Epilogue!

Firstly, sorry for the long delay. The poem took a lot of time; I was thinking of removing it as it was a bit off, but then the story would have been incomplete without it. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and share your views. In the end, there is an author’s note link. Don’t forget to check it out.

Thanks for reading!

✨✨✨

Evening rays filtered through the tall glass windows, casting a warm golden glow on marble floors that reflected the fading sunlight.

Chaos was always a part of Seghal Mansion, a house filled with loud giggles, occasional arguments, endless laughter and annoying yet somehow comforting unending banters between the siblings. The darkness and silence that shadowed the family finally left the mansion, bringing back the warmth it had once known.

Eshita ran down the stairs in a hurry, making her way into the kitchen. She was half an hour late to reach the venue. As soon as she entered, she stuffed the sandwich in her mouth, filling the glass of buttermilk and gulping it down in a hurry, only to choke herself the very next second.

A soothing hand patted on her back as she coughed violently, trying to catch her breath between hurried gulps. She drank the water passed to her, slowly turning, keeping her gaze lowered. The polished black shoes came into her view.

“You should eat your food like a human Eshita not like some hungry animal.” Virendra scolded angrily, “Just because you are late doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. Par nhi haar doosre din tu yeh harkat karti hai. What if you had choked yourself? Tujhe kuch ho jaata toh? Apna zara sa bhi khayal nhi rehta hai na tujhe. Time ki value samajhna kab seekhegi tu.... Can’t you understand that simple thing even after so many yea....”

“Dad.” A voice called out from behind.

Eshita sighed in relief, knowing her father could keep going for hours, making her ears bleed. Thank God she had her saviour nearby always.

“We are getting late.” Ekansh walked into the kitchen casually, “Sanvi ka call aaya tha. She will be coming to pick you up. Aap uske saath venue par pahucho. I will come with Eshu.”

Virendra glared at his son. “You think I don’t know what you are trying to do?”

Ekansh shrugged. “Even if you do what does it change? Are you going to turn around and lecture her again? Beat some sense in her thick skull? She isn’t even listening to you Dad. So save your energy!”

Eshita’s eyes narrowed at him. “Excuse me? I do listen to everything you both say.”

“In your dreams.” Both the men countered in sync.

Eshita huffed dramatically. More than playing her savior, her brother loved to play the devil’s advocate with their father.

“Fine!” She picked up her bag from the table, annoyed. “Jao mujhe aap dono se baat hi nhi karni hai. I am getting late anyways. I don’t need your lift. I will go by myself.”

“I dare you to touch your car.” Ekansh warned calmly, stopping her dead in her tracks.

“Now what did she do?” Virendra asked with a tired sigh, there were so many adventures his daughter had been doing in the past six years that suddenly he didn’t even know what new thing he had to expect from her.

Some days she bunked classes. Why? Because she was bored or wanted to eat pizza in the middle of her lecture, so she left to eat that, unable to tame her foodie soul. Some days she pretended to be sick like a seven-year-old school-going kid just because she was too lazy to get out of her bed and attend her classes. Some days she would disappear with her friends for hours without informing anyone, return home with the most innocent face imaginable and somehow convince everyone that she had done absolutely nothing wrong.

The list of her mischievous adventures was longer than Virendra could even count on his fingers. When his son was at least saint enough to keep his head straight and think before taking any stupid decision, then his daughter was displaying her mischievous side without any shame or hesitation.

When he found out about her adventures, he made sure she learned her lesson and stayed within the line, but his lecture didn’t work. As his son covering up for the brat of their house and saving her from the consequences of her own stupidity.

Despite it all, he couldn’t help but feel satisfied that in whatever happened over the years, he didn’t lose his daughter. Five years ago, when he fainted in a business party, before closing his eyes, he thought he was seeing his children for the last time, leaving behind nothing but regrets inside his heart.

But after waking up from the successful operation, four years of medicines, therapy and finally defeating the liver disease, he was given another chance at life. The moment he opened his eyes, he thanked almighty for at least giving him a chance to erase the bad memories he had imprinted on his children’s mind, to shower them with his love and make up for all the years he had lost.

As much as desperate he was to meet his wife in the afterlife, he was equally grateful that he had been given more time with his kids to watch them grow, annoy each other, fight, laugh and create the memories he once thought he would never get to witness.

“It’s nothing, Dad.” Ekansh reassured gently, “She crashed her car with mine last week. Mene uski car keys le li hain. Until she learns how to park the car properly she won’t receive them. Right, Esha?”

Eshita nodded vigorously. She wasn’t dumb to throw herself in front of an overprotective father. She was getting late for the office and broke three traffic signals, almost banging her car with a bus. The accident would have been serious if she wouldn’t have applied the brakes on time. Her bhaiya saved her from the police putting a ban on her driving for three months. He was the one who dropped her and picked her up from office every day. But if her father heard about her stunt, he would extend the ban till one year, additionally adding God knows what kind of consequences. She didn’t want to experience any of it.

Virendra nodded, letting it slide. He would show he didn’t know what went wrong. When his son was handling the situation, he didn’t want to come in between the siblings, knowing his son was capable enough to make sure Eshita didn’t repeat the same mistake again.

✨✨✨

Nritya Samraat was one of the most prestigious and eagerly awaited competitions, where it wasn’t just talent that was tested, but passion itself. A grand competition held live and broadcast across the country, with participants from different cities and even international dance academies coming together to compete for the coveted title.

The large green room was filled with participants who sat before the mirrors, getting their hair and makeup done while others hurried around carrying costumes, jewellery, makeup kits and dance accessories, the entire room buzzing with nervous excitement and last-minute preparations.

Tarara stared at the mirror, her gaze fixed on the entrance door, her eyes glaring at it with enough irritation as if to break the damn thing down with her bare eyes, her frustration reaching its peak with every passing second. Eshita Seghal was late. Again! The girl should get the award for her legendary talent of being late if there is any.

Annoyed, she reached for her phone when the door burst open loudly. There stood Eshita, panting heavily as she rushed inside, alongside Sanvi.

“Sorry yaar, phir se late ho gayi.” Eshita apologised breathlessly, hurrying inside, “Dekh ttu baad mein mujhe roast karke kha jaana. Abhi ke liye let’s focus on your competition.”

“When will you stop being so careless about time?” Tara hissed, “Bhagwan jaane aapka kya hoga Di. People actually consider punctuality a basic human quality... but you follow your own timezone as if the world owes you some....” She trailed off as Sanvi stuffed her mouth with an energy bar.

“Save your energy for dance.” Sanvi chided her, “Don’t waste it on some stubborn heads.”

Eshita applied concealer on Tara’s face smoothly, “Aap aur aapke pati ke khayal kitne milte julte hai Bhabhi. What a soulmate couple you are.”

Sanvi leaned back against the dressing table, ignoring the taunt, feeding Tara one bite after another as Eshita did her makeup. It’s been a year since she was married to Ekansh Seghal, the most eligible bachelor whom she met in his company as his office interior designer.

In the beginning, they hated each other like cats and dogs. When he liked everything neat, organized and according to his own taste for his office, then she preferred adding her own ideas and little changes between the lines. When he rejected her designs, she chose the same designs modifying them rather making new ones just to annoy him. Only she knew how close she had come to killing him. Till one day...

When he saved her from going behind the bars. Just because she thrashed some goons on her way home who misbehaved with her. Breaking their bones wasn’t a big crime, but almost killing one of them unfortunately was. In front of her self-obsessed uncle and aunt, she had no one to ask for help when she thought to call Ekansh. And like the sparkling stars in the darkest night, he did come for her rescue.

He didn’t blame her, he didn’t question her, nor did he judge her. He just stood by her, letting her lead and defend herself. And that melted her heart in ways no grand gesture could. When a man stays without asking for anything in return, just by his presence, it becomes difficult not to notice the comfort he brings, slowly the interactions turned from arguments into conversations, conversations into friendship, and somewhere between their endless fights and stolen smiles, she fell in love with him until she proposed to him first at a lame dinner date.

In return, his grand gesture was introducing her straight to his father and sisters, who welcomed her with warmth and the acceptance she had barely received from her so-called namesake family.

✨✨✨

“Kha kho gayi aap?” Tara snapped her fingers before Sanvi’s face, pulling her out of whatever thoughts had occupied her mind.

“Aapne pati parmeshwar ke khayalon mein.” Eshita teased with a knowing smirk.

Sanvi whacked her annoyed, “Kuch zyada nhi bol rahi hai tu? Abhi bataun tere bhaiya ko do min mein seedha kar denge.”

“Apse hone se raha.” Tara mumbled under her breath, staring at her reflection. She looked beautiful, “You see bhabhi humse jo ho sakta hai hume wahi bolna chaiye. Otherwise people will stop taking your words seriously.”

Eshita hi-fived with her, chuckling softly.

“That was for you too.” Tara added smoothly.

Eshita ignored the sarcasm, moving to adjust the loose strands of her hair, carefully setting them in place. There was a lot changed in Tara within the six years. Her silence self-evaporated like a morning mist under the warmth of new beginnings, bringing out her sarcastic version. Her fear slowly turned into courage, her once being timid and withdrawn flipped to confident and unapologetically herself.

From hating herself to finally acknowledging her worth, she had learned to look at her reflection without searching for the broken girl she once was. She no longer saw someone who needed to be saved, she saw someone who had survived, healed and built a life worth living.

The changes didn’t come overnight. The nightmares haunted her. She cried without fearing yet still terrified of the unknown. Flinching at sudden movements, unexpected touches, loud noises and sometimes even familiar situations that reminded her of the past, but the courage to heal every scar, letting her family apply the ointment on them, was her first real step towards trusting someone enough to let them see her pain instead of hiding it. They were all proud of her.

“How is it?” She asked once done with her hair and makeup.

Tara’s face beamed, the long sky-blue lehenga saree, complemented well with delicate jewelry and minimal makeup. “I am looking beautiful aren’t I?”

Compliments, affection and acceptance, all that her sixteen-year-old self found hard to tell herself, her twenty-one-year-old could finally give herself easily. There were times when she thought she didn’t deserve love, that she was a jinx, a disgusting creature alive only to bring misery into everyone’s life. But her family’s unconditional love changed her thought process. Her feelings towards herself slowly changed, replacing the hatred with acceptance and the shame with a quiet sense of pride.

Late nights when her father sat with her, reciting her brave warrior princess stories like she was a little five-year-old to him. Weeks when Ekansh left everything for her and stayed by her side just because she panicked at the plate crashing from her hands. Times when Eshita returned back from college earlier only to drag her out for hangouts at random cafes to try new pizza and burgers. Or the sunset points when the family sat together, bathing under the seven-pm-drowning sun, welcoming the long nights with sparkling stars together.

Each and every moment engraved itself not just in her heart but her soul too. The invisible stains of her past faded away with time, bringing a peace she once thought she would never find, a peace where she never had to look back, and that’s what freedom felt like to her. Not forgetting the past, but finally being able to live without it controlling her present.

“Tara.” A voice floated from behind her, warm and familiar enough that a smile bloomed on her face.

She turned, rushing to her Bhaiya and clinging to him like a koala bear. He was out on a business trip for two days as their father was sick and wasn’t able to travel in that condition. Before he returned, she had to leave for the venue, so she missed meeting him at home, despite the unlimited calls and messages, they exchanged were nothing compared to what his presence, his warmth always did, to make her feel safe without even saying a word.

“Kaisi hai?” Ekansh asked softly, pulling back slightly to look at her face. He knew the answer, he received it one hour ago from her call. But some habits are hard to get rid of.

Tara nodded against his chest, finally feeling the relief spread through her veins. She knew he would come. He had promised her that. But her nerves refused to settle down.

It was her bhaiya who uploaded her dance video Eshita had shot without her acknowledge. She received the call six months back with three rounds of auditions and multiple stages of selection, and today was the finale. She didn’t know if she would win the trophy or forget the steps, ending up embarrassing herself in front of the entire crowd.

“Agar haar bhi gayi toh koi baat nhi Tara.” Ekansh said softly, rubbing her back, “All that matters is you following your heart. Dance gives you happiness and a way to express yourself for the rest... It doesn’t matter. Even if you flatter on the stage just let the connection between the music and your soul speak to you. You will find your rhythm again.”

“Aur agar nhi bhi jeeti toh bhi hum celebrate karne jayenge.” Sanvi chimed in, “Baad main bura maat maana ki haar gayi toh we will ignore your mac and cheese burger. Right Esha?”

“Hundred percent!” She said, resting her head on Sanvi’s shoulder, hugging her from behind.

Ekansh ignored their dramatics women focused on his child. He pulled back, noticing the faint smile and sparkle of excitement on Tara’s face. Earlier the nervousness had been obvious in her eyes, but at least it had reduced, and that was important.

“Dad kha hai?” Tara asked, looking over his shoulder, finally noticing Virendra standing with a big chocolate in his hand.

Rolling her eyes, she faced Sanvi, “Bhabhi function start hone mein kuch hi minute baki hai. I gave you seat numbers earlier. Aap please aap sabh ko waha leke jaye.”

Virendra sighed deeply. There goes his fifth attempt of grovelling before his daughter. When Eshita and Ekansh let him off the hook easily, then Tara made sure he knew exactly when he had disappointed her. He forgot to take his BP medicines, which affected his health badly enough to leave everyone worried. He heard an earful of rants from both Ekansh and Eshita without them mincing their words.

But Tara... she was different. The girl loved him deeply, respected him equally and kept him on the same pedestal his other two children always did. When needed they vented their anger openly, even if it meant forgetting they were talking to their father.

However, Tara chose sharp, cutting, invisible silence. Remembering his medicine schedules like the other two did, his diet plans, his preferences in tea, even the AC temperature that suited him or the exact time he liked his evening tea. She would do everything to take care of him except for talking.

Earlier, he thought she was holding back, taking time to heal and learning how to accept him as her father without fear. But a year after, he realized she was simply like that. A mind full of chaos, a heart full of anger, yet a soul that held the calmness of a deep ocean, and that made her silence louder than any words she could have spoken.

Eventually, he learned how to deal with his children, but it was harder than he thought. Like always, his daughter was one step ahead of him.

Tara stiffened, feeling the familiar warmth of his fingers closing gently on her wrist. She couldn’t be disrespectful by shrugging away a father’s hold like that. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face him.

“Abhi bhi naraz hai?” Virendra asked quietly, his voice carrying a softness of a melting ice.

Tara kept her gaze lowered, holding onto her silence like a shield. She wasn’t pissed off. She was hurt. Even if the better part of her heart knew he hadn’t forgotten his medicines purposely, yet the thought of losing him due to his own carelessness unsettled her.

When the doctor gave all clear after the surgery and therapy for liver disease, only she knew what she felt in her heart. It was a feeling of a newborn baby finally at a place where he could open his eyes, hear the words, look around the surroundings and slowly pick up the pieces of life around him. The feeling of being grounded after years of living in fear, after finally finding people she could call her own. So with Virendra finally being fit and fine but again carelessly forgetting the very medicines that kept him healthy, she felt like her own newly built world was shaking with uncertainty.

If Ekansh was her saviour and Eshita was her chaos-filled safe place, then Virendra was a man who gave her a new identity, a reason to believe that she could belong somewhere without having to earn that love.

Each and every member of Seghal family played an important part in her life. She couldn’t afford losing them ever in her life. The cycle of life and death... She wanted to stay oblivious to it for forever.

“Ase mujhse naraz hoke stage prr jaa payegi?” Virendra asked softly, cradling her face in his palm.

Tara looked away quietly.

“Acha I am sorry.” Virendra murmured guiltly, “Aur kb tk naraz rahegi mujhse? I promise next time se aisa nhi hoga. I will set the reminder in my phone and have the medicines on time. Ab toh maaf krr de apane baap ko. Ya phir kaan pakdawa ke he maane....”

Tara threw herself at him before he could reach to hold his ears. She didn’t want to embarrass him, already feeling other families looking their way from time to time. Her father doesn’t have to keep apologising or prove his love to her every single time. All she wants him to be healthy, happy and there for her whenever she needs him, nothing more, nothing less.

“Sorry.” She mumbled against his chest, her voice barely audible.

Virendra chuckled softly, “Tune kuch galat nhi kiya toh maafi kyu maag rahi hai? Silent treatment ke liye? Well at least you know how to respect your father not like other two.... always forgetting their manners.”

“We learned that from our father only.” Ekansh and Eshita retorted in sync. He was their father; they respected him and even bowed down to him before the Almighty itself, but that didn’t mean he could be careless and bring trouble on his health again and again, especially after everything he had already survived.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Nritya Samraat.....” The speakers boomed across the auditorium, announcing the beginning of the grand finale. The competition was about to begin.

Virendra pulled back, kissing her crown tenderly, “The stage is yours to conquer the moment is yours to live. Don’t let anyone’s opinion, judgement or fear stop you, okay?”

Tara nodded, confidence slowly blooming within her as the nervousness that had been weighing on her heart finally began to fade.

“Aap sabh jao,  I will be with her.” Eshita said softly, understanding exactly what was going through her sister’s mind. She knew the girl would be nervous before stepping onto the stage no matter how many times she had practised or how many competitions she had performed in before. The nervousness before a performance was natural.

As only one family member was allowed backstage, she volunteered to take care of her sister and her costume and other stuff.

“Sorry guys am I late?” Vanya asked, rushing in as the family walked away to the auditorium.

Eshita adjusted the pleats of Tara’s sky-blue lehenga, “Yes you are.” She glanced up at Tara, “Ab usse bhi taana maar na jaise mujhe maar rahi thi.”

“You are the regular late comer with a default setting.” Tara drawled, “Whereas she is exceptional.”

Eshita sighed, rising to her feet. There was no way she could win against her little sister. She focused on Vanya, “Why are you late your highness?”

“Arey, office se late nikli. Bhaiya ne last moment mein vo college wale case mein ek loophole bataya. Vo hi dekhne mein time chala gaya.”

“You made a mistake?” Eshita asked excitedly.

It’s been six months since she was working as an intern at Mehra firm. Her path was crystal clear she was supposed to take literature and do something in that field but suddenly she wanted to become a lawyer. Her family supported her decisions and that’s how she ended up suffering at Mehra firm.

Though she was a business lawyer and Vanya chose to become a defence attorney, yet both of them had to work under Vikram, a lawyer who had expertise in both corporate law and criminal law, and dealing with a lawyer who has expertise in both fields and can shut down even the biggest corporations and opposing counsels was toughest.

In office, Vikram wasn’t her bhai or Vanya’s bhaiya. He was just a mentor teaching them the practical side of law, strict, assertive and disciplined. She couldn’t even count on her fingers how many times he had made her redo an entire case brief, scolded her before the juniors or even seniors for making the smallest mistake. If a law can punish the evils, then it can also destroy the innocents due to one small error. That was his quote he kept repeating, always making sure mistakes had no place in courtroom or his office.

She was fine with him being in that role, but what annoyed her was his ability to be so brutally straightforward that she sometimes felt like snapping back at him in anger. But then her anger colliding with his patience and authority wouldn’t work well. She wasn’t a teenager anymore to be behaving like an impulsive fool. She was learning to be more composed, calm rather than being furious, killing people with her sharp tongue and dark eyes. One day she would become a lawyer who could stand across a courtroom and make even the most powerful opponent think twice before speaking.

“Don’t go there.” Vanya grumbled, “I don’t want to talk about it. Waise bhi....” She trailed off as Eshita’s phone buzzed.

The caller ID read Ritvik. She glanced at her friend, who ignored the call, busy fussing over Tara’s costume and hair.

“I will wait outside.” She murmured before walking away. There was no point in telling Eshita to receive the call. It was her decision to make.

After everything Ritvik did, she didn’t want to get involved, but one thing was sure, she was on Eshita’s side. The man blamed her first unnecessarily, when he should have explained himself or at least apologised. He ghosted Eshita, then copied her hard work. He tried to give her an ultimatum, keeping their bond, their friendship, on stake. And then, out of nowhere, he left the country with his brother, shifting to New York five years ago.

Whatever Ritvik did made no sense. Even if they wanted to understand what went wrong, there was no answer to that question. In the end, she chose Eshita, closing the chapter of a friendship that came and walked away as pleased. Good riddance!

✨✨✨

Tara fidgeted with her fingers as she stood backstage along with Eshita. She was the next performer in line. The girl dancing on the stage moved with a graceful fluidity, every step, every rhythm matched perfectly without a single interruption. She was a brilliantly trained classical dancer, well-versed in multiple forms. The biggest competition was among the top three.

Her nerves pulsed through her veins, her hands felt sweaty as she rubbed them nervously against the sides of her lehnga, trying to calm the storm building inside her. Before she could dive into her despair, she felt the warmth engulfing her as Eshita hugged her.

“All the best.” Eshita whispered softly, pulling back to tuck the loose hair strands behind her ear, “Darr lag raha hai?”

Tara shook her head.

“Nervous hai?”

Tara nodded quietly. It felt like her heart was about to leap out of her chest.

“Tujhe pta hai maa kya kehti thi? Jb bhi zindagi ke ek naye chapter mein hum apna pehla kadam rakhte hai toh kafi saare bure khayal humare mann ko gher lete hai.” Eshita cupped her face lovingly, “But if we ignore our bad thoughts and focus on our goal. We can win even the toughest battles. All you have to do is close your eyes and ask yourself why you are doing this. The moment you get your answer, all the nervousness, fears, and tangled thoughts will disappear in the air.”

Tara nodded, swallowing down the lump in her throat. Eshita’s words touched the right part of her heart where all her fears had been hiding.

Within these six years, their bond took a dramatic turn. From strangers, they became friends, then sisters, and now sometimes Eshita embodied a motherly warmth too. With just a few words and gestures, she would make Tara feel safe like a mother protecting her child in the dark. And that was the treasure she was gifted with.

“Now ladies and gentlemen. Tonight’s last performance from one of the top three finalists. Please put your hands together for Tarara Virendra Seghal.” Speakers boomed across the auditorium as thunderous applause filled the hall.

Tara took a deep breath, stepping on the centre of the stage. The lights focused on her, music played in the background, and hundreds of eyes turned towards her, their stares stratled her.... before they could distract her, she closed her eyes, following the rhythm that slowly settled into her heartbeat.

Her dance wasn’t just a performance, it was a fusion mix of classical expressions, contemporary movements, each form blending into the next without losing its soul. Her body moved with the music, every gesture carrying an emotion, every turn telling a story she had never been able to put into words.

What was family? The question rose in her mind out of nowhere. It wasn’t as difficult as it felt for her to answer.

Five-year-old Tara witnessed her father choosing his son over her. She witnessed her mother losing her life just to save her. Slowly understanding the meaning of terror. Six-year-old Tara felt clueless about what was being done to her. Seven-year-old Tara acknowledged that not everyone in the world was a good human being. Eight-year-old Tara learnt that running away also meant getting caught, and nine-year-old Tara learnt that sometimes taking help means risking someone else’s life. Sometimes silence becomes the only way to survive.

Until she met Ekansh. A stranger she couldn’t trust, a man she feared without any fault from his side, a saviour her defence taught to see as a predator. The world wasn’t a kind place, that’s what she learnt in the short span of few years she spent in that hellhole and later while running away from there till finding Ekansh. Her apprehensions and fears were at their peak.

Despite everything, her silence, her flinching, her constant hesitation, her distrust. Ekansh never pulled back. He gave her time, space and most importantly, respect without ever asking her to prove that she deserved it. He gave her the choice to decide when she was ready to trust him, even if he didn’t have to.

After five years, she finally called him Bhaiya, letting the only man she could place her faith in into her broken, shattered heart.

When Eshita entered her life, she went through the same cycles she once went with Ekansh. Fears trapping her like a web she couldn’t find her way out of. She didn’t want to lose the only hope, only light in the tunnel that had somehow appeared in her darkness. She chose being rude, cold and arrogant, hoping to send the girl away.

But some stubborn heads are hard to get rid of. Eshita was just that. The girl would snap at even the smallest thing, as if she was always ready for an argument, always dramatic, always finding a reason to turn everything into a fight. But her ability to apologise looking straight in the eyes, her being bold and fierce when needed, calm and gentle when required, being able to keep her thoughts on the table without fearing of getting judged, everything held sixteen-year-old captive.

That’s what being accepted without having to change yourself feels like, and slowly her bond with her sister became something Tara never thought she would have. A relationship built not by blood, but by choice, trust and countless little moments of love.

Lastly came Virendra. The man whom she read about as cold ruthless and unforgiving just like Eshita. She judged him as an ignorant and distant father. But when truth came to light, she couldn’t help but empathize with him. Not for the abandonment his children went through but his love for his wife. The only woman he built his entire life and future with, to be dying before, not after him or with him. That kind of loss can blind even the strongest of people. She understood that pain now, perhaps more than she ever wanted to.

However Virendra as a father was different, a father who could apologise to his children for his mistakes rather than bringing the authority of being their father in between, a father who knew when to step back and when to hold on, a father who didn’t have the correct words to express but gestures that could speak louder than words. A hand placed gently on her shoulder in support, a glass of water kept beside her without asking, a medicine given on time, or simply sitting beside her in silence when words weren’t enough. And that kind of love she felt it all in those six years.

The music stopped. Silence fell in the room for one brief heartbeat before a thunderous applause filled every corner of the auditorium.

Tara opened her eyes slowly, her chest rising and falling as she looked around at the sea of faces before her. Every person in the audience was standing there clapping, even the judge had risen from his seat, applauding her performance as a winner.

She won! The realization delighted her.

Her gaze found the first row. Three smiling faces came into view, her eyes misted. That was the definition of family staring right at her with love, warmth, pride, admiration, and belonging swirling in their eyes.

She took a step forward, rushing down the stairs, crashing straight into Ekansh’s arms. Virendra held them both from behind, steadying them and breaking the fall. Eshita joined in as Tara pulled her into the embrace, refusing to let go.

Tara let herself melt in that familiar warmth, the kind that once felt impossible and now felt like home. Finally, she found the family she had always deserved. After fighting the villains, erasing the scars inflicted on her, killing her demons and learning to live beyond the pain they left behind, standing strong and choosing herself without guilt or fear. She chose this bliss for herself!

Somewhere in the distance, a final page turned. The wind blew softly, carrying the calmness after the heavy storms and tides it suffered. Like the first rays of sun breaking through the darkness after the longest night, like good triumphs over evil.

Ink splashed on a paper in the form of words that described the thoughts, freedom and hope altogether.

A story of a girl who once believed she was born only to suffer, but who finally learned that freedom isn’t merely escaping a cage. It is having the courage to live after the cage is gone.

A story of scars that became strength, of broken pieces that found their way back together, of a family chosen by the heart, who learned that Beneath the Vows lay the Ruins of broken promises, shattered trust, and wounds that time alone could never erase, but love, unity and freedom can...

Pinjre se nikle uss panchi ki pehli udaan mein hai aazadi,

Pehli baarish ke baad khilti kaliyon mein hai aazadi.

Jharne se girti unn thandi boondon mein hai aazadi,

Toh phir insaan ki saanson mein kyun nhi hai aazadi?

Khule aasman ko chuti uss suraj ki pehli kiran mein hai aazadi,

Chaand taaron se saji raat mein hai aazadi,

Toh phir unn masoom aankhon mein palte sapno mein kyun nhi hai aazadi?

Phoolon ko khilne ki aazadi,

Nadiyon ko behne ki aazadi,

Hawaon ko rukh badalne ki aazadi,

Baadalon ko barasne ki aazadi.

Qudrat ke har roop mein hai aazadi,

Phir insaan ko apni khud ki zindagi chunne ki aazadi kyun nhi?

Shayad ek din sawaal dastak denge unn chup darwazon par,

Shayad ek din panchi bhi apni kaid ka hisaab maangenge.

Jis din har insaan bina dare apna aasmaan khud chunega,

Uss din har lamhe mein mehsoos hogi aazadi.

 

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