My name is Puneet. I am 24 years old, and my height is 5'7". I may not be as handsome as a movie hero, but I can confidently say that if a girl looks at me, she will at least think to herself, "I wish this guy were my boyfriend."
That was my introduction. Now, let me introduce you to the other members of my family, around whom this story revolves.
First, let me introduce you to the head of our family—my father, Amarnath. He is 48 years old, but even at this age, he keeps himself very well-maintained. That's why, despite being 48, he still looks fit and active.
I only discovered the secret behind his fitness much later, and you will also find out as the story progresses. My father is a businessman, and his business is spread across multiple cities. Because of this, we never face financial difficulties, and our family is considered among the wealthy ones.
The second member of my family is my mother, Sunita. She is 36 years old and looks just like Shilpa Shetty. Even after having two daughters, she still maintains an incredibly smart personality.
Now, seeing that my mother is 36 and I am 24, you might wonder how that is possible. So, let me clarify—Sunita is not my biological mother. My real mother passed away when I was very young. Sunita is my stepmother, and I call her "Chhoti Maa" (younger mother).
After my stepmother, the third member of my family is my stepsister, Amita. Amita is currently in 12th grade. Since childhood, she has been a calm and mature girl. She is slim and has taken after Chhoti Maa in looks. She is seven years younger than me. Everyone lovingly calls her "Ami," and I call her "Ami" as well as "Betu."
The fourth member of my family is my other stepsister, Namita. She is currently in 10th grade. Unlike Amita, she has always been playful and mischievous. She has a short temper and gets angry easily. Namita has a well-built body but is not overweight. She is nine years younger than me. Everyone calls her "Nimi," and I also call her "Chhoti."
The fifth and final member of my family is me. I have completed my studies and now help my father with his business. Everyone affectionately calls me "Punnu."
That was a brief introduction to my small family. Now, let me begin my story.
This story starts when I was in first grade, shortly after my mother passed away. At that time, my father and our housemaid, Chanda Mausi, took care of me.
My father must have been around 30 years old then. One day, a girl named Sunita came to his office looking for a job. She must have been around 18 years old at the time. As soon as my father saw Sunita, he was captivated by her beauty and, in their very first meeting, instead of offering her a job, he proposed marriage.
Sunita was taken aback by my father's sudden proposal. She came from a middle-class family, while my father was the only son of a wealthy family and the owner of a company.
After some thought, Sunita accepted my father's marriage proposal. Within a few days, they got married, and she became my stepmother. A year after their marriage, my stepsister Amita was born, and three years later, Namita came into the world.
However, this story begins not after Amita and Namita's birth but on the very first night of my father's wedding. At that time, my father was 30, and Sunita was 18. My stepmother's husband—my father—was 12 years older than her, while I was 12 years younger than her.
I still remember that I used to sleep with my father. But on their wedding night, when he introduced me to my stepmother, he said, "This is your new mother. From today, you will call her 'Mummy' and sleep in another room."
After that, arrangements were made for me to sleep in a separate room. At that time, I was too young to understand what it meant for my father and stepmother to sleep together. That night, I couldn't sleep at all.
I didn't understand anything. It felt as if my happiness had died along with my mother. I spent the entire night crying, remembering my real mother. From that very first night, I began to resent my new mother.
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