Alright! Starting the first chapter with good expectations. Hope you like! Do vote if you like. ANd comments are most welcome.

Moving on...

"Words in double quotes" - Talking

'Words in single quotes' - Thoughts

Chapter I - Her Presence

12:00.

At midnight.

Her husband lay still beside her. Only sign of life from him was his body moving as he took his breaths. She too wished she could get some shut eye and mental rest.

But sleep was far from her mind.

After all, how could one sleep when her son was dying day by day, minute by minute, second by second. Not physically though.

He was dying in the sense that his spirit seems to be dimming each day. The color and vibrancy that she used to see in her son was absent. As if some force had stolen it from Laksh and shredded it to so many pieces that it was almost impossible to revive it.

'I should rephrase the sentence. It really was impossible to revive it. After all, how can one person someone back from the dead?' her thoughts were broken when there was a loud knock on the door. 'At this time of the night? Who could it be?'

"Jiji! Jiji open the door quickly! It's about Lucky! Jiji, open up!"

Annapurna at once shot out of bed and reached over to the door with large steps. She pulled open the door with force. "What happened!?"

"Jiji, I...I came out to have a glass of water to the kitchen. When I passed his room, the door was open with light flowing out. I...i decided to close the door and..."

"And what?" Annapurna grabbed her arm in desperation. "You're scaring me. Speak up Sujata!"

"Laksh wasn't there Jiji! He's not in his room. I searched the house as well. He's no where!"

Annapurna gasped. "Where could he have gone at this time!?" she could feel various different scenes flashing up in her mind, none of them good.

"Calm down you two. It's alright." came a masculine voice from behind her.

It was Durgaprasad who seemed to have woken up. However, the gruffness of a sleeping man was absent in his voice, making Annapurna realize that she was wrong about him earlier. Her husband had been unable to sleep as well.

"But Laksh is missing. How could you not be concerned?"

"Because it is not the first time he went out at night. And it won't be the last either." Durgaprasad responded in a solemn tone. "Sujata, go back to sleep. Do not speak of what you saw to anyone tomorrow either."

"Bu-"

"It's for the best."

Sujata disagreed, but didn't oppose the head of the family. He must know something that they didn't and hence advised her so. She nodded and left for her room.

"You don't look surprised. What is going on. Please tell me. I'm his mother." Annapurna pleaded.

"Like I said Annapurna. There's nothing to be worried about. He's just visiting a place. He has been doing it for many a night."

Annapurna didn't need to ask which place he was speaking of. "Did he take his car?"

Durgaprasad shook his head. "But Sanskar makes sure he returns home safely."

"I see."

"It's too late. Go to sleep Annapurna. You shouldn't stress yourself so much. Everything will be okay."

"Will it?" as he looked away, she got her answer and moved silently towards the bed without a word.

After all, what was there to add?

#At the Cliff#

Trees.

Trees and bushes till the eye can see as one stared down the railing.

There was the smell of fresh paint still lingering from the newly made steel railing. 'Why is that the authorities always realize their responsibilities only when someone somewhere has paid the price for it. Like I did...'

From the corner of his eyes, he could see his cousin brother, Sanskar stand a few steps away trying to be an absent presence. He couldn't blame him though. After all, someone who was as emotionally broken and traumatized may take a leap over the edge. 'But Sanskar shouldn't worry about that. I would never do that. Because she gave her life to save mine. her sacrifice would go worthless if I killed myself. And also because...' he gripped the iron railings harder, as if trying to break it with sheer force.

"No. No, don't do that to yourself Lucky." Sanskar spoke up, noticing the change of expressions on his face. "Don't you think you killed her."

"I did. And this is why I have to suffer by living a lonely life till I die. This is my well deserved punishment."

"You didn't! She was trying to save you when she the soil crumbled and she fell. You didn't mean for her to die."

"But I had tried to kill her! I would have hit her with my car if it wasn't for Swara."

Sanskar's sympathetic look turned cold at once. He didn't speak for a moment. However, soon he came near him and turned him so that he was looking directly into his eyes. "Look at me and listen carefully. You never meant to kill her. It was you yourself who swiveled the car so as to not hit Ragini."

Laksh flinched as Sanskar voiced her name.

A name who he himself couldn't gather the courage to voice out. A name he didn't want to voive out. 'I already am responsible for her death. I don't deserve to take her name. I'll pollute it!' Laksh swallowed the lump in his throat. "It's Swara tha-"

"Stop speaking about her!" Sanskar exclaimed with force, making Laksh's head shoot up in surprise. Realizing his sudden outburst, Sanskar tried to calm himself by taking a deep breath. "I mean to say that you're undermining yourself. You maybe my cousin, but we're as close as brothers. I know you. Yes you're an idiot, but you're not evil. You didn't kill her, and never would you have killed her, no matter what." Sanskar took Laksh's hand and put it over his heart, making Laksh feel the thump of his own heartbeat. "Hear that Laksh? That's your own heart beating. And deep inside, you know that it beats for Ragini."

"I did, didn't I?" Laksh let out a humorless chuckle. "Love and hate. There's a thin line between them they say. I never realized the passionate hate I thought I had for her was actually my passionate love for her. But she used me, fooled me, controlled my family! My anger overtook over me and I tried to ki-"

"Again with the same thought!" Sanskar shook hsi head in disbelief. "It's already 12:30am. Today makes it the twentieth day of her demise. Also, it it the nineteenth night of your visit here. This can't go on like this Lucky."

"No one told you to come with me. Just leave. I'll be fine on my own. You don't need to feel obliged to watch over me. Go home to your wife."

"That's not wha-" Sanskar grit his teeth to calm his anger. This was no time to fight. "What I meant was that I'm worried about you. You don't eat well, you lost weight, you haven't shaved and...and Badi Maa, Bade Papa, the entire family is worried sick about you!"

"What do you all expect from me!?" Laksh shouted in anger and frustration. "What exactly do you want!? What would you do if you lost Swara? How would you feel? It's so easy fro you all to say 'move on' or 'stop mourning'. How can you ever know what it's like to feel like I do? To bear the guilt of trying to hurt her when she told me many a times that she changed? To feel guilt eating at my mind knowing that if I told her the truth about loving Swara long ago, she would never have turned vengeful? How could you know what..." Laksh was openly sobbing with angry tears flowing from his eyes. "...wh-what it feels like to...to know that now I would never get to s-say how sorry I am. To say tha-that I love her. How? Ho-how would you know!?"

Sanskar could do nothing but look at him with sympathy. He knelt before him and pulled his little brother into hug. "I can never understand what you must be feeling, and I wish I could help. I'm sorry." Sanskar really wished there was something he could do. After all, deep down, he still held the guilt that it was he who made Ragini turn into a corrupt person.

"I even tried to kill her Sanky. And all she ever wanted was for me to love her back. I'm such a wretched person!"

"You didn't and wouldn't have killed her. I told you, didn't I. I had seen the love in your eyes for her. You could have never been able to kill her. Trust me Lucky."

Laksh broke the hug to look at him. He was looking for signs which spoke how Sanskar was lying only to make him feel better. However, he was only sincerity and honesty in his eyes. "A-Are you sure?"

Sanskar smiled a tiny smile. "Just close your eyes and try recalling her face. Try to remember all the times you spent with her. Try to remember what it felt to hug her. And most importantly, try to remember what you felt when you were driving the car towards Ragini." Sanskar let go and stood up. "I'll be waiting in my car for you. Come once you've sorted things out."

Laksh watched him leave, mulling on his words. Turning away to look at the night sky, he closed his eyes and breathed in.

The wind blew the strands of hair on his forehead.

#Elsewhere#

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry? A mere sorry is all you have to say to me? A simple sorry!?"

The now newly crowned King Ratan Maan SIngh flinched at the tone of the voice.

"Watch it. You're speaking to his Majesty."

"It's okay Chief." Ratan uttered as he got up from the throne and walked towards the man.

The man who was the husband of Dia. The same Dia who died protecting him and leaving her husband and daughter to mourn her loss.

"What am I supposed to tell me daughter once I get back home? That her mother isn't coming back? That she's dead!?" Nikhil shouted, his voice caring bitter hatred for him. "I will live with her memories and survive the rest of my life. But how could I handle Mishka's crest fallen face? She's only six. Answer me!"

"I never wanted her to die. While you lost your wife, I too lost my sister when she died. She was like a sister I never had." Ratan placed a hand on his shoulder. "I can never bring her back. But all I can do is provide a good life to Mishka. I'll provide anything that she desires. I'll do anything to get her what she wants."

"Can you get her her mother?"

Ratan looked down in shame and helplessness.

Nikhil didn't wait a second and turned on his heel in disgust from the royal palace, making a silent promise to himself to not return to the place ever again!"

Once outside, his anger soon melted into sadness. 'Dia, why did you have to risk your life for him? You're a hero in this kingdom who will live down in history. But what good is it being a hero if you can't even be there for your chid? To save her from heartbreak?' he contemplated how to break the news to his daughter.

"Papa!" came a shout as a small girl came running towards him. "Papa! Papa, come quick! Come quickly, Papa!"

Nikhil felt guilt and sorrow consume him all the more when he looked at her innocent face. "Beta, I have something I need to tell you. Yo-"

"Later Papa! We need to get Mum to a hospital soon!"

"Beta, Mum isn't coming."

Mishka looked at him in irritation. "I already know that!"

Nikhil couldn't have been more shocked in his life. "Wh-what?"

"I know that!" she repeated. "After all, how could she come here when she's lying in that ambulance! Silly you Papa!"

"Wh-what!?" for a second, he felt his mind go blank.

Mishka grabbed his hand and started pulling him in impatience. "YES! Some woodcutters were crowding over a girl that they found ion the forest lying unconscious and bleeding from various wounds. They were waiting for the ambulance when I happened to pass by. And Papa, it was Mum! At once I told them she was my Mum and came to find you in the ambulance. We need to get her to a medical soon! Come on!"

Nikhil was too shocked to resist her pull. He simply walked on as if in a trance. If it was possible to die of a heart attack from shock, Nikhil felt as if he was one second away from it when he saw the women lying inside the hospital.

Same face, same eyes, same nose, same physique.

'No. No this can't be her. Dia died in my arms. I know it!' he hopped in the vehicle and looked closely. 'No. This is definitely not Dia. She may look like her, but my Dia was someone whom I would recognize no matter what!'

"Papa, will Mum be okay? She...she will come back to me, won't she? Please tell me she will come back. Please Papa!"

'Your mother is dead dear. How am I supposed to tell you that?' NIkhil thought in misery.

"Why won't you tell me anything Papa? Answer me. You're scaring me."

Nikhil swallowed hard. Looking at her grief stricken face, he nodded. He didn't think he would be able to tell her the truth just yet.

He reached over and rubbed away the tear tracks from her face. "Y-Yes dear. She's...she's gonna be okay." he answered. For now, he would let her live with the lie that her mother was alive. However, he knew he would have to tell the truth once the girl woke up. 'I must be ready to tell her the truth, no matter how harsh it may be.'

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To be continued...

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~ 🌹 Mona 🌹