Pyaar, Projects aur Practicals

✨THREE✨

♡ Disha's POV ♡

The morning started like any other.
I was rushing in the kitchen, packing Sweta's tiffin, while Vikrant sat at the dining table sipping his tea.

He looked tired. His face pale, his eyes heavy.
"Vikrant, tum thik ho na?" I asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
(Translation: Vikrant, are you okay?)

He smiled faintly. "Bas thoda thakaan hai... office ka stress."
(Translation: Just a little tired... office stress.)

I wanted to believe him. I did.
Because the truth scared me too much.

Sweta came running, half-eaten toast in hand,
"Mummy! Bus chhoot jaayegi!"
(Translation: Mummy! I'll miss the bus!)

I kissed her forehead and handed her the bag.
Little did I know... it was the last morning she'd see her father alive.

The sound still echoes in my ears.
A sudden crash in the living room.
I rushed out - and there he was.
Vikrant.
On the floor. His hands clutching his chest.

"Vikrant!" I screamed, shaking him.
But his lips were trembling, no words coming out.

Neighbors came running. Someone called the ambulance.
I held his hand the entire way, whispering,
"Kuch nahi hoga... tumhe kuch nahi hoga..."
(Translation: Nothing will happen... nothing will happen to you...)

And then, with the faintest breath, he whispered,
"Disha... tumhe apni gudiya ke liye ek accha father dhundhna hoga..."
(Translation: Disha... you'll have to find a good father for our little girl...)

I froze. "Vikrant, chup raho! Tumhe kuch nahi hoga!"
(Translation: Vikrant, stop talking! Nothing will happen to you!)

But in the hospital, the doctor shook his head.
Cardiac arrest. He's gone.

"Meri duniya... ek pal mein bikhar gayi."
(Translation: My world shattered in a single moment.)

Telling Sweta... was harder than losing him.
When I saw her outside the principal's office, notebook in hand, eyes wide with innocence...
How do you tell a child her father is never coming back?

"Sweety... Papa ko heart attack hua. He's gone."
The words cut me more than they cut her.
And when she just stood there, frozen - not crying, not moving - I felt like I had failed her as a mother.

The funeral was a blur.
Relatives, chants, smoke, tears.
People gave me sympathy, advice, pity.
But when night came, and everyone left, I sat alone staring at Vikrant's empty chair.

That's when I heard a voice.
Familiar. Soft. From the past.

"Disha..."

I turned.
And there he was. Vanshaj.

For a second, my breath caught.
We hadn't met in years.
Yet here he was, standing in the doorway, eyes moist.

He folded his hands before Vikrant's photo.
"Vikrant sirf mera dost nahi tha... hum teeno ek hi kahani ke hisse the."
(Translation: Vikrant wasn't just my friend... the three of us were part of the same story.)

His words broke something inside me.
Because it was true.
We three had shared a childhood. Dreams. Laughter. Secrets.

Now one of us was gone.

I looked at Vanshaj - and for the first time since the tragedy, I didn't feel completely alone.

I turned toward Sweta's room and softly called out,
"Beta, Vanshaj uncle aaye hain... tum bahar aa jao."
(Translation: Dear, Vanshaj uncle has come... come outside.)

She was curled up on the bed, clutching her teddy bear - the same one Vikrant had given her on her last birthday.
Her eyes were swollen, but her voice came out sharp, trembling with anger and pain.

"Main kahin nahi aungi! Mujhe kisi se milna nahi. Mujhe kisi ki sympathy nahi chahiye. Bas mujhe akela chhod do!"
(Translation: I won't come anywhere! I don't want to meet anyone. I don't need anyone's sympathy. Just leave me alone!)

My heart broke all over again.
How do you teach a child to grieve, when you yourself don't even know how?

I looked back at Vanshaj, helpless, my hands trembling.
He simply nodded, his face heavy with understanding, as if he knew that no words could touch her pain right now.

And for the first time that night, I realized...
Grief had built a wall between us and the world —
a wall only time could decide whether to break or make stronger.

              #AUTHOR'S NOTE 💌#

Hi everyone! ❤️ Sorry for the late update as I busy lately. Thank you for reading this chapter. If it touched you even a little, please vote, comment, and share your thoughts — your feedback means so much! ✨

Next update drops on 2nd September- Sunday (or maybe earlier 👀) — stay tuned! 💕