Chapter 5
KAVYA
I promise I’ll arrange the money. Please … please stop this marriage, Pa.
God knows how many times I repeated the same sentence in front of my father.
I begged him, pleaded with him, even kneeled at his feet.
For an entire week, I did nothing but cry, beg, and hope.
And every time, he turned his face away as if I didn’t exist. He wasn’t ready to listen.
He was forcing me to marry Saurav Chauhan, the same man who believed I had put false charges on him.
The same man I hadn’t spoken to since our last meeting.
I tried to reach out, to explain, but before I could do anything, my father locked me inside a room with my little sister, Kirti, and didn’t let me step out.
As if trapping me would break my will. As if I hadn’t already broken enough.
As if I had not faced the same thing before.
He had been doing this for twenty three years. I was used to his cruelty and violence.
I glanced at Kirti as she lay silently on the bed, her small body swallowed by white sheets.
Machines surrounded her like guards as monitors blinking, wires tangled, the steady beep…
beep… beep cutting through the silence. An IV was attached to her fragile arm.
Every sound in that room reminded me how thin the line was between her breathing and losing her forever.
Everything we had done, everything I had sacrificed was for her to live a normal life.
But her body had grown too fragile. She was living on machines now.
Her heart was too weak, and her soul was too tired to carry it.
She was only seventeen and she had been confined to this bed for the last one year, fighting for her life every single day.
I still remembered the day it all began.
She had come home glowing, her eyes shining brighter than I had ever seen.
She got first rank in school. That day she wouldn’t stop talking about medical college, about becoming a doctor, about saving lives.
Who knew she would end up needing a doctor for the rest of her own life?
That night, she collapsed. By morning, doctors told us her heart was too weak.
She needed surgery, it was urgent, expensive, life-saving.
And yet, till this day, she lay here, battling silently while time and money worked against us.
Every day felt like borrowed time. Pa said Kirti could live like a normal person if I managed to arrange six lakh rupees.
Six lakh.
For him, it was just a number but for me, it was my entire existence.
He promised that if I brought the money, we could be a happy family again.
That Kirti would walk, laugh, and dream.
I believed him. I worked day and night, sold my time, my dreams, and my dignity.
But every time I arranged something, they demanded more.
More money, more sacrifice, until finally, they found the perfect solution.
Trap Saurav Chauhan.
They wanted to marry me off so they could squeeze as much money as they wanted. And I knew it, deep in my bones that even if I handed them six lakh rupees today, they would never truly cure my sister. Kirti was just an excuse and money was the goal.
My stepbrother was a drunkard and a gambler. He buried us under debts that were never mine, and yet I paid every single one. All the money I earned vanished into clearing his mess. And still, it was never enough.
I took care of everything: house, groceries, clothes, hospital bills and Kirti but still it was not enough for them. It would never be enough for them. They were so greedy that even if I died, they’d sell my body parts just to make money.
I looked at Kirti as she looked exactly like Ma.
She had the same soft features. Ma died when I was ten.
Kirti was only three back then. Not long after, Pa married another woman, one who fit the role of a stepmother a little too perfectly.
She always had cruel words and carried colder silences.
Then it was Nitin, our stepbrother, he was spoiled, reckless, and careless.
Two years ago, my stepmother died, leaving all of them behind. And the burden? It all fell on me. I became the parent, provider and shield. I became everything so Kirti could survive.
I carefully ran my fingers through Kirti’s hair, afraid even my touch might hurt her. Then I froze when her eyelids fluttered. Slowly, painfully, she opened her eyes and stared straight at me.
“You’re back from your practice?” she mumbled, her voice weak, breath shallow.
I nodded quickly.
“How is it going?” she asked.
“It’s… going good,” I said, forcing a smile, feeling a stone settle deep in my chest. Practice.
The word burned. I left it. I left dance so I could earn money for her surgery.
My dream had shrunk into one single wish: seeing Kirti live a normal life.
Nothing else mattered. Not my passion. Not my future.
Maybe I would chase my dreams in another life. In this one, I only wanted my sister to live.
“Only good?” she asked softly, studying my face the way only she could. “Aren’t you going to dance on stage this year?” My throat tightened. “You promised me,” she continued, a small smile playing on her lips. “You said you would.”
Her eyes sparkled despite the pain, despite the machines keeping her alive.
“I’m excited, Kav.”
And in that moment, I felt something crack inside me. Because I didn’t know how to tell her that the stage was gone. That the lights were gone. That everything I loved had been traded for hospital walls and false promises. But if lying kept hope alive in her heart then I would lie a thousand times
I swallowed hard, my throat tightening as my chin trembled. I struggled to meet her gaze. Only when she spoke about my dance did her eyes light up; the rest of the time, they looked dull, lifeless like someone waiting without hope.
“Kiki…” I whispered, softly holding her hand. Her skin was pleasantly warm, and that warmth terrified me. “There is a very, very important thing I want to share with you.” I tried to sound cheerful, but my voice betrayed me.
She raised her brows slightly. “More important than your dance?”
I nodded quickly. “I’m getting married!” I announced. The words felt foreign on my tongue.
Her expression stilled. She paused, then released a long, tired sigh. “This is good news, Kav,” she said gently, “but what about your dreams? You won’t be able to achieve them once you get married.”
She fell silent for a moment, gathering her strength. The doctors had strictly forbidden her from talking too much, but every time I sat beside her, she broke all their rules for me.
“Dreams are important,” she added softly.
Something twisted painfully inside my chest. “You forgot,” I said, forcing a giggle that sounded unpleasant even to my own ears, “my dream was to marry a handsome man and have lots of kids.”
“You’re stupid,” she said, rolling her eyes weakly.
I smiled, relieved she was still teasing me.
We stayed quiet for a few minutes. The machines filled the silence. Then she looked at me again, her gaze suddenly sharp.
“Pa is not selling you this time, is he?”
My heart skipped.
Shit.
She knew Pa too well. She knew Kavyansh. She always did.
“Are you crazy?” I laughed nervously. “Why would he sell me?”
“He tried earlier, didn’t he?” she asked carefully, watching my face.
“It was a misunderstanding, Kiki,” I replied too quickly. “Now leave this subject.”
She didn’t argue. Instead, she studied my face for a long time. I kept my smile intact, afraid even a flicker of truth might shatter her fragile heart.
“Who are you marrying?” she asked finally. “Is he the same prince charming you always dreamed about?”
I nodded, widening my smile. “He’s an Air Force officer,” I said proudly, like rehearsed lines from a script. “And he’s the most handsome man I’ve ever seen in my life. You’ll like him, Kiki. He’s… a nice person.”
“When are we meeting him?” she asked, tightening her grip on my hand. “I want to meet him, Kav. Do you have his photo?”
“Yes,” I said quickly.
I pulled out my phone and opened my gallery. Thankfully, I had taken a selfie with Saurav at the temple. My hands shook as I held the phone in front of her. “Here he is…”
She stared at the photograph for a long time. “He’s too handsome for you,” she said seriously. “I mean, look at him. Doesn’t he give off the vibe of a rich brat who plays with women’s hearts?” She glanced at me before looking back at the picture. “But you look genuinely happy with him.”
My breath hitched. “I’ve been in love with him for a year,” I whispered absentmindedly. “I’m glad I’m marrying him.” The lie slid out too smoothly.
“Really?” She looked surprised, then her face softened into the most beautiful smile. “I’m so happy for you. I can’t wait to become the maasi of my little nephews and nieces.”
Her happiness felt like a knife twisting in my chest. The door creaked open. Even before I turned, I knew who it was. Pa.
“There are so many preparations to do for the wedding, Kav,” he said in a sweet, practiced tone.
“We don’t have enough time, my dear. If you two are done with your chit-chat, come with me.
” He turned to Kirti, placing a hand on her head and running his fingers through her hair. “Kiki beta, how are you feeling?”
“I’m doing good, Pa,” she replied with a smile.
“That’s good,” he said, smiling back. But his smile didn’t reach his eyes. He took my hand gently. “You take some rest. I’m borrowing Kav for a few hours for wedding preparations.”
“Okay, Pa.”
The moment we stepped out, he dragged me down the corridor and locked Kirti’s door behind us. Then he turned, glaring at me.
“You haven’t told her everything, have you?”
“I’m not as cruel as you, Pa!” I snapped, meeting his glare with the same fury. “You’ll pay for every single penny you’re squeezing out of me, Kirti, and Saurav.”
“Mind your language, girl!” he shouted. “I’m doing this for you and Kirti. Can’t you see? Your life will be settled, and Kirti’s too. He’s rich, Kav...rich enough to feed our ten generations. What’s wrong if he gives just one percent of it?”
“Then why didn’t you just ask him for money?” I cried, tears spilling freely. “Why force him to marry me? I can’t marry him!”
He suddenly grabbed my forearm, squeezing so tightly that sharp pain shot through my bones.
“You will marry him,” he hissed. “And if you don’t want me to… start preparing for Kirti’s funeral.”
“Pa—”
Before I could say another word, he shoved me away and walked off. I stood there alone, shaking, my arm throbbing, my heart shattered knowing that I had just traded my life for my sister’s breath.
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