“N-No, Zenisha," the boy cried, holding her close as she took her last breath. "Nikhil, please don't cry," she whispered, touching his face gently. "No, no, no, Zen, please, I can't be without you," he sobbed. "Please, stay with me." She smiled weakly as her hands fell to her side. "Zen, baby, no, please, wake up, please, nooo," he cried, holding his beloved as she passed away in his arms, in the middle of the forest road.

THE END

“No way, that’s not fair!” Aarohi exclaimed, slamming the book shut in frustration. She stood in the middle of the library, feeling the weight of everyone’s stares boring into her. Giving a nervous smile, she hurriedly grabbed the book and fled to the librarian, who was busy typing on his laptop. He glanced up, used to her sudden outbursts, as she approached with the book in hand.

“What happened now, Aarohi?” he asked, his voice sounding bored as he waited for her to start complaining about books like she always did. She sighed deeply before responding, “Nothing, just this book ruined my day.” He chuckled knowingly, bracing himself for another round of Aarohi’s book-related complaints.

"Like, who the heck kills off one of the heroines? You know, she dies while saving her sister, Larisa, from being kidnapped. Zenisha was just a bit late, and that psycho not only kidnaps her but kills Zenisha! And if you think that's it, nope! He makes Ishita get into an accident while she's pregnant, and now she can never be a mother. Argh, I feel like going inside the book and killing him," she exclaimed, punching the air in frustration.

"Hmm, the book sounds pretty sad-"

"I know, right?" she interrupted.

"But sometimes, not everyone can have a happy life, you know," he said, trying to make her understand the harsh reality.

"I know, but that's why these books exist, to give us an unlimited happy life that can't be there in real life, and the author failed on that. Who the heck made her the author?" she exclaimed in frustration.

He laughed at her complaints. "Well, now that you've completed this series, tell me, who is your favorite character and why?" he asked, adjusting his glasses.

"Why are you asking that?" she replied, looking confused.

"For reviews. I ask everyone who has read this series," he explained, smiling at her. She thought for a moment before answering, "Well, my favorite character would be Asha, the eldest daughter of the Malhotra family."

She smiled as she told him about her favorite character, while he gave her a look that said, "Are you serious?" and said, "Why? I mean, out of all the characters, why her? She's just a side character, nothing else."

"See, even though she was a side character, she had a role that made me fall in love with her. She tried to help our main couples come together. She saw the love that everyone failed to see. But since she was an adopted child, there were people in the family who didn't like her at all," she explained, taking a breath as she recalled moments from the book.

He nodded understandingly. "Well, that's understandable. Would you do the same thing if you were her?"

"Of course! Those are our main couples! Why wouldn't I? And if possible, I will make those people regret bullying her. Because of them, she didn't get her own love life. I mean, how mean can they be?" she said, fake crying. He chuckled at her antics and said, "Anyway, don't you have somewhere to go? You said it closes by 10, and it's 9:40 now."

Seeing the time, she gasped. "Oh shoot! I forgot! I have to go. See you tomorrow! Bye!" With that, she ran out of the library.

"What a silly girl. Well, time to work," he thought to himself as he returned to his tasks.

“Gosh, I’m gonna be so late,” she muttered, running towards the signal. She stopped there, waiting for the red light to appear, sighing as she glanced at her watch. Around her, more people were bustling about.

Suddenly, she felt a push from behind and tumbled onto the road, her leg caught in a twisted position. Panic spread through the crowd as they realized a car was hurtling towards her, its brakes failing.

Aarohi’s heart raced as she braced for impact, thinking, “This is it, this is how I’m going to die.” In mere seconds, the car collided with her, and she lay on the ground, blood seeping from her wounds.

The man who had pushed her wore a sinister smile as he whispered, “Enjoy your new life,” before disappearing from the scene.

"It feels so warm, and the smell is so nice," I thought to myself, enjoying the pleasant morning. But as I opened my eyes, I was startled by the unfamiliar surroundings. "Where am I?" I wondered, feeling a headache coming on. Then, the memories flooded back.

"I was at the library, then I got into an accident," I murmured, gasping as I noticed my changed appearance in the mirror. "What the heck?"

Just then, a woman entered the room, calling out to someone named Asha. "Asha Kaha kho kaee meree bachcee,” she asked with concern. "umm nahin kaheen nahin bas soch rahee tee" I replied, trying to keep calm.

(Asha where have you lost my daughter?)

(Umm no nowhere just thinking)

“Ok, get ready and come down quickly,” she smiled and left, leaving me alone. I exhaled, a breath I didn’t even realize I was holding. Now what? I had no idea how many people lived in this house, what kind of relationships this girl had with everyone, and most importantly, I didn’t even know who this girl was, to begin with. Okay, calm down. Take a deep breath and let’s go downstairs.

I got ready and went downstairs, but on the way, I got lost. Yeah, like, literally lost. This house is so big – just how many people are living here?

“Hey you,” a girl around my age called out to me. Nah, I didn’t even know this girl's age. “Yeah, do you need something?”

She chuckled, “Looks like yesterday’s talk did not affect you.” She came closer and whispered, “Say to the whole family that you backed away from the story-writing festival, or else you know I have those pictures. Choose wisely.” She left, leaving me in shock. Those words, those looks on her eyes, that festival – no, I shouldn’t jump to conclusions. I have to wait a bit more to get confirmed.

“Asha, what are you doing here?” an old woman walked towards me, radiating a familiar vibe. “Oh, umm,” I stuttered, unsure of what to say, so I just looked at her. She smiled and patted my head, “Looks like you had a good sleep. I’m glad; yesterday you looked so panicked. I thought to come and sleep with you, but Kiara said you already slept, so I didn’t disturb you.”

“Umm, where is everyone? I don’t see them,” I asked, feeling confused as I looked around. “Oh, they... wait, let me call them,” she turned and started shouting so loudly that I thought I might go deaf. “Aarav, Veer, Ranveer, leave your work and come for breakfast!” Then she turned towards the maids while I stood there processing everything. “Go and call my grandchildren, and if they don’t come, say it’s an order from Aadya Malhotra.”

The maids left, and I stood there frozen. No way, those names—Aadya Malhotra? This woman right here is Aadya Malhotra. That means I’m Asha Malhotra. No, no, I must be dreaming. This is not right. I pinched myself to check, but dang, it hurts. It hurts, which means this is real. I’m dead. No, Arohi is dead. This me right now is Asha.

“Asha, dear, come and sit, let them come,” she said, holding my hand and dragging me towards the dining table. We sat down, and she started talking, but I was still frozen, processing what had happened. I’m inside the book—the book that I finished reading, and after that, I died. Gosh, this is too much.

“Asha,” I flinched at her loud voice. She looked at me with a worried face, “What happened? I’m calling you, but you’re not responding. Is everything okay?”

“Y-yes, yes, everything is okay,” I replied, pulling myself together. Arohi, no, Asha, this is not the time to be frozen. What happened has already happened. Now, focus on what you’re goanna do. “Are you worried about the festival?” she asked.

“Festival?”

“Yeah, that umm, what was it, ah, the story writing festival. You wanted to be an author, right?” Festival, I remember now. In the book, there is a moment when Asha wants to go to this festival, but Ishita makes her not go by blackmailing her. Wait, so that girl earlier was Ishita. I smile. I think I know what to do now. I was given a chance to change all of their fates. I will do it. I will rewrite their fate and rewrite this story, no matter what.

“No, Dadi, I’m not worried about that,” I said, sitting next to her on her right, as she loves Asha to sit near her. “What is my daughter and maa talking about?” a woman came from the kitchen with maids behind her. Ah, she is the one who came into the room this morning, so this must be Amrita, Asha’s adopted mother.

“Nothing, we were talking about the festival that your daughter is about to attend.”

“Ahh, right, isn’t it his weekend?” Shit, weekend. When is that? What day is today? Gosh, what do I do?

“Yes, and I’m sure my daughter will do the best among all,” so he must be Aarav, which leaves eight people. I can’t wait to see the main leads. “By the way, where are our sons?” He was sitting at the end of the table. “Oh, they, ahh, look, they came,” speak of the devil.

Three handsome boys in suits walk in. "Girl, get a grip of yourself, they're your brothers, idiot," I scold myself internally. "Good morning, my sexy lady," Nikhil greets, earning a playful smack from Dadi. "Have some shame, young man," she scolded, while the other two boys chuckle. "You could have said it without hitting me," Nikhil protests, confirming my suspicions.

"Ah, my lovely sister, is the preparation going well?" Nikhil asks, half-hugging me. "Yes, it’s going better than expected," I reply, trying to maintain calmness. "By the way, Dad, there will be a meeting with the Rathors, so you have to be there," “By the way, Dad, there will be a meeting with the Rathor, so you have to be there,” No doubt that person is Arun he is someone who would talk about business even while eating. Rathor? If it's Agastya Singh Rathor, then he must be the one whom Asha fell for, and that made a big drama in her life, I must avoid him at all costs.

I recognize Nikhil and Arun, so the one on the phone must be Deep, the family sure is a workaholic. "Good morning, Maa," a lady greets, hugging Dadi. "You look even more beautiful today. You must have tried my face-smoothing recipe," Lavanya remarks, only she can butter up Dadi to get to her good side. The only lady left is Kiara, the classic devil, even more cunning than Lavanya. “Good morning maa and I think Lavanya’s trick did work on you” Ah that must be Ranveer, poor man doesn’t know how evil his wife is “Really I must put it every day,” she said looking at herself on her phone camera.

The sound of heels announces Kiara's arrival, accompanied by a boy who shamelessly smirks at me, that’s for sure Ravi. "Good morning, Maa," Kiara greets, shooting me a glare. That glare won't intimidate me badi chachi.

"Good morning. Now, where is Veer and Isha?" Dadi asks. yeah, another poor man who has a devil wife, gosh how did they even get married and why? Veer appears, comforting Isha, who looks visibly upset. "What happened, Isha? Are you not feeling well?" Dadi ask, concerned. "She's okay, Maa, just feeling under the weather. She'll feel better soon," Kiara interrupts, her words not matching Isha's troubled expression.

"Alright, now that everyone is here, serve the food," Dadi instructs, and the maids get to work. Seeing each of them fills me with sadness, knowing what lies ahead. But this time will be different. I won't let the villains win. They won't be able to harm anyone here, not while I'm around, never. Not this time.

Words: 2116

Continue…….