shadows of the past

Aashvi

"I have everything, yet what is it that my eyes keep searching for?

What is it that keeps me from going home on time?"

Third person's pov:

For some reason, a strange feeling settled in her heart, as if a pair of eyes was watching her from somewhere. Maybe it was just her imagination... After all, those who move forward never turn back. Standing at the doorstep, Aashvi had told herself the same thing. But the heart… the heart never listens.

Suddenly, a loud thud pulled her out of her thoughts. She quickly shut the main gate and rushed toward the motionless figure sprawled on the ground—her brother.

"Dinesh! Why do you drink so much that you can't even hold yourself up? What if you got hurt?"

Her voice was laced with both worry and frustration, but Dinesh was too intoxicated to respond.

"Beta(daughter), help me lift him up..."

Hearing the commotion, her mother hurried out of the kitchen. Together, they tried to get Dinesh on his feet.

This was Dinesh—Aashvi's elder brother… but only in name. He had never fulfilled a single duty of an elder sibling. Alcohol, gambling, bad company—there wasn't a single vice he hadn't fallen into. Because of him, Aashvi had to juggle both college and a job. In reality, she was the only earning member of the family, yet there were three mouths to feed.

Their mother ran a small roadside eatery, but her earnings were barely enough to get by. Still, doing something was better than doing nothing—that's what she believed, and so she tried to support her daughter however she could.

---

"If you had left, you wouldn't have to bear all this..."

"Why didn't you go with them, beta? You should have left with them..."

After putting Dinesh to bed, Aashvi returned to find her mother standing at the threshold, holding her hand. There was something in her eyes—worry, guilt, regret... something unspoken.

"Mom, we agreed never to talk about this again."

Aashvi cupped her mother's wrinkled face in her hands. Her own eyes were turning misty.

"If you had gone, you wouldn't have had to bear all these responsibilities. You wouldn't be stuck with a drunkard brother and a useless mother who could never do anything for you… You wouldn't have to carry this burden. She left… Why didn't you?"

Her mother's voice was heavy with emotion.

"Mom, did you eat?"

Aashvi chose to change the subject rather than answer.

A faint smile flickered on her mother's lips. She wiped her tears with her palms. She knew that Aashvi would never answer this question.

"Yes, I ate… and I took my medicine too. Now go, get some sleep. You must be exhausted."

Her mother ran her fingers through Aashvi's hair as she spoke.

---

Midnight Regrets

It had been two hours since Aashvi lay in bed, yet sleep eluded her. The events of the evening replayed in her mind like a stuck cassette.

Somewhere deep inside, a question gnawed at her—had she overreacted? She hadn't even given Nidan a chance to speak. Had she become so selfish that she couldn't even congratulate him on his engagement?

For the first time, she felt small—ashamed of herself.

What must he have thought of her? That she had changed? That she had become bitter?

Had she disappointed him?

---

The Next Morning

The silence in the room was broken only by the ticking of the clock and the faint rustling of the morning breeze. Aashvi tied her hair into a ponytail as she hurriedly stuffed important documents into her bag. She was already running late for work, and like every other day, she had no time to think about anyone else.

Her mother was in the kitchen, cleaning up, when suddenly, a loud voice erupted from Dinesh's room—

"What?? Nidan is coming back?! And he's bringing his fiancée with him?!"

Aashvi's hands froze mid-air. The zipper of her bag remained half-open, and the plate in her mother's hand nearly slipped.

Dinesh, who had been lying half-buried under his blanket, sat up with a jerk, staring at the newspaper. His eyes were heavy, the remnants of last night's alcohol still lingering, but this news had jolted him awake.

"Mom!!" he called out, his voice even louder. "Did you hear? Nidan Rajvansh is coming back! And he's bringing his fiancée with him!"

Aashvi took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm as she turned toward the door. She had no interest in getting involved in this conversation. But before she could step out, Dinesh tossed the newspaper toward her.

"Look at this! Look at it! Your dear Nidan Rajvansh is making headlines! And you still think nothing has changed?"

Aashvi hesitated before picking up the crumpled newspaper. She couldn't bring herself to open it. Her heart pounded in her chest.

Her mother stood nearby, silent. There were questions in her eyes, nervousness… or perhaps, an old wound that had been reopened."is she coming too ?"

"Why is Nidan coming back?" her mother finally asked, her voice trembling.

Dinesh let out a dry, mocking laugh, the last traces of his hangover vanishing.

"Because rich people can come and go as they please, Mom! They aren't bound by helplessness like us."

With a sinking heart, Aashvi unfolded the paper. On the front page, Nidan's face shone brightly—successful, confident. And standing beside him was a beautiful woman, Saanvi, her engagement ring glittering for the world to see.

Something cracked inside her.

But she gave no reaction.

She simply folded the newspaper, placed it on the table, slung her purse over her shoulder, and walked toward the door.

"Aashvi—"

Her mother tried to stop her, but without turning back, she said, "I'm getting late, Mom. I don't have time to think about this."

And the sound of the closing door echoed through the house.

---

At the Office

Seated in her cabin, Aashvi was buried in files, typing away furiously. The frown on her forehead and the sharp clicking of the keyboard were enough to tell how engrossed she was in her work.

Just then, the intercom buzzed.

She took a deep breath. She already knew—something dramatic was about to happen.

"Yes, sir?"

"Bring the Mahabaleshwar project file to my cabin immediately!"

Garvit's voice carried an unmistakable irritation.

Now what? Aashvi rolled her eyes.

"Sir, I'll send it over in a while."

"Do I need to explain the difference between 'now' and 'later'? It's urgent, Aashvi."

This time, his tone was more of a command than a request.

Without replying, Aashvi simply hung up the phone, let out a long sigh, grabbed the file, and made her way to Garvit's cabin.

The door was slightly ajar. She gave it a small push and stepped inside.

"Sir, here's your—"

Her words caught in her throat. It was as if someone had hit pause on her.

Sitting comfortably in Garvit's chair, like he owned the place, was none other than—

Nidan.