"Shadows of the Past"
The morning after their wedding night was heavy with an oppressive silence. The first rays of sunlight streamed through the large windows, casting their golden glow across the ornate room. But for Haseena Malik, the sunlight offered no comfort. She sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes swollen from crying, her heart bruised and broken. Karishma Singh had left the room sometime before dawn, leaving her alone to grapple with the reality of her new life.
Haseena's thoughts were a whirlwind. She couldn’t reconcile the charming man she thought she had married with the cruel stranger she now knew. His words from the night before echoed in her mind accusations against her father, stories of pain and loss that she had never heard before. Could they be true? Was her father, the man she had always admired, capable of such heartlessness?
As Haseena sat there, lost in thought, the door creaked open. Karishma entered, his presence dominating the room. He was freshly showered, his hair still damp, but his eyes carried the same coldness as the night before.
“Get ready,” he said brusquely, not bothering to look at her. “We’re going to your father’s house for breakfast.”
Haseena looked up at him, her voice hesitant. “Karishma... can we talk? Please?”
He turned to her, his expression hardening. “Talk? About what? About how your family ruined mine? Or about how you’re just as clueless and entitled as the rest of them?”
His words stung, but Haseena forced herself to stay calm. “I didn’t know,” she said softly. “If what you’re saying is true, I swear, I didn’t know. My father never told me”
“Of course, he didn’t,” Karishma snapped, cutting her off. “Why would he? He wanted to keep his perfect little daughter in the dark, shielded from the dirty games he played to build his empire.”
Haseena bit her lip, trying to hold back tears. “Please, Karishma. I want to understand. I want to know the truth.”
For a moment, something flickered in Karishma’s eyes—an emotion she couldn’t quite place. But it vanished as quickly as it came. He scoffed and turned away. “Get dressed,” he said coldly. “I don’t have time for your tears.”
---
"Karishma’s Bitter Past"
As Haseena dressed in silence, Karishma’s mind wandered back to the memories he had spent years trying to suppress.
He had been a boy of twelve when his world fell apart. His family had lived on a small plot of land in a village, their lives simple but happy. His father, Raghav Singh, was a proud farmer who took great care of their land. They weren’t wealthy, but they had enough to live comfortably.
But everything changed when Malik Enterprises, a powerful company owned by Haseena’s father, set its sights on their village. The company wanted to build a factory on the land and offered the villagers a paltry sum to vacate. Most of the villagers, desperate for money, accepted the offer. But Raghav Singh refused.
“This land is my family’s legacy,” Raghav had said. “I won’t sell it, no matter what.”
Karishma had admired his father’s courage. But Malik Enterprises wasn’t accustomed to hearing the word “no.” One fateful day, a group of men arrived at their home, carrying eviction notices. They were sent by Haseena’s father. Karishma remembered the fear in his mother’s eyes as the men threw their belongings into the street. He remembered his little sister, Ananya, crying as their home was torn apart.
“We have nowhere to go!” his mother had pleaded. “Please, give us more time.”
But the men didn’t care. They had their orders. Within hours, the Singh family was homeless.
