LOOP (TS)

Part 2

Silence.

The others stood frozen.

Cheetah clenched his jaw, his entire body shaking as he turned away, fists tight. Billu just stared, his lips trembling, his hands numb. Santu's knees buckled, and she covered her face, sobbing uncontrollably.

And Haseena—

Haseena felt the walls closing in.

She could hear Karishma's voice, still ringing in her ears.

"Humein chhodna nahi aata."

And yet—she was gone.

Again.

A different scene.

The alley was dark, damp, and suffocating.

Pushpa Ji stood alone.

A shadow loomed behind her. A figure emerged—a knife glinting in the dim streetlight.

MPT watched, breath caught in their throats, unable to move.

The thug lunged.

A sharp gasp.

But it wasn't Pushpa Ji's.

It was Karishma's.

She had stepped in front of her, arms spread wide, taking the blade straight to her stomach.

Pushpa Ji's eyes widened in horror. "Nahi... nahi, beta!"

Karishma gasped, her body trembling as she fell to her knees. Blood soaked her uniform, spilling onto the pavement.

Pushpa Ji caught her before she collapsed completely, her hands trembling as she pressed against the wound. "Tu theek ho jayegi! Ruk ja! Bas ruk ja!"

A weak smile touched Karishma's lips.

"Aapko humari zaroorat hai... Pushpa ji???" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

And then—

She went limp.

Pushpa Ji froze.

Then, something inside her snapped.

She let out a broken cry, pulling Karishma's body into her arms, rocking her like a mother would rock her child.

"Humne tujhe kabhi samjha hi nahi, beta..." she sobbed, pressing her forehead to Karishma's. "Hamesha tujhe badalne ko bola... par kabhi yeh nahi socha ke tu aisi kyun hai..."

Her voice cracked, her shoulders shaking violently. "Tu hamesha sabko bachane aage aayi... aur humne tujhe akela chhod diya..."

The weight of her regret was suffocating.

She had spent years guiding Karishma. Correcting her. Scolding her.

But had she ever really stood by her?

Had she ever truly fought for her the way Karishma had fought for them?

The realization crushed her.

"Mujhe maaf kar de, beta..." she whispered brokenly, pressing a trembling kiss to Karishma's forehead. "Mujhe maaf kar de..."

Behind her, Cheetah wiped his face roughly, refusing to let his tears fall. Billu's shoulders shook as he whispered, "Karishma... wapas aa jao, please..."

Santu's sobs only grew louder, her chest heaving as she clutched Karishma's lifeless hand. "Di... humein maaf kar do..."

And Haseena—

For the first time—

Haseena Malik dropped to her knees.

Her hand hovered over Karishma's still body, but she couldn't bring herself to touch her.