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"Aap logon ko kyun lagta hai ki main apni beti, jisne abhi tak theek se bolna bhi nahi seekha hai, uski shaadi tay karne dungi?"

Dhunika's voice echoed through the haveli, trembling with fury. Tears burned in her eyes, her breathing had turned uneven, yet she refused to let her voice crack. Her arms instinctively tightened around little Dhruthika, who rested peacefully against her shoulder, blissfully unaware that the people standing before her had begun deciding her future.

Uma's expression hardened. "Ye faisla bado ka hai," she replied sharply. "Aur ab tum humare faislon par sawaal utha rahi ho? Bhoolo mat, is ghar ke faisle bade hi lenge. You don't get to question every decision simply because you disagree with it."

"Aur hum apni hi bacchi ka bura kyun chahenge, Dhunika?" Damyanti asked, her voice calmer than Uma's but carrying the same unquestionable authority. "We're not trying to ruin her life. We're securing her future."

"Maa..." Srishti began carefully, choosing every word. "Dhunika ji galat nahi keh rahi. Dhruthika aur Vidaksh abhi bacche hain. Shayad... humein itni jaldi unke liye ye faisla nahi karna chahiye."

The room grew quieter.

Uma looked at her sharply. "Srishti, tum bhi?"

Srishti lowered her gaze for a moment but didn't take her words back.

"Mera matlab sirf itna hai ki... they're too young."

"Maa," Gaurav spoke, trying to keep his voice respectful despite the frustration beneath it, "abhi Dhruthi aur Vidaksh dono bahot chhote hain. Abhi se unki shaadi ki baat karna door ki baat hai... iss baare mein sochna bhi galat hai."

Damyanti turned towards him with a patient smile.

"Gaurav beta, hum aaj shaadi thodi kar rahe hain. Bas rishta tay kar rahe hain. Aur aap jaante hi hain ki aapke papa aur Vikrant ke papa ki dosti kitni gehri thi. " she turned to Mahesh , gaurav's father before turning back to him "Their friendship was more than just friendship. It was always their dream to turn that bond into a family relationship."She glanced briefly at Srishti.

Gaurav parted his lips to argue again, but Mahesh's stern voice cut through the room before another word could leave him.

"Gaurav. Study mein aao."

It wasn't a request.

Without waiting for a reply, Mahesh turned and walked away. Gaurav hesitated, throwing one helpless glance toward Dhunika before following him, unwilling to leave her alone yet powerless to refuse his father.

The moment they disappeared, whatever restraint Dhunika had been holding onto shattered.

"Toh meri beti hi kyun?" she demanded, her voice rising once more. "Why does it have to be my daughter? Kya har dosti ko rishte mein badalna zaroori hota hai? Bina kisi rishte ke bhi dosti nibhayi jaati hai. You can remain friends without deciding the lives of my children."

"Bas dhunika !" Uma snapped.

"Tum ab izzat karna bhi bhool gayi ho? Aur jo faisla hona tha, woh ho chuka hai."

For several long seconds, Dhunika simply stared at her. Disbelief slowly gave way to determination as tears finally escaped her eyes.

"Theek hai," she said quietly. "Agar yahi faisla hai, toh main aur mere bacche iss ghar mein ab nahi rahenge."

She turned towards the garden where Garvit laughed while playing with the other children, completely unaware of the storm in his little sister's life.

She had barely taken a step when Uma's cold voice stopped her.

"Tumhe jaana hai toh tum jaa sakti ho. Lekin bachche is ghar ke bahar ek kadam bhi nhi rakhenge."

The words froze Dhunika where she stood.

"Chahe kuch bhi ho jaaye," Uma continued, her voice frighteningly calm, "ye tum bhi jaanti ho. Aur agar tum chali gayi, toh yaad rakhna , ek baar is ghar se bahar gayi, toh dobara lautne ki koshish mat karna. Wapas aaogi toh na tumhe izzat milegi, na jagah... aur na hi kabhi apne bachchon se milne ka haq."

Dhunika didn't stop because she was afraid of leaving.

She stopped because she knew they could make those words come true.

The Sinha's carried generations of influence, and with the Mathur's standing beside them, they had enough power to drag any custody battle in their favour. If she walked away with her children, they could take them from her legally, socially, or by sheer influence. That terrifying possibility rooted her feet to the floor.

The room fell into a suffocating silence.

Slowly, she turned.Her bloodshot eyes searched for Gaurav, who had just returned from the study.

He stood only a few steps away, his head lowered, his own eyes glistening with unshed tears.

But he couldn't meet her gaze.She waited.For him to speak. To stop this. To choose their daughter. But ......He never did.

And in that silence, Dhunika understood everything.She hadn't merely lost an argument.

She had lost the right to decide her daughter's future before the little girl had even learned to speak.

Looking down, she watched Dhruthika's tiny fingers curl around the edge of her saree, seeking comfort from the only person still trying to protect her.

Another tear slipped down Dhunika's cheek.

Srishti's fingers tightened around the edge of her saree. She wanted to step forward, to say something, but one look from Damyanti made her words die in her throat.

Her eyes drifted towards the garden where her vidaksh laughed without a care, completely unaware that a lifelong decision had just been made for him too and for the first time, a strange uneasiness settled in Sristhi's heart.

That night, a promise was made.A promise between two families.

A promise neither child had ever asked for.

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Here is the prologue. Do tell your opinions . I'd love to know your thoughts.💗

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[𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞𝗬𝗢𝗨]