Yuanfen : Destined To Be Together

Chapter 4

2:34 am.
Hauz Khas, South Delhi, India.

Nandini sat up on the bed abruptly as her alarm started ringing. Rubbing sleep off from her eyes, she turned off the alarm and walked out of bed.
She tidied up her bed after freshening up. Even if it wasn't morning yet, it was the start of a new day for her.
She brushed her hair and organized her study table. Setting the timer following the Pomodoro study technique, she sat on her chair.

She's been passing days like this. Just chasing her dreams. Of becoming a Software Engineer.
She's been taunted, a lot. She wants to prove everyone wrong, that she can make her dreams come true.

She can.

Soft tune played in the background as she lost herself in her books and notes. She always needed music to focus.
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6:09 am.

The strong rays of the rising sun filled her room. Her parents had already woke up. Both of them were busy in their works as they always leave by 9 am, for their jobs.

Nandini decided to take a small break. She closed her notebook and walked to her balcony. Breathing in the soft breeze of the morning air, she found herself yearning for the results of her hardwork. She's been working for her dream. Months have passed since she started waking up at midnight and studying 14 hours a day.
She needed to do a lot. She's been practicing singing, managing time for painting, writing her daily thoughts in her small diary. She's been participating in online programming contests.

She liked this work. Even if it meant sitting in front of a screen for the whole day. She enjoyed coding, solving equations through a programme.

But her family situation wasn't helping. Her parents have been working tirelessly to make her elder brother and her, successful. And yet, her brother never listened to her parents.

He'd gotten into drugs.

Three of them have tried numerous times to get him out of it.

But it was too late. He was already ruined.
To the point where there was no coming back.

A deep sigh left her lips as she hung her head low, closing her eyes for a moment, thinking about the beautiful memories with her brother.

A loud thud was heard from the living room. Nandini looked back immediately, her mind cautious. Her brother was back after staying the whole night out.
She ran to the living room when she heard her brother shouting at their mother.
As the scene unfolded in front of her, her eyes widened with shock and fear.
Her brother was trying to hit their mom with the rolling pin, close to her head while their dad was trying his best to stop him.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she ran to her mom, embracing her and shielding her.
Her brother shouted, his voice strained with rage, fuming even more,
"This is not your business, Nandini! Go to your room! I need to teach this bitch a lesson!"
Nandini's grip on her mom tightened. She sobbed as she spoke,
"PLEASE! STOP! For god's sake! She's your mother! She's brought you to this world with her damn life!"
Their dad tried his best to hold him back when he tried to move forward and remove Nandini. He failed but grabbed a fistful of her hair, making her winch in pain.
"This is how you talk to your elder brother, huh?! This is what your parents have taught you!?!? You useless piece of shit."
He released his grip, pushing her forward as she stumbled, holding her hair.
She didn't care about anything and dragged their mom to her room, slamming the door behind and pressing herself firmly against it.

Her brother was banging on the door like a lunatic, as he was. Her mom sat on the edge of the bed, crying silently, holding her face in her hands.

An hour left like that as they only heard her brother shouting at her father. She sat on the floor, crying and only hoping for the good times to come back again.

A loud slam was heard from outside, indicating her brother had left.

When she and her mom walked out of her room, they found her dad sitting on the couch. Emotionally exhausted. They started working again, an eerie silence in the whole apartment as they prepared for the rest of the day.

Just when his dad was about to leave for his office, a police officer walked in, standing at the front door.

"Is this Nihal Sen's house?"