𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝑯𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄

Her mother flinched, crying in her tears, her mother was the one to protect the kids from Virendra’s wrath but today, nothing was helping. But both Virendra and Anahira didn't even blink, both fierce about their statements.

Virendra eyed the vase as it came to rest, and chuckled, “This. Is. You. A human with just recklessness inside, you think you're good enough but you're.. nothing.” Anahira heard him with a blank face, the roses scattered around reminded her of her existence, no matter what water they were in, without the roots, they were dead, and so was she without her dreams.

She can't be a decoration to someone's life, she deserved to grow as a flower, not to be put as a decoration.

“Thik hai, aapke liye ek aur sujhav hai hamare pas, ya to shaadi kar lijiye, ya to
Eshaan karenge, lekin ye sauda to hoga. Ya to aapki shaadi Raisinghani parivaar ke bete se hogi ya Eshaan ki, unki beti se” The floor seemed to crack beneath her legs, Eshaan, he was skilled just as his father wanted, the perfect hier the perfect Rajvansh, and above everything the perfect elder brother, he would die with a smile for her, if he was here at present, this situation wouldn't have gone this far, he wouldn't let his baby sister face the devil's wrath, even if it meant it would to destroy him.

But Anahira couldn't do this to her brother, to the person who always protected her unconditionally, especially not when she knew his brother's only light in this dark cage of perfection was his love, he was deeply in love with someone she didn't know, but one thing was clear that she can't ruin his life to protect hers.

But she can't ruin hers either.

“Ya to shaadi karne ke baad jo karna hai kijie, ya to apne sare sapne bhul jaiye.” Her father said, in a tone symbolizing it was his final sentence for the argument.

She chuckled sadly to herself, what's the guarantee that she would be able to do anything that she wants after her marriage, and if she doesn't agrees, there's no way her father would let her pursue her dreams either.

No it's not about a woman, it's about a human, who's trapped in a devil's cage.

With the final sentence her father went off to his room, his footsteps fading as he reached the stairs.

“Hame na sunna pasand nahi hai Anahira.” He said in a lower tone enough for her to hear.

Anahira tightened her fists, tears still streaming down her face, her mom stood there helplessly. “If that's how a father's like, I was better off an orphan.”, she said angrily to her mother, her teeth gritted.

“Ana-” her mother said but before she could complete, Anahira turned on her heel, walking to her room, the hall went silent, as Devyani picked up the broken pieces of the vase.
WHAT happens when you're trapped with a devil?
Your soul dies even before your body does.

_________________

She was never the one to worry much, never the one to care, never the one to ruin her present for the future. Until one day, when she was forced to. Forced to care, forced to ruin her present.
For her future.

Inside the dark tranquil room, a volcano was erupting in her soul, she had only two options, either to destroy herself for the legacy of her family, or to destroy the legacy for the sake of her future.
Father. Such a beautiful endearment, isn't it? Well not for her, she was still fine, she was fine without the love and care a father must give to his child. She was well practiced in swallowing all the pain he ever caused.

But today, it was beyond the limits. Mr Virendra Rajvansh, her father. For him , his daughter was a possession, an accessory that needed to be taken care of until he would tie her up with any of the convenient powerful businessmen like him.

But at the age of 17? When she just graduated from school. The 17 year old girl sat on the floor, leaning her body to the foot of her bed, sobbing like she would die any minute. “For god's sake, I am his daughter, for once why can't he act like he cares, he just knows how to control.” She said in between her sobs, tears ruining her whole face which was buried in her knees.

“He is not the one to make decisions for my life.” She said in between her faint cries, in a whisper so her voice doesn't escape the walls of her room.

“I am not some prized possession, I am me, someone with dreams. I can't give in.” She said as she turned her head high, wiping her tears in a swift motion.

She stood up sparing a glance at the wall clock in her room, the moonlight from the window helped her study the time, 1 o'clock it was, her eyes were swollen after crying for 2 straight hours. Throat was sore, she was anything but in a state to calm herself.

She picked up her phone, and wrote a message to her brother's contact.
"I'll miss you."
She knew she was leaving him alone, to escape, leaving him in this cage of perfections, but she also knew, that this was all for her.
Her father wouldn't force the only hier to such extent, and she knew even if he did, Eshaan knew better than to give in. And she has to do the same.

“If this is the cage I am trapped in, then escaping is the only thing I am fighting for.” she slowly whispered to herself. Running away from everything was a thought that crossed her mind almost everyday, everytime when her father didn't care about her, everytime when her achievements were considered crap, everytime when she was considered a good for nothing daughter.
She always thought of running away.
And today was the day to finally run away.

She looked around, the whole argument with her father kept echoing in her mind, better leave than beg, she decided.

All these years, no one would have ever thought she would do this, not even her own self, she was a coward, a kind who would silently agree to everything just so the world could stay at peace, but not today, today she needed to fight.

She knew her father wasn't home, he's never home, he just comes when he has something to say, something to ruin. And after what happened Today he left again to his own house. Her elder brother was long gone for a meeting his father forced him to attend. And her mother was in her room exhausted from her husband's torment.

“Anahira, run away.” she said sadly.
The worst his father could expect from her would be her killing herself, but her running away was something nobody will have ever thought she'll do.

But here she was, ready to ruin her present for her future.

She knew if she ran away, she'd be free, not because her father couldn't find her but because she knew he wouldn't try, he'd rather be relieved from the baggage of his good for nothing daughter than to delve into the chaos of finding her again.
Everything was so piled up in her head that today was the saturation point, she couldn't take it anymore.

Her body was tired up with the fatigue of the whole day, she looked around, nothing was hers, nothing was hers to take with her, everything was just a reminder that she wasn't independent enough to make her own decisions, with a reckless move she unlocked the door of her room, walking in the dark hall, she walked carefully, effortlessly, she was a perfectionist in sneaking out, when you got strict parents, you're a brilliant at tricks and so was Anahira.

As she walked something crashed in her toe, she gritted her teeth to muffle the yelp of the pain, a tear dropping from her eyes.
She looked carefully, it was a thorn of one of the roses from the vase. She carefully got it out from her leg, and sneaked out of the mansion, no one was guarding, and even if someone was , she knew another way, she got out of the mansion from the backside gate.

On the other hand her phone beeped with a notification, which she no more could see, as she took nothing with herself, a message from her brother peaked through the screen.
"I'll kill that man."

Anahira was in her struggles sneaking out not knowing what anyone else was up to , sneaking out was never the difficult part, but facing the world after it, was. But this time difficulties didn't matter, only her escapism did.

She looked at the moon and then back to her house, she knew it was reckless, almost stupid. But something was better than nothing, trying was better than giving up. About where to go, she had no idea, but she knew, even if she died now, she'll die with her dreams, not with a slaved future.

She breathed calmly in the fresh night sky as she whispered to herself.

“Anahira Rajvansh died today.”