Chapter 5: A Star is Born.

One year had passed.

Twelve months of hell.

Three hundred sixty-five days of abuse, silence, hunger, and humiliation.

But also…

Twelve months of secret studying.

Twelve months of gritted teeth and open wounds.

Twelve months of building her comeback — brick by bruised brick.

Khushi was no longer the girl who cried under her blanket.

She had become a storm in disguise.

~ The Secret Application

Every night, under candlelight in the basement, she filled exam forms with borrowed pens and fake parent signatures.

Pandurang helped.

"Write fast," he whispered, watching the door. "Neha gets up at 2 a.m. for her thyroid meds."

"Done," Khushi said, licking the envelope shut.

He smiled. "Your mother would be proud."

"She'll see it," Khushi said, eyes burning. "From wherever she is."

~ Nisha's Threat

"You'll never pass 10th," Nisha spat one morning, tossing Khushi's bucket of water on the floor.

"Why?" Khushi replied calmly, wringing her dupatta.

"You afraid I might beat you? Again?"

"You're not even allowed to go to school!"

Khushi leaned in, whispering like a secret bomb.

"You think I need permission to fly? Watch me."

~The Day of the Exam

On the morning of the board exam, Khushi faked a stomach ache.

"I need medicine," she groaned, holding her side.

"Can't you just lie in the storeroom and rot quietly?" Neha snapped.

Namrata stepped forward, acting clueless. "She needs a doctor, Sanjay."

Sanjay frowned. "Take her. Quick."

In the autorickshaw, Pandurang turned to her.

"You have exactly three hours."

Khushi nodded, clutching her admit card like a knife.

~ The War Begins — in Pen

Khushi entered the exam hall with bruises on her arms and a fire in her soul.

She didn't just write answers — she poured rage and hope onto paper.

When she left, the invigilator whispered, "That girl's eyes… like she's been through war."

She had.

And she had survived.

~ The Result Day — BOOM

Three months later.

A normal morning.

Nisha scrolling Instagram.

Neha yelling at the maid.

Sanjay drinking tea.

And then — the scream.

"AAAI!!" Nisha shrieked. "Khushi's name is on TV!"

Everyone turned to the screen.

"This year's national topper is…

KHUSHI PATIL from Mumbai, who appeared privately and scored 98.6%!"

Sanjay stood up, dropping his cup.

"What?!"

Neha's eyes went wide.

"She… she was studying?!"

Kunjal muttered, "How is that possible?"

Khushi walked in from the corridor, calm, graceful — like the queen she was always meant to be.

"I told you," she said, "you can lock a room. Not a brain."

~ The Family Implodes

"You LIED?!" Sanjay roared.

"I survived," Khushi corrected him.

"You used fake documents?"

"I used hope. Which, by the way, is legal."

Neha grabbed her arm. "You filthy liar!"

Namrata stepped forward, pulling Neha away.

"Touch her again, and I'll forget I'm old."

Pandurang raised his walking stick.

"Let her go, or I'll call the media."

For the first time, Neha looked afraid.

~ The Interview

A week later, Khushi sat in front of cameras.

Reporters gathered at the colony gate.

"How did you study through so much hardship?"

She smiled slightly.

"My mother taught me one thing — when the world shuts the door, you break the window."

"What do you want to be next?"

She looked into the camera.

"I want to be a doctor. A leader. A name that children whisper as hope."

The clip went viral.

She became a symbol — of survival, of defiance, of brilliance.

~That Night at Home

Khushi sat alone with Ron, brushing his hair.

"I'm scared, Tai. They're angry."

"I know."

"Will they hurt us again?"

"Let them try," she whispered. "This time, we'll hit back harder."

~ A Call from Destiny

That night, she received a phone call.

"Hello, is this Khushi Patil?"

"Yes."

"This is Dr. Rao from Delhi University. You're being offered a full scholarship. We want you here."

She dropped the phone.

Pandurang caught it, eyes full of tears.

"You did it, mulgi. You really did it."

END OF CHAPTER 5