I wrote your name with love on the golden sand and admired how it shined, only to see it get washed away minutes later by a large wave leaving behind half-broken shells.

Nimrit fed Reet with her hands and made her lie down for rest. When she heard her soft snores, she came out and was greeted by a room full of people. The royals along with Shakti were sitting and discussing something. Shakti made Nimrit sit next to her and caressed her head with love.

"I am... Okay. I will be. I have to be?" The transition in Nimrit's statements gave a glimpse of her true state. She looked down and said, "I owe you all explanations. Amber Khanna was not my biological father but he raised me like his own. You all have witnessed the love he had for me. Raghav is my half-brother. When Mumma's family refused to accept her relationship with Papa she was expecting Raghav. No one was aware of it though. Mumma was sent away to deliver a child somewhere in secret. Papa was beaten badly and was warned if he came anywhere near Mumma they would kill her. He tried finding her but was not successful."

"Nimrit you don't owe us any explanations. We respect your privacy." Swarnima wanted her to heal and not bother about anything else. The past was past.

"No Nim D. I should. You all have been so kind and caring towards us and must know about the family you are helping unconditionally." Nimrit was talking like a mature person. Trauma changes the person suffering from it.

"If that is what you want, I will tell everyone." Shakti took Nimrit's hand in hers and narrated the remaining story. "When Raghav was born Dickey wanted to put him in an orphanage but Reet requested me to take him in. How could I deny her request? I was the anchor in Amber and Reet's story. I adopted Raghav legally but Reet's parents made me sign the non-disclosure agreement. I did as told fearing what they would do to the innocent infant soul. Reet was married to a wealthy man who was a monster in human skin. Soon Nimrit was born but the tortures on Reet didn't stop. One day, the house they lived in caught fire and Nimrit's father couldn't survive it." Shakti's eyes met Nimrit's and she gave her a small smile.

A story that could be written like a full-fledged novel was narrated like a blurb.

"Amber had worked hard and secured a good repute and position in Hawk-eye. After nine long years, Dickey finally went to meet Reet when her husband died. Amber tracked him down and met his love once again. There were some other issues too but they can be discussed later. I guess that is what Nimrit wanted to share with you all." Shakti concluded and exhaled a heavy breath.

Amber and Reet's story was exceptional. After years of separation, they found their way back to each other.

Rudra acknowledged Nimrit's honesty and integrity in sharing such a private story. Nivedya was moved after knowing what Reet and Amber had to go through and he understood the reason why Amber was so protective of Nimrit.

Nimrit's nani and Dickey returned from somewhere and found everyone sitting in the hall. It irked Dickey and in a taunting tone, he said, "Shakti, you told us they are the royals, don't they have any work other than hanging around here?"

Before Shakti could counter him, Randeep stood up from his seat. He was a tall and well-built person whose aura was enough to intimidate anyone. "Mr Dickey, taking care of Nimrit and Reet is our top priority. You can relieve yourself from your duty like you always have."

Reet's mother folded her hands and said, "I apologise on his behalf. He doesn't know who he is talking to. We are fortunate our daughter has such great people around her."

The matter died there but Shakti suggested everyone resume their work. "With everyone around, Nimrit will keep her brave face on. Maybe if we disperse, she might feel lonely and vent out her emotions. One or two of us can stay of course."

Pri agreed with Shakti and except for Nandini, Swarnima, and Nivedya, everyone left. Nandini checked on Reet while Swarnima went inside Nimrit's room. She asked Nimrit if she wanted to talk about everything because she had been through a similar scenario and it took her years to heal. She didn't want Nimrit to go through anything worse. Nimrit was still quiet and spoke only when necessary.

Seven days passed but there was no improvement in Reet. Due to the trauma, her seizures became frequent and her mental state only deteriorated. Nimrit was doing her duties as a doting daughter. She accepted the fact that Amber was dead but Reet was alive and needed tender love and care in abundance. She discussed with Pri and Arya what she could do to help her mother but they suggested that she help herself first.

Nimrit had still not spoken to Nivedya even though he tried several times to initiate a conversation. He was trying to be patient and respect her boundaries but his limit gave up. He went inside Nimrit's room and closed the door. Nimrit was surprised by his sudden appearance and when their eyes met, his eyes were teary and he begged her, "Talk to me. Don't shut me out, please."

The lava inside Nimrit melted in an instant, and a drop of tear for the first time fell from her left eye. Then like a fast-moving stream, her tears fell freely. She ran into Nivedya's arms and cried like a baby, hugging him. Nivedya felt happy to see her cry, and he wished it to be the last time. She was sobbing silently in his chest, unlike Reet who was uncontrollable.
Nimrit's breathing became heavy and she found it difficult to breathe. Nivedya gave her water and rubbed her back to calm her down. Nimrit took a deep breath to fill her lungs with air but her tears didn't stop.

"I am so sorry for what you are going through but remember, I will always be there for you," Nivedya promised, holding Nimrit tightly in his embrace.

Nimrit moved her head and said, "Papa said the same to Mumma but see, he left her all alone. I do not know how we would live without him. He was the perfect father, the perfect husband, the perfect man. Can the dead ever come back?"

Nimrit's question brought tears to Nivedya's eyes too. He missed Amber and his presence was irreplaceable. Nivedya whispered sweet nothings in Nimrit's ears while she let her emotions flow with tears and irrelevant talks. She felt light in her heart but due to the excessive crying and heaviness in her eyes, she dozed off in Nivedya's arms. He shifted to a lying position and held Nimrit closer. He kissed her hair several times praying to God to help her grieve.

Nimrit had just begun to breathe normally and drifted to sleep when her room's door fled open. Dickey entered the room and saw Nivedya with fury in his eyes. He shouted, "Nimrit," and pulled her from Nivedya's grip forcefully.

Nimrit stumbled, rubbed her swollen eyes and blinked a few times to register what was happening. Dickey dragged her out of the room and called everyone in the living room. He addressed with spiteful rage, "This was your plan?" No one understood what Dickey was referring to so he explained, "Since the day I came here, I was wondering what is the deal between the mighty Swarnbhoomi royals and the Khanna family. Now I get it, your younger son is trying to trap Nimrit in his "false promises"."

"Listen, Dickey, they love each other and Amber and Reet knew about it." Rudra tried to tell Dickey but he laughed wickedly.

"Love?" He continued laughing in a manner no one liked. "They are just a little more than fourteen. They don't even understand what it means. Your son was trying to take advantage of Nimrit's sorry state. He was sleeping with her, in her bed. So shameful."

"We were just lying down, Dad. He is blowing things out of proportion." Nivedya tried to explain the scene and Rudra nodded in understanding.

Dickey went closer to Nivedya to intimidate him but seeing the rage in his eyes he took two steps back. "Explain lying down and sleeping together. Weren't your bodies touching each other?"

"You rascal. How dare you say that?" Nivedya held Dickey's collar and jerked him, "everyone was trying and hoping she would cry or talk about her father's death but she didn't. She chose me to express her emotions because of the bond we share. I was just comforting her and you are..." Nivedya's words were left incomplete because Rudra eyed him to keep quiet.

Dickey straightened his collar and questioned Nivedya in a taunting tone, "Comforting her? In a closed room, all alone?" Dickey turned to Nimrit who was shocked to hear Dickey's allegations. He shouted in a harsh tone, "Don't walk on your mother's path. We were not able to show our face to society after she sinned of bearing a child before marriage. I will not allow you to repeat the same. Pack your bags we are leaving."

Nimrit cried a lot and this drama made her feel dizzy. She pressed her forehead to control the dizziness but Nivedya held her before she could fall. They looked into each other's eyes feeling embarrassed by the questions and demeaning allegations by Dickey.

"Pack your bags," Dickey shouted once again and Nimrit shivered.

Swarnima pushed him against the wall and pointed a knife at his throat. "One more word from that filthy mouth of yours and I will slit you into two. Nimrit is not going anywhere and if someone is going, it's you. So, pack your bags."

Fear was written all over Dickey's face. Swarmima's calm eyes turned red and Dickey got a glimpse of the angry version of the goddess Durga in her but he didn't want to lose the battle because he had a lot at stake. "Alright, Nimrit will stay here, I will take my sister with me. She has no one to call her own and currently, she doesn't even know the difference between day and night. If any of you stop me then I will have to take legal action and I am certain to win custody of my sister. Hope there are no doubts."

"No mama. Please don't take Mumma with you. Please." Nimrit knew what Dickey was capable of and he had the right to take Reet as her family.

Dickey put his hands in his pocket and challenged her, "Try me. I know you won't dare to do that because you know me too well. So, either you come with your mother or I take her without you. Either way, we are not staying here."

Nimrit joined her hands and pleaded, "Please mama. Mumma has her job here, I have my school and..."

"Boyfriend here, right? My decision is irrevocable. Get going or else stay here." Dickey smirked at his victory and went inside Reet's room.

Rudra assured Nimrit he would figure out something and he called his lawyers and Randeep to discuss the matter. Nimrit was too shaken to react. She felt like her life was slipping away.

Nivedya took Nimrit's hand in his and said, "I won't let you go anywhere Nimrit, be assured."

Randeep and Abhedya arrived at Nimrit's house as soon as they heard about the matter and after an hour-long conversation over the phone with top lawyers, they realised they had no right to stop Reet or Nimrit. Reet's mother was alive and she had a strong claim over them.

"There seems to be no scope for argument. Nimrit is underage and Reet's medical state will make the case worse." Randeep summarised the discussion in a single statement.

Before Nivedya could protest Abhedya got up and said, "I won't let that dickhead take Nimrit away just like that. I am the king and I have the right to stop any citizen of my state. We can issue an order, right?"

Amber's assistant was called to discuss the legal aspect, and he told them, "I am afraid, they are not citizens of Swarnbhoomi."

"That's no problem, I will grant them citizenship immediately." Abhedya took out his phone to give orders but everyone's head was bent down indicating it wasn't possible. Reet was mentally unstable and Nimrit was underage.

Nivedya was shaking his leg continuously in nervousness and his faith was dying.

After two hours Dickey came out of the room with his mother and some bags. Nimrit's heart sank and she ran to her nani. "Nani, please tell him not to take us. Mumma is being treated here by the best doctor. You stay with us Nani, please."

Reet's mother touched her head and said, "I can't stay here and I cannot leave my daughter here. Come with us, I assure you, we will get you admitted to a good school and we will give you the best we can."

"I will not meet Nivi, I promise. Please do not take us." Nimrit's words fell like a bomb on Nivedya and he fisted his palms to curtail his anger.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Readers,
Why is it that relatives we have not met in ages or are not fond of suddenly get the right to control our lives? Nimrit's maternal side of the family was the reason for their misery but they are now going to govern her future course of action and sadly Nimrit has no say in it.
To know what happens next, drop a vote and stay hooked!

Lots of love!