Chapter 18: The Taste of Betrayal
1058 Words
Three months of peace passed in the Malhotra house.
Three quiet, convincing months.
Everyone believed Lina had finally been accepted. Friends, relatives, even the servants whispered about how lucky she was—how her mother-in-law now loved her like her own daughter.
And that was exactly what her mother-in-law wanted.
Trust.
She had worn kindness like a perfectly tailored mask, gaining sympathy, loyalty, and belief—while letting Lina stand confidently on ground that was never real.
Only after the house was convinced did she begin her real game.
---
That day, Lina was in the kitchen.
Cooking always calmed her. The rhythm of chopping vegetables, the soft bubbling of curries—it reminded her of simpler times, when life had depended only on her own strength.
The servants moved in and out, but Lina handled most of the cooking herself. She wanted the food to be perfect.
Unnoticed, her mother-in-law passed by the kitchen doorway. With a slight nod, she signaled one of the junior helpers.
A small packet changed hands.
And just like that, peanuts were added to the food.
In the Malhotra house, peanuts were forbidden.
They were never bought. Never stored. Not even allowed to enter the gate.
Everyone knew why.
Arjun’s mother was severely allergic. Even a small trace could cost her life.
But Lina loved peanuts.
She had grown up with them. To her, food felt incomplete without their taste. She always hid them carefully, using them only in her own portion, never letting anyone see.
Arjun knew.
And he had protected her secret.
---
Dinner was served.
The family gathered around the large dining table, laughter filling the room as usual. Lina moved gracefully, serving everyone with a soft smile.
Arjun took the first bite.
“This is delicious today,” he said warmly. “Did you pour your sweetheart into it?”
Lina laughed softly.
Arjun leaned closer, lowering his voice. “After eating something this good, it makes me want more of you. Will you allow me tonight?”
She nudged him lightly. “Be quiet,” she whispered, smiling. “Everyone is here.”
They looked perfect—happy, in love, unbreakable.
Then, a few minutes later, everything shattered.
Arjun’s mother suddenly dropped her spoon.
Her face turned red. Her breathing became strained. She clutched her chest, gasping for air.
“Ma!” Arjun stood up instantly.
The room erupted in chaos.
“She can’t breathe!”
“Call the doctor!”
“She’s allergic—someone help her!”
By the time the doctor arrived, her condition had worsened. An injection was administered, oxygen rushed in, and only then did her breathing slowly stabilize.
The doctor straightened, his face serious.
“It’s good you called me in time,” he said. “Otherwise, you could have lost her.”
Arjun swallowed hard. “Doctor… what happened?”
The doctor looked at him sharply. “Didn’t you know? Your mother is allergic to peanuts.”
“What?” Arjun froze.
“There were peanuts in the food,” the doctor continued. “That caused the reaction.”
Arjun’s head snapped toward the dining table.
Toward Lina.
---
Without a word, Arjun grabbed Lina’s wrist and dragged her out of the room.
“Tell me,” he demanded, his voice shaking with anger, “how did peanuts end up on my mother’s plate?”
Lina stared at him, stunned. “Arjun, I—”
“You know my mother is allergic,” he continued. “Do you want to kill her?”
“No!” Lina cried. “I didn’t put peanuts in the food.”
“Come on, Lina,” Arjun snapped. “You always eat peanuts with your food. I kept quiet. I didn’t tell anyone because I wanted you to be happy. But look now!”
“Trust me,” she pleaded. “I didn’t do it.”
“If not you, then who?” he demanded.
“You were alone in the kitchen.
Everyone in this house knows my mother is allergic—even the servants.
Only you use peanuts here.
And only you and I know where you hide them.”
His voice broke. “Now tell me—who else could have done it?”
Lina shook her head helplessly. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “I swear I don’t know.”
Arjun stepped back, pain flashing in his eyes.
“Lina,” he said coldly, “my mother is my limit. You can do anything, and I will forgive you—but not my mother.”
He turned and walked away.
---
His second sister stopped beside Lina.
“We trusted you,” she said, disappointment heavy in her voice. “But you tried to kill our mother.”
She left without waiting for a response.
Then the younger sister stepped forward, her words sharp like knives.
“My mother is our limit. Don’t think because she scolds us that we don’t love her. She is our number one. Our everything.”
She looked Lina up and down with contempt.
“But how can you understand this?” she sneered. “You’re just someone who came from poverty.”
Each word struck deeper than the last.
Lina stood frozen as they walked away.
---
That night, Lina cried until her chest ached.
Arjun didn’t come back to their room.
He slept elsewhere.
Alone.
Broken.
For the first time since their marriage, there was a wall between them.
Later that night, Lina sat on the edge of her bed, her eyes swollen from crying, when the door opened.
Her mother-in-law entered.
“I told you,” she said calmly. “I don’t accept you.”
Lina looked up, trembling.
“And believe me,” the woman continued, “very soon, I will kick you out of this house.”
“What did I ever do to you?” Lina asked, her voice barely audible.
“I just don’t like you,” her mother-in-law replied flatly.
She turned and walked out, leaving the door open behind her.
Lina covered her face with her hands.
She finally understood.
The kindness.
The smiles.
The acceptance.
All a show.
A carefully planned trap.
And the most painful truth of all—
For the first time,
Arjun did not believe her.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD