---

The cool mountain breeze whispered through the deodars as mist rolled across the sleepy hillside. The sky above was a soft grey, bruised with the hesitant hues of dawn—yet to fully break.

Shashi stood still, leaning against her bike at the edge of the cliffside road, arms folded tightly across her chest. The chill kissed her bare arms and legs—the oversized shirt and Aakash's night pants doing little to protect her from the cold.

She didn’t care.

Her breath clouded in the air as she stared into the vast distance—where silence was somehow louder than sound. Her eyes, heavy with turmoil, locked on nothingness.

“Kya main zyada bol gayi?” (Did I say too much?)

The thought echoed in her mind like a wound—haunting and bitter.

The argument with Aakash kept replaying like a broken record. Every word they had hurled at each other now felt heavier, each syllable etched in regret. Her voice hadn’t trembled out of fear—it had shaken with raw, burning fury.

Behind her, Abhishek stood with two guards, keeping their distance like loyal shadows. His eyes never left her grieving figure, but he knew better than to interrupt.

Finally, he spoke, softly, “Shashi, ghar chal, tu thand mein hai.”

(Shashi, come inside. It's cold.)

She shook her head without turning.

“Kal Delhi ki flight ki tickets chahiye mujhe.”

(I need flight tickets to Delhi for tomorrow.)

“jet ready karwa doon?” he asked.

“Nahi.” (No.) Her voice was flat, final.

Abhishek stepped back, then returned with two tiffins in hand.

“lunch bhi nahi khaya tune. Kahan khale "

(You haven’t eaten. Take some lunch.)

“Bhookh nahi hai.” (I’m not hungry.)

He quietly placed the lunchbox on the bike and went back to where he had been standing earlier.

“Abhi!” she suddenly called out.

He turned.

“Time kya ho raha hai?”

(What time is it?)

“2:30.”

“Flight kab ki hai?”

(When's the flight?)

“4 AM.”

“Main ghar car se jaungi. Kisiko bol de, bike le jaye.”

(I’ll go home by car. Ask someone to take the bike.)

She walked weakly toward the car. For the first time, she took the passenger seat instead of driving.

She sat and buckled her seatbelt.

Abhishek got into the driver's seat, and they drove toward the Rajput Mansion.

When they arrived, Shashi asked him to wait outside.

She walked into the mansion. The enormous space still held the darkness of early dawn—silence draped like an old friend.

She returned a few minutes later with a small bag. Just as she was about to step out—

“Shashi!” Akriti’s voice called from behind.

Shashi paused. She took a long breath and turned.

“Haan?”

“Kahaan jaa rahi hai?”

(Where are you going?)

“Delhi mein award function hai. Toh jaana padega.”

(There’s an award function in Delhi. I have to go.)

“Wow, you’re getting an award?” Akriti beamed.

“Yeah.”

“Toh Aakash ke saath jaa rahi ho?”

(So you’re going with Aakash?)

“Woh… busy hai. Chhodo na. I’ll manage.”

(He’s… busy. Let it be. I’ll manage.)

Akriti gave her a soft hug. “Par tu night suit mein jaa rahi hai?”

(But you’re leaving in your night suit?)

“Ummm… found it quite comfortable.”

She smiled faintly.

Akriti chuckled and waved goodbye.

They drove to the airport. There, Shashi excused herself to change into a more decent outfit. She returned in simple casuals.

As they waited for the flight, Shashi realized she had left her phone at home. She borrowed Abhishek’s phone and tried calling Saksham—but he didn’t pick up. Not once.

Each unanswered ring built a quiet frustration inside her. Then—she snapped.

She threw the phone. It hit the metal bench and cracked.

Abhishek didn’t flinch. He simply signaled one of the guards to pick it up and stood silently beside her.

“Sab theek hai?” he asked, his voice low.

She didn’t answer. Just rubbed her temples and exhaled a long, tired breath.

Twenty minutes passed.

Then Saksham finally arrived.

“Kya hai? Aadhi raat ko kya jaana hai tujhe achanak Delhi?”

(What’s this? Why are you suddenly leaving for Delhi in the middle of the night?)

She didn’t look at him as she spoke, staring at the floor, her voice hollow.

“I’m getting a divorce.”

Abhishek’s eyes widened in shock. Saksham scoffed, pacing with frustration.

“Tere pati ne tujhe khana nahi khilaya kya? tabhi esi chutiya baatein kar rahi hai ?”

(Did your husband not feed you properly or

what? Are you being stupid?)

-----🦋

The flight landed in Delhi just as the sky began to turn a pale, sleepy blue. The city was slowly waking, unaware of the storm churning inside Shashi Rajput.

They walked out of the airport quietly, the silence between them not uncomfortable—just heavy.

As they stepped into the car, Abhishek glanced at her through the rearview mirror.

“Ghar khulwa du? Safai karwaani hai?”

(Should I call someone to open the house? Need cleaning service?)

Shashi looked out of the window, her face unreadable.

“Nahi… main kar lungi.”

(No… I’ll do it myself.)

He didn’t argue. He knew her well enough by now.

At the house, she unlocked the door and stepped inside. The air inside her Delhi apartment felt stale, untouched, distant—like a life paused mid-sentence. The curtains hung stiff, dust clouded the corners, and memories clung to the silence like cobwebs.

Without another word, she set her bag down, tied her hair into a messy bun, and got to work.

She swept the floors, opened the windows to let the morning sun flood in, wiped the dust from photo frames, bookshelves, and the kitchen counter where once she’d made coffee with trembling hands the morning she left for Jaipur.

Saksham stood in the doorway, watching her for a moment. Then his phone rang. He stepped aside and returned after a brief call.

“Mera cousin insist kar raha hai ki main uske yaha rukoon. Dono bhai ek saath ho jaayein. Toh main uske yaha chala jaata hoon.”

(My cousin’s insisting I stay with him—family thing. I’ll go there.)

Shashi nodded faintly, her eyes on the shelf as she wiped a photo frame.

“pohchega toh phone kar dena.”

“Haan.” He left quietly.

The silence returned. But this time, it wasn’t empty—it was thick with past echoes.

Shashi finished cleaning, then walked into her room, pulling out a small box from the drawer. She took out a photo—her parents, smiling stiffly in a posed frame, long before the cracks began to show.

She sat on the edge of the bed, holding the picture gently, tracing their faces with her thumb.

“Aap kehte the na… mujhe kuch nahi aata. Zindagi mein kuch nahi kar paaungi.”

(You always said, didn’t you… that I’d never amount to anything. That I’d never do anything in life.)

Her voice cracked, but she didn't stop.

“Par dekho… sach mein kuch nahi kar paa rahi hoon.”

(And see? I really can’t do anything.)

A hollow laugh escaped her lips as she shook her head.

“Jisse pyar karna socha tha, ussi se phir se nafrat hone lagi hai.”

(The one I thought I could love… I’m starting to hate him again.)

She paused, then gave a sarcastic smile.

“Anyways, I’m getting an award. Mr. and Mrs. Oberoi… huh.”

She placed the photo beside her on the bed and leaned back against the wall, eyes flickering shut. But the past had already begun playing like a reel behind her closed lids.

---

Flashback –

Her father’s shout echoed through the halls:

“Tumse na ho payega! Har kaam adhoora chhod deti ho!”

(You can’t do anything properly! You leave everything incomplete!)

Her mother’s disappointed tone followed like a dagger:

“Hamare naseeb mein hi thi aisi beti… na tameez, na samajh.”

(We were cursed with a daughter like you… no manners, no sense.)

A younger Shashi, barely sixteen, stood with trembling fists, her voice rising between sobs.

“Main koshish karti hoon! Main waqai mein koshish karti hoon!”

(I try! I truly do!)

But no one heard her. Or maybe… no one wanted to.

---

Back to present

Shashi opened her eyes, blinking back the tears she didn't allow to fall.

She stood, walked to the mirror, and looked at her own reflection—messy hair, dark circles, a flicker of exhaustion.

And yet, something in her gaze was unbroken.

“Main sab kuch nahi hoon… par kamzor bhi nahi hoon.”

(I may not be everything… but I’m not weak either.)

She turned away, leaving the past behind—for now.

---

That's it for todays chapter was it boring ?

Idk why I'm finding it boring

But wait a little , mere readers

I'll be dropping the bomb soon

My insta followers already know it cause of the spoilers i uploaded

Please comment your likes and dislikes