Anaya-His heartbeat

Chapter: The Weight of Sacrifice

Author's pov

Anaya stormed into her room, her heart shattering into a thousand pieces. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably as she collapsed onto the bed. Annie, Sam, and Rohan followed closely, concern etched on their faces. Annie was the first to reach her, but even as she asked, “Anaya, what happened?” in a trembling voice, Anaya’s sobs made it impossible for her to speak clearly.

Through broken words, Anaya explained everything—the devastating conversation with their father, the forced marriage, the weight of the family business pressing down on her shoulders. "He told me... I’m nothing without the business..." she choked, her voice shaking with disbelief. "He said I have to marry to fix his mistakes."

The moment Sam and Rohan heard their sister's words, fury ignited in their eyes. Sam clenched his fists, his whole body trembling with anger. Rohan’s jaw was set, his voice low and dangerous. “What did he say?” Rohan asked, his tone sharp, barely able to contain his temper.

“I’m not going to stand for this,” Sam muttered, his voice thick with rage. "He’s out of his mind if he thinks we’re going to let this happen." Without another word, the brothers turned and stormed out, their fury palpable.

The moment they reached their father, the argument exploded. Sam was the first to lash out. “How dare you, Dad? How can you do this to her?” His voice echoed through the halls, filled with frustration. “She’s not some piece of the business you can use!”

Rohan stood beside him, his voice steady but burning with anger. “You’re pushing her into a life she doesn’t deserve. Have you even thought about what this is doing to her?”

Meri behan meri zindagi h papa apko koi hak ni usko ase kisi ke sath bandhna or agr usko kuch hua to m bhul jaunga apka mera rishta kya h .... Fir m is rishte se zyada us rakhi ki kadra krunga

Their father, calm but resolute, stared them down. “This is about more than just you or her. This is about all of us. If the business collapses, everything we’ve built will disappear. There is no other choice. If this fails, I will die. I will die, and you’ll have no family left to save.” His voice hardened, each word a calculated blow.

The threat stunned Sam and Rohan into silence. The heat of the argument evaporated into helplessness, the weight of their father’s words pressing down on them like a suffocating fog. He had tied his life to the business, and by extension, tied Anaya’s future to it as well. What could they do?

Back in Anaya’s room, Annie was still holding her sister, trying to comfort her. “Anaya,” she whispered, her voice soft and full of love. “Don’t let them do this to you. You’re worth so much more than this business. You’ve always been the one holding us together. You don’t need to bear this burden.”

But despite her sister’s reassurances, the pain in Anaya’s heart was too deep. The betrayal of her father cut into her soul. As she sat there, still trembling from her sobs, the door opened, and Sam and Rohan returned. Their faces were pale, their eyes heavy with guilt and sorrow.

Seeing them, Anaya’s sobs suddenly became louder. Her brothers—her safe place—were here, and in that moment, all the walls she had tried to build up crumbled. She stood up shakily, rushing toward them as her cries grew more intense. Without hesitation, Sam and Rohan opened their arms, and Anaya collapsed into their embrace.

The moment she felt their arms around her, she let go completely, sobbing harder than she had all night. Her body shook with the force of her cries, her face buried in Sam’s chest, while Rohan’s arms wrapped around both of them, offering silent comfort. “It’s okay, we’re here,” Sam whispered, his voice thick with emotion. “We’ve got you.”

As her brothers held her, Anaya felt the pain of the entire day pour out of her in waves. They had always been her shelter, her safe place, and in their arms, she could finally let herself break. She sobbed louder, clinging to them like they were the only thing keeping her from falling apart completely. Sam’s eyes welled up as he held his sister close, his own heart breaking for her. Rohan, usually the more stoic of the two, blinked rapidly to fight back the tears that threatened to spill over. He hadn’t seen Anaya like this in years—so broken, so vulnerable.

For a long moment, the three of them stood there, wrapped in each other’s arms, sharing the weight of Anaya’s pain. Sam stroked her hair gently, his voice soft and full of love. “We’re here, Anaya. We’ll get through this. You don’t have to go through this alone.”

"Bhaiyya papa kyu krre h aisa ..am I that bad that he wants to tie me with someone"

Rohan, his voice thick with emotion, whispered, “You’re stronger than this. And no matter what happens, we’re not letting you go through this without a fight. We’ll figure it out together.”

Finally, after what felt like hours, Anaya’s sobs began to quiet, though her body still trembled from exhaustion. She pulled back slightly, her face red and swollen from crying. “I can’t believe he would do this to me,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “I trusted him.”

Sam looked down at her, his own eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I know, Anaya. I know. But you’ve got us. We’ll protect you, I promise.”

Rohan nodded, squeezing her hand gently. “You’re not alone in this. We’ll fight for you, no matter what happens.”

Still, despite their words of comfort, the weight of her father’s betrayal lingered in Anaya’s chest like a stone. She wiped her eyes and took a shaky breath. “Everyone... get out,” she said, her voice quiet but filled with resolve.

“Anaya, you don’t have to—” Annie began, but Anaya shook her head, cutting her off.

“I need to be alone,” she insisted, her voice firmer now. “Please, just... leave me.”

Reluctantly, they left her, their hearts heavy with worry and sadness. As the door closed, Anaya sat back on her bed, curling up into a tight ball. Alone, the silence of the room pressed down on her, amplifying the pain in her heart.

But even as she cried herself to sleep, the memory of her brothers’ arms around her lingered. They were her shelter, her safe place, and though the future felt uncertain, she knew they would stand by her no matter what lay ahead.