The Grand Singhania mansion was bathed in golden light, its chandeliers casting warm hues over the extravagant living room. But for Chandani, there was no warmth left in this house. Not anymore.
A sharp slap echoed through the air. The force of it sent her staggering to the side, a burning sting spreading across her cheek.
Her heart pounded.
She lifted her gaze, her vision blurred with tears, and met the furious eyes of Avni-her elder sister.
"How dare you?" Avni's voice trembled, not with sadness, but with disgust. "How could you even think of ruining my life?"
"I-I didn't," Chandani stammered, her lips quivering. "You have to believe me, Avni. I would never-"
"Silence!"
This time, the voice that thundered across the room was deeper. Harsher.
Her father.
Chandani turned, her stomach twisting in fear. Rajendra Singh, the man she had always admired, stood before her-his tall frame rigid, his expression unreadable. But his eyes...
His eyes held disappointment.
"You've shamed this family, Chandani," he said, his voice like ice. "I never thought you could stoop so low."
She sucked in a shaky breath, shaking her head desperately. "No, please, Dad, you don't understand-"
"I understand everything."
Rajendra's cold, detached voice crushed whatever hope she had left.
"You tried to seduce Avni's fiancé," he continued, his tone laced with disgust. "A man to whom your sister is going to get married to soon. Did you even think for a second what people will say? Did you even care about your sister's happiness?"
Chandani's breath hitched. "It wasn't me," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "It was him. He-"
Another slap.
This time, from Pratibha, her stepmother.
Chandani's head snapped to the side, her vision flashing white from the impact.
"You liar!" Pratibha spat, stepping forward, her manicured nails digging into Chandani's arm. "First, you open your legs for a man who belongs to your own sister, and now you dare lie about it?"
Chandani's whole body trembled. "No! That's not true! He-he came to my room last night, he-"
"Enough!" Avni's voice cracked as she pointed a trembling finger at her younger sister. "You're disgusting. I should've known you were like this. Always playing the innocent one, always acting like a victim!"
Chandani shook her head wildly, panic clawing at her chest. "Avni, please, I-"
"You think I didn't see how you looked at him?" Avni's voice was laced with venom. "Did you think I wouldn't notice? The way you smiled at him during dinners?"
"No!" Chandani gasped. "That's not true!"
Pratibha scoffed. "Oh, so you expect us to believe that my future son-in-law forced himself on you?"
Tears spilled down Chandani's cheeks. "Yes! He-he tried to touch me last night! When I refused, he got angry and- and-"
"Liar!"
This time, it was Rajendra who exploded.
Chandani flinched, her entire body going cold.
"You disgust me," he said, stepping toward her. "You are not my daughter."
The words hit harder than any slap.
A deep, soul-crushing pain spread through her chest, suffocating her.
"Please," she whispered, gripping his arm, her fingers trembling. "Please, Papa..."
Rajendra yanked his arm away as if her touch burned him.
"Pack your things and leave," he said.
A choking sob left her lips. "No, please, don't do this. I have nowhere to go-"
"You should've thought of that before throwing yourself at another woman's fiancé," Pratibha sneered. "Or perhaps that was your plan all along? Seduce him, make him leave Avni, and take her place?"
"That's not true!"
Pratibha grabbed Chandani's wrist, dragging her toward the front door.
"Take your filthy lies elsewhere!" she snarled.
Chandani thrashed in her stepmother's grip, her nails scraping against the marble floor as she tried to hold on. "No, please, listen to me! Please!"
She turned to Avni, her sister, the one person she had thought would at least listen to her, but all she saw was hatred in Avni's eyes.
"I hate you," Avni whispered, her lips quivering. "I never want to see your face again."
Pratibha shoved the heavy wooden doors open. The cold night air hit Chandani like a slap.
A storm was brewing.
The sky was dark, thick clouds swallowing the moon, the wind howling through the trees.
"No!" Chandani cried, grabbing the edge of the door, desperate to hold on. "Papa, please!"
Rajendra's expression didn't change.
"You are dead to me."
And then, with one final push, Pratibha threw her out.
The moment her body hit the ground outside, the doors slammed shut behind her.
Chandani gasped as she hit the wet pavement, her knees scraping against the rough stone.
The rain began to fall.
Soft at first, then harder, soaking through her thin kurti, chilling her to the bone.
Her breath came out in uneven, panicked gasps as she stared at the closed doors.
The house she had lived in all her life.
The home that was no longer hers.
A painful sob tore through her throat.
She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering, not just from the cold, but from the crushing weight of betrayal.
Her father, her sister...
They had abandoned her.
She was alone.
Completely, utterly alone.
______________________________
The front gate slammed shut behind her, the echo of her stepmother's furious voice still ringing in her ears.
Chandani stood frozen on the cold pavement, her breath shuddering in the night air. Her bare feet stung against the rough ground, but the pain was nothing compared to the storm raging inside her.
She turned, staring at the house she had lived in for years-the same house that had just thrown her away like she was nothing. Not a single window opened. No one came running after her. No voice called her name in regret.
Her hands trembled as she clutched the thin fabric of her dupatta, Avni's fake sobs still fresh in her mind.
"She wanted Raghav! She-she tried to seduce him!"
A lie. A disgusting, vile lie.
She had tried to scream the truth, tried to fight, but no one had listened.
Her stepmother's hand had come down hard across her face, her father's cold voice had sealed her fate, and the door had been shut in her face.
Now, there was nothing left but silence.
Her vision blurred with unshed tears, but she refused to let them fall. Crying wouldn't change anything.
She wrapped her arms around herself, the sharp night air slicing through her thin clothes. She had nothing-not a home, not a family, not even a direction.
Her mind spun. Where could she go? Who could she turn to?
There was no one.
Her relatives had never cared for her. Her so-called "friends" had always been Avni's people. She was alone.
The realization hit her like a blow to the chest.
But she couldn't stay here.
With a final glance at the house-the place that had betrayed her- she turned on her heel and walked away.
She never looked back.
______________________________
The streets were eerily quiet at this hour. The shops had all closed, their shutters pulled down, leaving nothing but dim streetlights and the occasional passing vehicle.
She walked with no destination in mind, her arms still wrapped around herself. The betrayal sat heavy in her chest, pressing down with every breath she took.
Her mind replayed everything. Her father's cold eyes. Avni's fake tears. The slap. The words that had shattered her world.
She forced herself to keep walking.
One step.
Then another.
She didn't know where her feet were taking her, but anywhere was better than here.
It wasn't until she reached the town's bus station that she stopped.
The station was nearly empty, the flickering yellow lights casting long shadows on the ground. A few people sat hunched on benches, some wrapped in blankets, others simply staring into space, waiting for their buses.
Chandani swallowed hard, her fingers brushing against the small bundle of cash she had tucked into her pocket earlier that day.
It wasn't much.
But maybe... maybe it was enough to get her out of here.
Her eyes darted to the ticket counter, where a middle-aged man sat behind a glass window, looking half-asleep. She forced herself to step forward, her voice dry and cracked.
"One ticket to Mumbai," she whispered.
The man barely looked at her as he took the money and handed her a ticket. "Bus leaves in ten minutes. Platform three."
Mumbai.
The city of dreams. The city where no one knew her.
Where she could disappear.
She clutched the ticket in her hands and made her way to the platform, her heart pounding.
She was really doing this.
She was leaving everything behind.
She found an empty seat on the worn-out bench, hugging her knees to her chest. Her mind screamed at her, the pain of betrayal still fresh, but she refused to break down here.
She had to be strong.
For herself.
For the girl they had thrown away.
The bus rolled in, its headlights cutting through the darkness.
As she stepped onto it, she took a shaky breath and whispered to herself.
"This is just the beginning."
And with that, she left her past behind.
______________________________
The bus rumbled through the dark highway, its dim yellow lights flickering as it moved further away from the town she had once called home.
Chandani sat stiffly by the window, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. The cold breeze seeped through the small cracks in the window, making her shiver, but she barely noticed.
Her mind was still stuck in the past.
In her father's cold stare.
In Avni's crocodile tears.
In the sting of the slap that had sent her crashing out of their lives.
"She's lying, Papa! She's jealous of me! She wanted Raghav! I saw it in her eyes!"
"You disgust me, Chandani. Don't ever show your face again."
Their voices replayed like a broken record in her mind, over and over, until she thought she'd go insane.
Her fingers curled into fists in her lap, her nails digging into her skin.
Raghav.
His face burned in her memory-that smug smirk, those dark, cruel eyes, the way his hands had held her down, the sick pleasure in his voice when he had whispered threats in her ear.
"If you open your mouth, I'll ruin you, Chandani. No one will believe you. You'll be thrown out like trash."
He had been right.
And the worst part?
Her own family had made it so easy for him.
Her stomach churned, the bile rising to her throat as she shut her eyes. No. Don't think about it. Don't break down now.
She pressed her forehead against the cool glass, forcing herself to breathe.
The past was behind her.
Now, she has to think about the future.
Mumbai.
The city of millions. The city where no one knew her.
She had no plan, no idea what she would do once she got there. But she had to survive. She had no other choice.
The bus jolted as it hit a pothole, snapping her out of her thoughts. She exhaled shakily and shifted in her seat, trying to find some comfort in the stiff cushions.
She wasn't sure when she finally drifted into sleep, but when she woke up, the sun was rising.
The golden light poured through the window, casting long shadows across the roads. The bus had slowed, the distant skyline of Mumbai coming into view, towering buildings stretching toward the heavens.
Her heart thumped.
She was really here.
A city so massive, so different from the quiet town she had left behind.
She sat up straighter, wiping the sleep from her eyes. Around her, other passengers were stirring, some stretching, others gathering their things. The bus conductor walked down the aisle, announcing loudly, "Mumbai! Last stop!"
Chandani swallowed hard.
This was it.
Her hands tightened around the strap of her small bag as she stood up and made her way down the aisle, stepping out onto the bustling platform of Mumbai's central bus station.
The air was thick with the scent of exhaust fumes, sweat, and street food. People hurried past her, shouting, laughing, pushing their way through the crowds. Vendors lined the sidewalks, selling everything from newspapers to steaming cups of chai.
It was loud. Overwhelming. Nothing like home.
She pulled her dupatta tighter around herself, taking cautious steps forward.
She had no idea where to go.
No money for a hotel.
No contacts.
Her stomach twisted, the weight of her situation finally crashing down on her. What now?
Just as panic began creeping in, a soft voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Beta, are you lost?"
Chandani turned sharply.
An old couple stood before her.
The woman wore a simple beige saree, her kind face creased with wrinkles. The man beside her had silver hair and a warm, gentle smile.
They looked safe.
"Are you okay, dear?" the woman asked again, concern in her voice.
Chandani hesitated.
She had trusted people before and been betrayed.
But she had no choice.
Slowly, she nodded.
"I... I just arrived. I don't have anywhere to go."
The couple exchanged a glance before the old man spoke, his voice kind.
"You can stay with us for a while, if you'd like. We have a spare room, and my wife could use some help around the house. We won't charge you anything."
Her chest tightened.
It sounded too good to be true.
But she was desperate.
She had nowhere else to go.
And they seemed like good people.
So she swallowed down her fear and whispered, "Thank you."
She followed them.
Not knowing that she had just walked into hell.
______________________________
Author's Talk:
Hey lovliessss 🫶🏻✨ I hope y'all enjoyed the first chapter of this book.
Very nervous and excited at the same time. Let's see where this journey takes out. So, tighten your seat belts, my love. This is gonna be a long journey. 🚀
What challenges is chandani going to face in Mumbai? And what is the danger lurking on her that she's unaware of?
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