Rukmini arrived at her family home, a knot of dread tightening in her stomach. The familiar scent of jasmine and sandalwood, usually a comfort, now felt cloying, suffocating. Her father, Achyut Ghosh, a man whose presence usually filled the house with warmth and authority, seized her with a ferocity that twisted his features into a mask of rage. His eyes, once filled with paternal affection, now burned with an icy fire.
He didn't speak, no gentle reprimand, no explanation – just the brutal force of his grip as he dragged her to her room, the ornate brass handle of the door cold and slick beneath her trembling fingers. The click of the lock echoed like a prison door slamming shut.
The room, usually her sanctuary, became her cell. His words, spat out with venom, hung in the air: "Until this war ends, you’ll stay here, imprisoned. I’ll make sure Raman never returns to you." Each word was a shard of ice piercing her heart. Then, he was gone, a whirlwind of fury, leaving her alone in the oppressive silence. She could almost feel the weight of his resolve pressing down on her, the unyielding determination of a man.
The silence in her room became a tomb, the weight of her grief for Raman's family compounded by the knowledge of her father's horrific deeds and her inability to mourn him. And then, a whisper, a voice from the past, a voice she had almost forgotten, sliced through the silence.
"You stand at a crossroads now," it intoned, the words resonating with an otherworldly calm that belied their gravity. "You have two paths before you. The first: return to the future, where Raman will survive the war, live a long, full life. The second: remain here, in the past, where you will never see him alive again. You will know the weight of his loss, but your country’s future will unfold as it must."
The choice felt impossible. Every fiber of her being screamed to be with Raman, to see him again, to hold onto the love that had once seemed so certain. Yet, the future felt like a distant, fragile hope. The weight of her father’s actions, the devastation he had wrought, made the present a living hell.
With a trembling voice, she whispered, "I choose the future. But will Raman be safe? Will he be alright after the war?"
The voice, gentle yet assuring, replied, "I do not offer false hope. In the future, Raman will live healthy, whole and survive the war."
And just like that, Rukmini felt herself being lifted from the weight of the past. The world around her blurred, and as her vision cleared, she found herself in a time where the possibility of reunion with Raman shimmered on the horizon.
To be continued..............................................
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Veiled Hearts✔️
Romance"He, a soldier fighting for freedom. She, his lost diamond-a beautiful storm of memories. And he was her reason to survive." Disclaimer: This work is a piece of pure fiction and should be treated as such. The following points clarify the intent and...
