Siya's Raghav

Avyaan finally forced Anurag out of the room and into the banquet hall.Anurag wore a royal-blue three-piece suit; gel-set hair made him look even more striking. Everyone's eyes followed him—yet he sat in a corner, scrolling on his phone as if the world didn't exist.

Jagjeet Raj Chauhan's gaze kept drifting to him. Apoorva had hidden the earlier attack, but he already knew; work, however, left him no moment to speak with Anurag.

A clown show entertained the children, while politicians and tycoons talked heavy business nearby. Mahendra ji and Saundarya welcomed guests with bright smiles—something that stabbed at Anurag.Every birthday of his own had been arranged by his sister and grandfather; his father never even remembered the date. On his eighteenth, only three people had wished him: Dada-ji, Apoorva, and Avyaan.

At midnight Anant cut the cake and first fed his grandfather, then his parents, then walked toward Anurag.Anurag felt like smashing the cake in his face—surely he was taunting him. But, unwilling to expose family rifts, he forced a brittle smile and ate the bite.

After cake the guests moved to dinner, praising the décor and menu. Anurag had zero interest and headed upstairs. On the second step a bullet whistled past him and lodged in the wall. Pandemonium erupted. Security men drew guns; Jagjeet Raj Chauhan lunged toward Anurag. Apoorva shoved Anant under a table and sprinted for her brother. Two more shots rang out—both hit Jagjeet Raj Chauhan, who had shielded Anurag.

People turned toward the shooter: a clown spraying bullets. Security converged, but a sudden explosion filled the hall with smoke. When it cleared, the clown had vanished.Jagjeet staggered; Anurag caught him. Apoorva shouted, "Get the car—fast!"Anurag and Mahendra lifted Jagjeet into the vehicle; Apoorva jumped in and they sped to the hospital. Pratap dismissed the guests, ordered a room-to-room search.

In the Hospital

Jagjeet Raj Chauhan went straight to surgery; outside, Anurag, Apoorva, and Mahendra waited. Anurag blamed himself for everything.

On a Desolate Road

Far away on a deserted road, one clown dragged another by the wrist. The second fought to break free—without success.At last the first clown let go, turned his back. The second yanked off the mask and shouted, "Who are you?"It was Nishtha—eyes blazing, breaths ragged with rage and exhaustion.

Receiving no answer, she tried to rip off the first clown's mask. He stopped her, then removed it himself—revealing Kashyap Yaduvanshi.

Nishtha gasped. "K…Kashyap—"

"Yes, Kashyap Yaduvanshi," he growled. "What's wrong—sorry I'm still alive?"

"Alive—and enjoying life while your wife rots in a brothel," Nishtha shot back. "Shouldn't I feel sorry?"

Kashyap seized her arm. "All your own doing. First you blackened your face with Nakul, then played saint in front of me. Because of you I lost the CM's chair; society branded me a murderer; my family is mocked in the streets. My parents avoid going out, my sisters are harassed—all thanks to you."He flung her arm away, collapsed onto a stone. "I knew you were in that brothel; I didn't rescue you because that's where you belong. My only crime was trusting the wrong woman."

Nishtha's tears brimmed—but she held them back. "Then why save me tonight?"

"Who said I saved you?" Kashyap sneered. "I saved Anurag."

"Your enemy's grandson?"

"Tell me first—why did you shoot at Anurag, not at Jagjeet Raj Chauhan?"

"Because his life is in that boy. If the boy dies, Jagjeet dies with him."

"And what has Anurag done—other than be born his grandson?" Kashyap asked.

"What was my mother's fault? What was Nakul's fault? What was my fault—refusing an arrogant man?" she screamed.

Kashyap looked to the sky. "None. And Anurag has none either. Children shouldn't pay for elders' sins. If you're brave, fight the enemy himself, not the innocent."

"I'll find peace only that way," Nishtha muttered.

"Peace?" Kashyap's voice softened. "That 'innocent woman' you shot this morning—do you know who she is? A simple lady now fighting for life in hospital. Her husband is roaming the city for O-positive blood; her child is hungry and praying she survives. But you… you crave your peace."

Nishtha's face crumpled; she hadn't known who the bullet hit. She crouched, sobbing.Kashyap continued, "If lions are what we claim to be, we tear down the hunter, not his cub. I chose the right path in politics—never ruined a home, never sold drugs, because every addict has a family. My father taught me that. My one mistake was choosing you. Had we never met, Nakul would be alive and I'd live a respectable life. I curse the moment our paths crossed."