Chapter- 30

The room smelled of vanilla and lavender, the calm scent mixing with the faint fragrance of lily candles Eshita had lit up in Ekansh’s room. The air filled with tension so thick that even breathing felt heavy.

Sitting on the couch, she stared at her brother, who sat beside Ekta with her cuddled into his warmth, wrapped in the cocoon of a blanket, hiding making herself as small as she could.

Eshita sighed, pressing the palm of her hand into her eyes until she could almost see stars. Her heart was still pounding rapidly in her chest. Not finding the girl in the cabin when she had gone to the washroom, guided by the employee. The locked door and the echoing sobs coming from inside had terrified her.

Ekansh had broken the door, and they found Ekta collapsed on the cold concrete floor unconscious. According to the doctor, it was another panic attack triggered from severe emotional distress and suffocation. It rattled her, and so did her bhaiya. They reassured each other that Ekta was fine, but the fear refused to shrug off. The doctor’s words were crystal clear, they had reached on time or they would have lost Ekta forever due to lack of oxygen and shock shutting down her body.

Eshita didn’t know what triggered the girl, what went wrong, or at least what she had seen inside that washroom. She had tons of questions resting on the tip of her tongue, but more than her, her bhaiya deserved answers.

The fear still glazing his eyes didn’t sit well with her. He was offering Ekta all the comfort she was searching for, but who would hold him together if he broke apart under the weight of losing someone again?

“Ekta… can we talk, baccha?” Ekansh’s soft voice cut through her thoughts.

Ekta shook her head, leaning closer into Ekansh’s shadow, hiding herself further. She knew the moment she stepped back, she wouldn’t be able to hold herself together. She would spiral again despite the room filling with the fragrance of delicate candles. She could still feel that dark sandalwood and expensive cigar scent clinging onto her skin like poison.

“I-I am fine, bhaiya,” She mumbled against his chest.

Ekansh inhaled sharply, clenching his eyes shut before opening them. His gaze met Eshita’s concerned one. The helplessness hit him mercilessly all over again. If she refused to tell what happened, how would he help her pull herself out of the traps that were destroying her from within? The image of her unconscious still flashed brutally in his mind. He was so close to losing her that the very thought shook his heart violently.

For years he survived because of Ekta. How could he lose the girl who gave him a reason to keep living? How could he let her drown herself into the darkness of her own pain?

He just didn’t know what to do anymore, be firm and force the answers out, or be gentle, giving her his understanding and patience while she continued suffering in silence.

His fingers ran through her hair in a soothing manner. “Ekta… jab tak bhaiya ko batayegi nahi kya hua hai, tab tak mujhe pata kaise chalega?” His tone softened further. “I want to help you, beta, but I can’t fight battles I know nothing about. Please tell me what happened? I almost lost you… I don’t want to go through that again. Bata…” He trailed off, feeling her grip tighten around him.

Ekta shook her head slowly. She didn’t want to talk about him, about her past, about anything for now. For now, she just wanted to forget it all. Her disgust toward herself was unbearable, yet her fears were greater, so great that she couldn’t help but lean into the warmth of a brother, letting her impurity touch him too. The sins she believed she carried were unforgivable, but for the first time she chose to be selfish.

Usually she survived by standing under ice-cold showers or burning hot water. The self-inflicted pain pushed the past into the background, lessening her own screams in her ears, giving her space to breathe and feel reality again. But today she knew nothing would help her.

He was close to her. He was there for her. He would drag her back no matter how much she wanted to run away. Still more than blurting out everything, she feared her brother would get destroyed in her messed up past, and that was the last thing she wanted.

Her story was hers to suffer through and end with, not for others to endure the pain she had survived.

Her vision blurred as memories flickered across her eyes…

The chilly breeze of the dark midnight brushed against her bruised skin. The sound of owls echoed through the silence of the night. Nine-year-old her peeked out from behind the pillar, glancing down at the grand lavish party.

High-class guests, expensive business suits, clinking glasses, and low murmurs filling the air. The entire hall illuminated beneath one massive golden chandelier sparkling brilliantly above everyone’s heads while bright candles and clouds of cigar smoke lingered around the room, giving the place a toxic yet dangerously powerful atmosphere.

Her gaze wandered to the stage above where girls her age, some older than her and some younger too, stood clad in designer clothes like lifeless dolls on display. She knew why she wasn’t there, because she was only his to abuse. Revulsion crawled through her veins.

If the men standing there disgusted her, then the women standing beside them, laughing, joking, and watching the girls on stage as if they were objects instead of humans, horrified her even more. How could a woman become another woman’s destruction? They were supposed to protect dignity, help other girls, yet there they were shaking hands and pointing over frightened children.

At nine, she saw for the first time how cruel humans could truly be, how selfish and hollow people were beneath their polished appearances. Soon the bidding started. Few spoke in English while others used languages she never even knew existed. Slowly, one by one, each girl was bought off like merchandise.

Ekta wished she could help them, but she was terrified. If he found her, she would face another round of severe lashes. Her skin was already nearly torn apart. God knows why was she even alive despite every torment she had endured.

Anyways, she had already committed the biggest transgression of the day by sneaking out of the basement she was caged in. The door was fortunately left unlocked, and despite her fears, she couldn’t suppress her urge to run away from that hellhole. The filthy hope of escaping and somehow finding her family still burned inside her.

Nine-year-old her refused to accept that her own family could choose to turn away from her. The world could be cruel, strangers could be monsters, but not her family. Her mother always told her parents never abandon their child. A father would rip apart the world if someone harmed his daughter the wrong way. Her mother couldn’t be wrong about her father. All she needed was to get out of there.

The soft tune of a whistle fell in her ears making her jump out of her skin. She turned around in fear, eyes widening as she found the second boss standing there, mocking amusement shining in his eyes while he stared directly at her.

Her eyes followed him as he leaned against the railing beside her, looking down over the crowd before whistling again. The room quieted instantly. Every single eye turned upward.

“Dekhiye toh Bhai… who did I find here.” His mocking voice echoed through the silence.

Ekta shrieked in fear as he pulled her out from behind the pillar roughly, her face burning under countless stares. She tried to plead, but words failed her, tears overflowed continuously.

“Bring her down.” The order hung in the air like a death sentence. She knew that voice very well.

A large hand fisted around her hair as she was dragged down the stairs roughly toward her nightmare. She knew she wouldn’t survive this time. Maybe now death would finally embrace her and she could rest peacefully, if not in her parents’ warmth.

“Ekta… tu ro rahi hai?” Ekansh’s worried voice pulled her back into the present.

Ekansh pulled back despite her reluctance, cradling her face in his palms gently. “What happened? Why are you crying?”

Ekta buried her face back into his chest, wrapping her arms around him tightly. After all the humiliation she had gone through that day, she had finally found a way out of hell, yet the only thing she did was survive by committing crimes in the desperate pursuit of freedom.

Should she feel guilty or relieved? She was yet to understand that herself. Should she feel broken or healed with herself? That too was lost on her exhausted mind.

If the hell she survived for four years was horrifying beyond imagination, then the real world was far worst… at least until she met Ekansh, who expected nothing from her except honesty and trust.

Her heart trembled painfully. He wanted answers, she understood that. He might even help her. But how could she bare scars that destroyed her dignity piece by piece? How could she recite pain that went beyond words themselves? She was ashamed, guilty, even terrified of being seen differently.

Helplessness hit her like a tidal wave, her body wrecking with sobs. It isn’t easy to speak about abuse no matter how much you trust or love the person standing before you. She could lay down her life for Ekansh. A brother, family she chose for herself, but she just didn’t know how to hand over her shame and darkness to him without feeling completely destroyed afterward.

Eshita rose to her feet. The more Ekta cried, the more restless her heart became. What the hell happened with her that made her so scared? Who were her parents? Were they alive or dead? How did the girl run into her brother? From where has she come? What was her past? There were so many questions, but in front of those tears, she took a step back just like her bhaiya, who pulled Ekta closer, letting her empty her system while remaining silent.

There was a thin line between protecting someone and forcing them to relive their wounds. Ekansh would be the shield to the sister hiding in his warmth, ready to face whatever haunted her first. So would Eshita, who already felt ready to kill someone for the girl she had started to see as more than a stranger… But neither of the siblings crossed the boundaries of her silence, giving Ekta what she needed the most, space and time to become courageous enough to tell her truth herself.

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Eshita walked into the kitchen only to find her father sitting at the dining table, going through a pile of files as if nothing had happened. Her eyes blazed with anger. In long strides, she crossed the distance between them, almost snatching the files out of his grasp.

“What are you doing, dad?” She snapped. “Aapko aaram karne ko kaha hai doctor ne! Can you for once listen to what people are saying instead of acting like you are some machine who never gets tired? You just started to recover pr aap hai ki phir se kaam mein lag gaye!”

Virendra looked up calmly, though the sudden force with which she had grabbed the files startled him slightly. “Esha...”

“No! I don’t want to hear anything.” Eshita cut him off immediately. “Aapko idea bhi hai mujhe prr aur Bhaiya prr kya beeti thi? Hum kis haal mein the? But no all you care about is your damn work. Seriously dad, aapko apni health ki zara bhi parwah hai ya nahi?”

Virendra sighed softly, rising to his feet. “Relax baacha. Bas kuch important documents the isliye...”

“Aur aap nhi dekhte toh duniya khatam ho jaati right? Why do you always do this? Haar baar khudko push karna, khudko ignore karna… aur phir jab condition kharab ho jaye toh sabko tension mein daal dena!” Her concern came out sharp, almost rude, so blinded by fear and frustration that she forgot for a moment she was talking to her father.

“Eshita!” Ekansh’s stern voice echoed from behind.

She turned around instantly.

Ekansh entered the room, his sharp gaze fixed on her. “Mind your tone. Aapne gusse mein yeh mat bhul ki tu kis se baat krr rahi hai.”

Eshita stiffened, her gaze lowering. Taking a deep breath, she slumped down on the chair. Ekta’s tears refused to leave her mind; the girl’s distress was getting on her nerves. And she was taking out her concern in anger at her father. Even when she wanted to ignore Ekta, she couldn’t bring herself to be so heartless. She never was, and that annoyed her.

She didn’t have any problem with Ekta. She liked her… in fact everything about her ,  that cute little scowl she displayed on their first meet, her open jealousy, anger and protectiveness towards Ekansh, the first laugh when they played football in Shimla, her sass and her unfiltered raw honesty that carried both innocence and pain together.

Eshita adored everything about Ekta. But she couldn’t bring herself to be an elder sister. She was the youngest; she had a short fuse. No one judged her if she snapped out of frustration or fear. They understood her, made her toe the line and loved her for who she was. However being an elder sister meant responsibilities, maturity, patience, and emotional understanding. Eshita had none of that.

What if she failed as an elder sister? Already Ekta carried the baggage of her own; Eshita didn’t wish to become another burden in her life. She felt horrible at her own thoughts.

Virendra and Ekansh shared concerned glances before taking their seats. Ekansh sat beside his sister and Virendra on the head chair, in the middle Eshita, resting her head on the dining table staring at the wall blankly. By now she would’ve apologised or at least gotten annoyed for interrupting her scolding session. But silence was not something she ever chose, so it bothered the father-son duo immensely.

“Kya hua hai?” Ekansh asked softly. After putting Ekta to sleep he came down to check on his sister, knowing she might be worried. Just as he thought, she was much more than worried.

Eshita shook her head slowly. “I dont want to be the elder one. I hate it.”

She didn’t mind sharing her thoughts with both of them. She could never hide anything from her family, never lie to them. That was the reason she always got in trouble with her mother. Whenever she pranked her teachers, her dumb self couldn’t contain the excitement for more than a few days and during random talks she would blurt out her own adventures. Anyways, if she knew how to hide things or contain her emotions, her life wouldn’t have been so peaceful as it was now.

When her bhaiya wasn’t there and her father became a dictator, she made sure to let him know how much she hated every single day, pouring out her anger, being a rebellion rather than surrendering so easily. She did what was needed. She didn’t regret any of it.

“What are you talking about esha?” Ekansh asked, confused.

Eshita glared at him. “Ekta ki age kya hai?”

“16!”

“Then I will be elder one na.” Eshita whined, annoyed her brother was still clueless. “I-i hate being the elder one. Why does she have to be the younger one? Mujhse badi hoti ya same age ki. We would have been friends but no she has to be the younger one. And I know if I ask her to call me by my name... her sansakri self will not allow that. I... I just don’t know what to do about this.”

Ekansh relaxed, leaning back on the chair. His gaze met his father’s amused one. He looked away. Hearing Eshita’s question now, he found himself staring at his own sixteen-year-old version.

Memories pulled him back in time...

Sixteen-year-old him sat on the terrace, the night sky stretched endlessly above him while the swing he sat on moved back and forth with the chilly midnight breeze.

His thoughts were messed up in their own storm of fears and overthinking. A shawl wrapped around his shoulders from behind; he didn’t need to look back to know who it was.

“Mene neeche ane he wala tha dad.” He mumbled quietly, rising to his feet. It was getting cold outside; his father had a cold for a few days. He shouldn’t stay there for more time in the open.

Virendra pushed him back down on the swing. “Sit son. We need to talk.”

“Haa toh neeche chal ke baat krte hai. Aapki tabyat...”

“I am fine Anshu.” Virendra interrupted gently.

Ekansh sighed, leaning into his father’s warmth, resting his head on Virendra’s shoulder.

“What are you thinking?” Virendra asked knowingly.

Ekansh shook his head. “Kuch nhi.”

Virendra relaxed on the swing, running his fingers through Ekansh’s hair as the boy laid down resting his head on his lap. “You know your sister is missing you. It’s been a week since you played games with her. Why are you ignoring her, Ansh?”

Ekansh bit his lips nervously. Nothing escaped his father’s eyes. His mother already tried to talk to him but he made an excuse rushing away, but now here he was again in the same situation.

“Ekansh!”

Ekansh looked up meeting his father’s gaze, reluctantly. That one firm tone and he knew he had to tell what’s bothering him. There was no room for lies, never will be.

“Why does she have to be the younger one dad?” He couldn’t help but whine. “I know I am the elder one but why? Aapko pta hai I am so scared to make mistakes. What if she follows what I do? Just a few days ago she witnessed me dumping milk into the basin... then climbing the kitchen counter after mom strictly warned me not to and also when I lied about breaking her favourite flower vase...”

“Do you realise that you are confessing your deeds adding up for the consequences of your actions?” Virendra asked amused.

“That’s not the point here dad.” Ekansh sat up annoyed. “Scold me all you want. But focus on what I am saying... I-i just don’t know what to do. She is growing up. Mein jo jo krta hu vo sabh vo dekhti hai. A few days back she also dumped the milk into the basin. I noticed that. She is just six dad. That was her first mistake and I realised she copies me more than she listens to anyone else. I can’t be the perfect brother...”

He ran his fingers through his hair, “What if I fail her? Agar mene kuch galat kiya aur usne bhi wahi galti ki toh? I won’t be able to deal with it. It’s not like her making mistakes is a crime but I don’t want her to do something that can harm her. I-i just don’t want to be the elder brother... that responsible creature... Mujhe pta hai mujhse nhi hoga. I will mess up and disappoint her and....”

“Okay enough.” Virendra cut him off firmly.

He cradled Ekansh’s face, making the boy look at him. “Firstly calm down. And stop berating yourself. None of my children are allowed to do that.”

Ekansh nodded slowly.

“Mistakes are the best lessons and experiences a human being can have.” Virendra’s tone softened. “That’s the part of growing into an emotionally mature adult. If you falter, you have me and your mom to guide you back on the right track. Just like that, if your sister falters she has you to guide her back. That doesn’t lessen our responsibility, it just makes you a brother who is trying his best to understand his role. You can be your own person without having to think that you have to be perfect for your younger sister. Don’t forget you are two different individuals. You will learn, grow and make mistakes together....”

“Responsibilities aren’t punishments.” Virendra’s voice pulled her back to the present. “Responsibilities are proofs that someone trusts your presence in their life. You thinking you aren’t up for them or you will fail Ekta isn’t wrong. It’s okay to think like that sometimes but don’t let them stop you from forging a bond that can be as beautiful as the one you and Ekansh share.”

Ekansh smiled faintly. Those were the words his father told him a decade back, now offering the same to Eshita. It helped him become a better version of himself with time; he definitely made mistakes and disappointed himself many times, but his father’s words of wisdom were something that helped him keep moving forward rather than drowning in guilt.

Eshita rose to her feet, wrapping her arms around her father’s neck from behind. She could try. He was right. She could never become perfect overnight but stopping herself from reaching out to Ekta was unfair to both of them. She would do what she could. Not an elder sister... but maybe as a friend first.

The head guard entered the room, breaking the light environment. He looked at Virendra hesitantly. “Sir... Police ayi hai. Aapse milne.”

Silence fell in the room, the earlier warmth evaporating into thin air. The trio made their way out into the hall. What was waiting for them now?

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Your thoughts on Ekta’s pov?

The conversation between Virendra and siblings?

Any guesses what is going to happen?

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Please do share your views!

Next Update: Saturday!

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