Seeing that Vaishnu had injured her hand, Bhadran, who had applied medicine to her wound, gently lifted her and began to question her, looking at her face. "How did you get hurt, little one?" he asked very gently, but she looked fearfully at Janvi, who was standing to the side.
Bhadran looked at her suspiciously, but Vaishnu quickly changed her hand position, pointed to the stairs, and said with a sob, "Dad, I fell down from there." Bhadran shifted his gaze to the stairs and continued speaking thoughtfully.
"Really, little one? Tell me anything, I'll take care of it. How did you get hurt?" Bhadran asked again, suspecting that she might be afraid to tell him the truth.
She replied, "No, Dad, I slipped and fell while climbing up." Her eyes conveyed that it was the truth, so without asking anything further, he hugged her, lifted her, and went up the stairs to his room. Theeran and Mullai followed him.
Only after Bhadran left did Janvi release the breath she had been holding in fear. She had been afraid that the little mouse would betray her to Bhadran, and she felt relieved that she hadn't.
But she didn't know then that this relief wouldn't last. Bhadran opened his room door and went inside.
He laid Vaishnu down on his king-size bed, and he sat down with her. Immediately, Vaishnu rested her head on Bhadran's lap. Realizing that she was scared, he gently patted her back with his hands.
Mullai and Theeran, who had followed them inside, watched this and sat down on the sofa. Mullai's face had a strange expression. Her mind was replaying what had happened downstairs a short while ago. Because of those memories, an immeasurable fear swept across her face.
As Mullai was carrying Vaishnavi and climbing the stairs, Janvi stopped her halfway and stood defiantly in front of her.
Mullai looked at her questioningly. Janvi, however, looked at her from head to toe in a strange way and began speaking in an authoritative voice.
"Who are you? Why have you come into this house? And that too, after marrying my uncle? What exactly is your plan?" Janvi continued to bombard her with questions.
Mullai stared blankly. She had come to this house without understanding anything that was happening. And that marriage was an unexpected event. She was at a loss as to how to explain it to her.
Janvi looked at Mullai with disgust and asked, "Yes, these two children are yours, aren't they? Then you must already be married, right? Then why did you leave your husband and come with... my uncle? Did you perhaps leave your husband for money?" Mullai felt humiliated by this.
Before Mullai could open her mouth to say something, Vaishnavi, who had gotten down from her hip, started speaking. "Aunty, my father is dead, why are you asking about him? What exactly is your problem?" Vaishnavi asked.
She spoke up because she understood that Janvi was going to hurt her mother. However, Janvi, undeterred, laughed mockingly, "Oh! You don't have a father?" Looking at Mullai again, Janvi said with disgust, "Now I understand why you've come here. After your husband left, you're doing all this for physical pleasure and money. Are you seducing rich boys and running your family like this? You shameless woman! Ugh... Aren't you ashamed? You could hang yourself and die rather than live such a life!"
Mullai stood frozen like a stone statue. She didn't even know how to react. In all these days she had lived without a husband and with her children, she had faced countless insults and humiliations.
Even though she was in a foreign country with a different culture, some lecherous men there had insulted her many times in their attempts to get to her. Having overcome all that, Janvi's vile accusations brought tears to her eyes.
Janvi's words even reminded her of an incident that had happened many years ago. She stood there crying, unable to say anything.
Seeing Mullai crying, Vaishnavi angrily shouted, "Aunty, who are you first of all? Why are you scolding my mother? Apologize to my mother properly!"
Janvi, who cruelly enjoyed seeing Mullai cry, glared at Vaishnavi. She further said, "Hey little mouse, you're making too much noise! I've been watching you. You're getting too close to my uncle, aren't you? If I see you near my uncle again, I'll kill you and bury you," she threatened, without any regard for the child. When an angry Vaishnavi retorted, "He's my father, I will talk to him. Don't you interfere," Janvi glared at Vaishnavi and said, "Hey, listen when I tell you something..."
"Did you come for the money?"
Seeing that Vaishnu had injured her hand, Bhadran, who had applied medicine to her wound, gently lifted her and began to question her, looking at her face. "How did you get hurt, little one?" he asked very gently, but she looked fearfully at Janvi, who was standing to the side.
Bhadran looked at her suspiciously, but Vaishnu quickly changed her hand position, pointed to the stairs, and said with a sob, "Dad, I fell down from there." Bhadran shifted his gaze to the stairs and continued speaking thoughtfully.
"Really, little one? Tell me anything, I'll take care of it. How did you get hurt?" Bhadran asked again, suspecting that she might be afraid to tell him the truth.
She replied, "No, Dad, I slipped and fell while climbing up." Her eyes conveyed that it was the truth, so without asking anything further, he hugged her, lifted her, and went up the stairs to his room. Theeran and Mullai followed him.
Only after Bhadran left did Janvi release the breath she had been holding in fear. She had been afraid that the little mouse would betray her to Bhadran, and she felt relieved that she hadn't.
But she didn't know then that this relief wouldn't last. Bhadran opened his room door and went inside.
He laid Vaishnu down on his king-size bed, and he sat down with her. Immediately, Vaishnu rested her head on Bhadran's lap. Realizing that she was scared, he gently patted her back with his hands.
Mullai and Theeran, who had followed them inside, watched this and sat down on the sofa. Mullai's face had a strange expression. Her mind was replaying what had happened downstairs a short while ago. Because of those memories, an immeasurable fear swept across her face.
As Mullai was carrying Vaishnavi and climbing the stairs, Janvi stopped her halfway and stood defiantly in front of her.
Mullai looked at her questioningly. Janvi, however, looked at her from head to toe in a strange way and began speaking in an authoritative voice.
"Who are you? Why have you come into this house? And that too, after marrying my uncle? What exactly is your plan?" Janvi continued to bombard her with questions.
Mullai stared blankly. She had come to this house without understanding anything that was happening. And that marriage was an unexpected event. She was at a loss as to how to explain it to her.
Janvi looked at Mullai with disgust and asked, "Yes, these two children are yours, aren't they? Then you must already be married, right? Then why did you leave your husband and come with... my uncle? Did you perhaps leave your husband for money?" Mullai felt humiliated by this.
Before Mullai could open her mouth to say something, Vaishnavi, who had gotten down from her hip, started speaking. "Aunty, my father is dead, why are you asking about him? What exactly is your problem?" Vaishnavi asked.
She spoke up because she understood that Janvi was going to hurt her mother. However, Janvi, undeterred, laughed mockingly, "Oh! You don't have a father?" Looking at Mullai again, Janvi said with disgust, "Now I understand why you've come here. After your husband left, you're doing all this for physical pleasure and money. Are you seducing rich boys and running your family like this? You shameless woman! Ugh... Aren't you ashamed? You could hang yourself and die rather than live such a life!"
Mullai stood frozen like a stone statue. She didn't even know how to react. In all these days she had lived without a husband and with her children, she had faced countless insults and humiliations.
Even though she was in a foreign country with a different culture, some lecherous men there had insulted her many times in their attempts to get to her. Having overcome all that, Janvi's vile accusations brought tears to her eyes.
Janvi's words even reminded her of an incident that had happened many years ago. She stood there crying, unable to say anything.
Seeing Mullai crying, Vaishnavi angrily shouted, "Aunty, who are you first of all? Why are you scolding my mother? Apologize to my mother properly!"
Janvi, who cruelly enjoyed seeing Mullai cry, glared at Vaishnavi. She further said, "Hey little mouse, you're making too much noise! I've been watching you. You're getting too close to my uncle, aren't you? If I see you near my uncle again, I'll kill you and bury you," she threatened, without any regard for the child. When an angry Vaishnavi retorted, "He's my father, I will talk to him. Don't you interfere," Janvi glared at Vaishnavi and said, "Hey, listen when I tell you something..."