𝟏. 𝐄𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭

"D-Doctor, what happened to my dad? I-Is he okay?" A woman stood outside the ICU ward, anxiously asking about her father's condition.

"Mrs. Mehta, I won't give you any false hope, so please prepare yourself for what I'm about to tell you," the doctor said calmly. The woman looked at him nervously, trying to control her overwhelming emotions.

"We tried hard to save your father, but the accident was brutal and caused severe internal damage. Unfortunately, several of his organs have stopped functioning completely. I'm sorry to inform you that your father doesn't have much time left."

The woman collapsed onto the floor, weeping in agony as she processed the devastating news. "No... No, this can't happen. He can't leave me," she yelled, crying hysterically.

Just then, her husband approached and held her in his arms, trying to console her. "Mr. and Mrs. Mehta, you both can meet him now, as he doesn't have much time left," the doctor said before leaving.

"Ashish, how could he leave me?" Neela asked her husband, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Neela, I'm here with you. Please don't cry," he said, holding her tightly in his embrace.

***********************

"Amu, beta, come back home a little early as we still have a few more decorations left to do for Aryan's birthday," Mahima said to her daughter while handing her lunchbox.

"Yes, Mom, and Aru, don't bother Nani too much," Amrita said to her little son.

"Okay, Mumma," Aryan replied, hugging her tightly.

Amrita looked at her mother and son for the last time before leaving her house. A surge of emotions overwhelmed her as she stepped out. She tried to keep her thoughts positive, but her mind felt stubborn and restless.

"Nani, Mumma didn't take her files with her. I'll go and give them to her," Aryan said and ran after his mother.

"Hello, I'm coming to your house..." Amrita said while talking to someone on the phone.

As soon as she stepped outside and stood in front of her house, her son ran behind her, calling out to her. She turned to face him, and Aryan was almost within reach when, suddenly, a car came speeding toward her. The vehicle hit her, and her body was thrown back with the force of the impact.

"Mumma!" Aryan screamed, his voice filled with terror as the incident unfolded right in front of his eyes. His mother lay lifeless at a distance on the roadside. He ran toward her, while Mahima rushed out of the house after hearing her grandson's voice.

"Amu!" she cried out in horror, looking at her daughter, now a victim of either an accident-or something more sinister.

***********************
1 week later,

A woman stood in front of the dressing table, holding a piece of paper in her hand. Her face gleamed with happiness, and her eyes shone brightly as she read the words written on the paper. She picked up her phone from the dressing table and messaged someone:

"Come back home a little early; there's a surprise for you❤️"

She smiled at her message and was about to place her phone back on the table when it beeped. It was a reply from the person she had messaged:

"I'm on my way; I need to have a word with you."

The woman frowned at the message but shrugged off her thoughts as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. A soft smile crept across her face as she placed her hand on her belly, gazing at her reflection.

"Baby, I can't wait to tell your dadda about your arrival. He will be so happy to know about you." Her eyes welled up as she spoke to the little life growing inside her. She set the phone back on the table and got busy preparing a surprise for her husband, who would be home in less than ten minutes.

"I wish your nanu were here to meet you. Even though he's not here, he must be showering all his love and blessings on you from above," she said, caressing her belly.

"Ashish, don't you dare act smart in front of me. If you don't divorce her today, remember you won't see her again," a woman in her mid-fifties warned the man standing in front of her, handing him a file. The man glanced at his mother's face and left the room without uttering a word.

Dayawanti Mehta smirked at her elder son. "Kunal, follow him and make sure he divorces that woman," she instructed her younger son, who was also present in the room. Kunal nodded and went out after his brother, without him noticing.

***********************
It was 8 in the evening when Ashish arrived at his and Neela's house. They had been living separately on the outskirts of Mumbai. It was a quiet, isolated place, completely opposite to the hustle and bustle of the city.

"Neela, Neela, where are you? I need to have a word with you," Ashish called out hesitantly, tightening his grip on the file in his hand. Sweat beads began to form on his forehead as time passed. He stood in the middle of the hall of their small mansion, surrounded by an odd silence.

"Yes, I'm coming," Neela replied from the bedroom.

Neela folded the baby's clothes and placed them in a box, which she then put inside her cupboard. With a broad smile on her face, she left the room and ran toward him, hugging him from behind, startling him. Ashish, who was facing the main door, hadn't seen her approach. He composed himself, broke the hug, and turned toward her.

"Ashish, what happened? Why are you sweating so much in this cold weather?" she asked, placing her hand on his forehead to check his temperature.

"Neela, I want a divorce," he said flatly. Neela stepped back in shock, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked at him, silently asking for the reason behind such a decision.

"B-B-but why?" she stammered, trying to compose herself.

"Neela, things are over between us. I've signed the papers. You..." Before he could finish, Neela slapped him hard across the face.

"Get out, Ashish Mehta. Get out of my house and my life!" Neela yelled in anger while Ashish stood there, numb. Kunal, who had been watching the scene from the window, quickly left the house to avoid being noticed.

Ashish composed himself and left without looking at Neela, who fell to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Suddenly, it started to pour heavily outside, accompanied by a thunderstorm. The weather outside wasn't as harsh as the inner turmoil Neela felt, now left alone in the world with her unborn child.

Neela was completely broken after Ashish left her. The three supporting pillars of her life were no longer with her. First, she lost her dad in an accident, then her best friend, and now her husband had left her.

"What sin did I commit to be left alone? What was my unborn child's fault that he/she won't even get the love of their father or Nanu? Even Amu left me with half the truth. How am I supposed to find out the truth about your death, Dad?" she whispered to herself, crying hysterically.

"Go away from here, Neela," a woman's voice said as she stood in front of the vulnerable Neela.

"Where should I go now? I don't have any other home," Neela asked.

"Beta, you have your father's property away from here. Remember? Go there, for the sake of your unborn child. You have to protect your baby from your enemies. Return when you're strong enough to fight back against your father's murderer," Mahima said to her.

"What about you and Aryan, Aunty? How can I leave you both to suffer here alone?" Neela asked, wiping away her tears.

"Don't worry about us, beta. I'm taking Aryan to Delhi with me. We'll stay there until he finishes his studies," Mahima reassured her.

"Don't waste your time, beta. Leave here as soon as possible. Protect your baby, Neela," Mahima urged her.

***********************
27 years later
Sydney, Australia

A lady in her early fifties entered her daughter's room only to find her asleep. She sighed at her daughter and went towards the window to open the curtains.

"Baby, get up; it's already ten in the morning! How long are you planning to sleep?" she said to her as she saw her daughter struggling with the sunlight.

"Mumma, 5 more minutes," her daughter whined. Neela glared at her daughter and then turned off the air conditioner, breaking her sleep.

"Mumma!!" She whined as she got up. "Avi, we're leaving for India today, so get ready quickly; you're not allowed to sleep for a single minute now!" Neela announced as she headed out of her daughter's room.

"Mumma, the flight won't leave for India without us," Avni whined as she sat up on her bed while looking at her mother.

"I know that, and even you know I've waited for 27 years to return to India to avenge my father's and my friend's death," Neela said in a serious tone.

"Mumma, it's time to heal the scar! It's time to take the revenge," Avni whispered to her mother while hugging her from behind.

"There's a lot of mystery to unfold, Avi, and before that, we need to find out about Mahima aunty and Aryan," Neela said while holding her hand.

"We need to be extra careful, Avi," Neela said while holding her daughter's hand.

"Mom, don't worry. Nothing will happen to any of us. We will fight strongly against our enemies," Avni said, trying to comfort her mother.

"And now, we will find them, Mom. But let's go before we actually miss our flight," Avni added as she ran towards the washroom, leaving Neela sighing at her daughter's antics.

***********************
Mumbai, India

A man in his late twenties was waiting for someone at the airport along with his PA. He had a sharp jawline, chiselled features, and piercing dark brown eyes that seemed to see right through to the soul. His hair was dark brown and perfectly messy, framing his face in a way that accentuated his sharp cheekbones and full lips. His eyes glistened with an unknown sadness, which he was hiding with a fake smile on his face.

"Sirji, the flight has landed; Bebe would be here in no time," his PA said to him. "You wait here; I'm going inside," Neil said as he moved towards the entry gate of the airport. Just then, a girl in her twenties passed by him, gaining his attention as their shoulders collided, sending sparks between them. Before he could see her face, she was already far away.

"Who was she?" he thought to himself as he looked at her disappearing figure with an unknown feeling in his heart.

"Why did I feel like I knew that touch?" he wondered, but then he shook his head, brushing the thought aside. Turning his attention back to the entrance, he waited for his grandmother to arrive.

"Neil, let's go home quickly; I'm very tired," his grandmother said as she reached the airport. Throughout their journey back to their home, Neil was lost in thoughts about the girl at the airport. It was a mere touch, but it felt very different to him. He shrugged off his thoughts as they arrived at their house.

KHANNA MANSION

"Tillu, hurry up; she's waiting for you at the jewellery shop," his mother said as soon as he entered the house.

"Mom, please don't call me that," he whined.

"Oh, leave this topic and go to the jewellery shop to finalise your engagement ring," Shweta ordered him.

"Mom, there are more than two weeks left for the engagement; why are you all worried?" Neil asked her calmly. Shweta got irked by her son's nonchalant words.

"Tillu, get up and leave now, or else..." Shweta couldn't complete her sentence as her mother-in-law interrupted.

"Madam Madonna, dare you hit my child! And Neil, why don't you finalise the ring today itself even though more than two weeks are left? Your fiancée is waiting for you in the shop," Bebe said, almost yelling at the duo.

"Fine, I'm going now! Ladies, don't fight with each other in my absence," he said mischievously and ran out of the house before his mother and grandmother could say anything.

***********************
"Dayawanti Mehta's rise in the industrial world!" As soon as Neela read this news article, her eyes filled with anger and pain.

"Don't worry, Mumma, her so-called fame will go down the drain," Avni said as she noticed her mother's unshed tears.

"I know that, Baccha. I've heard from somewhere that she's getting her granddaughter married to some big businessman," Neela said to Avni while trying to remember the name.

"Khanna's!" Avni exclaimed, her voice trembling slightly as she uttered the name. A strange sensation washed over her. "Khanna's? Could it be possible?" she wondered, her mind racing. "No, no, it can't be. I'm definitely overthinking," she reassured herself silently.

"Yes, that's right, Khanna's," Neela said, nodding as she recalled the name, pulling Avni back to reality. Neela didn't notice Avni's pale expression, as she quickly masked it with a composed demeanor.

"Mumma, leave the topic for now and let's eat something. I'm very hungry," Avni whined. Neela chuckled at her daughter, and the duo got engrossed in preparing something for themselves.

"And let's plan a grand entry," Avni said to herself, her eyes fixed on her phone screen.

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