Anav's phone started ringing as he sighed. He was so busy from the morning and it was getting hectic for him. He frowned before picking it up.

"Hello Anav Khurana speaking", He said without looking at the caller id.

"Anav", He heard his mother-in-law. It seemed she was crying.

"Ji ma something wrong?", He asked sitting straight.

"Bring Roshni home as soon as possible", She spoke as he frowned.

"But what happened?", He asked.

"Her mother... He couldn't", She spoke as she sobbed. He sighed knowing exactly what happened.

"We are coming", He spoke hanging up before wiping his face with his hands. He didn't know how to tell this news.

He wore his suit moving out.

"Sir.." He showed his hand to his secretary.

"Not right now", He spoke moving towards the elevator. He couldn't risk anybody else telling this news to his wife. He drove to his house all the way thinking about the way to inform her about everything.

"Roshni", He called as he gets inside.

"What happened Anav?", His mother asked her who was in the living only. He called Roshni again.

"What happened Anav Ji? Why are you shouting?", She asked getting downstairs.

"Get ready", He told her as she frowned. Shraddha was following her behind.

"But why?", She asked in a whisper. Her heart was beating at a very fast pace. She felt a negative vibe taking over her body. He gulped looking at her condition.

"Your father is in a critical situation", He spoke as she stumbled back Shraddha holding her from falling. Tears formed in her eyes immediately.

"Pa..", She whispered as tears started falling down her face at an uncontrollable pace.

"Go get ready", He told her as she nodded before going up taking her purse with her.

In between this, his mother looked at him. He sighed before shaking his head and she got the message. 

"I will also come with you. Let me call your father", She spoke picking up her phone. 

He saw Roshni coming downstairs. She was wiping her tears.

"Let's go", She spoke as he nodded. Aayat also came which made Roshni frown but she didn't say anything.

Aayat told Shraddha to stay at home with Arjun and tell Adhi to accompany them.

They get into the car. Rehan and Adhi were also coming from their office.

Roshni was crying the whole way but nobody said anything. 

The car stopped in front of her house as she frowned before looking at him. Her hands started shivering as she gets inside her house. 

She saw her bua on the door but she ignored her getting inside the house which was once her hiding place. 

She entered her house to find her living room crowded with people. Her eyes fall on the floor to find her father lying there.

She didn't say anything as tears fell down her eyes. She took the support of the wall falling on the ground herself. Her eyes still on the lifeless body of her father.

Anav followed inside to see her sitting in the corner. Her mother holding her father's hand too lost in her world.

Her face was blank as tears continued falling down her face but no voice came from her mouth.

Anav sat on the other side with the other men as Rehan and Adhyansh followed him. Aayat went to sit beside her mother. Everybody was silent just her mother's sobs were audible in the room.

Roshni stared at everything silently before walking near her father sitting beside him.

She held his hands looking at his face. Her bua covered her head with her dupatta silently as her mother took a step back. Roshni continued staring at his face silently as tears fall down her face. Everybody was just looking at her. Even her brother and Bhabhi who was carrying Saachi in her arms.

She stood up from her place slowly moving towards her room. Everybody was shocked by this step when she came back with a comb in her hand.

She remembered how she used to comb her father's hair in childhood whenever he would come back from work. He would always sit silently and let her do whatever she was pleased to do.

She sat near him wiping her tears with her dupatta still staring at him with tear-filled eyes. She sniffed silently and started combing his hair as her mother cried.

"This is how you should look, Papa. With messy hair, you don't look like Roshni's papa", She said wiping her tears smiling at her father.

"Papa you would go to Kanha, right? Tell him that my daughter is a very good girl now. She is very obedient. She always agreed to what I say. You asked me to get married and I got married as well. I don't even lie", Roshni said wiping her tears again.

"And tell god that you can't stay away from your daughter. That's why call us soon as well", Roshni said looking at him.

"Me and Ma both. Okay", She said as her mother started caressing her back.

Her bua putting her dupatta again on her head.

"You will call us Na?", She asked.

"Call us early", She cried looking at him with loud sobs.

"What will we do without you?", She asked looking at him.

The male member of the family started collecting around him to pick him up when she held his hands again.

"Papa you are leaving. We will meet in another world. You will meet me, Na? You won't betray me, right?", She asked looking at him for the last time. She shook her head.

"You can go now", She said pulling her hands back.

Anav was about to help in lifting her father-in-law when Roshni's father's younger brother asked him to stop.

"It is not a good omen for the son-in-law to be a part of last rights. Also, Roshni needs you at the moment", He said patting his back.

He saw everybody leaving as Roshni stared at the void place in front of her with a blank face.

"Roshni, you need to cry properly", Her Bua said.

"I couldn't even talk to him for the last time", Roshni whispered with eyes that were completely devoid of any emotion.

"Roshni... He is not going to come back ever", Her bua spoke pulling her close to her chest as Roshni nodded.

"I know he won't", She said like a robot.

"You need to cry, Shona", Her mother said patting her cheeks.

"I can't live without him", Roshni said looking at the ground which made Anav's heart clench. She was completely forgetting about him.

He pulled her in his arms patting her back.

"Baby, your father is not going to come back. You won't be able to comb his hair again. He won't be there with you", He continued as her hold on his hand increased as she closed her eyes in pain.

"No", She shouted struggling in his arms.

"Roshni", He called her out as she cried sobbing loudly. Everybody looked at her with pity.

Her brother came back with other people and stared at her. He took her from Anav making her look in his eyes.

"Roshni, he wanted you to be happy in your life. He just wanted your peaceful and happy-going life. That was what he said in his life", He told her as more tears fall down her eyes.

"He wanted to meet you but didn't want you to be worried about him", He told her as she cried hugging him. 

No matter how stone-hearted he was for the whole world but he truly had a soft corner in his heart for his little sister.

She cried thinking about her father. Everybody noticed the helpless daughter there who was crying in her brother's arms like a little child who couldn't meet her father for the last time. Who couldn't talk to her father, this thought made her cry more loudly.

Roshni was sitting in the corner of her room along with her brother. Her head resting on his shoulder as she continued crying.

"You should take her back home", Her mother told Anav as he looked at her.

"She would be more hurt staying here in her memories with her father", Aayat explained to him as he nodded.

"Roshni", He called her as she stared at him.

"We are going back home. Come", He said offering his hand to her. She looked at his hand before shaking her head.

"I don't wanna go", She said lying on her bed.

"Roshni, you can come back whenever you want. You should leave now", Her mother told her as she shook her head crying again.

"I don't wanna go anywhere. I would stay here", She said stubbornly.

"Bacha right now is not the time", Aayat tried to make her understand.

"We would come back whenever you want", Anav told her holding her hands. She already looked so weak. He couldn't take the risk of letting her stay here.

"Promise", She asked looking into his eyes as he nodded.

"Promise", He said making her sit as she sniffed.

They left the house as he made her sit on the back seat as his father took the passenger seat. His mother sat beside Roshni who continued looking out of the window.

They reached back home as Anav helped her out of the car. They all took a bath first before doing anything and changed their clothes.

Aayat fed Roshni while she was all silent contrary to her usual self. She seemed lifeless at the moment as Shraddha tried to talk to her but no response came from her side.

They heard knocking on the door. Shraddha went to open the door. A man dressed in white kurta pajama entered inside quickly.

"Where is Roshni?", He asked. Shraddha stared at him. He was very tall maybe 6'2 with a fair complexion and attractive features.

"Are you listening to me?", He asked as Shraddha nodded.

"Did you find her?", A woman entered inside behind him. The woman had blue eyes with brown hair. She didn't seem like Indian.

"Where is she?", He asked Shraddha again as she pointed to the living room where she was sitting silently. He went towards her immediately.

"Roshni", He called her softly sitting beside her as she looked at him quickly. Her eyes filled with tears as she hugged him crying on his chest as the woman continued patting her head.

Shraddha didn't saw the little boy with them who was standing silently looking at them.

"He left", Roshni cried.

"I know", The stranger said patting her back.

Anav came downstairs with narrowed eyes when he saw his wife in another man's arms.

"You wanna come to the palace for some days?", He asked her looking at her but she didn't answer.

"Why are you asking Shiv? She is coming with us", The woman answered patting her head.

"I couldn't even meet him for the last time", Roshni spoke as the man continued patting her head.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my house?", Anav asked angrily looking at his wife being so comfortable with this stranger man.

"Take care of her", He told the woman with him who took Roshni in her arms immediately as he stood up.

"Shiv Singh Rathore", He said forwarding his hand for a handshake. Anav frowned staring at him.

"Baba Sa, why is Bua Sa crying?", The little boy asked him which made Anav frown deeper.

"It's nothing son", He answered then looked at Anav.

"I am taking my sister for some days. If you don't have any problem", He asked Anav who stared at his wife who seemed so much comfortable with these people. More than she had ever been with him. And he hated this fact. 

"I don't even know you", Anav said as the man sighed rubbing his forehead.

"The king of Abhyaranya", Shiv said as Anav frowned looking at him from top to bottom.

"You can ask Ekansh about me", Shiv further said as Anav nodded still looking at him with doubts.

A rather touch chapter for me to pen down again.

I don't know what you guys think about it.

Till Next Time...

The ones who have read Her Cruel Beast already know who Shiv Singh Rathore is. Am I right, guys?