Avani stood in front of her house gate.
For others, it was just a normal house. But for Avani, it was her nightmare.

she can't call this her home, home is a place where you feel safe, secured, mostly loved but she got none of this from here just a bunch of trauma that she is still carrying. This is just a house, she grew up, a place which gifted her nightmares only.

The iron gates loomed, a reminder of the trauma within. Memories she thought were long buried resurfaced.
Her heart tightened. The grand facade seemed to mock her. A beautiful prison.

Avani's thoughts drifted to her childhood. Laughter silenced. Tears shed. And screams echoed. "No am sorry.. it's hurts.. please...I promise I won't do it anymore..." The memories haunted her like ghosts.

Avani's emotional walls crumbled. She recalled the nights she vowed to never feel again. The nights her innocence was shattered. Now, she stood tall, emotionless. Protected by her steel armor.

But the house gates seemed to whisper."You're not safe." Avani's resolve wavered. For a moment, she was that vulnerable girl again. Then, her mask slipped back into place.

She stepped forward, determination etched on her face. This house wouldn't define her. She would conquer its demons. And shatter the chains of her past.

Avani stepped inside, her heart racing.

The familiar smell of sandalwood scent incense sticks lingering in the air. The chandelier's soft glow. But no warmth only cold memories.

She walked to the living room. Her mother sat calmly, sipping tea. A picture of serenity, but Avani knew better, a manipulative woman.

A woman who cares only about money not even her own children or family. Mostly the reason for her trauma. All rooted in Nalini's insatiable greed.

"Maa," Avani said, her voice was flat. Her mother looks at her with a sicking sweet smile. "Oh meri pyari gudiya." Her smiles flattered.

" Avani I have told you hundred times that you wear something present everytime .Why are dressing in a such a ordinary way? If you dress like this no man will ever wants to marry you." Her mother said while scanning her clothes up to down.

She looks down to herself then to her mother in disbelief. Oh what did she expected from this woman, no what can she expect from this woman.

"You should dress more presentable. Men like women who are always presentable for them. But you should look for some rich good looking man not some ordinary one. Hah I can't wait to have a rich good looking son-in-law."

Avani says nothing, because she know how her mother is. "Where is papa.?" "Who knows, maybe in his study..." Avani goes upstairs towards her father's study.

"Hey Avani where are going am still talking to you..."she ignores her mother's words."argh this girl..." She reaches her father's study her mother's shouting fading away from her ears.

Avani stood outside her father's study.
A mix of emotions swirled within her.
Determination. Sorrow. Uncertainty.
She took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

Her father Vikram khurana, looked up from from the case file he was reading. He is a lawyer just like her. She wanted to study law because of her father. Their eyes met. Vikram's face creased with emotion. The air was thick with unspoken words. The study seemed to shrink, holding only them.

"Avani beta.." Vikram said, his voice cautious. "Papa.." Avani replied, her tone soft. Vikram's expression softened. Avani's eyes welled up with tears as she approached her father. Her footsteps quiet on the carpet.

Vikram stood up. His eyes searched hers. For forgiveness? Understanding?
"Avani beta... I-" she interrupted. "Papa, I've missed you."Avani's voice cracked with emotion.

Vikram's face crumpled as he opened his arms. Avani stepped into them, a long, silent hug. Tears streamed down Avani's face. Vikram's shoulders shook as tears streamed down his face.

Vikram held Avani tightly. "Avani, my child," he whispered. Avani's shoulders shooks as she sobbed.

Vikram stroked her hair softly, softer than he used to be. "I'm sorry, Avani," he whispered. "Sorry for everything."
Avani pulled back, her eyes red-rimmed.

"Papa...no.. don't" Avani's voice cracked with vulnerability. Her voice barely audible. Vikram's face contorted in anguish. "I thought I was protecting you..."his eyes shone with regret.

"But I was wrong...." Avani's expression softened. "I trusted him the most, but still he...only if I should have stayed home at that night..." Vikram's's eyes dropped to the ground with guilt and regret.

He took a deep breath as he begans.
"Your mother and I...we made mistakes," he said. "Mistakes that can't be forgiven.

I was so caught up in my own struggles...i neglected you guys."...I know I was never in your's or your brother's life..I..never gave you guys my first priority... I was not with you when you needed me the most.. it's was too late when I finally understood everything...a father is a person who should protects his children but..I failed as a one...I only saw works as my priority..am sorry..I hope u can forgive your father.. please don't hate me.." his voice cracked. Avani's eyes locked onto his.

"Papa... please don't cry.." she whispered."I am so sorry beta.." His eyes filled with tears. "No.. papa don't cry..you stood for me when you got to know everything...you believed me when I told you everything..." Avani's expression softened. "I can never hate my papa..now please don't crying.." she said.

Rajesh's face crumpled. He pulled Avani into another hug tighter than before. "I promise, Avani," he whispered. "Things will change" i hope too papa.."she said while hugging him back.

They held each other for a long time.
The silence between them healing. He pulls away from her and took a deep breath before continuing.

Your mother and I...we were...I wanted to gave u guys a better life..things I never got or I ever had in my life..I wanted to provide all that to my family, my children..but that only made me neglect my own family, my own children...and your maa..she was lost own her own desires.."

Avani's eyes filled with tears as she hears her father confession about his deeds in past, his voice cracked but he continued."I promise to make it right, to be the father I should have been."

Avani's face softened. "I want that, Father." He smiles weakly. "Thank you, Avani for giving me another chance." She smiles back. Vikram's eyes shone with gratitude. The air was filled with new beginnings as the study's warmth enveloped them.

---✧---

Avani stood before her old room, the door creaking as she pushed it wide open. Years had passed since she'd last stepped foot in this space. The memories still lingered, etched into every corner.

As she entered, a wave of nostalgia washed over her. Childhood laughter echoed through her mind, memories of playing with dolls and dreaming of fairy tales. But alongside those joyful moments, darkness lurked.

The room seemed smaller now, yet the shadows cast by the afternoon sun still sent shivers down her spine. Avani's gaze fell upon the bed where she'd spent countless nights crying herself to sleep.

The incident still haunted her - the sound of shattering glass, her father's angry roar, and the feeling of helplessness. The trauma had seeped into every pore of this house.

Avani's eyes wandered to the window where she'd spent hours gazing out, lost in thought. She recalled the loneliness, the isolation, and the desperate longing for escape.

As she approached the dresser, a faint scratch caught her attention. Her childhood initials, "A.K.," still visible.

Memories flooded her mind:

Birthday mornings, waking up to her grandma's warm smile. Summer afternoons, playing hide-and-seek with her brother.

Late nights, listening to her parents' hushed arguments. The nightmares that followed, the fear that gripped her.

Avani's breath hitched as she opened the dresser drawer. Inside, a faded photograph lay atop a stack of old clothes.

She and her family, smiling, happy. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. "How did it come to this?" she whispered.

The room seemed to close in around her, the air thick with emotions. She turned to leave, but her gaze lingered on the room, the memories, and the ghosts that still haunted her.

Avani's footsteps echoed through the empty hallway as she descended to the marble floor. The silence was oppressive, weighing heavily on her heart.

Avani stepped into the garden, the warm sunlight dancing across her face. The familiar scent of jasmine enveloped her, transporting her back to childhood afternoons spent with her grandmother.

The garden, once a vibrant oasis, now seemed worn and weary. Yet, amidst the overgrown bushes and faded flowers, the jasmine blooms remained, their delicate white petals unfolding like tiny stars.

Aisha's heart swelled as memories flooded her mind.

"Dadi, look! Your favorite flowers! Why is jasmine your favourite flower?" she exclaimed, her childlike voice echoing through the years.

Her grandmother, Parvati Indraraj Khurana, smiled, her eyes twinkling. "Jasmine reminds me of happiness, beta. Of love and laughter."

Together, they'd stroll through the garden, Parvati sharing stories of their family's history and the secrets of nature.

Avani's fingers brushed against the jasmine blooms, releasing their heady fragrance. The aroma filled her senses, and she closed her eyes, letting the memories wash over her. Summer afternoons spent playing hide-and-seek among the bushes.

Her dadi's gentle hands guiding hers as they planted new flowers. Laughter and gossip shared beneath the shade of the ancient tree. Tears pricked at Avani's eyes as she remembered Parvati's warmth and love.

"Dadi..." she whispered, her voice trembling. The garden's silence seemed to respond, its stillness a reminder of her dadi's absence.

Aisha wandered along the winding path, her footsteps slowing as she approached the old tree.

"Dadi, I miss you so much."

As she stood there, the jasmine fragrance swirling around her, she felt her dadi's presence. It was as if her grandmother's love and wisdom still lingered in this garden, waiting to guide her through life's challenges.

Avani's eyes opened, her gaze falling upon a small, hidden bench. She settled onto its worn surface, surrounded by the memories and the gentle rustle of leaves. In this sacred space, Avani found solace.

She sat in the garden's silence, her cheeks damp from tears she couldn't stem. She hadn't cried in years, not since the pain had hardened into a protective shell around her heart.

But today, seeing her father, hearing his words, had shattered that resolve.
"I thought I was done crying," she whispered, wiping away tears.

The decision to never cry again had been a vow, a shield against the hurt. Yet, her father's confession had breached that wall, and the emotions she'd locked away now flooded forth.

As she wept, the stone in the wall of her heart shifted, ever so slightly. The weight of her grief, the burden of her secrets, began to lift a little.

Avani's shoulders shook, her body racked with sobs. The tears flowed, cleansing her of the toxins she'd carried for so long.

With each tear, she released a fragment of her pain: The anguish of abandonment, the fear of being unloved, the weight of her family's expectations.

As the storm subsided, Avani's breathing slowed. Her eyes, red-rimmed and puffy, gazed upward, searching for solace.

The jasmine blooms, still fragrant, seemed to whisper:

"You are strong, Avani beta. You can face this."she remembered her dadi's last words. Vulnerability wasn't weakness; it was courage.

The cracks in her armor allowed light to seep in, illuminating the path ahead. Avani's hands wiped away the last tears, her eyes dry but her heart still trembling.

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Hi dear Homosapiens, I know the first few chapters are boring but please trust me it will get better. This chapter is bit more lengthy than other ones. Tell me ur thoughts.<3!

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