Faded Ties, Rekindled Hearts

Chapter 9

After 9 years leap...

In Kapoor Mansion, the morning had started like any other day for the past nine years, but the weight of the unspoken tension between the family was palpable. Arnav was on the phone, furiously scolding one of his employees over some mistake, his voice carrying throughout the house. At the same time, Ishita was silently setting the breakfast table, her movements robotic as she placed the plates and arranged the food.

Across the room, Aarti was lounging on the sofa, casually flipping through a magazine, her eyes occasionally darting toward the tense atmosphere. She enjoyed these moments of silence, knowing well that the peace in this house was always fragile.

Upstairs, Avni was hurriedly finishing her final touches, getting ready for school. "Avni, beta! Neeche aao, breakfast kar lo. Sab kuch tayaar hai," Ishita called up to her, her voice breaking the silence in the dining room.

"Ji, mami! Aayi!" Avni called back, rushing to finish up. She quickly descended the stairs, her school uniform neatly pressed, her shoes clicking softly against the marble floor. She reached the breakfast table and, in her rush, unknowingly sat down in Tanya's chair—the chair that had remained untouched for the past nine years, a painful reminder of the daughter who was no longer there.

Arnav, who had just ended his call, saw Avni sitting in that chair, and something snapped inside him. His face flushed with anger, and without warning, he stormed over to the table. His voice boomed across the room, "Kitni baar bola hai tumse, Avni! Ye seat meri beti ki hai! Stay out of it!"

Avni froze, her face drained of color as her heart raced with fear. "I'm sorry, mamu," she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper, "wo... mai jaldi mein thi, dhyan nahi diya."

Arnav's cold glare didn't soften, not even at her apology. He then turned to Ishita, who stood there silently, her eyes heavy with the weight of everything unsaid. Without a word to her, he stormed out of the room, leaving the table in tense silence.

Ishita's hands trembled slightly as she continued to place the dishes. She hadn't spoken much to Arnav in years. They had lived under the same roof, but their relationship had become more like two strangers merely cohabiting. The love and understanding they once shared had been replaced by distance, and when they did speak, it was often in sharp words or bitter tones. The loss of Tanya had fractured them in ways that could never fully be healed, and now they were both left to bear the emotional scars of that day in their own lonely ways.

Avni, trying to hold back her tears, quickly shifted to another chair and kept her head low, not wanting to upset anyone further. Aarti, who had been watching this quietly, smirked slightly behind her magazine, enjoying the drama that unfolded before her. She had played her cards well nine years ago, and now she basked in the discord that lingered between Arnav and Ishita like a ghost.

The family sat at the table in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Ishita glanced briefly at the empty chair where Tanya used to sit, the memories of her daughter flooding back, but she quickly blinked them away. There was no space for emotions anymore—only survival in the broken remains of their family.

This was how they had lived for the past nine years: cold, distant, and broken.

In the grand Singhaniya Mansion, sunlight streamed through the curtains into a lavish bedroom where Yuvi, a young, handsome boy, lay sprawled across his bed, sleeping peacefully. The alarm had been blaring for a while, but it didn't seem to bother him. His mother, Avantika, entered the room, her hands on her hips, and with a loud voice, she shouted, "Waah beta waah! Tere alarm pr alarm baje ja rhe hai, pr hmare janab ghode bechke so rhe hai! Uth, Yuvi! School ka time ho raha hai!"

Yuvi groggily opened his eyes, completely unbothered by his mother's loud scolding. "Come on, Mom, roz subah subah loudspeaker ki tarah bajna band karo, uth raha hu main," he muttered, stretching lazily.

Avantika, unimpressed by his laid-back attitude, raised an eyebrow. "Theek hai beta, ab nahi bolungi," she replied with a mock-serious face before breaking into her usual funny melodrama. "Bas, ab toh yeh mahan kaam bhi main hi karungi, tumhari Maa loudspeaker hai na!"

Yuvi chuckled slightly as he got out of bed, heading to his closet to start getting ready. Just as he was about to head to the bathroom, Avantika's voice called out again, this time a little softer. "Beta, ek kaam karega? Aaj school ke baad Ishita ke liye koi achi si saree le aana. Kal uska birthday hai, yaad hai na?"

The mention of Ishita's name made Yuvi pause mid-step. The memories of nine years ago, when Tanya was sent away, flooded back to him. He had always been close to Tanya, but when she left, everything changed. He remembered how hurt he had been when he found out she didn't want to keep any old friendships or ties. She hadn't even said goodbye to him before leaving. That rejection had stung deeply, and since then, he had grown to resent her.

His bond with Ishita, too, had fractured. He blamed her for sending Tanya away, for breaking up their happy family. Now, he barely spoke to her unless absolutely necessary. The pain and anger were still there, simmering under the surface, and he had no interest in mending those relationships.

Yuvi's face hardened as he replied, "Mom, I don't have time for this. I've got football practice after school, and considering I'm the captain, I've got responsibilities. Aap hi dekh lijiye, please."

Without waiting for her response, Yuvi turned and went to get ready, leaving Avantika standing there, her heart heavy. She sighed sadly, watching her son walk away. In her mind, she couldn't help but think, Ishita, ek galat faisla sabki zindagi barbaad kar gaya. Sabke rishton mein daraar daal di... kaash sab pehle jaisa ho paata.

She longed for the days when their families were close, before the misunderstandings, before the separation. But now, the bonds that once tied them all together seemed too broken to ever be mended.

Meanwhile, in a bustling boarding school in Delhi, a mischievous girl was quietly hiding behind a couch in the principal's cabin, her eyes twinkling with mischief. Just then, a voice called out, "Tanya Kapoor! Ab kya kiya aapne?"

Tanya Kapoor, now a teenager, cheekily popped out from her hiding spot and grinned widely. "Ohho Priyu Maa, I didn't do anything! That warden just hates me," she said, launching into her usual fake dramatic mode. "Aapko lagta hai main aisa kuch karungi?"

Priyanka, the school's principal, chuckled at the sight and playfully tugged Tanya's ear. "Haan, haan, tum to bilkul masoom ho, aur baaki sab tumhare dushman hain, hai na?"

Tanya, ever quick with her witty comebacks, grinned wider. "Wahi to baat hai, Priyu Maa! Agar dushman nafrat kare, toh samajh aata hai aur justified bhi hota hai. Lekin jab apne hi nafrat karne lagen, toh ise hum kya naam dein?" Her tone turned sarcastic for a moment, a rare hint of the pain from her past slipping through as memories of her family flickered in her mind.

Priyanka's smile softened as she recognized the weight behind Tanya's words. She placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, saying, "It's okay, let it go, Tanya. Main jaane de rahi hoon, jaise hamesha karti hoon."

Tanya's face lit up again as she quickly hugged Priyanka, her playful energy returning. "You're the best, Priyu Maa!" she exclaimed before dashing out of the room like a whirlwind.

As she watched Tanya run off, Priyanka couldn't help but smile fondly, shaking her head. "Bilkul pagal hai yeh bachchi," she murmured to herself. "Jab yeh pehli baar yahaan aayi thi, to laga tha kitni broken hai, kaise rahegi yahaan. Lekin isme ek alag hi aura hai. Iska bubbly nature har jagah ko apna bana leta hai."

Priyanka had been an old friend of Ishita's, and from the moment Tanya had arrived at the school, she had noticed the emotional scars the girl carried. Yet over time, Tanya's resilience had shone through. Her vibrant, carefree demeanor was infectious, masking the deep sadness that lay beneath. Despite everything, Tanya had managed to find a way to make the world around her a little brighter, even if her own heart still carried the weight of the past.