Author pov.....

Rahul slowly woke up as the morning sunlight filled the room. His head was still throbbing from the alcohol he had consumed the previous night and from the fall in the washroom.

He sat up carefully, holding his head in pain. For a few moments, he remained seated on the bed, trying to steady himself and ease the dizziness.

After a while, he gathered himself and walked out of guest room. As he stepped into the hallway, he saw Ishani in the kitchen, busy preparing breakfast.

A small smile appeared on his face as he watched her. But almost instantly, memories of what had happened the previous night flashed through his mind.

Embarrassment washed over him. His smile faded, and he quickly looked away. Not wanting to face her, he quietly turned around and hurried back to his room.

He picked up a fresh set of clothes and went to another room to get ready. A few minutes later, he emerged dressed neatly in his police uniform.

The sharp uniform gave him his usual confident appearance, but the awkwardness from the previous night still lingered somewhere in his heart.

Ishani looked at Rahul and smiled warmly."Rahul, come have breakfast," she said softly.

"Hmm," Rahul replied. He walked over and sat at the dining table. As he glanced around, he noticed someone was missing.

"Where's Ishaan?" he asked.

Ishani placed a plate in front of him and answered, "He's with Rajni aunty. He's playing with Mannat."

She smiled lightly before continuing, "Since he doesn't have to go to school today, I'll leave him with Rajni aunty while I'm at college."

Rahul nodded and quietly started eating. After a few moments, he looked at her and said, "You should have breakfast too."

"I'm coming," Ishani replied with a small smile.

Just then, Bhavya entered the house.

The moment Rahul looked at her, his eyes fell on the injury on her forehead.

He immediately stood up and walked toward her.

"Bhavya! What happened?" he asked worriedly. "How did you get hurt?"

Bhavya gave him a tired smile.

"I was trying to catch a thief," she said casually. "I got hurt during that."

Rahul frowned."You haven't even put any medicine on it. Come, sit down. I'll bring some ointment."

Bhavya shook her head."I'm fine, Rahul. I'm just a little tired. I want to sleep."

Then, after a brief pause, she added quietly,"And tomorrow... my flight to Mumbai is scheduled. I'm leaving... forever."

For a moment, Rahul's expression froze.

Something about those words didn't sit well with him. A strange heaviness settled inside his chest, but he hid it behind a calm face.

He simply nodded.

"Did you tell Deepak?" he asked.

"I will," Bhavya replied. "Let me get some rest first."

"Okay," Rahul said softly.

Bhavya gave a small nod and walked toward her room.

As she disappeared down the hallway, Ishani's eyes shifted to Rahul. She noticed the unusual silence on his face and the sadness he was trying to hide.

"Rahul..." she called gently.

He looked at her.

"Are you okay?" she asked, studying his face carefully. Her voice carried both concern and curiosity.

Rahul forced a small smile and nodded."Yeah, I'm fine," he said.

Ishani looked at him for a moment, as if trying to read the emotions hidden behind his calm expression. But when he didn't say anything more, she simply nodded.

"Okay. Finish your breakfast, then we'll leave," she said gently.

Rahul nodded again and sat back down at the dining table.

The room fell silent as he continued eating. Ishani sat beside him and started her breakfast as well. But every now and then, her eyes drifted toward Rahul.

His face seemed unusually dull, the spark in his eyes missing. He was quiet, lost somewhere in his own thoughts.

For some reason, seeing him like this didn't feel right to Ishani. A strange uneasiness settled in her heart. She couldn't explain why, but his sadness affected her more than she wanted to admit.

Rahul, on the other hand, kept his gaze fixed on his plate, trying to ignore the heaviness lingering inside him.

After finishing breakfast, both of them got ready to leave.

Without exchanging many words, they stepped out of the house together and headed toward their respective workplaces.

Though they were walking side by side, each of them was lost in their own thoughts, carrying emotions they couldn't bring themselves to express.

Back in her room, Bhavya lay awake on her bed, unable to sleep.

No matter how hard she tried, her eyes refused to close.

Tears kept slipping down her cheeks as thoughts of Rahul filled her mind.

The reality that he would no longer be a part of her life hurt more than she could bear.

For years, Rahul had been an inseparable part of her world. She had shared countless moments with him, and now the thought of leaving him behind felt like losing a piece of herself.

She turned restlessly on the bed, her heart aching with every passing second.

When sleep refused to come, she slowly sat up and reached for her phone.

Her trembling fingers opened Rahul's photograph.

The moment his smiling face appeared on the screen, her tears flowed even faster.

She gently touched the picture, as if trying to feel his presence one last time.

A broken smile appeared on her lips.

"I wish..." she whispered through her tears, "I wish you could have loved me as much as you love Ishani, Rahul."

Her voice cracked.

"It hurts so much."

She lowered her gaze, tears falling onto the phone screen.

"In this entire world, you were the only person who ever made me feel loved. Everyone else only gave me pain... only made me cry."

She held the phone close to her chest and closed her eyes.

Just then, Bhavya's phone suddenly rang, breaking the silence of the room.

She quickly wiped her tears and looked at the screen.

The caller ID made her expression stiffen.

It was her father.

Taking a deep breath, she answered the call."Hello."

On the other side, her father's concerned voice came through.

"Bhavya, beta, where are you staying in Delhi? Which building? Your mother and I are coming there."

The moment she heard those words, anger flashed across her tear-stained face.

"No need to come here," she said sharply.

Her father fell silent for a moment.

"Bhavya-"

"Please," she interrupted, her voice trembling with frustration and pain. "Just go back to your hotel. I'm leaving for Mumbai with you tomorrow anyway. Then why are you bothering me now?"

There was a mixture of hurt and resentment in her tone, emotions she had buried for years.

Her father tried to say something.

"Bhavya, listen to me for a-"

But before he could finish, she ended the call.

The room fell silent once again.

Bhavya stared at the dark phone screen, her chest rising and falling heavily with anger.

A few fresh tears escaped her eyes.

At that moment, she didn't want explanations, concern, or apologies.

All she wanted was for the pain inside her heart to disappear.

But no matter how hard she tried, the emptiness remained an emptiness created by years of loneliness and by the heartbreak of loving someone who could never love her back the same way.

Bhavya wiped her tears and took a deep breath, trying to compose herself.

She didn't want anyone to see how broken she felt.

After washing her face, she left the house and headed toward Deepak's home. She wanted to tell him that she was leaving the next day.

As she entered the house, she saw Mannat and Ishaan playing happily together in the living room. Their innocent laughter filled the house with warmth.

In the kitchen, Rajni aunty was busy preparing food.

Bhavya walked over to her and asked softly, "Aunty, has Deepak gone to the police station?"

Rajni looked up and smiled.

"No, beta. Deepak and Deeksha came home only this morning. They're still sleeping in their rooms."

Bhavya nodded.

Rajni noticed the seriousness on her face and asked, "Was there something important?"

Bhavya forced a faint smile.

"No, aunty. Nothing like that. It's just... my transfer has been approved for Mumbai. I'm leaving tomorrow."

"What?" The shocked voice came from behind her.

Bhavya turned around and saw Deepak walking out of his room.

His sleepy expression had vanished, replaced by complete disbelief.

"When did this happen?" he asked.

Bhavya looked away for a moment before answering."My father arranged the transfer. I'm being posted in Mumbai."

The moment those words left her mouth, anger flashed across Deepak's face.

"What nonsense!" he exclaimed. "You don't need to go anywhere."

He walked closer to her."I'll talk to DGP Sir right now. He can speak to your father. This transfer can be stopped."

For a moment, Deepak looked determined, ready to fight the decision on her behalf.

But Bhavya slowly shook her head.

"No, Deepak."

Her voice was calm, but there was a sadness hidden beneath it."I don't want anyone to stop it."

Deepak stared at her, confused.

Bhavya lowered her eyes and continued softly,"I want to go."

Those three words carried far more pain than she allowed anyone to see.

Because the truth was that staying here had become harder than leaving.

Every corner of the city reminded her of Rahul.

Every day felt like a battle between her heart and reality.

Deepak stared at her in disbelief.

"But why do you want to go?" he asked, his voice filled with frustration and concern. "You know what they did to you, Bhavya. You were their daughter, and even then they treated you like that."

He shook his head, unable to understand her decision.

"And now you want to go back and live with them after everything?"

Bhavya remained silent.

Deepak stepped closer."Bhavya, you're not thinking clearly. Do you understand what you're saying? You're not going anywhere."

His tone grew firmer."I'll talk to Rahul, and we'll speak to DGP Sir. We'll get this transfer canceled."

At the mention of Rahul's name, something inside Bhavya snapped.

She looked up at him, anger flashing in her tear-filled eyes.

"Rahul has already accepted it, Deepak!" she said sharply.

Deepak fell silent.

"You should accept it too."

Her voice trembled despite her efforts to sound strong."I want to go. This is my decision."

"Bhavya-"

"No!" she interrupted. "I'm fine, Deepak. I'll be fine there. I won't have any problems."

Forcing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, she continued,

"I've forgotten everything. I've moved on from all of it."

The words sounded convincing, but even she knew they were a lie.

How could she forget years of pain?

How could she forget the loneliness she had carried for so long?

Deepak looked at her silently. He knew her too well.

He could see the sadness hidden behind her stubbornness and the heartbreak she was desperately trying to bury.

But Bhavya refused to let anyone see how shattered she truly was.

She lifted her chin, pretending to be stronger than she felt, while her heart quietly broke with every word she spoke.

Deepak looked at Bhavya for a long moment before suddenly pulling her into a tight hug.

Bhavya froze.

His embrace wasn't filled with romance it was the embrace of a friend who understood the pain she had been hiding from everyone.Leaning closer, he spoke softly near her ear."I know, Bhavya."

His voice was gentle and full of emotion."I know your heart breaks every time you see Rahul and Ishani together. That's why you want to leave, isn't it? That's why you want to go away from everyone."

Bhavya's eyes immediately filled with tears.

"Please don't go," Deepak whispered. "Stay here. You're one of my closest friends. If anything happens to you there... I won't be able to bear it."

The concern in his voice made Bhavya's chest tighten.

Tears slipped into her eyes, but she quickly blinked them back, refusing to cry.

After a few moments, she spoke in a trembling voice.

"If I stay here..." she paused, trying to control her emotions, "I'll break a little more every single day, Deepak."

A tear finally escaped and rolled down her cheek.

She looked away."And maybe... because of my jealousy and my feelings, I'll start wishing for cracks to appear in Rahul and Ishani's relationship."

Her voice was barely above a whisper."I don't want to become that person."

Deepak's eyes filled with tears as he listened.

Bhavya took a shaky breath and continued,"It's better if I leave. It's better if I go somewhere far away and learn how to live with this pain on my own."

Silence filled the room.

Deepak held her for a moment longer, his own eyes becoming wet.

He hated this.

He hated seeing his friend suffer because of a love she could never have.

Slowly, he pulled back and looked at her.

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then Deepak nodded.

"Okay," he said quietly, his voice breaking."If this is what you truly want... then go."

Deeksha, Rajni, Mannat, and Ishaan stood quietly, watching Bhavya and Deepak.

The sadness in the room was impossible to ignore.

No one knew what to say. Seeing Bhavya leave felt like watching a part of the family slowly drift away.

Rajni looked at Bhavya with moist eyes and forced a warm smile.

"Since you're leaving," she said softly, "at least have one last meal made by me today."

Bhavya looked at her.

Rajni continued with a light laugh, trying to ease the heavy atmosphere.

"And after you go, don't forget me. Remember that your Rajni aunty used to make such delicious food."

A small smile appeared on Bhavya's lips despite the tears in her eyes.

The affection in Rajni's words touched her heart.

How could she ever forget this family?

They had given her the warmth and love she had spent years searching for.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she smiled.

"Okay, Aunty," she said softly.

"I'll remember."

Rajni smiled back, though her eyes were glistening with emotion.

For a moment, the room became quiet again.

Mannat and Ishaan looked at Bhavya with innocent confusion, unable to fully understand why all the adults seemed so sad.

And Bhavya stood there, surrounded by people who genuinely cared about her, realizing just how difficult it was going to be to say goodbye.

..........................

The next morning, Bhavya finished packing all her belongings.

Outside, everyone was waiting for her.

When she finally walked out with her luggage, she saw them all standing there, looking at her with heavy hearts.

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

She looked at each of them one by one, trying to memorize their faces.

Bhavya had never been someone who easily expressed her emotions. She rarely hugged people, rarely showed what she felt, and always kept her pain hidden behind a strong smile.

But today was different.

Today, all the walls she had built around her heart were crumbling.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop the tears.

They slipped down her cheeks one after another.

Seeing her like this, Rahul and Deepak exchanged a glance before walking toward her.

Without saying a word, both of them

pulled her into a hug.

"Listen," Deepak said softly."If you ever have any problem, call us."

Rahul nodded."We'll leave everything and come to Mumbai if you need us."

Bhavya closed her eyes for a moment, overwhelmed by their concern.

"Okay," she whispered.

She hugged them both tightly before stepping back.

Then she walked toward Rajni.

The moment she reached her, rajni wrapped her arms around her and held on tightly.

A fresh wave of tears escaped her eyes.

"I'm going to miss you the most, Aunty," she said, her voice breaking.

Rajni's eyes immediately filled with tears.

She gently cupped Bhavya's face and smiled through her emotions.

"And I'm going to miss my daughter

the most."

The word daughter shattered the last bit of control Bhavya had over her emotions.

She broke down completely.

Rajni immediately hugged her again and lovingly patted her back.

"Bas, bas" she said softly. "Don't cry."

Then she wiped Bhavya's tears and added with a smile, "Leave with a smile, beta."

Bhavya nodded and quickly wiped her eyes.

After that, she walked toward Deeksha.

"Bye," she said softly. "Take care of Deepak."

Deeksha smiled."I will."her expression softened."It was wonderful spending all these days with you, Bhavya. I hope you get every happiness this world has to offer."

Bhavya smiled gratefully and hugged her."Thank you."

A few moments later, she turned toward Ishani."Bye, Ishani."

Ishani smiled warmly.

"Bye, Bhavya."

The two women hugged each other.

As they pulled apart, Bhavya looked into Ishani's eyes and said quietly,

"Try to love Rahul."

Ishani looked at her, surprised.

Bhavya smiled sadly.

"He loves you so much."

For a moment, Ishani didn't know what to say.

She simply stood there in silence, absorbing the emotions behind those words.

Bhavya gave her one last smile before stepping away.

Then she opened her bag and pulled out two chocolates.

Walking over to Mannat and Ishaan, she handed one to each of them.

The children immediately brightened up.

"Bye, Mannat. Bye, Ishaan," she said affectionately.

The two children smiled and waved.

"Bye, Bhavya Didi!"

Bhavya smiled through her tears.

Rahul and Deepak looked at her silently before Rahul finally spoke.

"Come on, at least let us drop you at the airport."

Bhavya gave them a small smile and shook her head."No. I'll go by myself. Dad has already sent a car for me."

Rahul frowned."Even then... we should come to see you off, shouldn't we?"

Bhavya looked at both of them for a moment, her eyes filled with emotions she was trying desperately to hide."No. You two stay here. I'll manage."

Rahul slowly nodded, though his heart felt heavy.

Deepak suddenly remembered something."And your Bullet? What about it?"

Bhavya's lips curved into a faint smile.

"You keep it. It's a gift from me."

For a second, Deepak froze in shock.

"What? No... why? I don't want it."

"I know how much you like my Bullet," Bhavya said softly. "Keep it. Ride it whenever you feel like it."

Deepak's eyes instantly filled with tears. He tried his best to hold them back, but the ache in his chest only grew stronger.

For the last time, Bhavya stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Rahul and Deepak.

Neither of them wanted to let go.

The silence between them carried everything they couldn't bring themselves to say.

Finally, Bhavya pulled back and forced a smile. "Bye."

Rahul and Deepak swallowed the lump in their throats and replied softly,"Bye, Bhavya."

Picking up her bag, Bhavya turned around and walked away.

No one stopped her.

No one called her back.

They simply stood there, watching her disappear little by little, their hearts growing heavier with every step she took.

And when she was finally gone, all that remained was an unbearable emptiness.

..............................

Deepak eventually left and returned home.

Deeksha went with him, worried after seeing how broken and silent he had become. She wanted to be there for him, to help him carry at least a small part of the sadness he was hiding.

Deepak walked into his room and sat down on the edge of his bed, staring blankly at the floor.

A few moments later, Deeksha

entered quietly. She sat beside him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders in a gentle side hug.

"Hey," she said softly. "Bhavya is strong. She'll take care of herself."

Deepak let out a bitter smile and slowly shook his head."No... that's the thing. She only looks strong from the outside."

Deeksha looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Inside, she's incredibly innocent," he whispered. "I don't know how she'll survive there all alone. Her parents... they're not good to her."

Deeksha immediately turned toward him, shocked."What? Why would you say that?"

Deepak took a deep breath before speaking.

"When Bhavya was very little, her mother never really liked her. Bhavya wasn't as fair-skinned as the rest of her family, and for some reason, her mother couldn't accept that. She always kept her at a distance and never gave her the love a child deserves."

"Then her younger sister was born. She was beautiful, fair-skinned, and looked exactly like her mother. Her mother would proudly take her everywhere, while Bhavya was left behind."

Deeksha listened in stunned silence.

"Bhavya would run to her father, hoping to find the affection she was missing. And her father did love her... he truly did. But he was always busy with work. He could never give her the time and attention she desperately needed."

"Watching all of this, Bhavya became lonelier and lonelier. She started hiding her pain the only way she knew how. Whenever she felt hurt, she would eat. Food became her comfort, her escape."

"Over time, she gained weight. And instead of helping her, her mother began hating her even more."

Deeksha's eyes widened."That's horrible..."

"Her mother would say cruel things to her. Things no child should ever hear. Sometimes she treated Bhavya as if she didn't even belong to the family."

Deeksha sat frozen beside him, unable to believe the pain Bhavya had carried behind her smiles all these years.

"And then... one day, everything changed."

"Bhavya and her younger sister met with a terrible accident. Nobody knows why fate chose to be so cruel that day... but Bhavya survived."

"Her little sister didn't."

Deeksha's hand instantly flew to her mouth."No..." she whispered.

"The loss destroyed their family. But instead of accepting her grief, Bhavya's mother found someone to blame."

"She blamed Bhavya."

"She believed that it should have been Bhavya who died, not her younger daughter."

"From that day onward, her mother's hatred became unbearable. Every time she looked at Bhavya, she saw a painful reminder of the daughter she had lost."

"She would scream at her, blame her for everything, and treat her as if she were responsible for the accident."

"She was just a child who had survived a tragedy and was already carrying the guilt of losing her sister. But instead of receiving comfort, she was punished for staying alive."

"Sometimes her mother would lock her inside a room for hours. Sometimes she would leave her alone without food. Bhavya would sit there crying silently, waiting for someone to open the door... waiting for someone to tell her she wasn't responsible."

"But nobody came."

Tears gathered in Deeksha's eyes.

"Where was her father?"

Deepak looked away."After their daughter's death, her parents became strangers to each other. The grief created a wall between them that neither of them could break."

"Her father buried himself in work. He spent most of his time outside the house, trying to escape his own pain. He loved Bhavya... he really did. But he never saw what was happening behind closed doors."

"He had no idea that the little girl who ran into his arms whenever she was scared was being treated like a burden by the woman who was supposed to protect her."

"And then things became even worse."

"Bhavya's mother started having an affair with her husband's elder brother."

Deeksha froze."What?"

"Whenever Bhavya's father was away, he would come to the house. Slowly, he became a regular presence there."

Deepak shook his head."The family was already broken by grief. And while Bhavya's father was trying to hold together the pieces of his life, the people he trusted most were betraying him behind his back."

Deeksha sat speechless.

"But that wasn't even the worst of it. When her mother wasn't around, her father's elder brother would come to the house."

"The man everyone trusted... the man who was supposed to protect her... became the reason she feared being alone. He didn't just walk in he hunted. He would corner her, assault her, and violate her in ways that destroy a person's very soul."

She stared at Deepak, praying he would tell her this was just a cruel story, a lie but the raw, jagged agony on his face told a different truth.

"When she finally broke her silence... when she gathered every ounce of courage she had left to tell her mother, do you know what she got in return? Not comfort. Not safety. Her mother just looked at her with pure, unadulterated coldness and said, 'Who would even want to touch someone as ugly as you?'"

"Ten years," Deepak choked out, his voice barely a tremor. "Ten years of hell. Ten years of her own blood turning her life into a graveyard. By the time it finally stopped, there was nothing left of the real Bhavya. She became a ghost completely hollow, completely emotionless, just a shell walking through the emotions of life."

closed his eyes, a single tear tracing a path through his grief.

"When she finished her school, her father sent her to Delhi to live with her grandparents. She walked away from that house, but she left her heart, her trust, and her humanity behind in the rubble of what they did to her."

After a long silence, she finally asked,

"Her father never found out? He never knew what she was going through?"

Deepak slowly shook his head.

"No. He never did."

"Eventually, Bhavya left that house and came to Delhi. Her father got her admitted to Delhi University, and she started living with her grandparents."

"That was around the same time Rahul and I came to Delhi for our studies. We had left Banaras behind..."

His eyes briefly met Deeksha's.

"After you left for London."

Deeksha lowered her gaze.

Neither of them spoke for a moment.

Then Deepak continued.

"One day, Rahul and I were walking across the campus when we noticed a group of seniors surrounding a girl."

"At first, we didn't pay much attention. We thought it was just another college argument. But then we realized it was Bhavya."

Deeksha listened carefully.

"Those seniors were making fun of her appearance. They mocked her face, mocked her weight, and treated her like she didn't belong there."

His jaw tightened.

"They would constantly humiliate her, force her to do pointless tasks, and make her the target of their jokes. The worst part was that Bhavya just stood there quietly, taking it all."

Deeksha felt her chest ache.

"Why didn't she say anything?"

Deepak gave a sad smile.

"Because when life spends years teaching you that your voice doesn't matter, eventually you stop using it."

The words hit Deeksha like a punch.

"At first, Rahul and I stayed out of it."

He laughed softly."Well... I stayed out of it."

A faint smile touched his lips."But Rahul?"

He shook his head."Rahul has never been able to watch someone being bullied. It's one thing he simply cannot tolerate."

The memory brought warmth to his otherwise sorrowful expression.

"The moment he understood what was happening, he walked straight toward them."

Deepak could still picture it clearly.

"The entire group fell silent.Rahul stood between Bhavya and those seniors and looked every one of them in the eye."

His voice grew firmer as he recalled the moment."Then he told them that if they ever harassed her again, he would personally make sure they were suspended."

The confidence in Rahul's voice that day had left no room for arguments.

"And they believed him."

Deepak smiled faintly."For the first time, someone stood up for Bhavya."

"For the first time, someone looked at her and saw a person instead of a target."

"After that day, Bhavya started following us everywhere."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Wherever Rahul and I went, she would somehow end up there too."

Deeksha chuckled softly.

"Really?"

"Yes." Deepak rolled his eyes dramatically. "And honestly, it used to annoy me.One day, I finally lost my patience and told her straight to her face that she didn't need to keep following us around all the time."

Deeksha immediately frowned."Deepak!"

"I know, I know," he said with a guilty smile."Before she could even respond, Rahul stopped me and told me to be quiet."

Then Rahul looked at Bhavya and asked her gently, 'Why do you keep staying around us all the time?'"

Deepak's smile slowly faded."And what she said next.....Neither of us was prepared for it."

"She looked at us and said...Because I feel safe with you."

Even now, years later, those words carried the same weight."Rahul and I just stood there."

"Neither of us knew what to say."

Because for most people, feeling safe was normal.

But for Bhavya...

Feeling safe was something she had spent her entire life searching for.

"After that, we never asked her again. She continued showing up everywhere. She studied with us. Ate with us. Sat with us during lectures. Walked with us across campus."

Basically, she became our shadow."

Deeksha smiled."And you secretly liked it."

"No, I didn't," Deepak protested immediately.

Deeksha raised an eyebrow."You're a terrible liar."

Deepak laughed."Fine. Maybe eventually."

His gaze drifted toward the window.

"At first, I didn't want her around because..."

He hesitated."Because that place belonged to you."

Then Deeksha smiled warmly.

"That was unfair of you, Deepak."

"I know."A regretful smile crossed his face. "It was unfair. But eventually I stopped comparing her to anyone and accepted her as my friend."

"She wasn't someone who talked much. She mostly kept to herself. Her entire focus was on her studies. She didn't care about parties, popularity, or making new friends.The only people she ever truly interacted with were Rahul and me."

"And Rahul..."

"Rahul wasn't okay either.After Ishani Di's marriage, something inside him broke."

"Most nights he would stay awake until dawn. Sometimes he cried when he thought nobody was watching. Sometimes he drowned himself in alcohol, trying to forget feelings he could never bring himself to speak aloud."

"And somehow..."

"Bhavya became the person who always picked up the pieces. She would sit beside him quietly. She would make sure he ate.She would listen when he needed to talk and stay silent when he didn't. She never asked for anything in return."

"That's just who she was."

"And somewhere along the way...Without realizing it... Without planning it...Without even understanding it herself..."

"Bhavya fell in love with Rahul."

"I knew."He looked down at his hands."And Rahul knew too."

Deeksha looked at him curiously.

"You both knew she loved him?"

"From the very beginning."

"The way she looked at him... the way her entire mood changed whenever he was around... it wasn't difficult to understand."

"Bhavya never said it out loud, but some feelings don't need words."

"The truth is..." Deepak continued, "Rahul and I both understood what was in her heart."

"Then why didn't you say anything?" Deeksha asked quietly.

Deepak said ."Because we didn't want to hurt her."

"Acknowledging those feelings would have forced Rahul to give an answer. And at that time, Rahul's heart still belonged to someone else."

"So we pretended not to notice. Maybe it was cowardly. Maybe it was selfish. But we thought silence would hurt her less than rejection."

"Then graduation finally arrived. And with graduation came reality."

"Bhavya's father made it very clear what he wanted. Everyone in her family had served in the police force. So he told her to prepare for the UPSC examination."

"And Bhavya...She didn't argue. She didn't complain. She simply picked up her books and started studying."

"Meanwhile Rahul and I had absolutely no idea what we were doing with our lives."

Deeksha laughed."That sounds two of you idiots."

"Exactly." Deepak grinned.

"No plans. No direction. Nothing. Then one day we looked at Bhavya studying ten hours a day while we wasted our time. And we thought...Why not give UPSC a try too?

"So all three of us started preparing."

"Well, actually Bhavya started preparing. Rahul and I mostly annoyed her while pretending to study."

"But Bhavya... She was different. When she committed herself to something, she gave it everything she had."

"And she cleared UPSC on her very first attempt."

Deeksha's eyes widened."Seriously?"

"Yes." Deepak said

"First attempt."

"No coaching shortcuts. No excuses. Just pure hard work."

"She did what most people spend years trying to achieve."

Deeksha smiled proudly."That's incredible."

"It is."Then suddenly Deepak started laughing. "But do you know what happened next?"

"She refused to leave for training."

Deeksha blinked."What?"

"You heard me."Deepak laughed harder."She cleared one of the toughest exams in the country and then refused to go for training."

"Why?"

Deepak's grin widened."Because Rahul and I hadn't cleared it yet."

"She said she wasn't going without us."

"That's how attached she had become. So instead of celebrating her own success, she stayed back. And then she practically dragged Rahul and me through our preparation."

"She made schedules for us. Forced us to study. Taught us topics we didn't understand. Yelled at us when we got lazy. Encouraged us whenever we felt like giving up."

"If we're standing where we are today...If Rahul and I became IPS officers... A huge part of the credit belongs to Bhavya."

"Eventually Rahul and I cleared UPSC too."

"And finally... The three of us left together for training."

Deeksha leaned forward, completely absorbed in the story."What happened after that?" she asked softly.

"Then came police training."He shook his head. And trust me, it was brutal."

"I used to feel exhausted every single day. Bhavya did too, but the difference was that she never gave up."

"No matter how tired she was, she would wake up before sunrise, put on her uniform, and show up again the next morning as if nothing could stop her."

"But one day... something happened."

Deeksha immediately noticed the change in his voice."What?"

Deepak took a deep breath.

"During training, an officer crossed a boundary with her."

"It wasn't a major incident, but it was enough. Enough to bring back memories she had spent years trying to bury. For four years, nobody had made her feel unsafe. Living with Rahul and me, being around people she trusted, she had slowly started healing. She had started believing that her past no longer controlled her."

"But that moment shattered something inside her. Suddenly she couldn't breathe properly. She began panicking. She looked terrified."

"Rahul and I had never seen her like that before. We were scared."

"We took her to a doctor immediately. The doctor treated her and later told us that her reaction was connected to unresolved trauma."

"Hearing that scared both of us. Because we realized there were wounds inside her that had never truly healed."

"After that, Bhavya started avoiding us. She stopped talking. Stopped laughing. She tried to carry everything alone again."

"But Rahul wasn't the type to sit back and watch someone suffer. He knew something was wrong. So he kept trying until finally she opened up."

"And when she told him the truth about everything she had endured..."

"Rahul was furious. Not at her. At everyone who had failed her."

"I thought he was going to lose control. Somehow he managed to calm himself down. Then he called Bhavya's father and told him everything."

Deeksha's eyes widened."How did he react?"

"He was devastated."Deepak shook his head. "Completely shocked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He came immediately to see Bhavya."

A bitter smile appeared on Deepak's face. But Bhavya refused to meet him. Years of pain had built a wall between them. By then she had stopped trusting both her parents."

"Eventually Rahul convinced her father to return home and give her some space."

"But Rahul didn't stop there. He found a therapist for her. She argued for days. Said she didn't need help. Said she was fine."

"But Rahul can be unbelievably stubborn when he cares about someone. And this was one battle he refused to lose.So eventually she went. One session became another.Then another. Slowly, little by little, she started healing."

"For the first time, she wasn't just surviving her past. She was finally learning how to live beyond it."

And perhaps that was the bravest thing Bhavya had ever done.

"Bhavya started getting better after that.For the first time, it felt like she was finally learning how to breathe without fear."

Deeksha listened quietly.

"Rahul and I were happy... really happy."His voice softened."We thought maybe everything was finally okay."

"But healing is never a straight path. Sometimes even the smallest trigger could pull her back into that darkness."

"Even after therapy, whenever she got a call from her mother or father...She would break down. Sometimes panic attacks... sometimes she would just go completely silent."

"It was like all the progress disappeared in a moment."

"Rahul couldn't take it anymore one day. He shouted at them. For the first time, he lost his temper completely."

"He told them to stop calling her. To stop disturbing her. That if they truly cared about her mental peace, they should leave her alone."

"And after that... the calls stopped. Sometimes silence is the only protection you can give someone. After that, things slowly became stable again. We completed our training."

"And all three of us became officers."

He smiled faintly."It felt like life had finally balanced itself."

"And then...Bhavya's grandparents passed away. And that broke her all over again."

"They were the only place she ever felt a little warmth during her childhood. The only people who never

judged her."

"When they were gone, she felt completely alone again."

"She shut down. Stopped talking for days. Stopped eating properly.It was like she was slipping back into a place we had spent years pulling her out of."

"But this time... she didn't fall all the way.Because this time, she had people who wouldn't let her disappear.Rahul was there.I was there.And slowly... she came back."

"Not completely healed. Not fully okay. But stronger than before.And for the first time in her life...She wasn't alone in her pain."

"But now... she's gone back there again."

"I don't know how she's going to manage on her own."

A heavy silence followed his words.

Deeksha's expression softened. She moved closer and gently wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a comforting hug."She's okay now," she said softly. "She can take care of herself."

Deepak closed his eyes for a moment and nodded slowly."I know..." he whispered.

But even as he said it, there was a heaviness in his chest that wouldn't leave."Still..." he added quietly, "it doesn't feel right."

Deeksha didn't say anything.

She just held him a little tighter.

Because some goodbyes don't feel like endings.

They feel like a part of life has quietly gone missing and no matter how strong someone becomes, that emptiness never fully leaves.

.........................

Ishani had been watching Rahul quietly since yesterday.

He hadn't been the same since he heard that Bhavya was leaving.

There was a silence around him that didn't feel normal it felt heavy, distant, almost unreachable.

She walked up to him with a cup of tea ."Are you okay, Rahul?"

But he didn't respond.

His eyes were fixed on something far away, as if his body was present but his thoughts were somewhere else entirely.

Ishani frowned and gently shook his shoulder."Rahul?"

He blinked, as if returning from a long distance, and looked at her.

"Yes, Ishani?"

His voice was calm, but his eyes betrayed him.

They were filled with unshed tears.

Ishani froze for a second, her breath catching.

She quickly placed the cup down on the table."Rahul... are you crying?" she asked softly.

Rahul immediately forced a small smile, shaking his head."No... no, something just got into my eyes. That's all. Maybe dust."

He tried to laugh it off, but the heaviness in his voice made it sound hollow.

Ishani didn't look convinced.

Something about him felt broken in a way she had never seen before.

She picked up the cup again and gently placed it back in his hands.

"Here... drink your tea."

Rahul nodded slightly and accepted it.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

Ishani didn't reply.

She just stood there, watching him carefully.

Because sometimes, silence says more than words ever can.

And right now, Rahul's silence was screaming.

But for some reason, Ishani felt a strange sting in her chest as she

watched Rahul like that.

It wasn't something she could easily name or understand.

Seeing him so silent, so broken at the thought of Bhavya leaving... unsettled her in a way she wasn't prepared for.

She frowned slightly, trying to make sense of what she was feeling.

It wasn't anger.

It wasn't sadness either.

Something closer to jealousy... but softer, more confusing mixed with a feeling she didn't want to admit even to herself.

Why did it bother her so much?

She looked at Rahul again.

The way his eyes had gone distant... the way his usual calm presence felt fragile now...

And then Bhavya's name came into her mind again.

Ishani's grip tightened unconsciously.

She didn't understand her own emotions.

And that scared her more than anything else.

Because for the first time, she wasn't sure whether she was reacting to Rahul...

Or to the place Bhavya unknowingly held in his heart.

................................................................................................

Votes and comment please 🙏❤️