As they all landed back in India, everyone moved towards their respective homes. The Rajvansh family had their drivers waiting to fetch them, while Ishaan and Tara prepared to leave in Ishaan's car. Mishti felt a wave of uncertainty wash over her until she received a message from her brother, Kartik, saying he was coming to pick her up. She sighed in relief and informed everyone.

Ishaan and Tara bid their goodbyes and drove off, leaving Mishti standing with Abir as she waited for her brother. Abir was engrossed in something on his phone, and Mishti couldn't help but admire him—the way his eyes focused, his hair falling perfectly, and his strong jawline. She wanted to say something but found herself lost in admiration.

Gathering her courage, she finally spoke, "Thank you, Abir, for coming. I loved it."

Abir looked up, his gaze piercing through her, and placed a hand on her shoulder, drawing her closer. "Aur aap jahaan hoti hain, wahaan par mazaa aa hi jaata hai," he said softly.

Mishti blushed at his words, their eyes locked in a silent conversation. A honk from a nearby car broke their trance. It was Kartik, her brother. He got out and gave Abir a warm hug before turning to Mishti with a smile. Mishti waited, hoping for a hug, but Kartik moved towards the car, bending down to talk to the other Rajvansh family members through the window.

During this time, Mishti and Abir loaded her luggage into the car. With final goodbyes, Mishti settled herself in her brother's car. She looked at him and asked,
"How are you, bhai?"

"I'm good. Tu theek hai?" Kartik replied, keeping his tone formal and his eyes on the road.

"Ji," Mishti answered softly, feeling a pang of disappointment.

She had hoped for a warm embrace from her brother, longing for the closeness they once shared. It had been so long since they had a relaxed, sibling conversation. Since that night, their interactions have become formal and distant. Mishti had tried everything to make amends for her mistake, but despite three years passing, the warmth and affection she craved from her family seemed unreachable.

As they drove home, Mishti's thoughts drifted to the past. She missed being called "princess" by her brother and father, missed the pampering and love that once enveloped her. But deep down, she knew things had changed, and she wasn't sure if they could ever go back to the way they were. Yet, a small part of her still held onto hope, yearning for the day her family would fully accept her again.

As Kartik and Mishti reached the Maheshwari mansion, Kartik made his way toward the house. Mishti, longing to bridge the gap between them, called out,

"Bhai, I'm sorry, please bhai, forgive me."

But Kartik didn't turn back. His back remained facing her, and instead of coming to her and holding her in his arms, he continued walking towards the living room. Mishti found herself standing alone, the familiar feelings of late-night solitude and isolation washing over her. She felt the sting of tears but controlled them, taking a deep breath before making her way inside.

Entering the living room, Mishti saw her parents seated on the couch, deep in discussion. She approached them, her mother's voice breaking through her melancholy,

"Mishti bacha, aagayi tu?" Her mother's sweet voice brought an unexplainable peace to her heart.

"Hanji mumma," she replied softly. She glanced at her father, who looked up and smiled at her. Initiating a conversation was always challenging for Mishti, as she never knew how her words would be received. "Kaise ho papa aap?" she asked, hoping to start a conversation.

"I'm good beta," he replied, then turned his attention back to his work. Mishti, not wanting to disturb them further, made her way to her room. The feeling of loneliness crept back in as she entered her room . She locked her door and moved towards the wall adorned with family photos from her childhood. Her eyes fell on a particular frame where Kartik was hugging her from behind as she tried to reach a cake. She remembered that day vividly, the day her father had baked a cake to celebrate her mother's award. She had wanted to eat it first, but her brother held her back playfully. They had been so happy then, a stark contrast to now.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she held the frame close to her chest, whispering, "I miss you bhai" She gently placed the frame back in its spot and looked at another photo, one from a father-daughter date. Her father had taken her out, and on their way back, her mother had clicked a picture. She was seated in the passenger seat, his "passenger princess," with a kitty-kat clip in his hair that she had put there. He hadn't resisted because it was his princess who did it. She smiled at the memory, then remembered the cold interaction with her parents downstairs. They hadn't even hugged her. Was she really that bad?

May be she doesn't deserve her family's love ?

She couldnt help but feel those words coming back to her mind .

" Tu kabhi kisiko khush nahi rak sakti "

" Whoever will come into your life , will leave you one day"

" Nobody can love a girl like you , not even your parents"

Curling up on her bed, she gazed at the pictures from afar. She wanted to go to them, to complain and cry, but she didn't have the courage. She wanted her brother, her father, her family back, but she knew she had lost them a long time ago. Now, it was just her and her lonely world.

Mishti was immersed in her thoughts when she heard the ping of a new message on her phone. She unlocked it and saw Abir's text: "Reached home back 15 minutes ago and had dinner. Done."

She quickly replied, "Yeah, same. Reached home just now. Okay then, good night, Abir."

She turned off her phone, feeling in no mood to talk. If she engaged in a conversation, she feared she would end up spreading her melancholy to him. She had always been told that her mood could ruin things, so she resolved to keep her sadness to herself.

Gathering her strength, Mishti moved towards her closet to change. After about ten minutes, she was dressed comfortably but felt the pangs of hunger. She hadn’t eaten during the journey and decided to go to the kitchen for something to eat. As she entered, she saw her brother, Kartik, and her sister-in-law, Naira, making coffee.They looked cute .
Naira looked up and asked, "Mishti bacha, want to have coffee?"

Mishti knew they had already made enough for themselves. If she said yes, Naira would have to make another batch. So, she replied, "No bhabhi, you guys have it. I will just get my dinner."

"But bacha I can make it for you," Naira insisted.

"No bhabhi, you enjoy your coffee," Mishti said, trying to smile.

Naira looked concerned. "Mishti, it's your favorite coffee. You never say no. Are you okay, bacha?" she asked, holding Mishti's hand.

Mishti was about to agree when Kartik interrupted, "Naira, if she doesn't want it, then let it be. If she wants coffee, she can make it herself. Come on, let's go to our room." He took Naira's hand, leading her away, while Naira glanced back at Mishti with a worried expression.

It hurt her . the tone he used , it hurt her .

But Mishti forced a smile at her, trying to hide her disappointment. She felt a mix of emotions: a longing for the old days when her brother would have been more attentive and a resigned acceptance of the current distance between them.

I no longer wanted to eat. My hunger died completely. I made my way back to my room, unable to control myself any longer. Tears streamed down my cheeks, my breath coming in shallow gasps. I could feel a panic attack coming on, the familiar, terrifying sensation of my chest tightening. I couldn't breathe.

"Mumma,"  I  whispered, my voice trembling. "No, please."

I drank some water, hoping it would help calm me down, but it did nothing. Desperate, I went out to the balcony and sat down, trying to steady my breath. But the panic only grew worse. The pain in my chest intensified, and I lay down on the floor, looking up at the sky. There was one star shining brightly, and I instantly muttered, "Dadi."

I knew it was her. Ever since she passed away, everything had gone downhill.

"I'm sorry, Dadi,I'm a bad girl I hurt everyone" I whispered, my voice breaking.

Darkness seemed to close in around me. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see or feel anything. The chest pain and the struggle to breathe were unbearable. I needed my pills. Where were they? But I didn't have the energy to go back inside and find them. I lay there, staring up at the sky, feeling the cold creeping into my hands and legs.

In moments, my vision blurred, and I could no longer see or hear anything. I closed my eyes, knowing I was about to faint. Instead of fighting it, I embraced the darkness, letting it take over.
____________________________________

We were standing at the airport parking lot, waiting for kartik bhai to come and pick her up. Mishti had informed me that he would be coming to get her, despite my offer to drop her off myself. I told her I could easily get a cab after dropping her, but she insisted it was too late for that. "I'm not a kid who can't handle a late-night cab," I thought.

Soon, her brother arrived. He hugged me warmly, but Mishti stood by my side, waiting for her hug. Instead of embracing her, he simply smiled. Mishti smiled back at him and looked down, clearly hurt. Her brother moved towards my car, where my siblings were waiting. Mishti avoided making any  eye contact with me, looking around at the other cars instead.

Trying to lighten the moment, I suggested we place her luggage back in the car. She nodded, and we did so. Her brother came back and smiled at me again. I looked at Mishti, who was still avoiding eye contact. I muttered a goodbye and smiled at her, and she reciprocated with a faint smile. I got into my car and drove towards our home.

Throughout the ride, I couldn't stop thinking about her brother's behavior. Why didn't he hug her like he hugged me? She was clearly waiting for it. I tried to shrug off my thoughts, rationalizing that maybe they had a fight or something else was going on. It couldn't be serious, right?

But the look in Mishti's eyes, the longing for her brother's warmth, stayed with me. I tried to shake it off, reminding myself that I was probably overthinking. Her brother's world revolves around Mishti; he wouldn't intentionally make her feel like that.

We reached Rajvansh Mansion, and I greeted everyone. Maa and Chachi insisted we have breakfast immediately because they knew if we went to our rooms first, we wouldn’t come back out. We all had dinner together, and then I went to my room and texted her first.

Her reply was formal, devoid of any nicknames or warmth. It felt off. Did I do something wrong? No, we were good when we parted ways, so what happened?

Shall I call her now ?
No i should not , maybe she's tired and that's why she texted like this .
Yes, she's probably tired .

The first thing I'll do in the morning it to call her . I don't know why I've this feeling that something's not good . But maybe it's because I'm jet lagged.

Shutting my thoughts , i freshened up and made my way towards my bed . I laid down and again unlocked my phone and looked at her text , i replied to her with
" Good night mi casa sleep well "

___________________________________
2k + words
Long chapter after long time .

Can you guess what might be the reason behind kartik's behaviour towards mishti ?

What happened that night or 3 years ago ?

I feel so bad right now . I literally cried at a point while writing this .
My mish deserves everything :-)

Me before posting chapter because I will be waiting for your comments
( Excluding a comment like a nice update haha 😛)

Me after seeing no engagement on chapters from you guys 😔

And I'm so disappointed . Only one of you guys commented while other votes and silent readers just red it .
Okay I'll do my part from now .
I'll update keeping in mind that I don't need to expect anything.
I thought I'll give regular updates but nevermind.

Thank you for reading 🤍
~ AUTHOR T