The roar of the Benz's engine faded into a rhythmic hum as Rudraksh Singhania accelerated down the winding mountain road. Inside the plush leather cabin, the air conditioning was a sharp contrast to the damp heat of his skin. He gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white. For the first time in his life, the impenetrable composure of a Singhania had been breached. He could still feel the phantom pressure of her lips against his—a desperate, life-giving contact that lingered like a brand. Through the rearview mirror, he caught one last, fleeting glimpse of a small, solitary figure standing by the dark water's edge. He didn't slow down, but his gaze remained fixed on the reflection until the trees swallowed her whole.
On the shore, Prarthana stood frozen. Her chest was tight with a sensation she couldn't name—a mixture of lingering terror and a sudden, hollow longing that made the night air feel colder than the river water. She looked back toward the road, searching for the twin pinpricks of his taillights, but the forest was silent. He was gone as quickly as he had appeared, leaving behind nothing but the name "Rudraksh" echoing in the chambers of her heart.
She began to walk back toward the campsite, her wet clothes heavy and clinging to her skin. Every step felt like an effort of will.
Suddenly, the silence of the woods was shattered by the frantic beams of torchlights cutting through the mist. Voices rose in a panicked chorus, bouncing off the trees.
"Prarthana!"
"Prarthana! Where are you?"
Shwetha came running through the underbrush, her face pale with fright. Behind her, Mr. Rathod led a group of fellow campers, his expression etched with a grim, paternal anxiety. Beside him was his son and assistant, Mr. Paul, who looked less concerned and more eager to entertain the crowd with his own brand of drama.
"Maybe a bear has taken Prarthana, I guess," Mr. Paul announced loudly, waving his flashlight toward the darker thickets. "I heard they like to drag their prey into the caves this time of year. It's a classic mountain tragedy."
The younger girls in the group whimpered, huddling closer together. Mr. Rathod turned a murderous glare toward his son.
"I wish that bear had taken you, not Prarthana," Mr. Rathod murmured under his breath, his voice thick with irritation. "I would finally be at peace."
Mr. Paul blinked, looking wounded. "What are you saying, Dad? I'm just being realistic."
"Just talk positively!" Mr. Rathod snapped, his patience fraying. "We are all tensed for Prarthana, and you are standing here scaring everyone with your ridiculous stories!"
Mr. Paul adjusted his collar, trying to regain some dignity. "Dad, you know how to swim, right?"
Mr. Rathod paused, looking at his son as if he had sprouted a second head. "Yes. I am a good swimmer. Don't you know I served in the military and later became a basketball coach? Why would you ask me something so obvious?"
"No reason," Mr. Paul muttered, puffing out his chest. "Just checking."
They reached a rocky outcrop that looked down over the steep drop toward the river. Mr. Rathod stopped at the edge, his heart sinking as he looked at the treacherous slope. If someone had slipped from here, the results would be catastrophic. He didn't see Prarthana, so he pivoted toward a different trail.
"PRARTHANA!" he bellowed, his voice booming through the valley.
As Mr. Rathod moved into the brush, Mr. Paul lagged behind, finding himself alone at the edge of the cliff. He peered down into the darkness, a smug smile crossing his face.
"My dad will always scold me a lot," Mr. Paul said to the empty air, preening like a peacock. "I thought he would fall from here because he doesn't see what is in front of him. He's getting old."
He struck a heroic pose, pointing a thumb at himself. "He can't see that a diamond is right in front of him. He is talented, but I am the real hero who will not fall easily. I can see exactly where the danger is."
He took a precarious step closer to the edge, looking down at the rushing water below. "Even if I fall from here, I am a superior swimmer. I would never ask for help; I am the one who helps everyone else."
From a nearby bush, a sudden, guttural rustle startled the group further back. "BEAR! BEAR!" someone screamed in a panic.
The sudden noise sent a jolt of pure electricity through Mr. Paul. His eyes went wide, his foot slipped on a patch of loose moss, and with a high-pitched yelp, the "hero" tumbled over the edge.
SPLASH!
"SAVE ME!" Mr. Paul's voice rose from the river, stripped of all its previous bravado. "SAVE ME! I'M DROWNING!"
Danny, one of the younger campers, started toward the edge, his face determined. "I'll help you!" he cried, preparing to jump.
Mr. Rathod stepped out from the shadows, placing a firm, heavy hand on Danny's shoulder. He looked down at his son, who was flailing wildly in the waist-deep water.
"No, Danny," Mr. Rathod said loudly, his voice dripping with irony. "You heard him. He is the Real Hero. A master swimmer. He said just moments ago that he would save others but would never need help himself."
He leaned over the ledge, cupping his hands. "Now save yourself, Mr. Hero! Show us that military-grade swimming!"
In the water, Mr. Paul turned bright red, the cold river water stinging his pride more than his skin. Realizing no rescue was coming, he grumbled under his breath and used his—admittedly decent—swimming skills to paddle his way to a shallow bank and scramble out, dripping and defeated.
While the chaos unfolded, Shwetha finally spotted a wet, bedraggled figure walking toward them from the opposite direction.
"Prarthana!" Shwetha cried, rushing to her.
Prarthana didn't seem to hear her at first. Her eyes were glazed, her mind still back on the shore with the man in the white suit. The memory of his sharp jawline and the way he had said "Thank you" played on a loop in her mind.
"Where have you been?" Shwetha asked, grabbing her shoulders. "We were really, really worried about you!"
Prarthana remained silent, lost in the image of the angry, handsome stranger.
"PRARTHANA!" Shwetha shouted, giving her a gentle shake.
Prarthana blinked, the world coming back into focus. She looked at her friend's frantic face and the wet crowd behind her. "What happened?"
"Nothing happened!" Shwetha replied, her relief turning into a protective anger. "You just disappeared! Come on, you're freezing."
She took Prarthana by the arm and marched her back toward the tents. Mr. Rathod arrived moments later, seeing Prarthana safe. He let out a long, shuddering sigh of relief.
"I am so happy, Prarthana. You are safe," he said, his voice thick with emotion.
The rest of the group exhaled a collective sigh of relief, though the mood was dampened when Mr. Paul trudged into the light, his clothes soaked and his dignity non-existent.
"Everyone, go back to your tents!" Mr. Rathod commanded, regaining his authoritative tone. "Do not come out until four o'clock in the morning. We are leaving at dawn."
As the girls retreated to their tent, Mr. Paul stood shivering, glaring at his father. "Why didn't you save me?" he hissed.
Mr. Rathod didn't even look at him. He simply repeated his son's earlier words back to him. "'Ha! I am a good swimmer and I am a hero, but my father can't swim better than me.'"
Mr. Paul froze, his heart sinking. Oh God, I just slipped my words in front of this old man, he thought.
Mr. Rathod turned, his eyes narrowing. "What? Are you again calling me an 'old man'?"
"Yes!" Mr. Paul blurted out out of habit, then immediately clamped his hand over his mouth. "No! I mean... no, Dad!"
Mr. Rathod shook his head in disgust. "You can see what is in front of you, Paul. But the one thing you don't have is common sense. Idiot."
"Dad!" Mr. Paul pointed behind his father, his eyes widening. "Someone is calling you from behind!"
Mr. Rathod reflexively spun around, searching the darkness. Seeing no one, he turned back to find that his son had already sprinted toward his tent.
"Idiot," Mr. Rathod muttered one last time, though a small, weary smile touched his face.
Inside the girls' tent, the air was quiet but tense. Shwetha helped Prarthana sit down, then stopped, noticing the state of her friend.
"Hey... why are all of your clothes wet?" Shwetha questioned, her eyes narrowing.
"I fell into the river," Prarthana said simply, her voice devoid of emotion.
"Oh! Are you okay? Why did you even go out from the tent in this dark night?"
Prarthana lay down, pulling the sleeping bag up to her chin. The exhaustion was finally settling into her bones, but her mind was still restless. "I am tired, Shwetha. I just want a nap."
Shwetha sighed, knowing there was more to the story but respecting her friend's silence. She reached up and switched off the lantern, plunging the tent into darkness.
In the silence, Prarthana's heart whispered a single question: Who is that Angry Bird?
Miles away, the Benz moved smoothly through the night. Rudraksh Singhania drove in total silence, the dashboard lights casting a cool blue glow over his sharp features. He was coming back from a long, solitary stay at his farmhouse, a place where he went to escape the suffocating expectations of the Singhania empire.
He pulled the car over to the side of a lookout point, miles from where the incident had occurred. He needed air. He stepped out, the wind whipping through his damp hair. His heart was still beating at an accelerated pace, a physical rhythm he couldn't suppress.
He walked to the edge of the overlook, staring down at the water below. His mind flashed back to the moment of the fall—the weightlessness, the cold impact, and then... her. The memory of the "kiss"—the breath she had forced into his lungs—sent a strange jolt through him.
"Who is that crazy, cute girl?" he whispered to the night.
A small, genuine smile—a rarity for the cold Rudraksh Singhania—broke across his face. He didn't know her, but he knew he wouldn't forget her.
The next morning, the sun rose over the mountains with a cruel brightness. The campers packed their gear in a whirlwind of activity. Prarthana moved like a ghost, her mind divided between the looming reality of home and the memory of the night before.
By the time they reached the airport, the silence between Prarthana and Shwetha had grown heavy.
"Why are you looking so dull, Prarthana?" Shwetha asked as they waited near the gate. "Is it because you are going back to your family?"
Prarthana felt a cold shiver of dread at the mention of the Mehra household. The thought of her father's stern gaze and her brother's constant scrutiny made her stomach churn. But she forced a bright, brittle smile onto her face.
"No! I am so happy that I am finally meeting my family," Prarthana said, her voice sounding hollow to her own ears. "I can happily meet all my family members and hug my father and brother. They must be waiting for my return."
Shwetha looked at her, seeing the fear hiding behind the smile. She knew the truth, and it broke her heart.
"Girls, let's move! It's already late!" Mr. Rathod called out, gesturing toward the boarding tunnel.
As Prarthana walked away, Shwetha lagged behind for a second, closing her eyes and offering a silent plea to the heavens. Please God, send someone into Prarthana's life who would change it. Someone who would save her.
The flight was a blur of white clouds and recirculated air. When they landed, the group began to splinter off. Prarthana said a tearful goodbye to Shwetha and climbed into a cab, the city skyline rising up to greet her like the bars of a familiar cage.
The taxi pulled up to the gates of the Mehra mansion—a sprawling, opulent structure that felt more like a fortress than a home. Prarthana stepped inside, the marble floors echoing with the click of her shoes.
From the grand living hall, she heard the sounds of laughter. Her family was gathered there—her father Gautam, her brother Ravish, and her sisters-in-law Shreya and Tanya—all playing a game of cards, surrounded by snacks and luxury.
"Hello," Prarthana said, her voice soft as she approached them.
No one looked up. The game continued as if she were a piece of furniture. Finally, Shreya flicked a card onto the table with a smirk.
"The Queen has finally returned to our house," Shreya said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
Prarthana's heart sank. "Hi, Shreya."
Shreya didn't respond, instead giving Prarthana a cold, measuring glare before returning to her hand.
Ravish, her brother, leaned back in his chair. "Have you brought me what I asked for?"
"Yes," Prarthana said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a small, velvet box.
"Give me my diamond bracelet," Ravish demanded, reaching out.
As Prarthana handed it to him, Ravish deliberately let his fingers go slack. The box hit the floor with a dull thud.
"Can't you give it properly?" Ravish snapped, his face contorting with a practiced anger.
Prarthana remained silent, her head bowed. It was a familiar ritual of humiliation.
"Can't you speak properly to your sister, Ravish?" Gautam Mehra's voice boomed as he entered the room.
"Dad, she is at fault!" Ravish insisted.
"Prarthana is at fault, I saw it too," Shreya chimed in immediately.
Tanya, leaning against the sofa, added her venom to the mix. "Prarthana has a habit of making mistakes and then acting like a victim so everyone feels pity for her. She pretends to be innocent, but she's just a gold digger at heart."
Prarthana felt the familiar sting of tears, but she held them back, her nails digging into her palms.
"Don't you dare, Tanya, to speak ill of Prarthana!"
The sharp voice belonged to Sharmila, the only aunt who had ever shown Prarthana a shred of genuine affection. She stepped into the room, her eyes flashing. "Prarthana only makes mistakes, not sins. She is good at heart."
Sharmila turned to Prarthana with a soft look. "Go and freshen up, dear."
Prarthana gave a weak, grateful smile and hurried to her bedroom. She washed the mountain dust from her skin and changed into a simple, bright yellow Anarkali suit. When she returned to the living room, the atmosphere had shifted. The card game was over, and the family was seated on the plush sofas.
"Come here, baby," Gautam said, gesturing to the spot next to him.
Prarthana felt a prickle of fear. Her father's "affection" was often more dangerous than his anger. "What is it, Dad?"
She sat down tentatively. Ravish was watching her with a strange, predatory smile.
"Dear, you always knew I love you a lot," Gautam began, his voice smooth and paternal. "I am the one who raised you with love and affection. We may behave strictly, but it is only because we love you so much."
Prarthana forced a smile, though her insides were twisting. Gautam reached into his pocket and pulled out a jewelry box, clicking it open to reveal a dazzling diamond necklace.
Shreya and Tanya's eyes turned green with instant jealousy.
"Why for me, Dad?" Prarthana asked, stunned. "I already have a lot that belonged to my mom."
"I have a surprise gift for you along with that necklace," Gautam said, his eyes gleaming with a hidden agenda.
"What is it?" Prarthana asked, her curiosity momentarily overcoming her dread.
"Look in front of you," Gautam directed.
Prarthana turned. Standing in the doorway was a man she hadn't seen in years. He was tall, dressed in a sharp suit, with a face that once held her affection but now only held shadows.
"Akash?" she whispered, her voice trembling. Fear, cold and paralyzing, washed over her.
The family erupted into cheers. Gautam stood up, placing a heavy hand on Prarthana's shoulder.
"I gave my word, Prarthana. I am getting you married to Akash," Gautam revealed, his voice leaving no room for negotiation.
Prarthana's breath hitched. "Married? When?"
"Tonight," Gautam said with a chilling smile. "At eight o'clock, right here in this house. It will be a grand celebration. This is your birthday gift, baby. Akash is the owner of the Risen Group now—he's a great guy. And he's your ex-boyfriend, so I'm sure you're thrilled."
The room erupted. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PRARTHANA!" they shouted in unison.
Prarthana felt the walls closing in. The "Prince" her mother had promised was supposed to save her, but this felt like a sentencing. Just as the weight of the revelation began to crush her, her phone began to vibrate in her hand.
It was a call from Shwetha.
Akash smiles with alot of happiness and Tanya who looks disappointed in the room,
Prarthana takes the call,
Shwetha cheers Prarthana and announces a happy news.
"OH MY GOD "
"We got selected in the interview and got hired in biggest RR group of companies and soon we are going to work in same office"
Shwetha asks Prarthana "Aren't you happy ?"
"I wish to hug you tightly right away because we are going to work in same office"
Prarthana is surprised and shocked and her mind becomes blank with alot of thoughts and a pain.