Her Only Saviour

65. Homecoming

𝕿𝖚𝖏𝖍𝖐𝖔, 𝖒𝖆𝖎𝖓 𝖗𝖆𝖐𝖍 𝖑𝖚 𝖜𝖆𝖍𝖆𝖓
𝕵𝖆𝖍𝖆𝖓 𝖕𝖊 𝖐𝖆𝖍𝖎𝖓, 𝖍𝖆𝖎 𝖒𝖊𝖗𝖆 𝖕𝖊𝖊𝖗....

𝕸𝖆𝖎𝖓 𝖏𝖔, 𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖆 𝖓𝖆 𝖍𝖚𝖜𝖆𝖆
𝕶𝖎𝖘𝖎 𝖐𝖆 𝖓𝖆𝖍𝖎𝖓, 𝖐𝖎𝖘𝖎 𝖐𝖆 𝖓𝖆𝖍𝖎𝖓....

~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun slanted gently through the large windows of the dance academy, casting golden pools of light on the polished floor.
The children's laughter rang through the studio as their small feet tried to keep up with the beat, twirling and stumbling with unfiltered joy.

Nandini sat in her usual corner.

Her arms rested on her knees, her eyes distant but soft. For a moment, she wasn't the woman drowning in heartache or betrayal.
She was just a teacher. A mentor.
Someone who had carved out a pocket of peace in a world that kept trying to pull her under.

But even peace has a short shelf life.

"Areey Nandini!" Aashi's voice pierced through the rhythm of the music, urgent and breathless.

Nandini looked up, frowning slightly. "Kya hua?"

Aashi came skidding to a halt, eyes wide, cheeks flushed. "They're here!"

Nandini straightened. "Who's here?"

Aashi leaned in, whispering like the walls might listen.
"The Oberois. All of them. Dadi, aunties, uncles, twins everyone... they're at the front desk asking for you."

The clipboard in Nandini's lap slipped to the floor.

Her breath stuttered.

She hadn't seen them since that day-since everything came crashing down.
Not since he told her, with venom in his voice, "Stay away from my family"

And yet... her heart leapt at the mention of them.

She loved them.

They were never the villains in her story.
In fact, they were the light in it. The laughter in her mornings.
The hugs at midnight. The comfort she never knew she could have-until she met them.

But love wasn't enough to erase the scar of rejection.

She stood up slowly, wiping her palms against her kurti to ground herself.

"What do I do?" Aashi asked, still jittery.

Nandini gave her a look-part pain, part courage. "You do nothing. I'll go."

Her steps down the hallway were steady, but her heartbeat was anything but.
Each step was a memory.

A Sunday spent cooking with papa and dadu. Late-night movie debates with Rudra and saisha. Chachu's mock-serious lectures on life. Maa and chachi's styling. The echoes of a family she'd once thought would be hers forever.

She reached the front desk and paused.

And then she turned the corner.

There they stood.

All of them.

Dadi, in her graceful saree, eyes anxiously scanning the doorway. Rudra, arms crossed but clearly uncomfortable. Saisha, nervously tapping her fingers against her phone.

Nandini stepped out slowly.

All them looked up-and the moment their eyes met, a flicker of emotion passed between them.
Something wordless. Something familiar.