The night smelled of blood and betrayal.
Twelve-year-old Samaira Rajvansh clutched her mother's dupatta, her tiny fingers trembling as she peeked through the gaps of the wooden closet. Her heart pounded against her ribs, a frantic rhythm of terror. Outside, in the grand hall of the Rajvansh mansion, shadows danced under the flickering chandelier-shadows of death.
Her father, Veer Rajvansh, stood tall despite the gun pointed at his forehead. His eyes burned with fury as he faced the man he had once trusted-his own younger brother, Virendra Malhotra.
"Virendra, you don't have to do this," Veer said, his voice calm but laced with warning. "You have always been my brother. I gave you everything. Why betray me?"
Virendra smirked, twirling the gold ring on his finger. "Because everything wasn't enough."
A sharp gasp escaped Suhani Rajvansh, Samaira's mother, as she shielded herself behind Veer. Her kohl-lined eyes shone with unshed tears, her hands trembling as she clutched his arm. "Please, Virendra," she pleaded. "We are family-"
BANG!
The gunshot echoed like a death knell. Blood splattered across the marble floor as Veer Rajvansh collapsed. A single bullet, straight through his heart. His eyes, still open, stared lifelessly at the grand chandelier above-the same chandelier that once shone on their happy family dinners.
A silent scream tore through Samaira's throat, but she pressed a hand against her mouth. She couldn't make a sound. She couldn't.
"NO!" Suhani cried, kneeling beside her husband's lifeless body. Her saree pooled in the thickening blood, her sobs shaking the very walls of the mansion.
Virendra stepped forward, his eyes dark with greed. "I would have spared you, bhabhi," he murmured, tilting his head as he crouched beside her. "But I can't have any loose ends."
He nodded at the man beside him-his most loyal enforcer. The cold steel of a knife gleamed under the chandelier's glow.
Samaira wanted to run, to scream, to stop what was coming. But she was frozen-paralyzed in horror.
A sickening slice tore through the silence.
Her mother gasped, her hands flying to her throat as a crimson river spilled down her chest. Her wide, terrified eyes locked onto the closet where Samaira was hiding-her final, desperate gaze searching for her daughter.
And then, she collapsed. Motionless. Lifeless.
Samaira bit down on her hand, her own warm tears soaking into her skin. Her entireworld had shattered in mere moments.
Footsteps.
Virendra turned, his sharp gaze sweeping the room. "Find the girl."
Samaira's breath caught in her throat.
She was next.
The goons scattered, kicking down doors, searching every corner. The closet door rattled slightly as someone tugged at it. Her entire body went numb, her vision blurring with panic.
Then-BOOM!
A sudden explosion rocked the mansion, sending shards of glass flying everywhere. The goons stumbled, and in the chaos, a familiar voice whispered urgently, "Come with me, quickly!"
Meera Sharma-her nanny.
Shaking with fear, Samaira let herself be pulled into the secret passage behind the bookshelf. The sounds of shouting and destruction faded behind them as they ran into the cold, endless night.
Samaira didn't look back.
That was the night she died.
That was the night Samaira Rajvansh ceased to exist.
But years later, she would return.
Not as a helpless girl.
Not as a victim.
But as a woman with vengeance in her veins.
And this time, she would be the one holding the gun.
To be continued....