Jharna was locked inside a dimly lit room. She kept struggling to open the door, her trembling hands pulling at the handle again and again—but every attempt failed. Beads of sweat trickled down her face. Suddenly, she smelled something strange—sharp and suffocating.

She turned toward the small glass window, and her eyes widened in horror.

“Manav!” she gasped.

Outside the room stood Manav, a cruel smile playing on his lips. His men were pouring petrol and kerosene all around the room. The liquid slowly crept inside through the gap beneath the door, its pungent smell filling the air.

Manav chuckled darkly.

“You really shouldn’t have interfered, Jharna. Life was going fine for you, wasn’t it? You should’ve lived peacefully with your children. But no—you just had to make things difficult for yourself. Well, not anymore. Today, I’ll end all your troubles… forever.”

A single tear rolled down Jharna’s cheek.

Manav’s grin widened.

“And don’t expect Ivaan to come save you this time. Poor guy—he’s lying in a coma, remember?”

He pulled out a lighter from his pocket, flicked it open, and with a flick of his wrist, tossed it toward the room. Within seconds, the flames caught. Fire spread rapidly, swallowing the walls, the furniture—everything.

“Remember this fire, Jharna?

It’s the same one you and your sister faced years ago… in your Shimla house.

You escaped that night.” He smiled cruelly.

“But… This time, you won’t.,” Manav said coldly, “Say hi to your parents for me.” He said, turning away as the fire roared behind him.

***

The room was now an inferno. Smoke filled the air, burning her lungs with every breath. Jharna coughed violently, her vision blurring. Desperate, she looked around for an escape—but fate had already turned its back on her.

She stumbled, nearly collapsing, when her gaze fell on a telephone near the table. Crawling toward it through the heat, she picked up the receiver with trembling hands and dialed a number.

On the other side, Tia answered.

“Jharna? What happened? Why are you crying?”

Through sobs, Jharna whispered, “Tia… please… please take care of my children.”

Alarmed, Tia asked, “What are you saying? Why are you crying like this? Miransh, Ivana, and Palki are all safe here—and Ivaan’s condition is stable too. Where are you?”

Hearing Tia’s anxious tone, Vihaan rushed over.

“What happened?” he asked, then quickly turned on the speaker.

Jharna’s broken voice echoed through the phone.

“I… I won’t survive this time, Tia. The fire’s everywhere… please, please look after my children.”

Miransh, who had been standing nearby, froze when he heard his mother’s voice.

Tia covered her mouth in horror.

Vihaan’s voice trembled, “Bhabhi, please tell me where you are. I’ll come right now—just tell me! Hello? Hello, Bhabhi?”

And then—a heart-wrenching scream tore through the phone.

The line went dead.

“Momma!” Miransh screamed, his voice breaking.

Tia and Vihaan turned toward him, helpless. Miransh ran toward the room where Ivaan lay unconscious, connected to countless machines. He held his father’s hand tightly, his eyes overflowing with tears.

“Dadda, please wake up… Momma’s in trouble! Please save her like you always do… please, superhero, please wake up!”

But the monitor suddenly began to beep rapidly—then went flat.

The screen showed a straight line.

Ivaan was gone.