The Birla siblings.......

fear

Abhimanyu and Akshara were nestled together in their room, soaking in the rare tranquility of the evening. The soft light of the fading sun bathed the room in a golden glow, creating a perfect, peaceful atmosphere. Akshara leaned her head against Abhimanyu’s shoulder, her fingers absentmindedly playing with his shirt collar, feeling the warmth and comfort of their shared moment.

“Abhi, do you remember what Karan said ?” Akshara asked softly, breaking the silence as she thought about their conversation from the other day.

Abhimanyu smiled, brushing a kiss on her hair. “Yeah, I remember. You think it’s good for Abhir?”

Akshara sighed, sitting up slightly to look into his eyes, her expression thoughtful. “I think it could be a great opportunity for him, but… only if he’s really happy with it. I don’t want to push him if he’s unsure.”

Abhimanyu gently placed a hand on her cheek, his voice filled with warmth. “You’re right, Akshu. His happiness is what matters the most. If Abhir doesn’t want it, we won’t force it. He’s our world, and we’ll always do what’s best for him.”

Akshara smiled at his words, her heart swelling with love. She felt reassured in this moment, knowing they would make the right decision together. They were a team, always putting their children first.

Just as they leaned in to share a kiss, a loud, jarring crash echoed from downstairs, shattering the peaceful atmosphere. The sudden noise startled both of them, and Akshara’s eyes widened in alarm.

“What was that?” she whispered, her heart racing as her mind immediately went to the children.

Abhimanyu didn’t waste a moment. He sprang to his feet, his doctor instincts kicking in as he rushed toward the stairs, Akshara close behind him. As they hurried down, their minds raced with worry.

When they reached the living room, a chilling scene greeted them. A large photo frame of  the youngesters  of the family, lay shattered on the floor, its glass broken into countless pieces. Blood smeared the edges of the frame, and the photo of Ruhi inside was splattered with drops of crimson, eerily staining their innocent face.

Akshara’s breath caught in her throat as she scanned the room and saw Shivu standing near the broken frame. His hand was dripping with blood, and his face was pale, a mixture of fear and guilt flashing in his eyes.

“Shivu!” Abhimanyu exclaimed, rushing over to him. “Beta, let me see your hand.”

Shivu, his voice trembling, shook his head. “It’s okay, Chachu. I just tried to catch the frame before it fell. I didn’t mean to break it…”

Akshara’s heart clenched as she watched Abhimanyu carefully take Shivu’s hand, examining the deep cut on his palm. Abhimanyu quickly assessed the injury, his calm and composed nature taking over. “It’s just a cut, but we need to clean it up and get you bandaged, okay? Come, let’s take care of this.”

Shivu nodded weakly, still shaken by the incident. But Akshara’s attention was no longer on Shivu’s injury. Her eyes were fixed on the blood-streaked photo of children,her mind spiraling into a terrifying memory.

Aarohi’s voice echoed in her head, words spoken with urgency years ago, warning her about something strange that always seemed to happen around the youngsters. Akshara had brushed it off back then, thinking it was just Aarohi’s overprotectiveness. But now, as she stared at the broken glass and the blood-splattered photo, an overwhelming sense of dread washed over her.

“Abhi…” she whispered, her voice shaky, barely able to speak as the panic rose inside her. “Look at the photo… the blood…”

Abhimanyu, who had been focused on Shivu, looked up at Akshara’s pale face, then followed her gaze to the photo. His frown deepened as he noticed the blood drops on children's image, staining her smiling face in the picture. He moved closer, his own concern growing as he pieced together the same chilling thought that was racing through Akshara’s mind.

“It’s just a coincidence, Akshu,” Abhimanyu said softly, though his voice carried an edge of uncertainty. “Shivu got cut trying to stop the frame from falling. That’s all.”

Akshara shook her head, her voice barely a whisper. “No… no, it’s more than that, Abhi. Aarohi warned me about things like this. She always said strange things happened around the kids. What if… what if something is happening to the kids?”

Abhimanyu pulled Akshara into his arms, sensing the depth of her fear. He held her tightly, trying to calm her. “Akshu, nothing is going to happen to any of the kids. We’ll protect them.”

But Akshara couldn’t shake the growing sense of dread. She glanced around the room and noticed something else that made her blood run cold. There was a strange pattern to the way the glass had shattered—a series of jagged lines that seemed to radiate outward from the photo, almost like cracks in a mirror reflecting something far more sinister.

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