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Uttar Pradesh

A Small Town

Sharma Nivas

"I am very proud of you, my child. You are my life. Today, you have made me hold my head high with pride," Anupriya said, her eyes shining with happiness.

"Thank you, Maa," she replied with a bright smile.

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Ruhanika opened her eyes excitedly, but within seconds, the happiness on her face faded away.

It was just a dream.

A dream she had seen countless times.

"It's okay, Rooh. One day this dream will definitely come true. One day Maa will hug me and proudly call me her daughter," she thought, forcing a smile.

Suddenly, her gaze fell on the clock.

6:00 AM.

"Oh God!"

She quickly got out of bed and rushed towards the washroom.

"Rooh, you're getting late! You still have to prepare breakfast," she muttered to herself.

After taking a quick shower, she wore a simple kurta set and headed downstairs.

As soon as she entered the kitchen, she heard her mother’s voice.

"So, the queen has finally arrived! Do you even know what time it is? Because of you, my daughter could have gone to college without having breakfast!" Anupriya shouted.

"Sorry, Maa. I'll make breakfast right away," Ruhanika apologized softly.

"Hurry up," Anupriya said before walking away.

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After preparing aloo parathas, Ruhanika rushed back to her room. Her practical file had to be submitted today.

Once she finished it, she returned to the living room and saw everyone already seated there.

"Radhe Krishna, Baba," she said while touching his feet.

"Radhe Krishna, Ruhanika. Come and sit here, beta," Raj Sharma replied warmly.

Anupriya and Vaidehi rolled their eyes.

After breakfast, she was about to leave for college when Raj stopped her.

"Wait, Ruhanika. Go with Vaibhav and Vaidehi in the car."

"No, Dad. I'm already late, and I don't take anyone with me," Vaibhav replied coldly.

"Vaibhav! She is not just anyone. She is your sister," Raj shouted.

"She is your daughter, not my sister," he said before leaving.

"It's okay, Baba. I'll go with Avni," Ruhanika said with a small smile.

"Are you sure, beta?" Raj asked worriedly.

"Yes, Baba. I'm fine. Bye."

With that, she left.

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RUHANIKA'S POV

I walked towards Avni's house, which was only a short distance away.

Avni is my childhood best friend. We study in the same college, and she loves me like a sister.

When I reached her house, she was already having breakfast.

"Ruhanika beta, come inside," Aunty said with a warm smile.

"Namaste, Aunty," I greeted her politely.

"Khush raho, mera baccha," she blessed me.

As soon as Avni finished eating, she looked at me suspiciously.

"By the way, didn't you say that today you were going with that chomu? I mean, your brother?"

"Oh... bhai had some work," I lied.

"Yeah, right. Even I know how much 'work' that chomu has," Avni said, rolling her eyes.

I couldn't help but laugh.

"Come on. We're getting late."

We left for college on her scooty.

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We were halfway to college when a bike suddenly hit our scooty.

"Who the hell was that?" Avni shouted, glaring at the biker.

"I'm sorry, didi," the biker apologized immediately.

"Avni, leave it. Look, he already apologized," I said.

She sighed before starting the scooty again.

"Avi, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, behan."

"Why do you use so many bad words?"

She suddenly stopped the scooty and turned towards me.

"Because you're too calm for both of us, meri maa!" she replied dramatically before bursting into laughter.

I rolled my eyes.

"Can we go now, my future lawyer sahiba?"

She grinned and started driving again.

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After some time, I got lost in my thoughts.

Sometimes I wondered if I truly belonged to this family.

"Ruhanika? Are you even listening?"

I came back to reality when I heard Avni's voice.

"You know, sometimes I think you're adopted."

Before she could continue, I interrupted her.

"No way! I'm my Baba's daughter."

"Okay, okay. I got it. No need to get angry."

I smiled slightly.

"Let's go. We have to get home early today."

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As I reached home, I noticed four security guards standing outside the gate.

I frowned in confusion but ignored them and entered the house.

The moment I stepped into the living room, I froze.

A man in his fifties was sitting with Baba and Maa.

As soon as he saw me, he stood up and walked towards me.

"Ruhanika, beta..." he said softly while holding my hand.

I looked at Baba.

His eyes were filled with tears.

The entire room felt tense.

"Who is he, Baba?" I asked quietly.

"He is your uncle," Baba replied.

I nodded, even though countless questions filled my mind.

But somehow, I knew this wasn't the right time to ask them.

"Ruhanika, come here, beta," Baba called.

I slowly walked towards him.

"Pack your things. You have to leave."

My heart stopped.

"But where, Baba?"

"To your family."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"Family? You are my family. Then where am I supposed to go?"

Raj lowered his gaze.

"Because... we are not your real family."

For a moment, the world around me went silent.

"W-What do you mean? Are you saying that I'm not your daughter?" I asked, my eyes filling with tears.

Before Raj could speak, Anupriya stood up.

"No. You're not our daughter. Now please stop making things difficult for us."

The words shattered my heart.

Tears streamed down my cheeks.

"Ruhanika beta," the man said gently, "please get ready. We should leave in an hour."

I shook my head repeatedly.

"No... this can't be true."

Unable to bear another second, I ran towards my room, crying uncontrollably.

AUTHOR'S POV

As soon as Ruhanika left the hall, the atmosphere became tense.

"Look, Raj. No matter what happens, you have to convince Ruhanika to come with me," the man said in a serious tone. "If Bhai Sahab finds out that she refused to return because of you, it won't be good for you or your family."

His warning made Raj lower his head.

"I'll bring her," Anupriya said before walking towards Ruhanika's room.

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Inside her room, Ruhanika sat on the floor, crying uncontrollably.

The moment she heard the door open, she quickly wiped away her tears and looked up.

Anupriya stood there silently for a few seconds before speaking.

"Ruhanika, if you don't go with them, they can harm Raj Ji. Please... leave with them."

Ruhanika looked at her mother in disbelief.

"M-Maa... you knew about this?"

Anupriya sighed.

"Yes. Years ago, they brought you here when you were only one year old."

Ruhanika felt as if the ground beneath her feet had disappeared.

"So that's why..." she whispered. "That's why you never loved me the way you loved Vaidehi?"

Anupriya looked away.

"I told Raj Ji from the beginning not to bring someone else's child into our house, but he never listened to me."

A painful smile appeared on Ruhanika's lips.

"Then why do they suddenly remember me now?" she asked, trying to control her tears.

"I don't know," Anupriya replied honestly. "But Raj Ji told me that they are rich and powerful people."

She paused before continuing.

"And if you refuse to go with them, they might harm us."

Ruhanika lowered her gaze.

For a few moments, the room remained silent.

Then she wiped her tears and forced herself to stand.

"Okay."

Anupriya looked at her.

"I'll leave."

Those three words carried years of pain, disappointment, and heartbreak.

Without saying anything else, Anupriya quietly left the room, while Ruhanika stood there alone, trying to gather the broken pieces of her heart.