Jaya was fuming. "How could that woman be so arrogant? She had let all her qualifications go to her head. Clearly, her husband and in-laws spoiled her too much. What an unscrupulous woman!"

Madhuri was taken aback by the curious and inquisitive gazes of those watching her. Her mother-in-law's lavish words towards the kind woman stirred up a storm of questions in Madhuri's racing heart. It had been ages since anyone had shown any concern for her worn-out spirit. In fact, it had been so long that she couldn't even remember what it felt like to receive empathy from someone.

"Drop it, Maa. Not everyone is fortunate enough," she said with a writhed smile.

Jaya turned to the younger woman with bewildered eyes. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Madhuri let out a warped chuckle and daubed a saccharine smile, bearing a remarkable resemblance to that of Jaya's smile whilst aiming daggers cloaked with velvet in her way.

"What I meant was, not everyone is fortunate enough to learn discipline at home, Maa. Some remain as free birds, and the others shoo and pelt at them. Let's go!"

Jaya could not deduce the arcane remarks of Madhuri. She acknowledged, mulling over the probabilities, and shuffled out of the hospital with Madhuri on her tail.

****

"But the doctor asked you to accompany me- "

"After hearing about that doctor from Maa, I have no desire to meet her. She must have felt embarrassed when Maa told her the truth, and she probably hoped I wouldn't confront her. If there was a way to get the reports without seeing her, I would have prevented you from having to encounter such an ignorant woman. Just go with Maa and retrieve your reports!" Sameer expressed his frustration with disdain.

"But- "

Sameer raised his opened palm, interrupting her from pursuing her efforts to persuade him.

"I don't have all the time in the world like you, Madhuri. There is a price for every minute of mine, unlike yours. Don't waste my time any further, because I will not accompany you," he said, turning to his laptop as he rolled his eyes in annoyance.

The unshed tears threaten to choke Madhuri as a suffocating knot forms in her throat, forcing her to swallow hard and bite down on her lower lip to hold back the sobs that threaten to escape from her heaving chest. She lowered her head in defeat, but his eyes remain glued to the laptop screen, failing to see the raw pain etched on her reddened face, just like the countless grievances that have been ignored and buried.

Madhuri stormed into the kitchen, her footsteps ringing like thunder against the tiled floor. With a fierce determination, she turned on the faucet and let the water roar loudly, drowning out the sobs that wracked her body. The kitchen bore witness to not only her failed culinary experiments, but also the slow decay of her once vibrant faith and the abandonment of joy and purpose in life. It had become a barren desert of despair, echoing with the hollow cries of a lost soul.

How long, she often wondered, and the reverberating 'forever' that echoed in her ears did nothing to allay her anxiety.

****

Vartika's kohl-lined eyes, filled with exhaustion and anxiety, gazed at the women sitting across from her. She had hoped that Madhuri would listen to her suggestion and bring her husband instead of her mother-in-law, who looked at Vartika with disgust and judgement. But here she was, once again catching glimpses of those same glares from the woman in question.

"Don't bother asking us to come back! You've already taken enough money from us!" exclaimed Jaya, her frustration and suspicion clear in her tone. Vartika was running out of options. She could either ask the older woman to wait outside while she delivered the news to her daughter-in-law, risking further anger and distrust, or she could tell them both at the same time. Taking a deep breath, Vartika chose the latter and delivered the diagnosis with a heavy heart.

"Madhuri, you have Gonorrhea and Trichomoniasis, both sexually transmitted diseases. I need to speak with your husband."

Jaya let out a sharp gasp, breaking the heavy silence that followed. Vartika could see her labored breathing and widened eyes, prompting an exasperated sigh from Vartika.

"These are completely treatable conditions. You will need medication- "

Jaya yanked Madhuri up by her arms, causing her to gasp in shock and momentarily forget the pain from Jaya's sharp nails digging into her skin and drawing blood.

"You ingrate, insolent, irresponsible woman! Ungrateful sl*t! You shameless, disgusting, gold-digger b*tch!"

Vartika stood up from her seat to keep the mother-in-law from expressing her fury through physical actions. "Madam! Please!"

Jaya's hand shot out like a viper, fisting in Madhuri's thick hair and yanking her head back until her neck arched painfully. With her other hand, she slapped her across the face, leaving an angry welt that stung like fire. Madhuri's body was wracked with sobs, each one accompanied by a sharp intake of breath as tears streamed down her face. The pain in her scalp was nothing compared to the searing ache in her chest, as if her heart was being squeezed in a vice grip.

Vartika had stopped Jaya from slapping her patient for the second time. "I won't entertain violence against my patients, Mrs. Shukla. Don't make me call the security!"

Jaya wrenched her hand out of Vartika's grip and grabbed her purse from the table. She regarded her daughter-in-law's frozen form for a moment before she spat in her direction and reached out for the doorknob. She left the door ajar for the patients and staff to hear her warning to Madhuri.

"Don't you dare show your face again! Go to the man that you slept with, forgetting your husband, you cheating b*tch!" she said, causing hushed murmurs to take over the lobby. She shut the door with a thud, startling her shattered daughter-in-law back to the real world.

She turned to Vartika with pooled eyes and held her hands in desperation. "I didn't do it! It wasn't me! Please believe me! I am not a cheater! I didn't- "

"Madhuri, Madhuri! I believe in you! Please calm down!" Vartika was trying to make her sit down when she crashed onto her knees.

"Am I not pleasing enough?" Madhuri's voice trembles with desperation and self-doubt, her hands balling into fists as she frantically searches for answers. "Did I fail in my duties? Was I not capable enough?" Her knuckles turn white from the force of her grip on her own arms, a physical manifestation of her inner turmoil. As tears stream down her wet cheeks, Vartika grabbed her hands to stop them from smacking against her crimson cheeks.

"Shh! Madhuri, please! Stop this! You did not cheat. It is not your fault. It is your husband's fault. He made the choice of cheating you!" said Vartika, wiping her tears.

"It's my fault. All of this is my fault!" Madhuri sobbed in response.