Aarohi took a deep breath, as if feeling the air of that old night. Her voice was slightly steadier now, but it contained both the excitement and the pain of the past. She closed her eyes and began her story from exactly one year ago, when she had returned from abroad after five years.
FLASHBACK:
The atmosphere in the house was filled with excitement. Aarohi, who had returned from abroad after five years, was dressed up for a night party. She wore a beautiful dress, in which she truly looked like an angel.
"Papa and Mumma, how do I look?" Aarohi asked enthusiastically.
Aarohi's father, Akshay, had immense affection in his eyes for his daughter.
"You look exactly like an angel... Aaru beta..." Akshay admired his daughter's beauty.
But her mother, Saisha, had a strange restlessness on her face.
"Where are you going?" Saisha asked directly, a hint of worry in her voice.
"Mumma... it's Kashish's birthday, so I'm going to her birthday party," Aarohi replied happily.
Saisha's face immediately flushed. "No... you are not going..."
Akshay immediately intervened. "Let her go, she's a child. My angel wants to go, let her, sweetheart."
"No... no one is going anywhere," Saisha insisted. Her voice held not just strictness, but an unknown fear.
Akshay gestured to Aarohi to stay quiet. "Wait, Angel... it's harder to convince your mother than you... wait a little..." He turned to his wife. "Sweetheart... let her go... please," he pleaded gently.
Aarohi also tried to persuade her mother. "Mumma please..."
Saisha looked at both of them for a while. Her eyes showed immense struggle, but finally, she gave in.
"Fine... now stop the drama, both of you," Saisha said, but the tension hadn't left her face.
"So, can I go... Mumma?" Aarohi asked, almost whispering.
"Yes... but come back quickly... okay," Saisha finally permitted.
"Thank you Mumma..." Aarohi quickly hugged her mother and ran off happily.
Akshay and Saisha walked their daughter to the door.
"Bye Mumma and Papa."
"Bye Angel," Akshay said.
As soon as Aarohi's car drove away, Saisha immediately lashed out at Akshay.
"Why did you tell me to let her go...?" Saisha's voice contained fear, not just anger.
She lowered her voice, the anguish of fear clearly audible. "If she finds out about her sister, what will we tell her...?"
Akshay held his wife's shoulders. His face was calm but serious.
"No, she won't find out anything..." Akshay reassured her, but a deep shadow of fear was on his face too.
He warned his wife. "And you better keep your mouth shut too...! Saish... let's go inside... I'm hungry... let's eat...!" He deliberately tried to change the subject.
"But... Akshay..." Saisha tried to protest.
"But... nothing... let's go inside," Akshay said, almost forcing her, and led his wife back into the house, re-burying a secret that they constantly feared would explode.
Atharv's Office:
Atharv was sitting in his office, files spread across his large desk. He was very mature for his age, handling his business skillfully. Although he had a playboy image in his personal life, he was extremely sweet to those he loved—especially his brother.
Vedansh stood at the door, looking at Atharv.
"Atharv, man... let's go party!" Vedansh coaxed him.
"No... we can't go today!" Atharv flatly refused.
"Why... what happened?"
Atharv said with a slight dejection, "Brother gave me a lot of office work."
Vedansh was not ready to give up. "Come on... we'll be back in two hours!"
"No... yaar, Brother will get angry if the work isn't finished..." Atharv said. His respect and slight fear for his elder brother were evident.
"Oh, it's just two hours... you can come back and work after that... how will Brother even find out!" Vedansh said, laughing.
Atharv took a deep breath, giving in. On his face, there was now a slight excitement for hanging out with friends, more than the worry about work.
"Alright... just for two hours," Atharv conceded.
Kashish's Birthday Party:
Kashish's birthday party was underway at a high-profile club in the city. Kashish was standing in the waiting area, anticipating someone's arrival.
Suddenly, someone came up from behind, hugged her, and whispered in a sweet voice.
"Happy Birthday, Sweet Heart," Aarohi said.
Kashish was startled. "Who...?"
She quickly turned around. As soon as she saw Aarohi's face, her eyes filled with joy.
"Aaru darling... you here...? When...? How...?" A wave of excitement surged through Kashish's voice.
Aarohi hugged Kashish again. "Well, my studies got completed, so I came here... and anyway, I missed you guys a lot, yaar," Aarohi said sincerely.
"I missed you a lot too...!" Kashish said, her voice catching.
"By the way, I have a surprise for you," Kashish said mischievously.
"It's your birthday, so a surprise for me? How come...?" Aarohi asked, laughing.
"Just wait a little, someone is coming...!" Kashish built up the mystery.
"Who's coming, yaar...?" Aarohi grew curious.
Kashish's eyes fixed on the door, and she exclaimed, "Look, they've arrived...!!"
Suddenly, a familiar face appeared at the doorway—a face that was an important part of Aarohi's past life and someone she held dear.
"Hello everyone...!!" The person entered the party with confidence.
As soon as Aarohi saw them, her face was overcome with disbelief and profound shock.
"They... here, how...?" Aarohi whispered in shock. Her heart pounded, as the presence of this person felt tied to a significant and emotional part of her life.
To be continued......
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