Author pov..

Divya heads toward her house, with Vaibhav and Ishani following closely behind her.

As soon as they enter,

Rani notices Ishani and Vaibhav standing there.

She looks at them with mild surprise and asks gently,"Why have you come here today, children?"

Vaibhav answers respectfully,

"Aunty, I wanted to talk to you and uncle."

Rani's expression turns slightly concerned."Why? Did something happen?"

Vaibhav quickly reassures her,

"No, aunty... nothing like that. We just wanted to discuss something."

"Alright," Rani says after a pause. "Wait here, I'll call uncle from his room."

At that moment, Divya softly says,

"Mummy, you sit here. I'll go and bring Papa."

Rani nods and goes to sit down.

Inside the room, Devnath is busy checking his students' notebooks.

Divya enters quietly.

"Papa..." she calls.

Without lifting his eyes from the pages, Devnath replies,

"Yes, beta? Tell me."

"Vaibhav has come. He wants to talk to you," Divya says.

Devnath finally looks up at her.

"Is something wrong?"

"You'll understand once you come outside," Divya answers.

"Alright," he says, closing the notebook and standing up.

Outside, Ishani and Vaibhav are waiting.

Devnath walks in and asks calmly,

"What is it, beta? You wanted to talk?"

"Yes, uncle. Please sit," Vaibhav says politely.

Devnath sits beside Rani.

Nirmala Dadi, who was watching TV, senses the seriousness in the air and quietly switches it off, feeling that an important conversation is about to happen.

Vaibhav takes a deep breath and speaks earnestly,"Uncle, aunty... how long will Divya remain confined like this? You should let her go. College isn't something to be afraid of. Ishani is also going to college, and she isn't facing any problems."

Hearing this, Devnath sighs softly and says,"Yes, beta, I know. I've tried explaining this to Rani so many times. But fear has settled deep in her heart. She just doesn't allow Divya to go. And because of that... I stayed quiet too, even though I didn't say anything."

Vaibhav looks at Rani, his voice calm but filled with concern."Aunty... what is it that scares you so much? Nothing will happen to Divya. Keeping her locked inside the house like this won't protect her it's only ruining her future. Her studies are already suffering."

Rani's eyes tremble.

She looks away for a moment, as if fighting with herself.

When she finally speaks, her voice cracks."I shouldn't even say this, Vaibhav... but if something bad happens to Divya, then tell me who will marry her in the future? Society doesn't forgive girls so easily."

She pauses, swallowing hard.

"And those boys... they're shameless. If something happens, they'll hide everything. They already came to our house. They threatened her."

Her voice breaks completely now.

"Tell me... how can a mother not be afraid?"

The room falls silent.

Vaibhav feels the weight of her fear. He softens his tone and says quietly,

"Okay, aunty. If you can't let her go anywhere else, then at least let her go to college. I promise you I'll take care of Divya. You trust me, don't you?"

Rani looks at him for a long moment. Her eyes search his face, as if trying to read his intentions, his honesty, his strength."Yes, beta... I do trust you," she whispers. "But still... a mother's heart-"

Before she can finish, Ishani steps forward, her voice steady but emotional."Aunty, I'll be with her too. Bhaiya will be there. Divya won't be alone. Please don't worry... nothing will happen to her."

Rani closes her eyes.

She looks tired and defeated by fear, by love, by helplessness.

After a long silence, she finally exhales."Alright," she says softly. "But Vaibhav... you will have to take care of Divya. And Ishani too."

She looks straight at him now.

"Both their safety is in your hands."

Vaibhav nods without hesitation.

"I promise, aunty."

Rani takes a deep breath, as if letting go of a burden she's been carrying for too long."Okay then," she says. "Divya can go to college."

For a second, Divya doesn't even process the words.

Then suddenly her face lights up.

Relief, happiness, freedom all crash into her at once.

Without thinking, without stopping herself, she rushes forward and hugs

Vaibhav tightly.

Vaibhav freezes.

His body stiffens, his breath caught somewhere between shock and confusion.

The entire family stares at Divya, stunned.

Ishani's eyes widen.

Divya quickly pulls back with joy.

She didn't even realize that she had hugged Vaibhav in front of everyone.

"Th-thank you... thank you so much," she blurts out to vaibhav

Overwhelmed with joy, Divya hugs Ishani next.

But Ishani doesn't hug her back.

She stands there, frozen her mind stuck on one thought.

Did Divya just hug my brother?

She can't believe it.

She hasn't even moved on from that moment yet.

Divya finally notices the strange silence.

She looks around at everyone's shocked faces and asks innocently,

"What happened, guys?"

She smiles, confused but glowing.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Vaibhav slowly regains his senses.

His heart is still racing when he lifts his eyes and sees the entire family staring silent, stunned, unmoving.

The air feels thick and suffocating.

He clears his throat nervously.

"Okay, uncle... aunty," he says in a rushed voice. "I... I have some work. I should leave now."

No one replies.

Rani, Devnath, even Nirmala Dadi none of them move their eyes from Divya.

It's as if Vaibhav has already disappeared from the room.

Feeling the weight of that silence pressing down on him.

Vaibhav turns and walks out of the house.

The moment he steps outside, he stops.

He presses a hand firmly against his chest, trying to calm his pounding heart."Oh God..." he mutters under his breath."One day this girl is truly going to kill me."

He lets out a shaky laugh, half-nervous, half-exasperated.

"She has absolutely no sense of timing. She never realizes what she's doing... or who's standing right there."

Inside the house, the silence stretches.

Everyone's eyes remain fixed on Divya.

Divya shifts uncomfortably.

Her smile fades, replaced by confusion and unease."W-what happened?" she asks softly. "Why are you all looking at me like this?"

Rani's expression hardens.

Her voice, though controlled, carries shock and disbelief."You hugged Vaibhav... like that. Right in front of everyone," she says.

"Do you have no sense at all?"

Her words sting.

"You're not a child anymore," Rani continues, her voice trembling between anger and fear."You've grown up. Don't you understand what's appropriate and what isn't? Don't you know when and where you should behave a certain way?"

And then it hits Divya.

Her heart drops.

Her face burns as realization crashes into her all at once.

I hugged him... in front of everyone.

The joy she had felt moments ago evaporated, replaced by a crushing wave of embarrassment.

Her hands tremble slightly. She feels exposed, foolish, ashamed.

She opens her mouth to speak but no words come out.

She stands there, frozen, shocked at herself.

Ishani watches her carefully.

Seeing Divya on the verge of breaking, she steps forward, gently takes her hand, and without saying a word, leads her away.

Into the room.Away from the staring eyes.

Away from the silence that feels louder than shouting.

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