After getting done with breakfast, Payal's mind spun in a chaotic swirl of emotions and fears. The weight of the morning's tension, the arrival of Yuri, and William's chilling warning pressed down on her like a suffocating fog. She felt trapped, a mere spectator forced to watch the plot of her life unfold before her eyes, powerless to change the script written by others. "This is how it's going to be," she told herself bitterly, "I am nothing more than a minor character in this story."Her heart ached with a deep, unrelenting sorrow. The ache wasn't just from the pressure of her constrained role—it was also the raw pain of feeling invisible and sidelined. How could she forget her true goal of studying and understanding the world? That ambition was her fragile hope, the one thread of purpose she clung to in a life overshadowed by others' cold commands.Yet, even as she tried to steel herself against distraction, Payal's thoughts betrayed her. She couldn't escape the image of the three brothers—Asra, Julian, and William—moving through the mansion together, their intertwined fates casting shadows over her heart. The vision stabbed at her with the sharpness of betrayal and heartbreak, twisting her emotions into a contradiction she struggled to reconcile but every passing second she felt weak.Loneliness crept in alongside her resolve, and a quiet surrender whispered through her soul. She knew she had to remain strong, to hold onto her dreams despite the storm. But the ache of watching those she cared for so deeply, yet feeling so distant from their true selves, was a burden she wasn't sure she could bear.In the silent spaces of her mind, Payal whispered to herself that survival meant endurance, that strength sometimes meant silence, and that hope was the flickering light she would carry—even if it shone dimly through the darkness. She can't even do anything about it , rembring the novel plot, there is nothing to change,
Payal was lost in the enormity of her own thoughts about the uncertain future, her mind running wild with anxiety and fear. As she stared off, the quiet was broken by the gentle sound of a door unlocking. Asra entered, his usual calm exterior hiding something restless in his movements—something different that caught Payal's attention immediately."What's wrong, Asra?" she asked, reaching out. He cupped her hand tenderly, his gaze shadowed by a worry she hadn't seen in him before. "I saw something unusual," Asra confessed, his words vibrating with a sense of foreboding. Payal's concern deepened. "What did you see?"His answer was haunting: "You leaving us. Don't go, okay?" His calm facade cracked as he admitted the truth—his voice trembling, his body visibly shaking. She tried to reassure him, hugging him close, murmuring that it was just his imagination. But Asra pulled her tighter, desperate. "No, it's not my imagination. I can predict the future—I have that gift in me. If what I see comes to pass, then it's in your hands Payal said while hugging him tightly. I'll never let you go unless you ask me to."Asra was shaken by the intensity of the moment. She felt his vulnerability, the raw power of someone granted a glimpse into what might be, and the emotional burden it brought. For the first time, she realized that her choices had become more than her own—she was entwined with Asra's deepest fears and hopes, and the path ahead was uncertain. His precognition was both a gift and a curse, bringing them closer yet threatening to fracture everything with just one decision or lost faith.Standing in the hushed hallway, Payal made a silent promise to herself: as long as she held the power to choose, she would stay, hoping to forge a future different from the one Asra feared so deeply.
Asra and Payal slowly pulled apart from their embrace, their intertwined fingers reluctantly releasing as they both turned their gaze toward the door. Julian stood there, eyes blazing a vivid red, his expression hardened with barely concealed rage. His voice was sharp and commanding: "We need to talk. Let's go."Asra cast one final glance at Payal, a mixture of reassurance and unspoken apology in his eyes, before following Julian down the hall, the tension thick between the two brothers. Payal watched them leave, her heart pounding with unease.They entered the study room where William was already waiting. Noticing their arrival, William set his book aside and removed his glasses, Julian's gaze sharp and probing. "What are you guys doing?" he asked, the edge in his voice betraying hidden frustrations.Asra shot back quickly, "What do you mean by 'us'?"William's eyes flicked toward Julian, his voice dropping slightly. "I'm talking about Payal."Julian leaned in with a biting tone, "You don't like her. So why are you acting like you do? What are you hiding?"The accusations hung heavily in the air. Asra's jaw tightened, his face a mask of controlled anger and deep hurt. I don't think caring or liking my wife is something unholy to do. You are the one who told me to not marry her you want your freedom don't you ? Julian asked with confusion. Yes but now my thoughts chenged. Asra looked directly at Julian. Whatever.... Julian left the room.
The room was charged with years of sibling rivalry and unspoken resentments boiling beneath the surface, intensified now by the complicated feelings entwining them all.