Chapter- 10

The girls walked down the deserted stretch of road cautiously. The street lights flickered back to life, showing the road more clear than earlier. The small local stalls on the side road they found were broken and thrashed, as if a violent mob had passed through, leaving nothing untouched, and that increased their anxiety. However, there was nothing they could do except keep walking down the lonely lane, in the hope to find help and reach home.

Ekta flinched, startled, as they heard a distant roar of men, their voices rough and unsettling. She shifted closer to Eshita instinctively.

Eshita’s grip tightened on the gun. She pulled Ekta slightly behind her, her eyes scanning the surroundings sharply, every nerve in her body alert. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, but her steps didn’t falter. Fear clawed at her insides, yet she forced herself to stay steady, because breaking down was not an option. Not when Ekta was depending on her and when turning back wasn’t possible anymore.

“I think we should hide in there.” She said quietly as the roar grew louder with each passing second.

Ekta looked at the jungle where Eshita was pointing; it looked dangerous, but there was nothing more safe than that. She nodded, following behind Eshita.

They crouched down behind the bushes, their breaths shallow as they tried to make themselves invisible in the darkness.

The mobs slowly came in view, a few holding weapons like earlier ones and a few holding fire torches in their hands, looking around, trashing the already battered stalls.

One of them walked in their direction. Ekta’s breath hitched. Eshita held her hand in reassurance, slowly stepping back further into the darkness when their feet crunched loudly on the leaves, making noise, alerting the man who was leaving.

“Ay yaha koi hai.” He shouted, narrowing his eyes towards the sound.

Ekta trembled as a few of them walked forward.

Eshita braced herself, her fingers ready on the trigger. Just as the flash of the torch could fall on them, she was pulled back abruptly.

“Run!” Ekta hissed, holding onto Eshita’s hand tightly, pulling the girl with her.

“Oye ruk!” A man yelled furiously as he noticed them, “Pakdo unhe. Saali humare se bhagegi.”

Ekta heard the growl and her pace fastened. Her instincts kicked in, so did the memories, orking on autopilot. She had once lived that nightmare. Not the same mob, but yes, men with wildness in their eyes, ready to devour her alive. She survived back then and found Ekansh. Today, she didn’t know what would happen to her, but she refused to let Eshita face something like that.

“I have a gun!” Eshita said breathless. She didn’t understand why Ekta pulled her so desperately, it wasn’t like she was going to take them all down, but they could have found a way to scare them off or hold them back.

Ekta ignored the statement and kept running blindly, deeper into the jungle. She wasn’t even sure where she was going or taking Eshita. All that mattered was not getting captured by the mob. She was running in the present, but her mind was trapped in the past, reliving it all over again.

“Sambhal ke.” Eshita hissed, steadying Ekta instantly as she stumbled forward. “Thik ho tum?”

Ekta bit back the yelp. Her foot hit a sharp stone hidden beneath the leaves. She tried to say something, but words failed her. Tears shimmered in her eyes. Where was her saviour?

Eshita looked around. Except for the moonlight, there was no visibility to guide their path or show them a way out.

“We need to get out of here,” she muttered. “Don’t worry Ekta, main hu...” Her words trailed away as they heard the rustle of leaves again.

Ekta pulled Eshita down, hiding behind a tree.

“Yahi kahi hogi vo dono.” One man growled, scanning the area carefully.

“Tu waha dekh, main udhar dekhta hu.” The other said in a low, dangerous tone, “Zayada door bhi nahi gayi hongi.”

They parted ways, while two still stood there looking around, their presence too close for comfort.

“Aapko yaha se bhaagna chaiyee.” Ekta whispered through clenched teeth, swallowing down the pain.

Eshita shot her a sharp glare, which was wasted under the darkness, “Tumhara dimag kharab hai yeh mujhe pata tha, par itna... iska andaaza aaj laga.”

“I am not... joking.” Ekta forced out, “I think you should run away. Aap help leke aa sakti...”

“Just shut up, will you.” Eshita snapped.

“Shhh.” Ekta placed her palm on her mouth, “Aur chilla lijiye, iss jungle ke janwaro ko bhi jaga dena.”

Eshita bit her tongue, “Sorry! Tum bhi toh dekho kaise baatein kar rahi ho. You want me to leave you here. I am not that crazy to do so. Bhaagna hai na... fine, we will run away together.”

“I-I can’t.” Ekta stammered. She couldn’t see what had happened to her foot yet, but she could feel warm blood soaking through and a sharp, throbbing pain that made it impossible for her to move.

“Tumhe chot lagi hai?” Eshita whispered urgently, the tenor in Ekta’s voice wasn’t lost to her and that worried her.

Silence stretched between them.

“Ekta, I asked...”

“Ji.” Ekta cut her off, “That’s why I am saying leave. Go and bring help, till then I am here.”

Eshita ignored her words and reached out to hold Ekta’s foot.

“Kya kar rahi hai aap.” Ekta hissed, her voice sharp in the air. She looked around instantly and sighed in relief, not finding anyone there.

“Let me see what happened.” Eshita said firmly, leaving no room for argument.

Ekta shook her head, pulling her hands away, “no-no need. I am fine. Yeh koi nayi baat nahi hai, mujhe dard ki aadat hai... I-I mean it will get better.”

What she didn’t say was she didn’t like Eshita touching her feet. No matter what Ekta called her, Eshita was senior to her, even if it was just two or three years, it still mattered.

Eshita didn’t press further. In the darkness, it was anyways impossible to inspect properly, and Ekta’s words didn’t sit well with her either. There was so much happening that she didn’t know which way to grasp and hold herself together.

“Let’s wait for them to leave.” Eshita suggested, “Main tumhe chod ke toh kahi nahi jaane wali.”

The finality in her tone made Ekta groan inwardly. Why the hell were Sehgal siblings so damn stubborn?

She opened her mouth to snap at her when the sound of police sirens cut through the air echoing faintly at first before growing louder, slicing through the tension like a hope that was fading away.

Eshita rose to her feet, helping Ekta up, “We have to get to the police before they leave this area.”

Ekta stopped; she wasn’t able to move, the pain was unbearable, “Aap jaye...”

“No!” Eshita snapped, “Come with me. Slowly, take your time, but main tumhe yaha chod ke nahi jaane wali. I told you that already.”

Ekta sighed helplessly. She leaned on Eshita, walking with uneven steps, almost dragging her injured foot along, gulping down the pain that threatened to break her composure with every step.

Eshita kept looking around for the men from earlier who had suddenly disappeared. She could simply fire in the air to stop the police and receive help, but she couldn’t risk alerting the mob again and drawing them back towards them, so the best option was to get out of there.

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Ekansh drove furiously, following behind the police van. His eyes darted around the empty lane. According to the tracker, Eshita’s car was still half an hour away from where they were, but his instincts told him that his sister was nearby, and his instincts never went wrong.

Virendra sat in the passenger seat, worried and restless, his eyes scanning sharply around every corner, every shadow, every movement that could hint at his daughter’s presence.

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The police van came into view and passed them, its siren fading slightly ahead, increasing their panic.

“Wait here.” Eshita said softly, running out towards the road to follow behind the van, when a blaring sound of a horn cut through the silence. She spun around abruptly, the car lights glaring in her eyes, making her cover her face. Her body froze in shock.

“DI!” Ekta screamed as she noticed the car speeding dangerously towards Eshita without slowing down.

“Ansh sambhal ke!” Virendra shouted, panicked, as he noticed the figure in the middle of the road.

Ekansh looked forward, his eyes widening. He slammed the brakes roughly, the tires screeching harshly against the road as the car skidded forward.

Silence filled the air, thick, deafening, as if the world itself had paused for a second.

Slowly, Eshita opened her eyes and looked down. Her heart skipped a beat, the car was just inches away from her, before it could have thrown her flying on impact.

She looked up with a glare to curse, only to find her brother and father stepping out of the car hurriedly. Tears of relief swam in her eyes, all the fear she had been holding back crashing down at once.

Before she could say anything, she was pulled into a tight hug by her father.

“Thik hai tu?” Virendra asked, pulling back, kissing her crown tenderly. He had made so many mistakes with his daughter that even the slightest harm on her was like a reminder to him to make amends before it gets too late. Life was never predictable or forgiving, and one thing he didn’t want to take to his grave was Eshita’s hate for him.

Eshita nodded, blinking away the tears, stepping back, “I am fine, dad.”

Virendra stiffened. He noticed the moment she pulled away from him; reluctantly, he let go. Maybe he had lost his daughter forever and there was no undoing the damage he had caused. She was fine, that was all his heart should focus on right now, no matter how much it ached.

Eshita turned to face her Bhaiya. She could read the rage in those green orbs, burning fiercely and barely held under control. As he stepped forward, her gaze dropped to the ground on its own accord, eyes clenching shut, bracing herself for what may come...

But the very next moment, she was pulled into a warm hug. Eshita’s eyes snapped open, her body froze rigidly, unable to process what just happened. She couldn’t bring herself to wrap her hands around her bhaiya because that was not what she was expecting. Her eyes landed on Ekta, who walked out, faltering on her own, steadying herself, but Eshita wasn’t worried about her injury.

She was stuck on Ekta’s words.

“The first thing he will do is pull you in a hug and reassure you that you are fine... and then comes the anger or scolding you think he might deliver.”

Anyone else would have been happy for a moment like being held protectively after escaping danger, but Eshita felt a sharp pain shoot up her chest. The changes in her brother were visible to her in Shimla, but she shrugged them away, thinking it as distance created by years apart. Even when they returned to Mumbai, she still saw how her brother had softened himself around her, yet she named it as giving him time and understanding.

But now that her own beliefs stared right back at her, everything she held onto slipped away from her hands like a fistful of sand slipping through her fingers.

No one was so eager to hear scoldings or lectures from anyone, but Eshita wanted to feel the love hidden in between the lines, the love that was visible in actions, but in words it was being restrained and carefully filtered. That cut deep. She didn’t want a perfect brother, she wanted her Bhaiya back, raw, unfiltered, and unapologetically hers.

Eshita’s hands raised, for the first time ever in her life, she pushed her bhaiya away, pulling back from his warmth. His anger would have made her feel she belonged there, that they were still the same as before, fighting, clashing, yet unbreakably connected... together. But now his softness felt like pity, and Eshita Sehgal never needed anyone’s pity, at least not from her own brother.

“Ekta got injured.” She forced out the words to distract him.

Ekansh looked moved past Eshita, his eyes scanning Ekta until they landed on her feet. It was bleeding. He gasped, walking to her side immediately, “Kaise hua yeh?” He looked back at Eshita, “Tujhe bhi lagi hai?”

Eshita shook her head, swallowing the lump in her throat, “Pathar se pair takra gaya uska I think. We should go to the doc...”

“Nahu.” Ekta protested immediately. She glanced at Ekansh, “It’s fine bhaiya. Pain killers will work ya aap lep laga dena  usse thik ho jayega.”

Ekansh gave it a thought before he nodded. Another day, he would have coaxed Ekta into listening to him, but today they had already been through enough chaos and fear for one night, he just wanted to bring them home immediately.

Eshita stepped forward, helping Ekta into the car with her brother, and silently got in beside her.

Virendra disconnected the call once he talked to the commissioner, informing him that both the girls were safe and had been found. He took the car keys from Ekansh.

“Let me drive.” His tone softened, “Sit with the girls, they look shaken.”

He knew Eshita wouldn’t lean on him for comfort, and Ekta was a whole different story. They were both strangers to each other, forging nothing, but he could still try to hold onto what little of his family was within his reach tonight.

✨✨✨

Eshita leaned back on the couch, relaxed and exhausted to the bone, finally back in the safety of her home. She sipped in the cold coffee her bhaiya made for her earlier. The car ride was filled with silence and tension; despite the danger subsiding, everything should have been back to normal, but none of it felt it.

Ekansh rose to his feet after binding the wound carefully with the lep he made, the ayurvedic paste. The bleeding stopped, and the chances of infection were also reduced due to the antiseptic properties of the herbs. For the pain, the medicines would work like always. He knew how to balance between both the medical science and traditional methods, a little of what he learned just for Ekta due to her fears and reluctance towards hospitals.

He returned after washing his hands and glanced at Eshita, who sat there as if nothing had happened. The earlier fury he felt finally made its way back to the surface. He held back from bursting at her because he didn’t want to scare her with his unrestrained anger and frustration, and secondly, she was his sister, but she was grown up now.

He could calm down, keep his voice in check rather than treating her like a thirteen-year-old. She wasn’t. He had to respect that boundary now, otherwise he was sure any younger and he would have whacked some sense into his stubborn sister.

“Tera phone kaha hai?” Ekansh asked calmly.

Eshita looked up at him. The edge in his tone wasn’t lost to her. She shrugged casually, “Switched off. Charging khatm ho gayi thi.”

Ekansh nodded, “Charger kharab tha?”

Eshita frowned, sipping her coffee, shaking her head without any reply.

“Kahi ghum gaya tha?” Ekansh probed. The casual indifference in her behaviour was rubbing on his patience.

Again, a silent shake of the head.

“Then why didn’t you charge it?” Ekansh’s tone sharpened slightly, “Tujhe pata bhi hai bhar kitna khatra tha. Main aur dad kitna darr gaye the. You didn’t even bother to check if the security was following you behind or...” He trailed off as Eshita stirred the coffee with the straw, the last few drops of it making the noise of hollow scraping against the glass.

“Take a chill pill, Bhaiya.” Eshita drawled, rising to her feet, keeping away the glass, “I am fine, she is fine. Why are you getting hyper now? We are back home safe and sound.”

Virendra shook his head at the brewing tension between the siblings. He slowly realized what his daughter was doing. He wanted to intervene to stop her but held back. It was between a brother and a sister who lost five years of their bond and understanding, and were trying to grasp onto something familiar yet distant, just not knowing how, and somewhere, he was responsible for everything, so he didn’t have the right to get in between his children.

Ekansh’s eyes flashed, “What did you just say? You think this is a joke? Tujhe kya lagta hai mujhe dikh nahi raha hai tu kar rahi hai apni life ke saath? Ghr pe late aana. Pura din bhar rehna. Kuch pucho toh jawab nahi dena. Khana achhe se nahi khana... aur ab yeh new bucket list... apni jaan khatre mein daalna. Tujhe kuch ho sakta tha...”

“Hua toh nahi na bhaiya?” Eshita shot back, “Zinda hoon aapke saamne khadi hoon. Mari toh nah...”

“ESHITA!” Ekansh’s voice boomed in the room, shaking the very air around them. His hand rose instinctively.

Eshita turned her face away, ready for the impact. However, feeling nothing, she opened her eyes only to find Ekansh lowering his hand.

Her eyes filled up, “Agar aap aaj haath utha dete toh at least mujhe iss baat ki umeed rehti ki chahe itne saal hum door the, par aapke aur mere rishte mein woh haq ab bhi zinda hai, wohi apnapan aaj bhi hai... par aapka khud ko rok lena kuch aur hi kehe gaya, bhaiya.”

“Ho kya gaya hai tujhe, Esha?” Ekansh asked, agitated, “Why are you saying this?”

Eshita snapped, “Aapko nahi pata mujhe kya hua hai? Aap nahi jaante main aise behave kyun kar rahi hoon?”

“Nahi jaanta. Isliye puch raha hoon.” Ekansh snapped back.

“Toh suniye. Mere aise behave karne ki wajah aap hi hain, bhaiya.” Eshita’s voice rose an octave, “Aap mujhe puch rahe hain mujhe kya hua? Aap bataye aapko kya ho gaya hai. Paanch saalon mein aap khud kitna badal gaye hain. Main soch rahi thi ki mere bhaiya mere saath rahenge toh sab kuch theek ho jayega... pehle jaisa ho jayega. But guess what... I met a brother I didn’t know anymore. You were never this calm, understanding and giving. You loved getting on my nerves. I loved annoying the hell out of you... but these past few weeks, I realised I have lost my brother.”

“Ghar chod ke aap gaye. Fine! Dad chahte the, isliye aapne wahi kiya jo sahi tha. Lekin mera kya, bhaiya? Aapne mujhe kasam mein baandh diya. Aapne mujhe yeh tak nahi bataya ki aap kahan jaa rahe ho. No contact, no address, nothing. You simply left... telling your twelve-year-old sister to be brave.”

She choked on her words, “And I-I tried to be brave. But guess what... our father had different plans. The dad I knew never dictated laws for his son. Dad always gave you space, choice, time... everything. Even if you failed in exams, he sat with you, helped you calmly. When you were sick, he looked after you...”

She let out a self-deprecating smile, “But what did he do to me? He simply turned away... changing himself from a warm person to an iceberg I never knew about. He scolded me for every little thing. He punished me for failing exams. He made me read those dumb files I never wanted to go through. He even announced me as his heiress without even asking me what I wanted. Just because he wanted to cope with his emotions, he chose to make me suffer.”

“And you... aap unke bete the, lekin yeh bhool gaye ki aap ek bhai bhi hain. Even if I want to forget the past and move on... the way you are behaving isn’t letting me. Aap mere saath ho kar bhi nahi ho, bhaiya... and that’s what is hurting me more than the distance, the years of longing we shared. Now you are asking me what I am doing with my life... I am simply fed up trying to understand what did I do so wrong that I have to endure this indifference that hurts.”

“Aapko pata hai mujhe Shimla mein hi pata chal gaya tha that you were the one who used to see the files I sent to Bhai before the presentations. It was you who asked Bhai to make changes... I saw the papers in your room. And those blank calls on my landline... I used your dummy phone and it connected to dad’s number that day.”

Her eyes filled, raw and vulnerable, as she looked Ekansh straight in the eyes, “Aapne pita ko diya hua wada todna galat hai. Aapne bade bhai ko diya hua wada todna bhi galat hai. We suffered equally in our situation... lekin aapka dard mere dard se bada kaise ho gaya, bhaiya? Aapka aur dad ka liya hua sahi faisla mere liye galat kaise sabit ho gaya? Mere liye saza kaise ban gaya?”

Her voice broke, she reached out holding Ekansh’s hand in hers, “Baas mujhe woh bata dijiye... and I will accept everything you say. Maine aapki baat kabhi nahi tali. Paanch saalon tak woh kiya jaisa aap bol ke gaye the. Aaj bhi karungi. bas mere sawaal ka jawab de dijiye... why am I getting punished?”

Had someone walked barefoot on burning coal, the feeling of hot embers touching the skin and then sinking deeper with every step, blistering, tearing, and refusing to let go... Each word coming from Eshita’ mouth made Ekansh feel just like that. The slow, fiery searing pain.

He was aware of his sister’s suffering but hearing the pain in her voice, the vulnerability in her eyes, made him question himself, not that the guilt that crawled in for the first time, but his own failure. Yes, he suffered... each day, each second, with every breath he took he remembered his baby sister, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t suffered any less, the anguish in her eyes screaming louder than his silence ever did.

Ekansh stepped back, pulling from her grasp. He didn’t have an answer to that question. An apology was ready on the tip of his tongue, even the soothing words to calm her down and hold her together, but he swallowed them all down. Anything he would say now would mean he was trying to justify himself, explaining himself.

From what he was seeing, he was doing everything right, being who he was. Yes, he had mellowed down towards Eshita, a lot... but that doesn’t mean his love for her had changed. She was still his little sister, his responsibility, but for the first time, Ekansh doubted his own self. He never expressed, and that’s what made Eshita feel like she no longer mattered the same way she once did, and that was the last thing he wanted her to feel.

She mattered to him. Always would. But he didn’t know how to say it or, in reality, what to say. He felt trapped in the conflicting chaos of his own emotions, where on one side he wanted to protect his sister from everything, and on the other he ended up hurting her by holding himself back.

Without a word, he turned and walked away, unable to face her questions anymore. Ekansh Sehgal never ran away from the battles life threw at him, but for the first time... he did.. from his own.

Eshita stared at his retreating figure, tears streaming down her face. She didn’t know what she was expecting, an answer, an apology, or at least a reassurance. But the moment he pulled back, she realized there was nothing she would get. It had become her fate, her reality. She was born to suffer and live with the memories of five years ago.

Before the dread could settle any deeper, she turned running up the stairs to her room. If she stayed there any longer, she would shatter, and that was the last thing she wanted. She had survived five years holding onto the hope of her brother’s return. Now that he was back, she should cherish what was given to her... without complaints, without expectations.

Virendra slumped down on the couch, holding his head in his hands. That was what he feared the most, his children walking away in different directions, breaking apart and drifting beyond each other’s reach.

But crying over it wouldn’t help. He knew that. He was ready to face the rest of his life receiving their resentment, drowning in guilt and seeking redemption in silent penance. There was a time when Virendra Sehgal stood tall with certainty, believing he was always right, but today.... he questioned every decision he had ever made.

His eyes landed on the family frame hanging on the wall. With just a tiny support, a single nail, the giant frame stood firmly in place, holding everything together.

Once, just like that nail, his wife had been the support that held this family intact... their children together, despite the storms, the differences, the chaos. Today, when she wasn’t there, it was his responsibility. To fix what he had broken, to fill the cracks between his children, to bring them back... before the distance became permanent. And he would. Because disappointing his Anvita... was the last thing he would ever allow himself to do!



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Did you feel Ekansh’s silence was justified, or did it frustrate you?

Do you think Eshita is reacting out of pain, or is she being unfair to Ekansh?

At this point in the story, do you feel the bond between the siblings is still strong, or already breaking?

Should Virendra step in and fix things, or let the siblings resolve it on their own?

Which moment in todays chapter hit you the hardest?

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Don't forget to share your views!

Next Update: Friday!

Thanks for reading!!!

 

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