𝟏𝟗𝟒𝟔 ：𝑬𝒌 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒎 𝒌𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒂 ✓

𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘟𝘟𝘐. 𝘋𝘢𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴

Manjari's POV;

A sharp light pierced through my eyelids, forcing me to flutter them open. The warmth of the sun struck directly at my face, but instead of comfort, I felt an overwhelming weakness consume me. My body was heavy, drained of all its strength. Vulnerability seeped into my bones like a slow poison.

I tried to move, but an immediate resistance stopped me. Panic surged through my veins. My wrists were bound tightly with rough, biting ropes, the coarse texture digging into my skin. A foreign sensation in my mouth made breathing harder-I realized something was stuffed inside, gagging me, silencing me.

Where was I? Who had brought me here? How did I even get here?

My mind screamed for answers, but before I could piece things together, a horrific memory resurfaced, cutting through my thoughts like a knife.

Stefan.

My heart clenched, a suffocating weight pressing down on my chest. He... h-he was dead!

Tears welled up in my eyes as the realization hit me with an unbearable force. My breathing grew ragged, and I choked on the cloth forced into my mouth. I tried to stifle my sobs, but my body betrayed me. Hot, fast tears streamed down my face, soaking into my skin.

I lost him.

A strangled whisper escaped through my gag, "Nahi... na-hi!!" My voice was broken, shaking with grief.

I had stopped him. I had held him back. And now... he was gone. Forever.

The weight of that realization crushed me, sinking deep into my bones, suffocating me with guilt.

This was my fault. If only I hadn't hesitated, if only I had let him go, maybe-just maybe-he would still be here.

A storm of emotions raged within me, twisting and tearing at my heart. But amidst the unbearable grief, another feeling stirred-something confusing, something I shouldn't be feeling.

Why did I feel this pull toward both of them? My heart ached for Stefan, shattered beyond repair, yet somewhere in that pain, I could still feel the warmth of another presence. Edward. But how? How could I be feeling this way when Stefan was no longer in this world? The thought burned through me, hollowing out my soul like an open wound.

Why? Why me? Why must I be the one to lose everyone I love? Was I cursed to always watch the people I care about slip through my fingers like sand?

Was I like a flower that bloomed only to be plucked too soon, never allowed to thrive under the warmth of love? No matter how much I reached for the sun, the storm always came, ripping away the petals one by one until there was nothing left but withering stems and broken roots?

Was it too much to ask for someone-just one person-to stay? To love me, not forever, but at least for as long as this fragile, fleeting life allows? Why couldn't I have that? Just once... just for a little while?

I let out a silent scream, my throat burning with the effort. My heart ached, twisting in agony. I loved him.

But I loved Edward too right?

How had I been so blind to Stefan's pain? How had I ignored the torment in his eyes every time he looked at me?

A suffocating darkness surrounded me. The air was thick, musty, and the damp chill of the room sent shivers down my spine. My hands, though bound, trembled as I tried to calm myself, taking slow, deep breaths to regain control.