Heer~THE UNWANTED DAUGHTER

I'm sorry, I thought today is 24 😭😭 and thus I didn't updated yesterday.

♡ AUTHOR POV ♡

Divika didn't answer immediately. Instead, she opened her handbag slowly and pulled out a small bundle of papers-neatly organized and held together by care.

"These," she began, handing them to him gently, "are the papers to my house. The keys are here too. And... these are my bank details-all of my savings."

Shaurya looked at her, taken aback for a moment. His eyes moved from the documents to her face, now calm and composed despite the storm raging inside her.

"Use all of this for Heer," she continued, her voice steady, yet soft. "It's more than enough to support her until she learns to stand on her own feet. Until she finds her path."

Shaurya was quiet for a moment, the weight of her words sinking in. His gaze softened with a quiet admiration. A mother's love-it was fierce, boundless, and pure. It was a kind of love that defied logic and demanded sacrifice without hesitation.

He took the papers, nodding respectfully. She didn't need to prove anything, yet her act spoke volumes.

Even though Heer was now his responsibility-someone he had silently vowed to protect for the rest of his life-he understood Divika's need to do everything in her power as a mother. It was her way of ensuring that, even in her absence, her child wouldn't feel alone.

"Please," she said quietly, locking eyes with him, "take care of my child. Love her. Protect her. Guide her. She's all I ever had, all I ever lived for."

"I will," Shaurya replied without hesitation. His voice was low, but his words carried weight. His eyes held a silent vow-a promise that needed no further explanation.

They stood there for a few more moments, two very different people connected by one shared concern: Heer.

Then, wordlessly, they returned to the car. Arhaan opened the door, and together, they began the drive to the hospital.

After what felt like endless hours, the red light above the operation theatre finally went off. The doors opened slowly, and the doctor stepped out, removing his surgical mask with tired hands and a heavy expression.

Heer rushed forward, her heart pounding in her chest, eyes full of desperate hope. She searched the doctor's face, clinging to the possibility of a miracle.

But the doctor sighed, his eyes somber. "I'm... I'm extremely sorry," he said quietly. "The patient is no more. We tried our best, but..."

The world around Heer collapsed.

Her legs gave out beneath her, but before she could hit the floor, Shaurya caught her, his hands firm on her shoulders. She didn't cry, didn't scream-she just stood there, eyes wide and vacant, as if her soul had left with her mother's final breath.

Arhaan quietly stepped away to complete the necessary formalities, understanding that his presence wouldn't help much in that moment. Shaurya remained by Heer's side, his grip steady, silently offering the only comfort he could.

Heer slowly turned her head toward him, her voice barely a whisper. "Can I... see her?"

Shaurya simply nodded.

They walked together through the sterile corridor in silence, the sound of their footsteps echoing like heartbreak. When they entered the room, Devika lay there-peaceful, as though she were only asleep. The traces of pain had vanished from her face, leaving behind a soft, almost divine calm.

Heer approached her slowly, her breaths shaky, her hands trembling. She reached out and took her mother's hand in both of hers-still warm, still familiar.

She pressed a tender kiss to her mother's hand, then brought it to her cheek and rested her face against it, her tears finally breaking free.

Her sobs were soft but gut-wrenching-like a child who had lost their whole world and didn't know how to survive the silence that followed.

Shaurya stood a few steps away, watching her silently. His heart clenched at the sight. He had seen pain before-but this... this kind of heartbreak was different. It wasn't loud or chaotic. It was the kind that shattered people quietly from the inside out.

He wished his mother could be here, to comfort Heer like only a mother could-but she was still admitted herself, under strict bed rest orders from the doctors. It wasn't possible.

Then, a thought came to him-someone who could maybe, just maybe, hold Heer through this storm.

He took out his phone and stepped outside the room, dialing a number he hadn't used in a while. As it rang, his eyes flicked back toward the doorway, where a girl sat frozen beside the lifeless form of the woman who had been her entire world.

He didn't know what would help right now.

But he knew one thing for certain-Heer shouldn't go through this alone.

"Arey, aaj Shaurya ji ko meri yaad kaise aa gayi?" came the voice from the other end, light and teasing, laced with genuine surprise.

Shaurya didn't respond to the playfulness in her tone. His voice was low, serious. "Can you come to ESH?"

There was a pause. Her tone changed immediately, concern creeping into her voice. "Is everything okay?"

Shaurya hesitated, glancing through the small glass window where Heer sat beside her mother's lifeless body. His chest tightened.

"Actually..." he exhaled, his voice barely audible, "Come here, and I'll explain."

"Okay, I'm coming," she said, her voice now soft with worry.

He ended the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket. Then, without another word, he walked back into the room.

Heer hadn't moved much. Her head still rested on her mother's hand, her body trembling with grief. The quiet sobs from before had grown into painful cries-raw and guttural, echoing through the sterile, lifeless air of the hospital.

Shaurya's heart clenched. He had always been the composed one, the rational one. But hearing her like this-so broken, so helpless-it made even his hardened heart ache.

He knelt beside her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm here," he said softly, hoping his presence could offer even a sliver of strength in the ocean of her grief.

But Heer didn't respond. Her cries continued, louder now, filled with the kind of pain words could never express. A part of her had died with her mother, and the silence in the room only made it louder.

Shaurya stayed by her side, holding her, grounding her.

Even if she couldn't see it now-she wasn't alone.

Words: 1105

Next update will be after 8 May!