Lakshmi's POV
When I woke, it wasn't morning—it was silence. The kind of silence that presses against your chest and steals your breath before you can even move. I blinked hard, expecting to see my mother leaning over me, whispering my name the way she always did when I overslept. But there was only white—white walls, white sheets, and the sharp sting of medicine in the air.
A hospital.
Memory hit me like a blade. The bus. The fire. Screams swallowed by smoke. My father's hand gripping mine, then slipping away. My mother's bangles catching a glimmer in the flames before vanishing into the dark.
I shot upright, my heart pounding. "Papa? Maa?"
The nurse pressed me back into the pillow, her eyes lowering in pity. I didn't want pity. I wanted answers. But even before her lips moved, I knew.
"They didn't… survive."
The words shattered me. My chest hollowed. A sound tore out of me, raw and broken, not even my own voice anymore. My parents—the pillars of my life, the reason I breathed, gone in a single night.
I pressed my palms together, whispering prayers, begging for the world to undo itself, to rewind, to give me one more chance to hold them. But the silence answered, heavy and cruel.
Somewhere in the corridor, I heard footsteps. Rano aunty. Her sari swished as she rushed inside, her face wet with tears. She gathered me into her arms, rocking me, murmuring, "Hai Bhagwan, such misfortune, such cruelty. Poor child, you have no one now but me."
I cried harder, letting her words wash over me. But through the salt of my tears, something twisted. Her embrace was too tight, her eyes too sharp. And when she thought I couldn't see, her gaze drifted—not to me, but to the little black handbag clutched against my chest, the one holding my father's documents.
Grief blurred my vision again. I wanted to believe she cared. I wanted to believe family would protect me. I closed my eyes, not knowing that in her silence, seeds of greed had already begun to grow.
---
Rano's POV
Poor girl. Orphaned before her time. I dabbed at my eyes with the corner of my pallu, but inside my mind, wheels spun faster than any prayer. Manoj's house, his land, the safe… all of it would now fall into Lakshmi's lap. And Lakshmi, sweet innocent thing, knew nothing of money, nothing of the real world.
I tightened my arm around her. "Don't worry, beta," I soothed, my voice dripping with honey. "Your chacha and I will take care of everything. You'll come live with us. You won't be alone."
She looked up at me, broken and fragile, clinging to the only comfort offered. I smiled, a smile polished to hide the storm of my ambition. Soon, she would be in my house, under my roof. Soon, her parents' legacy would lie within my grasp.
But for now, I played the grieving aunt, shedding crocodile tears, whispering false promises of safety.
---
Rishi's POV
That night, I couldn't sleep. The wind rattled against the windows of Oberoi Mansion, and though the city was alive outside, my heart was restless. I leaned against the balcony, staring into the distance.
Why did I feel like something had shifted?
My grandmother always said destiny moved like an invisible thread—tightening, loosening, pulling strangers together when the stars demanded. Tonight, I felt that pull, sharp and insistent.
I didn't know her name yet. I didn't know her face. But far away, in another part of the city, someone's tears were flowing into my fate.
I turned back into my room, shaking off the unease. Tomorrow, I told myself. Tomorrow, the world would feel lighter. But even as I lay down, I couldn't help it—I dreamed of fire, of broken glass, of a girl's voice calling out through smoke.
---
Lakshmi's POV
The funeral flames still burned in my mind long after the pyre had turned to ash. I stood by the river, clutching my sisters' hands, my heart splintered into pieces. They were so young, their eyes wide and red. How could I protect them when I couldn't even protect myself?
Rano aunty stood nearby, murmuring condolences to the villagers. But her eyes kept darting to me, and each time, I felt a chill.
By evening, she came to me, her voice low, almost too casual. "Beta, you can't stay here alone. It isn't safe. Pack your things. You and your sisters will come with me to the city. We'll start anew."
I looked at her, torn. Leave my parents' house? The walls still smelled of Maa's turmeric, Papa's incense. Every corner held their laughter. How could I abandon it?
But my sisters clung to me, trembling. And somewhere deep inside, I knew I had no choice.
Rano reached out, patting my cheek, her nails pressing just a little too hard. "Trust me, Lakshmi. Your fate is tied to mine now."
A shiver crawled through me.
---
Cliffhanger
That night, as I sat by the window, staring at the emptiness of my parents' courtyard, a strange sound rose on the wind. The creak of the old gate swinging open.
I stood, heart pounding, peering into the dark. Someone was there—standing in the shadows, watching the house. A tall figure, unmoving.
When I blinked, the figure was gone. Only the wind remained.
But in that moment, I knew. My life was no longer mine. Destiny had already stepped into the courtyard.