Siya's Raghav

When Shreyanshi returned home from school, her 5-year-old brother Samarth was playing with his remote-controlled car outside. As soon as he saw her, he pulled her braid and shouted,"Mumma, didi is back! Mumma, didi is back!"

Shreyanshi tried to free her hair, but her brother gripped it tighter, making her headache worse. In frustration, she pulled her braid back hard, causing her brother to lose balance and fall to the ground.

Just then, their mother came outside and, seeing Samarth on the ground, flew into a rage. She grabbed a nearby broom and started beating Shreyanshi while muttering angrily,"You dare lay a hand on my son, you wretched girl... You'll hit my son? Today I'll skin you alive... Think you're getting too bold, huh?"

Shreyanshi cried and tried to explain the truth, but her mother didn't listen and continued hitting her with the broom. Just then, her younger sister Namrata arrived from school and ran to save her elder sister, pleading,"Maa, don't hit didi... please maa... please, she's hurting..."

But this only enraged their mother more, and she started beating both of them. Shreyanshi shielded Namrata in her arms, taking all the beating herself. Meanwhile, their brother Samarth clapped gleefully at the sight of his sisters getting beaten.

After their mother got tired of hitting them, she threw down the broom and shouted,"If either of you so much as looks at my son again, I'll gouge your eyes out!"And with that, she picked Samarth up in her arms and walked away.

Namrata, crying, said,"Didi, how badly are you hurt...?"

Wiping her tears, Shreyanshi replied,"Oh, silly... it's nothing... Come, let's wash up. I'll serve food. I'm starving!"

Namrata nodded,"Yeah, me too... Mom didn't even give us breakfast this morning..."

Shreyanshi said nothing and simply held her sister's hand and walked inside.

Inside the house, Shreyanshi washed her face and hands and served food for both of them on a single plate, then went to their room. The house had only three rooms, one of which was the kitchen. A dining table was something they could only dream of. She placed the plate on the floor, and both sisters started eating.

Just then, their mother entered and shouted in anger,"Look at these princesses! The house is a mess, dishes are unwashed, clothes are dirty—and here you are, enjoying a feast...!"

Namrata snapped,"Mom, we're really hungry, and we can do the chores after eating, right?"

Their mother snatched the roti from her hands and barked,"Ah! Your father isn't some king that you'll both gobble down ten rotis each... You've eaten enough. Now go do the work, or I'll skin you alive!"

Before Namrata could escalate things further in anger, Shreyanshi nodded silently and pulled her sister away by the hand.

In the kitchen, Namrata yelled,"Didi...!"

Shreyanshi let go of her hand and, while collecting the dishes, said,"Go soak the clothes... I'll come and wash them."

Namrata stomped off in frustration.

Shreyanshi washed all the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Then she smeared some pickle on two rotis, hid them in her pocket, and went outside.

Namrata was muttering to herself while sweeping the courtyard after soaking the clothes. Shreyanshi looked around, satisfied that no one was watching, and handed the rotis to Namrata.

"Here, Namu... eat this. You said you were hungry, right?"

Namrata looked at the rotis in surprise,"But where did you get these...?"

Shreyanshi replied,"They were in the kitchen... I just took them. Now eat quietly..."

Namrata sat nearby and started eating quickly,"Didi, you eat too…"

Shreyanshi lied flatly,"I already ate in the kitchen... you go ahead."

Namrata, starving all day, devoured the food eagerly.

Shreyanshi belonged to a middle-class family. Her father worked as a laborer in a private company, and her mother did stitching and embroidery for a living. Among all siblings, Shreyanshi was the eldest, but her parents didn't like her because they considered daughters a burden. That's why her mother would beat both sisters without reason. The abuse at home and school had made Shreyanshi timid and dull. She had no courage or strength to fight against injustice... so she silently endured all the pain.

Roy Mansion

Kabir returned home from school, threw his bag on the sofa, and went into the kitchen.He found yesterday's pastry in the fridge, glanced at it once, then threw it in the dustbin and ordered food online.

Isn't God biased?He gives so much to some that they don't even value what they already have.And to others, He gives so little that they crave a single piece of bread.Who knows when this hypocrisy in society will end...?

Chauhan House

That very day, Nakul was thrown out of his house. He had no shelter, no food, no clothes to wear.

But Nakul had sensed the silence before the storm and had begun preparing to fight.

He told Nisha everything and asked her to hide somewhere safe—because in his current state, he couldn't help her.

He had five ₹2,000 notes and a few coins—just ₹10,000 in total. That's all he had to survive on.

He was walking the streets aimlessly—no destination, no path...For the first time, he missed his parents deeply.If only they were alive, he wouldn't have to suffer like this.Why does God not tolerate people's happiness?Thinking such thoughts, Nakul's eyes welled up. He wiped them and was suddenly startled by the repeated honking of a car.

Irritated, he walked up to the car and knocked on the window, motioning to roll it down.

The window lowered, and a young man's face appeared. He was wearing a white kurta under a blazer—he looked like a politician.

Nakul recognized him immediately and blurted out,"Kashyap Yaduvanshi...!"

The man smiled faintly, but his smile carried a mystery. He opened the car door and said,"Come on, Nakul Bhardwaj. Let's talk."

Kashyap Yaduvanshi was a powerful opposition leader, and Nakul had met him a couple of times during election campaigns.

Nakul glared and said,"No. Whatever you want to say, say it here."

Kashyap smiled again and said,"It's about Nisha. Still not willing?"

Hearing Nisha's name from Kashyap's lips, Nakul was stunned and stared at him in disbelief.Kashyap chuckled and said,"Come on, get in."

Nakul got into the car, and it drove off... but someone nearby was taking photos of the two of them together.

While driving, Kashyap said,"I heard about the injustice done to you."

Nakul, staring at him, asked,"How do you know all this... and how do you know Nisha?"

Kashyap smiled mysteriously,"That's insider information. Not to be shared with everyone."

From his words, Nakul understood that someone from inside the Chauhan House was a traitor who had leaked this information to Kashyap. But who? Who had such courage?

Nakul was lost in thought when Kashyap said,"Listen carefully, Nakul Bhardwaj... Nisha is currently in Kathmandu. It won't take long for Jagjeet Raj Chauhan to find that out. You know what will happen then... and you're not powerful enough to save her."

Nakul glared,"Stop speaking in riddles. Tell me clearly what you want!"

Kashyap Yaduvanshi replied flatly,"Get Nisha married to me."

Nakul was shocked. He grabbed Kashyap's collar in rage and shouted,"You bastard! How dare you say that to me... I'll kill you!"

Kashyap gave him a deep look and said calmly,"And will that save Nisha?"

Nakul's grip loosened.

Kashyap stopped the car and said,"You have one day. Meet me here at the same time tomorrow. If you want to save your beloved... be there."

Nakul got out, and Kashyap drove away.

Nakul sat down by the roadside, overwhelmed.What Kashyap said was true. Nakul didn't have the power to protect Nisha...And even if he did save her, what would he give her? A life full of hardship and struggle...?

On the other hand, Kashyap was young, handsome, rich. He would treat Nisha like a queen and protect her from Jagjeet Raj Chauhan's evil eyes.

But... is it really that easy to hand over your love to someone else?

To imagine the hands you dreamed of adorning with your name's mehendi... now held by someone else?

Broken by his circumstances, Nakul finally burst into tears.