house," said his brother. "It's near your university. Big enough for everyone. Business opportunities there too."
Riddhi blinked. "You mean…?"
"We're shifting. All of us. For six or seven years. You think we'd let Hiya carry all this alone?"
Hiya's hand flew to her mouth, eyes flooding instantly.
"You're our daughter," Ma said. "Not daughter-in-law. And we'll raise this child together."
Riddhi burst into tears beside her. "I'm coming too!"
Dev couldn't speak. He just looked at the screen, overwhelmed.
Hiya turned and buried her face into his chest.
That night, as the world slept around them, Hiya whispered against Dev's heart:
"You gave me love. They gave me a world."
He held her tighter.
"No, Hiya. You gave us all something to believe in."