The Right Kind of Wrong

Prologue

The flicker of a lone candle's flame danced across the old wooden frame on the nightstand, illuminating the photograph of a young couple frozen in time. Savi sat on the edge of her bed, her gaze locked on the image. Her father, Virat Chavan, stood tall in his police uniform, pride gleaming in his eyes, while her mother, Sai Joshi Chavan, smiled warmly at the camera, her hands resting protectively over her pregnant belly. A knot tightened in Savi's chest as she traced the outline of their faces with her finger, her mind heavy with thoughts of what might have been.

The low hum of the night seemed to press in around her, amplifying the tension that had settled over her life. The memories of her parents' untimely deaths haunted her like a shadow, ever-present, refusing to fade. It had been twelve years since that fateful day—the plane crash that ripped them away from her, leaving a hole that could never be filled. The world had moved on, but Savi couldn't. How could she, when her life had been forever altered by their absence?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sharp sound of footsteps echoing down the hall. Savi tensed, her heart quickening as the familiar heavy tread grew closer. The door to her room creaked open, and Bhavani Chavan, Virat's Elder Aunt (Kaku), entered, her figure casting a long shadow across the room.

"Savi," Bhavani's voice was sharp, commanding, "Are you just going to sit here, staring at that picture all night? You have responsibilities, girl. This isn't the time to wallow in the past."

Savi bristled at her grandmother's words but kept her face carefully neutral. She knew better than to argue with Bhavani—it never ended well. Bhavani had taken control of Savi's life the moment her parents were gone, molding her into the perfect obedient granddaughter she wanted. But behind Savi's quiet compliance simmered a burning desire for freedom, a longing to break free from the suffocating hold Bhavani had on her.

"Do you hear me?" Bhavani's voice rose slightly, her eyes narrowing as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yes, Badi Aaji," Savi replied softly, using the Marathi word for grandmother, though it felt foreign on her tongue. It didn't feel right to call her that, not after all these years of feeling more like a prisoner than a granddaughter.

Bhavani moved closer, her gaze flicking toward the photo on the nightstand. Her lips curled in disdain as her eyes lingered on Sai's image.

"I don't know why you still hold on to this," Bhavani muttered, her tone dripping with contempt. "Your mother was the reason for all the misery in this family. If it weren't for her, Virat would still be alive."

Savi's jaw clenched at the familiar accusation. It was the same bitter refrain she had heard countless times over the years. Bhavani had never forgiven Sai for what she saw as her son's death, and she had made sure Savi knew it too. To Bhavani, Sai had been a curse—an outsider who had brought nothing but pain and tragedy to the Chavan family.

"Badi Aaji, that's not true," Savi said quietly, her voice barely more than a whisper. "It wasn't her fault. The plane crash—"

"Don't speak of things you don't understand!" Bhavani snapped, cutting her off. "You were a child then. You don't know what really happened. If your mother hadn't filled Virat's head with all those foolish ideas about love and sacrifice, he would've made different choices. He would have stayed. He would have listened to me."

Savi swallowed hard, her hands trembling in her lap. She wanted to scream, to shout back that her father had been his own man, that he had loved Sai deeply, and that his decisions were his own. But she had learned to stay silent, to bite back the words that would only fuel Bhavani's rage.

"The past is done, Badi Aaji," Savi said instead, her voice steadying. "But what about now? What about my future?"

Bhavani's eyes darkened, her lips pressing into a thin line. "Your future?" she repeated, her tone laced with disdain. "Your future is exactly what I've planned for you. You will marry into a respectable family. That is the only future worth having."