The Last Wish

Chapter 22: Bye Dad

POV: Kiara

We had finally arrived at the Malhotra Mansion. I looked out the window to see my childhood house, the house that I grew up in. The house where I made beautiful memories in. The house that gave me nothing but love, the house in which Dad spoiled me. Just thinking about this a lone tear escaped my eye and down my tear-stained cheek. I will forever be grateful to this house.

Armaan parked the car and I instantly hopped out. I saw many people standing outside the house wearing white. The majority were crying while the others were comforting them. I recognised many of them but there were some that I had never seen in my entire life.

I quickly ran towards the mansion but before I could go in, random people started surrounding me. They started hugging me and showing fake sympathy towards me. They acted as if they cared for me but trust me in all my 25 years of living, these people were never there.

"Kiara beta, how did this happen? He was such a strong man," one lady spoke and I nodded trying to get inside the house. While others were agreeing and saying such things as "I feel so bad for her, didn't she just get married?" "Life is so unfair to many," "She's probably hurt," and so on and I just ignored them, still trying to get in, but these people wouldn't budge, I was still grateful for them.

"I think my wife has had enough, let her go inside," a familiar voice spoke and everyone gasped. I looked behind, Armaan. He started gently pushing people away from me, making space for me to get in. I gave him a thankful look and he smiled. I was about to step in when I froze. The view in front of me broke me into millions of pieces. I was shattered like glass.

Dad's body was lying right in front of my eyes. His smiling photo is in a frame with a flower garland around it, just above his body. My eyes landed on my mum, she was emotionless, she had no expression as if she was a living soul in a dead body and why wouldn't she? She just lost the love of her life.

This view in front of me was too much for me to bear, all these emotions and memories rushed through my body making me collapse on the floor with a thud. Tears started streaming down my cheeks once again. It hurts, it really hurts, it hurts too much. Someone, please make this stop.

All eyes fell on me. Bhai looked at me with pain and tears in his eyes. That's when a strong pair of arms held me by the shoulders. I looked up to see Armaan. He helped me get up and walked me into the house. As soon as I walked closer to my dad's body, Armaan let go of his grip and I instantly ran and hugged my dad. The familiar feeling of hugging my dad was slightly there but not all. His body was cold, his body was always warm when I used to hug him, but what happened now? His body was hard as a rock, but he used to be soft as a pillow. But now... he's different! I don't like this! I want my dad back! I need him! All this was freaking me out. I'm never going to be able to hug him the way I used to, the way he used to. Why god? Why? This is so unfair.

Suddenly my heart started pounding really fast, I was running out of oxygen. I couldn't breathe. I was trying to catch my breath but I just couldn't. I really couldn't. My chest started rising up and down. Bhai wrapped his hands around me, pulling me off Dad, and hugged me tight, but it didn't calm me down. I was still struggling to breathe, it felt good to be in his arms but not enough to calm down. I was so busy trying to catch my breath that I never realised Bhai had let go. I only realised when someone else wrapped their arms around me and took me in their embrace. The person's embrace felt good as my head lay on their rock-hard chest and their chin gently rested on my head. The person was warm, they were alive. I don't care who it was, I felt safe and calm, and I didn't want to let go. I couldn't afford to let the person let go of me. I was regaining my breath, I was going back to normal, and a hint of my pain was fading.