6 AM…
At Anamika’s house…
Anamika came out after a shower. There was no expression on her face today. Standing in front of the mirror, she was drying her hair.
Last night, Saaniya had dropped Anamika home and left, and hadn’t returned since. But yes… Anamika had received one message from her. It said:
Anamika was still lost in thought because of that message. Until today, she had never had the chance to make decisions for herself—and now that she finally could, it was the biggest decision of her life. This decision would define what kind of person she’d become in the future.
Anamika was deeply troubled. She stepped onto the balcony and stood there, staring at the sky. The soft hues of the rising sun were beginning to show, and on the other side, faint glimpses of stars were still visible. That incredibly beautiful sky wasn't being watched by her alone—two others were also looking at it.
Aditya and Aniket were standing hidden below Anamika’s house. Aditya’s eyes were fixed on Anamika standing on the balcony, while Aniket was nodding off, still half-asleep.
In a slightly tense voice, Aditya said, “She looks upset…”
Aniket, still groggy, replied, “Looks like what?”
Aditya looked at him irritably and said, “If you were this sleepy, why did you come with me?”
Aniket stretched. “Bro… you seriously need to stay away from Saaniya. You’re starting to sound like her—bitter and dramatic. Look, I can tolerate her sarcasm ‘cause she’s nothing to me, but you? I’m not taking sass from my best friend.”
Aditya crossed his arms. “Oh really? And what are you going to do about it?”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Aniket suddenly hugged him dramatically. “Don’t say that, Adi… I’ll cry!”
Aditya shoved him off, trying to hide a smile. “Don’t forget, I’m still mad at you. Jokes and concern aside—how could you kneel and apologize in front of her when you weren’t even wrong? I was the one at fault.”
Cutting him off, Aniket said, “Why are you being so dramatic? Let it go! Just think—at least now Saaniya will keep her nose out of your and Anamika’s drama!”
Hearing that, Aditya smacked him lightly on the forehead. “Idiot. Don’t do that again. Or I swear, next time I’ll be the drama.”
Aniket rolled his eyes. “Yeah yeah, got it. Now look up. Your ‘Gulabo’ just went back inside.”
Aditya looked up, just in time to see the balcony door close. He lowered his eyes and said quietly, “Do you think she’ll listen to her friend? Or… will she choose to stand with me?”
Aniket shrugged. “We’ll know only if we ask her.”
“No,” Aditya replied firmly. “She has to come on her own. This time, it has to be her choice.”
He turned to leave.
“Wait, what?! We came all the way here just to get one look at your Gulabo?” Aniket groaned. “I thought you were actually going to talk to her! Adi—stop! Don’t leave me here!”
Meanwhile…
Saaniya… was in a cemetery. She was sitting beside a grave. Her eyes were swollen, completely red—it looked like she had cried the whole night.
She recalled something her mother used to say and softly repeated those words:
“Love gives freedom. And the love that cannot offer freedom isn't love—it's obsession. When your heart becomes fixated on having someone, on keeping someone only yours, that's when you begin to do the kind of madness you shouldn't. And because of that madness, you end up hurting the very person you're obsessed with… What you think is love becomes a cage—and the end of that cage is fire, a fire of hatred. That fire either burns the one who is obsessed… or the reason for their obsession.”
Saying this, Saaniya looked at the flowers placed on the grave. Her hand gently touched them. Her emotionless eyes now seemed filled with a silent, unbearable pain.
A faint, aching smile came to her lips as she spoke:
“Ammi ( mother )… this is what you always used to say, didn’t you? You said these exact words at the end. I remember… I remember everything! Your screams afterward… your laughter before… and that silence in between. You always said you loved Abba (father), but that wasn’t true. You were just obsessed… obsessed with staying by his side, with remaining special to him. And when that didn’t happen… then… then exactly what you said happened. The one who was obsessed got burned…”
As she said this, a vision flashed before her eyes—a memory…
A 10-year-old Saaniya… banging on the front door of her house. Inside, she could only hear her mother’s screams. Panicked, the little girl ran to the window—and saw her mother on fire. Her father stood right there… just watching. He did nothing. He only smiled and said one thing:
“You thought I’d stop you? Why would I…? Why were you under such a huge misconception?”
Recalling that childhood memory, Saaniya spoke only one line:
“I’m happy, Ammi (mother) … I didn’t become like you. And I didn’t become like him either. I finally understand what love really means. (with a soft smile) Maybe… maybe it took that idiot Aniket to show me what real friendship looks like. What love feels like when it sets you free instead of chaining you down. And now, Anamika will get the love she deserves. No more fear. No more control”
A painful past… one that most people would hate. But Saaniya loved it—because it had taught her something that no one else ever could.
Today, Saaniya learned a new lesson in life.
That morning, standing before her mother’s grave, she shared one final lesson with her:
“If only you had understood what love really was, Ammi (mother)… maybe I wouldn’t have been left alone in this world.”
But what was Saaniya’s past really?
Why did her mother end her life that way?
And most importantly…
What will be anamika's decision?!
What happens next?
