SHADOWS AND SUNLIGHT

A story of survival, healing, and love

When 16-year-old Aarya Mehra loses her entire family in a brutal terrorist attack, her world crumbles into silence and shadows. Left alone, she tries to carry on with school and coaching, but the darkness only deepens when a boy from her own class harasses - and later assaults - her. Broken, terrified, and drowning in trauma, Aarya begins to lose her will to live.

But in her darkest moment, a quiet and gentle presence arrives - Ishaan Verma, a tall, kind classmate who intervenes at a critical moment and gradually becomes her only anchor. As Aarya falls into depression, therapy, and suicidal despair, Ishaan stands by her not as a savior, but as someone who sees her strength, even when she can't.

Their friendship deepens into love - slow, soulful, and real. But healing is never linear. Through years of recovery, distance, self-discovery, and growth, Aarya fights to reclaim her voice - and her life - on her own terms.

By the end, she doesn't just survive.
She becomes.

💛 Themes:
Trauma and resilience

Mental health and therapy

Consent, justice, and recovery

Female empowerment and voice

Unconditional love and emotional safety

Shadows and Sunlight is a deeply emotional, dramatic, and empowering story about a girl who lost everything, but slowly and powerfully finds herself again - and learns that true love doesn't fix you, it walks beside you while you fix yourself.