The resort felt strangely hollow.

Only a few hours ago, the house had been filled with music, laughter, and hundreds of guests.

Now the grand hall stood quiet, the lights dimmer than before, the decorations already beginning to look tired.

The last of the staff quietly cleared the empty glasses and plates from the tables.

Outside, the rain had started.

Inside, Neetha and Arav sat on the long sofa in the main hall.

Neither of them had spoken for several minutes.

Arav leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, rubbing his temple slowly as if trying to ease the pounding headache building inside his skull.

His jaw was tight.

All the embarrassment he had faced earlier still burned under his skin.

The whispers.
The curious stares.
The awkward excuses he had to make.

All the guests had gone now.

But the humiliation remained.

“I had to personally escort half the media out,” Arav muttered bitterly. “Do you have any idea what kind of circus that looked like?”

Neetha sat beside him, her posture straight but exhausted.

She picked up the cup of tea from the table and gently offered it to him.

“Drink this,” she said softly. “It will calm your nerves.”

Arav took the cup but didn’t drink immediately.

He stared into the steaming liquid, his expression dark.

“If this gets out tomorrow,” he continued quietly, “Veyansh Group will be the laughing stock of the entire city.”

Neetha sighed.

“It will calm down,” she said, trying to sound reassuring. “These things always do.”

Arav let out a sharp breath.

“Calm down?” he repeated.

He finally took a sip of the tea before placing the cup back down harder than necessary.

“She made a fool out of us today, Neetha.”

His voice grew colder.

“In front of business partners. Politicians. Investors.”

Neetha pressed her lips together but said nothing.

Arav leaned back against the sofa, staring at the high ceiling of the hall.

“Sometimes I wonder,” he said slowly, “how different things would have been if a child like her had never been born.”

Neetha flinched slightly at the words.

But she didn’t argue.

Arav continued, the bitterness spilling out now.

“From the moment she could walk, she has done nothing but drag my name through the dirt.”

He shook his head.

“School complaints. Fights. Disrespecting elders. Creating scenes everywhere she went.”

Neetha sighed softly.

“She was always… difficult,” she admitted quietly.

Arav scoffed.

“Difficult?”

He leaned forward again.

“She embarrassed me in front of my board members once when she was sixteen.”

Neetha frowned faintly.

“She was just a teenager...”

“She called one of my partners a fraud,” Arav cut in sharply. “In the middle of a dinner meeting.”

He laughed bitterly.

“Do you remember how many apologies I had to make that night?”

Neetha remained silent.

Arav continued rubbing his temple again.

“And today… today she outdid herself.”

The empty wedding hall flashed in his mind again.

The bride waiting alone.

The groom nowhere to be seen.

The whispers spreading through the crowd like wildfire.

“Now look at us,” he muttered. “Standing there like complete fools.”

Neetha looked down at her hands.

“Viaan didn’t want to marry her.. he said” she said quietly after a moment.

Arav let out a dry laugh.

“Can you blame him?”

He shook his head.

“That boy has some sense at least.”

Neetha stared at the rain sliding down the tall windows.

“She always had a temper,” she murmured.

“And pride,” Arav added coldly. “Too much pride for someone who never accomplished anything. For someone good for nothing”

The room fell silent again.

Outside, thunder rolled in the distance.

Arav leaned back against the sofa, exhaustion creeping into his bones.

“All these years,” he said quietly, “I tried to tolerate her behavior for the sake of family.”

He closed his eyes briefly.

“But today…”

His voice hardened again.

“Today she dragged our name into the mud.”

Neetha said nothing.

The rain outside only grew heavier.

|AFTER HALF AN HOUR|

Thunder rolled across the sky, the sound echoing through the quiet mansion.

Arav leaned back against the sofa, his eyes closed for a moment, exhaustion pressing heavily on him.

Neetha sat beside him, silent, staring at the cup of tea on the table.

The house felt strangely hollow now.

Then suddenly.

Hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor.

“S..Sir..!!!”

A servant rushed into the hall, breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling rapidly as if he had run the entire way.

Arav opened his eyes immediately, irritation flashing across his face.

“What is it?” he snapped.

The man bent slightly, trying to catch his breath.

“S-sir… there was… there was a call.”

Arav frowned.

“A call?” he repeated impatiently. “And you came running like this for a call?”

The servant shook his head quickly.

“It was on the business line, sir.”

That made Arav pause.

The business number was rarely used for personal matters.

Neetha looked up now as well.

“What about it?” she asked.

The servant swallowed nervously before speaking again.

“S-sir… the caller said Miss Ira is in the hospital.”

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Arav’s brows knitted together.

“What?”

Neetha’s head snapped toward the servant.

“What did you just say?”

The man wiped the sweat from his forehead nervously.

“They said Miss Ira was hit by a truck, ma’am.”

The words seemed to hang in the air.

Very heavily.

Both Neetha and Arav stood up almost at the same time.

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Arav demanded sharply.

But the servant hurriedly continued.

“S-sir, the caller said it happened on the main road during the rain. She was walking alone and ..and a truck hit her.”

Neetha’s hand slowly moved to her chest.

"HIT BY A TRUCK!!…?”

The servant nodded anxiously.

“They said her condition is critical, sir.”

Arav stared at him, his mind struggling to process the words.

“How.. how it. Happened?” he asked coldly.

The servant quickly explained.

“They found her, sir bleeding on the roadside. When they checked her face .. it was her. That’s how they recognized she is Miss Ira Veyansh… daughter of Mr. Arav Veyansh.”

The hall fell silent again.

Only the rain could be heard outside.

Neetha looked pale now.

“Which hospital?.. which hospital they too..took her” she asked faintly.

The servant swallowed again.

“City Hospital, ma’am.”

Arav’s jaw tightened.

“And the truck driver?” he asked.

The servant hesitated before answering.

“They said… he ran away, sir.”

Arav’s eyes narrowed.

“He fled the scene as soon as he realized who she was.”

For the first time since the servant had entered the room.

fear settled heavily inside the hall.

Neetha slowly sank back onto the sofa for a second, her hands trembling.

“A truck…” she whispered.

Arav stood frozen where he was.

The words he had said only minutes ago echoed painfully in the back of his mind.

Sometimes I wonder how different things would have been if a child like her had never been born.

Now that same child was lying somewhere in a hospital.

between life and death.

And suddenly, the mansion didn’t feel quiet anymore.

It felt suffocating.

***

The black car sped through the rain-soaked streets.

Water splashed violently beneath the tires as the driver pushed the accelerator harder, the windshield wipers moving back and forth frantically against the heavy downpour.

Inside the car, silence suffocated the air.

Neetha sat in the back seat, her hands trembling uncontrollably as she clutched the edge of her saree.

“Faster…” she whispered hoarsely.

The driver nodded nervously and increased the speed.

Arav sat beside her, his face stiff, his eyes fixed ahead on the blurred road. His mind felt strangely empty, yet at the same time filled with a storm of thoughts he couldn’t control.

Hit by a truck.

The words kept echoing.

Neither of them spoke again.

The car turned sharply onto the main road.

Then suddenly.

The driver slowed down.

“Sir…” he murmured hesitantly.

Arav frowned.

“What is it?”

The driver didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he pointed through the windshield.

Arav followed his gaze.

And froze.

Even in the pouring rain, it was impossible to miss.

A large dark stain spread across the wet asphalt.

Red.

Too red.

Too much.

The rain had been falling heavily for almost an hour, yet the pool of blood still clung stubbornly to the road, diluted but unmistakable.

Neetha leaned forward slightly to see what had made the car slow down.

The moment her eyes landed on the road.

Her breath caught in her throat.

“N-no…Ir..Ira”

Her voice trembled violently.

Her hand flew to her mouth as her body began shaking.

“That… that’s…”

She couldn’t finish the sentence.

Her eyes filled instantly with tears.

“Oh God…” she whispered brokenly.

The car moved slowly past the spot.

Neetha suddenly started crying.

Not loudly.

Just quiet, helpless sobs.

Her lips moved rapidly as she began murmuring prayers under her breath.

“Please… please God… protect my child… please…”

Her fingers trembled as she pressed them together.

“Ira… please be ok...please…”

Beside her, Arav hadn’t moved.

He sat completely still.

His eyes remained fixed on the road behind them through the rear window as the bloodstained asphalt slowly disappeared from view.

For the first time that night.

Fear wrapped around his chest.

Real fear.

He felt difficult to breath.

His fingers slowly curled into fists on his lap.

That… was her blood.

The thought struck him like lightning.

Only minutes ago he had been sitting comfortably in his house, blaming her for everything.

Now.

She was lying in a hospital somewhere between life and death.

His mind replayed the image of the road again.

That huge red stain.

His stomach twisted violently.

For the first time since the call came.

Arav Veyansh felt something crack inside him.

Because suddenly the possibility became real.

He could lose her.

And the thought terrified him more than he was willing to admit.

The car sped forward again, disappearing into the storm as they rushed toward the hospital.

***

The car screeched to a halt outside the emergency entrance of the hospital.

Rain still poured relentlessly from the sky, drenching everything in sight.

The bright white lights of the hospital reflected off the wet ground, making the entire place look cold and unreal.

Before the driver could even open the door, Arav pushed it open himself and stepped out.

“Sir...!” the driver called, startled.

But Arav was already walking quickly toward the entrance.

Neetha hurried after him, struggling to keep up as the rain soaked through her saree.

“Arav… wait…” she cried breathlessly.

They rushed inside the emergency ward.

Doctors moved quickly across the corridor.

Nurses pushed stretchers past them. The constant beeping of machines echoed faintly in the background.

Arav stopped in front of the reception desk.

“My daughter,” he said quickly, his voice sharp with urgency. “Ira Veyansh. She was brought here after a truck accident.”

The nurse looked up from the computer.

For a moment her expression changed slightly when she heard the name.

“Please wait a moment, sir.”

Arav tapped his fingers impatiently against the counter as she checked the records.

Neetha stood beside him, gripping the edge of the desk as if it was the only thing holding her up.

Her lips still moved in silent prayers.

The nurse looked back up.

“Please come with me.”

Arav’s chest tightened.

“Where is she?” he demanded.

But the nurse didn’t answer.

She simply stepped away from the desk and gestured for them to follow.

The walk down the corridor felt endless.

The white hospital lights felt too bright. Too harsh.

Every step echoed loudly in the empty hallway.

Neetha’s breathing had become uneven now.

“Is she conscious?” she asked anxiously. “Did she say anything? Is she ok? ”

The nurse stayed silent.

That silence made the air heavier with every second.

They stopped outside a room.

A doctor stood near the door, reading something on a clipboard.

The moment he noticed them approaching, he straightened.

“Mr..Mr. Arav Veyansh” the doctor asked.

“Yes,” Arav replied immediately. “Where is my daughter?”

The doctor hesitated.

Just for a second.

That single pause made Neetha’s heart drop.

“H..how is she? Is she ok? Injur..y no...not very fatal right.. tell me..ple_” she asked quickly.

The doctor removed his glasses slowly.

“Mrs. Veyansh..I'm..I’m very sorry,” he said gently.

The words came calmly.

Too calmly.

“Your daughter… was already in critical condition when she was found.”

Neetha shook her head immediately.

“No… no.. what the hell are you saying, she’s ok,.. I know she's ok,” she said quickly. “She’ll be fine.”

But the doctor continued softly.

“She had severe internal bleeding. Multiple injuries from the impact.”

Arav’s jaw tightened.

“Just tell me how she is.. .”

The doctor’s expression softened with sympathy.

“She passed away before reaching the hospital.”

The corridor fell completely silent.

The words seemed to hang in the air, heavy and impossible to process.

For a moment.

Neither of them reacted.

Neetha blinked slowly.

“…WHAT!!!?” she whispered faintly.

The doctor lowered his gaze slightly.

“I’m very sorry, ma’am.”

Neetha stared at him as if she hadn’t heard correctly.

“No… you… you mus..must be mis..mistaken.”

Her voice trembled.

“She… she just had an accident… you just said she was brought here… she'll be ok.. she..she ok trea...t treat her..”

Her breathing grew faster.

“You didn’t even treat her yet,” she continued desperately. “How can she... let me let s..see her”

“She was already gone when the ambulance arrived,” the doctor said quietly.

The truth landed like a blow.

Neetha staggered backward slightly.

Her hand flew to her chest as her face drained of color.

“No…”

The word escaped her like a broken breath.

“No…”

Her knees suddenly gave way.

“Ma’am!” a nurse rushed forward to support her before she collapsed completely.

Neetha clutched the nurse’s arm, shaking her head repeatedly.

“No… my daughter… my Ira… no…”

Her voice cracked into uncontrollable sobs.

“I didn’t even see her…”

Her cries echoed through the corridor.

Meanwhile.

Arav hadn’t moved.

He stood frozen in the same spot.

His eyes remained fixed on the doctor as if waiting for him to take the words back.

“…You’re saying,” Arav said slowly, his voice strangely calm, “that my daughter is dead.”

The doctor lowered his head respectfully.

“I’m very sorry for your loss.”

Arav didn’t respond.

His mind replayed the moment from earlier again.

Sometimes I wonder how different things would have been if a child like her had never been born.

His chest suddenly tightened painfully.

The blood on the road.

The empty wedding hall.

The phone call.

And now.

This.

“She’s… gone?” he asked again quietly.

The doctor nodded.

“Yes.”

The single word shattered whatever control Arav had been holding onto.

His hand slowly came up to cover his mouth.

For the first time in years.

Arav Veyansh felt completely powerless.

The corridor filled with Neetha’s cries as she sobbed helplessly beside the nurses.

“My daughter… my Ira… no no no she's ok ..I know … please…”

“IRAAAAAA...!!” Neetha’s scream ripped through the hospital corridor.

It was not a cry.

It was a wail. Raw and very animalistic. The kind that made the nurses in the hallway freeze.

“No! No no no no!” she shrieked, shaking violently as she clawed at the air like someone drowning.

“My daughter! Where is my daughter?!”

The doctor tried to calm her. “Ma’am please..m”

But Neetha shoved past him.

“I want to see her!” she screamed hysterically. “Take me to my Ira right now! she's okkk she's.. she's my baby!!!”

Her voice cracked again and again, turning into uncontrollable sobs.

“Iraaaaa! My baby!”

The nurses exchanged worried looks before finally leading them to the room by managing her from collapsing again.

Arav followed behind her, his steps slow, heavy, his face pale like all the blood had drained from it.

The nurse opened the door quietly.

The room was silent.

Too silent.

And there.

On the hospital bed.

Ira lay motionless.

Her body covered in a white sheet.

The moment Neetha saw her

Something inside her snapped.

“NOOOOO...!!”

She lunged forward like a madwoman.

“Ira! IRA!”

She grabbed the sheet with trembling hands and ripped it away.

The sight beneath it made her scream even louder.

Her daughter’s face was pale and still.

Bruises covered her skin.

Dried blood clung to her hairline.

The white wedding dress was torn and soaked dark with blood.

“No… no… no…” Neetha whimpered.

Her hands flew to Ira’s face.

It was cold.

Too cold.

“Ira baby wake up!” she cried frantically, shaking her shoulders. “Wake up! Don’t do this to mama!”

Her voice became shrill with panic.

“IRAAAA!”

She shook her harder now.

“Open your eyes! You always talk back! Talk now! Say something!”

But Ira didn’t move.

Not even a breath.

Neetha’s screams turned into choking sobs.

“God please! PLEASE!” she begged wildly, looking up at the ceiling. “Take my life instead! Not hers!”

She collapsed over Ira’s body, clutching her tightly.

“I’m sorry!” she wailed.

“I’m sorry, Ira! I’m sorry!”

Her fingers trembled as she stroked her daughter’s damaged face.

“I should have loved you more… I should have protected you…”

Her voice broke violently.

“You are my child! My child!”

She rocked back and forth, shaking Ira’s lifeless body like she could force life back into it.

“Wake up!” she screamed again. “Wake up, Ira! Don’t leave me!”

Behind her.

Arav hadn’t moved.

He stood frozen at the foot of the bed.

His eyes locked onto Ira’s body.

The same daughter he had cursed only hours ago.

Now lying there like a broken doll.

His chest rose sharply.

He took one slow step forward.

Then another.

Until he reached the bed.

His hand hovered in the air before slowly touching her arm.

Cold.

The coldness shot through him like electricity.

His breath hitched.

“No…” he whispered.

His voice sounded hollow.

“No… this is not possible…”

His fingers trembled as they closed around her hand.

It didn’t move.

Didn’t respond.

“Ira…” he said hoarsely.

The name cracked apart in his throat.

His body suddenly shook.

“I said… horrible things to you today…”

His voice broke.

“I said I wished you were never born…”

The memory slammed into him like a punch.

He grabbed his hair with his other hand, his composure finally shattering.

“What kind of father says that?!” he shouted at himself.

His voice echoed through the room.

“What kind of father lets his daughter walk out alone like that?!”

His breathing turned ragged as tears finally spilled down his face.

“Damn it!” he cried, slamming his fist against the side of the bed.

“Ira!” he shouted desperately.

“G..get up and shout at me a..again! Break something! A..aargue with me!!!!”

His voice cracked into a sob.

“Just don’t lie there like this…p..lease.. I beg you”

Neetha was still clinging to Ira’s body like a madwoman.

“My baby…” she sobbed hysterically.

“My Ira… please come back…”

Her cries echoed through the hospital floor.

Nurses outside the room wiped their eyes quietly.

Because the sound of a mother mourning her child like that.

Was something no one could bear to hear.

But inside the room.

The daughter they were begging to return

Was already gone.