Chapter- 45

The car came to a screeching halt as it reached the dead end of the deserted lane. The sudden silence lasted only a heartbeat before it was shattered by the deafening sound of gunfire.

Eshita flinched violently as bullets repeatedly struck the armored body of the car, each impact sending a dull metallic thud reverberating through the cabin. The windows trembled under the assault, making it feel as if the vehicle itself was absorbing every ounce of violence meant for them.

Ekansh instinctively pulled her lower, shielding her with his own body. Thankfully, the vehicle was bulletproof. Their father had insisted years ago that every family member travel in specially reinforced cars equipped with the highest level of protection because of the nature of their business. Never before had Ekansh appreciated his father’s stubbornness as much as he did at that moment. Had they been travelling in an ordinary car, he didn’t even want to imagine how different the situation could have been.

“Bhaiya...” Eshita murmured, her entire body trembling.

She hated loud noises. Ever since childhood, sudden explosions or anything resembling gunfire had made her heart race uncontrollably. A month earlier, during the riots with Ekta, she had forced herself to stay composed so the younger girl wouldn’t panic seeing her break down.

But today, with her brother beside her, she knew she didn’t have to wear the mask of ‘I am fine’. Every impact against the car echoed inside her chest, making it harder to breathe. She dug her fingers desperately into Ekansh’s sleeve. Deep down she knew that as long as he was beside her, no harm would reach her, yet the suffocating feeling refused to loosen its grip around her heart.

“Mujhe darr lag raha hai...” she whispered, her voice breaking.

Ekansh immediately shook his head and pulled her as close as the center console between them allowed. The awkward angle sent a sharp pain through his shoulder, but he ignored it completely. Had he been alone, he would have found a way out. But with Eshita beside him, there was no room for reckless bravery. Her safety came first. It always would.

“Shh...” He said softly, gently resting a reassuring hand over her head. “Main hoon na yahan, bacche. Kuch nhi hoga. Bas meri taraf dekh... bahar nhi. Talk to me if you want. Ignore the noises.”

Eshita nodded weakly, though tears had already begun blurring her vision. “What if they don’t stop?”

“They will. Raj will be here soon.” His voice carried absolute conviction.

“He didn’t even receive the call...” Eshita murmured, unable to hide the doubt in her shaking voice.

Ekansh nodded. “That doesn’t matter. One missed call is enough for him to know something is wrong. He will come.”

Before she could respond, the gunfire stopped abruptly. Silence engulfed the deserted road so suddenly that it felt even louder than the bullets had. Neither sibling dared to move. Ten seconds passed. A sudden knock against the driver’s side window startled them both.

Ekansh instinctively turned, every muscle in his body tensing in defense, only for the tension to melt away the moment he recognized the familiar face standing outside.

Rajeev standing there casually wearing his usual black sunglasses despite the daylight and looking almost annoyingly relaxed.

“Get down,” Ekansh murmured, finally allowing himself to breathe as he unlocked the door, stepping out.

Eshita followed behind. Stepping out of the car her eyes instinctively wandered across the deserted lane. The attackers lay scattered across the road, motionless, their weapons lying several feet away. The entire street had fallen eerily silent. The scene looked like the violence that had erupted only moments ago had never existed.

The aftermath didn’t shake her. After everything she had witnessed over the past few weeks, it was no longer the violence itself that frightened her. It was how quickly people had started accepting it as a part of their reality.

Ekansh dusted the invisible speck of dirt off his jacket before looking up at the man standing against the SUV as if nothing unusual had happened.

Rajeev casually removed his sunglasses, twirling them around one finger.

“Took you long enough,” Ekansh remarked flatly.

Rajeev scoffed. “Excuse me? Zinda toh hai na. That means I wasn’t late.”

Ekansh pocketed his hands. “By your standards that’s considered punctual?”

“Obviously.” Rajeev shrugged shamelessly. “No casualties? Check. Car mostly intact? Check. No human is injured? Check. Five-star service.”

“Remind me never to rate your services,” Ekansh deadpanned.

“You can’t even afford them.”

Ekansh raised an eyebrow. “I don’t remember hiring clowns.”

“Yeah, right.” Rajeev nodded sarcastically. “Still couldn’t stop yourself from calling the friendship service. Quite desperate.”

Ekansh’s eyes hardened at the word. “Eshita saath mein thi isliye call kiya. Otherwise, I would choose death over asking help from you. A friend who walks away when you need him the most isn’t worth calling a friend.”

Rajeev felt the sting exactly where it was aimed. Those had been his own words years ago, thrown carelessly in anger. Ekansh was simply returning them today, without mercy, without hesitation.

Forcing a smile, he looked back at him. “Well... that was in the past. Anyways, I helped you. At least ek ‘thank you’ toh banta hai. No?”

Ekansh glanced around at the unconscious attackers before looking back at him. “After such a dramatic entrance? I don’t think so. You enjoy making a heroic entry far too much.”

Rajeev shook his head in disbelief. “The great Ekansh Sehgal can’t even say two simple words. So bad. Tu aaj bhi nhi badla na.”

“I didn’t need to,” Ekansh replied calmly. “People around me changed enough for me to learn whom I should never expect anything from.”

Eshita let out an exaggerated groan, instantly drawing both their attention. “Can you two please stop? We just got ourselves out alive from an attack! Like seriously? Both of you are thirty, not three. Maar gaye hote toh aatma banne ke baad bhi aise hi ladte rehte kya?”

The two men quietly looked away. Their retorts died on their tongues. The sarcasm evaporated into thin air along with the stubbornness neither of them was willing to admit they carried. In front of Eshita, neither was brave enough to continue their petty argument and risk making her even more annoyed.

Eshita exhaled sharply before turning on her heels and walking straight to Rajeev’s car. She opened the rear door, and settled comfortably inside as if it belonged to her. The sun had already disappeared below the horizon, painting the sky in fading shades of orange and grey. She was exhausted. All she wanted was to go home, bury herself beneath her fur blanket, and sleep away the longest day.

From the corner of her eye, she deliberately noticed both Ekansh and Rajeev exchanging an exasperated look before silently walking toward the vehicle. She laid down in the backseat instantly. She knew she couldn’t interfere in whatever had happened between the two men years ago. But she could certainly trap them inside one car. The rest was their problem.

As Rajeev started the engine, his expression lost every trace of amusement. “Who is behind this?” he asked quietly. “You know, don’t you?”

Ekansh leaned back, running a tired hand through his hair. “Samar Singhania.”

Rajeev’s grip tightened around the steering wheel. “You want me to end the man? I can... if you just say the word.”

Ekansh turned his head slightly. “You think I can’t?”

Rajeev sighed. No. He knew better than anyone that Ekansh could. If Ekansh truly wanted Samar gone, no one could stop him. But that wasn’t the justice Ekansh believed in. Samar deserved to lose everything before he lost his freedom.

He deserved to stand exposed before the very people who worshipped him. He deserved a death where no one prayed for his soul, where his name became a curse rather than a legacy. That alone was what restrained Ekansh. After everything Vikram had provided him piece by piece, Rajeev couldn’t help agreeing. Samar Singhania didn’t deserve the mercy of an easy ending.

“If you need my help...” Rajeev murmured after a long silence, “Just tell me.”

Ekansh continued staring out of the window. He didn’t reply. Some bonds survived even after trust was broken. They had once been brothers in everything except blood, and if either of them stood on the edge of death, the other would still step forward without a second thought. But there are some betrayals that time teaches you to live with, not forget.

✨✨✨

Eshita barged into Ekta’s room unannounced. Ekansh was downstairs with their father, discussing everything that had happened earlier. The conversation was bound to take time, and none of them wanted Ekta to know about the attack just yet. Deciding the girl shouldn’t be left alone with her thoughts, Eshita came straight to her room. Just as she had expected, she found Ekta sitting quietly on her bed, staring into nothing in particular.

Shaking her head, she dramatically launched herself onto the mattress. The bed bounced violently.

Ekta jumped in surprise. “Aap theek ho?” she asked almost instantly, concern replacing her blank expression. The way Eshita had thrown herself onto the bed, thankfully the mattress was soft. Otherwise she might have broken her arm.

Eshita stretched lazily, unbothered. “Mujhe kya hona hai? Main toh expert hoon yeh stunts karne mein. Tune kabhi try nhi kiya?”

Ekta leaned back against the headboard. “I like watching circuses in cartoons... not being part of one.”

Eshita immediately sat upright. The dry sarcasm. There it was again. Every once in a while, Ekta unknowingly let that side of herself slip out before immediately retreating behind the walls she’d built around herself. Something Eshita found strangely fascinating. Maybe there really was an entirely different Ekta hidden beneath all that silence.

“You do know how to be sassy, huh?” She narrowed her eyes playfully. “Koi special course liya hai? Can I apply for it too?”

Ekta almost rolled her eyes. “If you don’t mind me asking... whom are you planning to use those skills on?”

Eshita shrugged before lying back dramatically. “Bhaiya maybe? Dekhti nhi hai tu kitna pareshan karte hain vo mujhe? You know what... we should join hands. Hum dono milkar bhaiya ko pagal karenge. What’s say?”

“So that you can call him old every alternate day?” Ekta replied without missing a beat. “He will get grey hairs before he even turns forty. All thanks to you.”

Eshita sighed. “Tujhe bhi bhaiya ki hi padi hai. Kya yaar... mera side nhi le sakti? Main bechari bacchi akeli...” She trailed off as Ekta suddenly giggled.

Eshita blinked. “Did you just laugh at me?”

Ekta quickly pressed her lips together, trying to suppress her smile. “Aap khud hi dekhiye aap kya keh rahi hain. Bechari? Bacchi? Woh bhi aap? Kis angle se?”

“Every angle available on this planet!” Eshita huffed dramatically. “I am telling you... bhaiya ke saath reh reh ke tu bhi unki tarah boring ban gayi hai. But don’t worry. I know exactly how to fix you. Woh din door nhi jab hum dono milkar iss poore ghar ko sar pe utha lenge.”

Ekta fell silent. She didn’t agree with that. She could never be like Eshita. No one could. The girl seemed to have two completely opposite personalities. One moment she carried herself like a mature adult, responsible, caring, thoughtful, and emotionally aware. The very next moment she behaved like an overgrown toddler, sulking, annoying everyone around her, and somehow making the entire room laugh with her silly antics.

Yet none of that changed the fact that Eshita was probably the most warm-hearted person Ekta had ever met. She admired that. The girl was brave, compassionate, unapologetically herself, and carried light wherever she went. Ekta wished, even if only for a moment, that she could become even a little like Eshita. But that was impossible. There was only one Eshita Sehgal.

“Can I ask you something?” Eshita asked softly.

Ekta nodded.

“What makes you smile?” She asked gently.

Ekta simply stared at her. No one had ever asked her that before. Ekansh never needed to. He somehow understood her likes and dislikes without her saying a single word. Whether by instinct or by some invisible sibling bond she couldn’t explain, he was almost always right. She had never needed words with him. So hearing the question from Eshita felt both unfamiliar and strangely comforting at the same time.

“I... I don’t know,” She whispered uncertainly. “Maybe... rain?”

Eshita’s heart pinched. No sixteen-year-old should have to search for an answer to such a simple question.

“Favourite food?” She asked, brushing away her own emotions. One day, she promised herself, Ekta would know exactly what made her happy.

Ekta smiled faintly. “Maa ke haath ke khane ke baad... aaj bhaiya ke haath ka khana pasand hai. Unke haath ka swaad... maa ke haath ke khane jaisa mehsoos hota hai.”

Eshita smiled warmly. “Favourite hobby?”

“Dance.” The answer came instantly.

“You learnt it?”

Ekta slowly shook her head. Her gaze drifted back toward the same corner of the room she had been staring at earlier. “When I move all the voices inside my head become quiet. Dance karne se aisa lagta hai ki bas main hoon... the centre of my own little world. Kisi ka darr nhi. Kisi ki chillati awaaz nhi. Kisi ka saya mujh prr...” Her voice broke ever so slightly, “It’s just... I find peace in moving.”

Eshita quietly watched her. She understood. Just as writing allowed her to pour every emotion onto paper, dancing allowed Ekta to breathe... to silence the storms inside her mind, if only for a little while.

“Ab aap bhi toh kuch...” Ekta stopped noticing Eshita’s eyes had already drifted shut.

“What were you saying?” Eshita mumbled sleepily.

“Nothing.” Ekta smiled at herself. Carefully, she picked up the blanket lying nearby and tucked it around Eshita before adjusting the pillow beneath her head with surprising gentleness. Then she quietly lay down beside her.

The nights that had once belonged only to darkness, fear, and unbearable loneliness had slowly begun to feel different with every passing day inside the Sehgal Mansion. After the story Virendra had narrated that evening, the way he had stayed beside her until she stopped trembling, the way he had silently anchored her. And now, the effortless warmth with which Eshita had walked into her room talking to her.

For the first time in years, her heart wasn’t drowning in fear. It hadn’t fully found peace either. But it had begun to trust. Just as she had once trusted Ekansh. Perhaps this was what a new beginning felt like.

✨✨✨

Golden rays of the early morning sun streamed through the tall temple windows, dancing across the polished marble floor until it shimmered like liquid gold. The soothing essence of fresh marigolds, jasmine, sandalwood incense, and burning camphor drifted gently through the air, filling the house with the serenity that only the festival of Navratri could bring.

Eshita sat cross-legged amidst baskets overflowing with flowers, carefully weaving delicate garlands for the morning pooja. It was the second day of Navratri. A new day should have brought new hope, new strength, and a sense of peace, yet her heart refused to settle. An unexplainable restlessness clung to her, refusing to loosen its grip.

Ekansh had assured her that everything was under control. Her father had echoed the same reassurance. Still, something deep within refused to believe them. Even amidst the temporary calm, she sensed an approaching storm. And her instincts had never betrayed her.

They hadn’t when an inexplicable uneasiness had settled inside her chest, only for her mother to leave the world the very next day. They hadn’t when a silent heaviness had wrapped itself around her heart before her brother walked away from the family. Nor had they failed her when she sensed something shifting within her father long before he became a completely different man overnight.

Every major turn in her life had arrived after this very feeling. Whether it was God’s blessing or His cruel warning, she was yet to decide.

“Good morning.” Virendra’s warm voice came from behind, making her jump in surprise.

She placed a hand over her racing heart before glaring at him. “Dad! Darra diya na. Aaram se nhi aa sakte the?”

Virendra raised an eyebrow as he settled beside her on the floor. “I came walking, not running,Aur kitne aaram se aata?”

Eshita looked away. “Jao, mujhe aapse baat hi nhi karni. Anyways... Why are you up so early? You should be resting.”

“Don’t even use that word,” Virendra interrupted firmly. “I am done with you and your brother. Dono ne milkar mera dimaag kharab kar diya hai. I am perfectly fit, healthy, and absolutely fine. I am taking my medicines on time, following my diet, exercising exactly as instructed. I am fine. Clear?”

Eshita looked at him ammused. “Why are you so grumpy? Bhaiya ne kal raat daant laga di kya?”

Virendra shot her a warning glare. “Zyada nhi bol rahi hai tu? Tere bhai ke chakkar mein kaafi zubaan chalne lagi hai teri. Should I fix it?”

Eshita shrugged, completely unfazed and continued threading the flowers together. “Ab aapne kaam bolna nhi sikhaya toh usme meri kya galti? Khamakha mere bhaiya ko beech mein mat leke aaye.”

“Tera bhai hone se pehle mera beta hai woh,” Virendra declared with unmistakable pride.

A mischievous smile spread across Eshita’s face. “Still... he will choose me first. Not you.”

Virendra stared at her for a long second before letting out a defeated sigh. There was no point arguing over it anymore. He and his wife had indeed raised a professional troublemaker. A comfortable silence settled between the father and daughter as they continued stringing the flowers together. One by one, the fresh marigolds and jasmine blossoms slowly transformed into beautiful garlands meant to adorn the Goddess during the morning pooja.

“Is something bothering you, beta?” Virendra asked gently, placing the finished garland beside him.

He could read his children like an open book. It had never been difficult for him to distinguish between a smile worn to distract others and one that genuinely reached the heart. In Eshita’s case, it was the former. He had noticed it the moment he walked in. Normally, she would have filled the room with endless chatter, teasing him every other minute. Instead, she had chosen silence, a language she rarely spoke.

His children had never hidden anything from him or from one another. Transparency had always been the strongest foundation of their family. Secrets had the power to destroy relationships long before the truth ever came to light. It was a lesson his wife had taught their children from a very young age, and one he had continued to uphold after she was gone. Eshita never needed to be questioned repeatedly. All she ever needed was one gentle push, and sooner or later, she would open her heart.

“Kuch hone wala hai,” Eshita murmured quietly, her gaze fixed on the delicate jasmine flowers resting in her hands. “It’s my gut feeling... and you know it has never been wrong. I don’t know why I’m suddenly feeling like this. Everything should be fine... at least for now... but...” She trailed off, unable to find words that could explain the heaviness sitting inside her chest.

Virendra reached forward and placed a comforting hand over hers. Even he had noticed it over the years. Whenever Eshita spoke of an uneasy feeling, it was almost as though life itself was trying to warn her before a storm arrived. Time and again, those instincts had proven frighteningly accurate. Yet he refused to let his daughter become a prisoner of fear, not while he was still standing beside her.

“Jo bhi hoga, we’ll face it together, baccha,” He said reassuringly. “Whether the days ahead are easy or difficult, I am here. Focus on this moment. Aaj Navratri ka doosra din hai a day dedicated to Maa Brahmacharini who teaches us patience, courage, devotion, and unwavering faith even during life’s toughest battles. Keep that in your heart... and leave the rest to Her. Hmm?”

Eshita nodded slowly, trying to push away the unsettling thoughts clouding her mind. Her father was right. Worrying about an uncertain tomorrow wouldn’t change anything. For today, she should simply live in the moment.

Just then, hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway.

“Sir...” One of the security guards announced respectfully as he entered the room. “Bahar CM sahab aaye hain. Aapse aur Ekansh sir se milna chahte hain.”

Virendra immediately rose to his feet, surprise flickering across his face. The Chief Minister? He knew Ekansh had been handling an important business proposal involving the man, but a personal visit to the Sehgal Mansion without prior notice was unexpected.

“Guide him inside,” Virendra instructed calmly before turning back toward Eshita. “Go call your brother.”

Eshita nodded, gathering the remaining flowers into the basket, she quickly rose to her feet.

“Ahh...” She winced suddenly. A thorn hidden beneath the rose stems pierced the tip of her finger, drawing a single crimson drop of blood. She wiped it absentmindedly and hurried toward the staircase.

Behind her, unnoticed by anyone, that lone drop of blood stained the pristine white rose she had only moments ago woven for the Goddess.

Perhaps it was nothing. Or perhaps fate had quietly painted its first warning. Angels often arrive long before darkness reveals itself. And devils arrive when peace is at its most convincing, just before they shatter it beyond repair.

The only question that remained was, When the battle finally began... Who would still be left standing?

✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰

Your thoughts on Ekansh Rajeev interaction?

Ekta Eshita conversation?

Why do you think the CM visited the family now?

✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰

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Next Update: Tuesday!!

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