3400+ words

Tumhari aankhon ka jadoo kuch aisa hai,har pal tumhari yaadon mein kho jana hai,tumhare bina jeevan se koi bhi pyar nahi,tum hi ho mera asli junoon,mera asli pyar.

Author's pov:

Ashwin stood frozen in the hospital hallway, the echoes of Yuvan's maniacal laughter still rattling in his mind. His world had collapsed when the doctor had delivered the words that haunted him now: "She didn't make it." It felt like every breath was being pulled from his lungs. Everything he had fought for, everything he had hoped for—gone.

He couldn't remember much after that. The doctor's voice became distant, a murmur in the background as Ashwin's knees gave out and he sank into a chair. His hands trembled, still stained with Anshika's blood, the same hands that had been powerless to save her. He had held her in his arms, feeling the life slip away, and now... now she was gone.

They had taken her body, covered it with a white sheet, and wheeled her away, leaving Ashwin standing there in silence, too numb to cry, too broken to rage.

As the night deepened, Ashwin made his way back to the mansion, alone. The drive was a blur—silent, save for the sound of his own shallow breathing. His driver, sensing the weight of what had happened, didn't say a word, merely keeping his eyes on the road. The streets, usually so full of life, now felt distant and hollow, much like his heart. Every corner of the city seemed darker, every shadow more menacing, as if the world itself had shifted into something more cruel.

When they arrived at the mansion, the gates swung open slowly, revealing the grand structure ahead. But to Ashwin, it wasn't home anymore. Without her, it was nothing but a hollow, empty shell.

He stepped out of the car, his legs weak, his mind a fog of grief and disbelief. The heavy front doors creaked open, and the moment he crossed the threshold, the cold silence of the mansion enveloped him. The house, once filled with light and the warmth of shared laughter, was now a place of unbearable stillness.

As Ashwin stepped into the mansion, a wave of silence washed over the room. The soft murmur of voices that had filled the house before his arrival came to an abrupt halt. All eyes turned toward him, each face etched with concern, confusion, and fear. But the most piercing gaze came from Dadu, sitting in the corner, his frail body still bearing the marks of his recent captivity. His face was pale, his eyes sunken with exhaustion and worry, but the question in his eyes was unmistakable.

"Where is she?" Dadu's voice cracked, a tremor in his tone as he struggled to stand. His cane wobbled beneath him, and Viyaan rushed to his side, gently holding him upright. Dadi, standing not far from him, looked at Ashwin with wide, tear-filled eyes. "What happened, Ashwin? Where's Anshika?"

Ashwin's throat tightened, and his vision blurred as he stood there, unable to form the words. His jaw clenched, and his fists trembled at his sides. He had no answer—no explanation that could undo the nightmare that had unfolded. The room, once warm with family, now felt like a cold prison. Every pair of eyes bore into him, seeking answers he couldn't give.

Ashwin's parents, who had just returned from out of town, hurried forward. They had been away, unaware of the turmoil that had unraveled in their absence. His mother reached for him, her voice laced with panic. "Ashwin, where were you? What happened? Where's Anshika?"

His father stood a few steps behind, his usually stern face softened by worry. He said nothing at first, but the weight of his gaze was unbearable. Ashwin could feel his father's silent demand for an explanation.

And then Noha, Ashwin and Viyaan's sister, stormed forward, her face twisted in anger and grief. Without warning, she lashed out, punching Ashwin hard in the chest. "Where were you, Ashwin?!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face. "How could you let this happen?! She trusted you, and now—"

Before Noha could strike again, Viyaan stepped in, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back. "Noha, stop!" Viyaan's voice was firm, but it wavered with his own sorrow. "Not now. Don't say another word." His hand trembled as he held his sister, his own anguish barely contained. He knew. He had seen it all. And he knew that no words, no blame, could ease the pain Ashwin was already drowning in.

Ashwin stood there, absorbing the blows and the questions, feeling as if the air had been sucked out of the room. But he remained silent, his heart heavy with the weight of what had transpired. He could feel their eyes on him, waiting, needing answers, but he couldn't bring himself to speak. The words caught in his throat, suffocating him.

Without a single response, Ashwin turned and walked up the grand staircase, his footsteps heavy against the marble floors. The family watched him go, their faces a mixture of disbelief and anguish. His mother tried to follow, but his father held her back, shaking his head. "Give him time," his father whispered, though his own voice cracked with the strain of emotion.

Ashwin walked the long hallway to his room, the memories of Anshika flooding his mind with every step. He could still see her smile, hear her laughter echoing through the house. The last moments of her life played in his head on a loop—the blood, the gunshot, the way she had collapsed in his arms. His heart ached, a hollow emptiness growing inside him, gnawing at the last fragments of his will.

He entered his room and shut the door behind him. The silence was deafening. The room was just as they had left it—the bed neatly made, her scarf still draped over the chair. He walked over to the bed, his knees buckling as he collapsed onto it. His fingers brushed against the pillow where she had slept, and the reality of her absence hit him like a tidal wave.

Burying his face in his hands, Ashwin finally allowed the tears to fall. His body shook with the force of his grief, silent sobs wracking through him. Anshika was gone. She had sacrificed herself for him, and now she was gone. And no amount of rage, no promise of revenge could bring her back.

For the first time, Ashwin felt utterly alone.

He lay there for hours, unmoving, lost in the darkness of his own mind. Outside, the mansion was alive with hushed whispers and concerned murmurs, but inside his room, time had stopped. Ashwin closed his eyes, but sleep didn't come. All he could see was her—the way she had looked at him before her life slipped away. The love, the pain, the finality of it.

The door creaked open slightly, and Ashwin didn't move. He didn't have the strength to face anyone. But he heard footsteps, soft and hesitant. Viyaan entered the room, his face grim, but he didn't say a word. He sat down next to Ashwin, the silence between them heavy with unspoken grief.

For a long time, they just sat there, side by side, two brothers bound by a pain neither could put into words.

Ashwin sat on the edge of his bed, his head buried in his hands. The silence of the room was suffocating, broken only by the faint ticking of the wall clock. Viyaan stood by the window, arms crossed, his expression unreadable as he glanced at his brother. For a long time, neither of them spoke. The weight of everything that had happened hung in the air like a storm waiting to break.

Finally, Viyaan sighed, turning to face Ashwin. "You regret it now, don't you?"

Ashwin didn't lift his head, but the slight tremor in his shoulders gave him away. His voice, when he spoke, was hoarse and filled with a pain that he had buried deep for too long. "I hated her, Viyaan. I hated her so much... and now she's gone. And I can't..." He trailed off, his words choked by emotion.

Viyaan's face softened. "You both never wanted this. From the beginning, it was always a fight between you two. You were always trying to push each other away."

Ashwin nodded, his hands clenching into fists as memories flooded his mind. "We didn't want to be together. We were stuck in a marriage neither of us wanted. I was convinced... convinced that she was just another person trying to control my life, like everyone else." His voice broke as he continued. "But I was wrong. God, I was so wrong. And now... I'll never be able to tell her that."

Viyaan crossed the room, sitting next to Ashwin. "You both wanted to escape. But did you ever think... maybe it was because you were afraid of how much you actually felt for her?"

Ashwin shook his head, tears stinging his eyes as guilt surged through him. "I was too proud to admit it. Too stubborn. I thought it would be easier to hate her than to admit... that maybe I cared. That maybe... I needed her."

The words hung heavy between them, a confession Ashwin had never allowed himself to say aloud before. He looked up at Viyaan, his eyes filled with regret and grief. "I should have fought for her, Viyaan. Instead, I pushed her away. And now she's dead because of me."

Viyaan placed a hand on Ashwin's shoulder, squeezing it gently. "She loved you, Ashwin. Even when you couldn't see it, even when you refused to see it. I saw it in her eyes every time she looked at you."

Ashwin let out a shaky breath, the guilt tightening in his chest like a vice. "We wasted so much time fighting. I wasted so much time hating her. And now, I can't make it right. I can't take back all the things I said, the way I treated her." He looked down at his hands, stained with the memory of her blood. "All I wanted was to be free of her, and now that I am, I feel more trapped than ever."

Viyaan stood, walking back toward the window. "You can't change the past, Ashwin. But you can live with it. You have to. For her. For the family. And for yourself."

Ashwin didn't respond, his heart heavy with the weight of his regrets. The reality of Anshika's absence pressed down on him, suffocating in its finality. He had lost her, and with her, he had lost the chance to make things right.

The room remained thick with silence after Viyaan's words, but Ashwin could barely breathe through the oppressive guilt crushing his chest. The echoes of Anshika's presence haunted him in the stillness, and his brother's words did little to soothe the storm raging inside him.

Ashwin stood abruptly, pacing the room, his fists clenched at his sides. "How do I live with this, Viyaan? How do I carry the weight of everything I've done... or didn't do?"

Viyaan watched him quietly for a moment before speaking, his voice softer this time. "You can start by forgiving yourself."

Ashwin let out a bitter laugh, his eyes stinging with unshed tears. "Forgive myself? I spent so long hating her, Viyaan. I didn't see her for who she really was... and now she's gone." His voice broke, raw with regret. "We never wanted to be together. From the very beginning, we wanted to leave each other, escape from this... arrangement. I couldn't stand her presence, and she—she couldn't stand mine either. We fought, constantly, about everything."

He paused, his chest rising and falling as he tried to control the flood of emotions threatening to break free. "I thought she was in my way, Viyaan. I wanted to be free of her, but now—" His voice caught in his throat, and he swallowed hard, trying to suppress the sob that threatened to spill. "Now I would give anything to have her back."

Viyaan watched his brother closely, his heart aching for him. "Ashwin, none of us saw this coming. We can't go back and change what happened. You didn't kill her—Yuvan did."

Ashwin shook his head violently. "But I might as well have. I spent every moment pushing her away. I hated her for something neither of us asked for. And I never let her in. I was so blinded by my anger, I didn't see how much she was hurting too."

Viyaan stood up and crossed the room, standing next to Ashwin. "You couldn't have known how things would end. You both were trapped in a situation you didn't want. But you can't carry all the blame for this. Anshika... she made her choices too. She knew the danger and still, she..." His voice softened. "She took that bullet for you, Ashwin. That wasn't just a choice made in the heat of the moment. She loved you."

Ashwin's breath hitched, and he finally let the tears fall, his shoulders trembling with the weight of his grief. "I never told her," he whispered. "I never even showed her that I cared. And now... now it's too late. She died thinking I hated her."

Viyaan placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, offering silent comfort. "She knew, Ashwin. Even if you never said it. She wouldn't have done what she did if she didn't believe it, deep down. She saw the man you could be, even if you were too blinded by the past to see it yourself."

Ashwin wiped at his eyes, but the tears kept coming. The grief was a relentless wave crashing over him, pulling him under. "I thought I wanted freedom from her. Now, all I want is to hear her voice one more time, to apologize, to tell her that I didn't mean any of it."

Viyaan sighed, his voice gentle but firm. "You have to live with this, Ashwin. But that doesn't mean you have to let it destroy you. Make her sacrifice mean something. Don't waste the second chance she gave you."

Ashwin sank down on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands, as Viyaan's words washed over him. "I don't know how to do that, Viyaan," he admitted, his voice thick with emotion. "I don't know where to start."

Viyaan sat down beside him, the weight of the loss pressing on both of them. "You start by accepting what happened. You loved her, even if it wasn't the kind of love you expected. And she loved you too. That's enough to keep going."

Ashwin closed his eyes, his heart heavy with regret and sorrow. The memories of his time with Anshika—every fight, every cold exchange—swirled around him, suffocating. But amidst the bitterness, there were moments, brief and fleeting, where her eyes softened, where her guard slipped, where maybe—just maybe—there had been something more between them.

But it was too late now. Those moments were gone, lost forever. And he had to live with that.

"I'll never forgive myself," Ashwin whispered. "But I'll try... for her."

Viyaan gave a small nod, understanding the weight of that promise. "That's all you can do, Ashwin. That's all any of us can do."

The two brothers sat in silence, the enormity of their loss hanging between them like a shadow. Outside, the world continued on, indifferent to their grief, but inside, they were both forever changed.

Ashwin knew that life would never be the same. He had lost Anshika, and with her, he had lost a part of himself that he would never get back.

Ashwin sat in the dim light of his room, his face etched with grief and guilt. The raw pain of losing Anshika weighed heavily on him, and his mind replayed the harrowing events, over and over, each moment stabbing deeper into his soul. But as the silence stretched on, his thoughts turned, darkening further.

"Yuvan..." Ashwin murmured, the name burning on his tongue. His jaw clenched, fury bubbling beneath his grief. "This was all him, Viyaan. He manipulated everything. Anshika's death... her blood is on his hands."

Viyaan, who sat quietly beside him, nodded slowly, his expression grim. "Yuvan didn't just want to destroy you, Ashwin. He wanted to break everything connected to you. Anshika... she was a casualty of his obsession."

Ashwin's fists tightened, knuckles whitening. "He wanted to tear us apart—our family, our lives. And he succeeded. He's the reason Anshika's gone." His voice shook, a mix of rage and sorrow. "And I let him. I was so blinded by everything I felt for her... I didn't see it coming."

Before Viyaan could respond, a knock at the door interrupted them. Vikram stepped inside, his face pale with worry. "Ashwin... everyone's asking about you. They know something happened. Dadu... he's losing it."

Ashwin's heart sank, knowing he couldn't avoid the inevitable. "What did you tell them?" he asked quietly.

Vikram hesitated. "Nothing yet. They're waiting for you to explain."

Ashwin inhaled sharply, the weight of his family's expectations settling over him. The very idea of facing them, of telling them what had happened, felt like an insurmountable task. But before he could move, loud voices echoed from downstairs, followed by the unmistakable sound of something crashing to the ground.

Ashwin and Viyaan exchanged worried glances, both rising to their feet quickly. They rushed down the stairs, and the scene that greeted them in the living room was chaotic.

Dadu stood at the center of it all, trembling with rage, a shattered vase at his feet. His face was a mask of fury and anguish as he turned on Ashwin, eyes blazing. "Where is she?" he demanded, his voice hoarse with emotion. "Where is Anshika?"

Ashwin opened his mouth to respond, but the words lodged in his throat.

"Answer me!" Dadu roared, his hand shaking as he raised it, as if he were about to strike Ashwin. The older man's grief was palpable, his body trembling with the effort of containing it. "She was with you, wasn't she? What happened? How could you let this happen?"

Before Dadu's hand could make contact, Viyaan quickly stepped between them, grabbing his wrist. "Stop!" Viyaan's voice was firm but filled with urgency. "It wasn't Ashwin's fault, Dadu. It was Yuvan. He's the one who did this. He's the one who set everything in motion."

Dadu looked between Viyaan and Ashwin, his expression torn between disbelief and agony. "Yuvan? That boy? But why? Why would he do this?"

Vikram stepped forward, his voice steady, though his eyes betrayed the depth of his own grief. "Yuvan's been planning this for years, Dadu. He wanted to destroy everything Ashwin had—his marriage, his life. Anshika... she got caught in the middle of it."

Dadu's body sagged with the weight of the revelation, the fire in his eyes dimming. "Anshika... that poor girl." His voice broke, and he stumbled backward, collapsing into a chair. "She didn't deserve this. She was... she was part of this family. She was one of us."

Ashwin stood frozen, watching the devastation unfold around him. His mother and father had gathered near the back of the room, their faces lined with concern, but they hadn't spoken yet. Noha stood beside them, her tear-streaked face fixed on Ashwin, her hands trembling as she clutched her mother's arm.

It was Noha who finally broke the silence. "Ashwin," she whispered, her voice shaky. "Why didn't you tell us? We could have helped... we could have done something."

Ashwin's eyes met his sister's, and the guilt slammed into him all over again. "I... I didn't know, Noha. I didn't see how far Yuvan would go until it was too late. I couldn't protect her."

Noha's expression twisted in pain, and for a moment, she looked like she was going to lash out. But then she simply turned away, wiping at her eyes.

Ashwin's father stepped forward, his voice gentle but firm. "What happens now, Ashwin? What are you going to do?"

Ashwin's gaze hardened, and he lifted his head, the fire of vengeance rekindled in his eyes. "I'm going to make sure Yuvan never hurts anyone again," he said, his voice cold and resolute. "He's taken enough from us. This ends with him."

There was a beat of silence, heavy with understanding. No one argued. They all knew that Yuvan had to be stopped.

Viyaan, standing close to Ashwin, spoke softly, "We'll all stand by you. But Ashwin, don't let this destroy you too. You can't lose yourself in revenge."

Ashwin nodded, though the darkness in his heart seemed unshakable. "I'm not doing this for me anymore, Viyaan. I'm doing this for her. For Anshika."

With that, he turned on his heel, walking back toward the stairs, his steps slow but deliberate. The weight of what he had to do was crushing, but it was also the only thing keeping him going now.

As he disappeared up the stairs, the quiet murmur of his family echoed behind him. But Ashwin's mind was already far away, focused only on one thing—Yuvan.

This wasn't over yet.