Night Time...

Chittorgarh, 8 PM

A girl, trembling and sneaking cautiously, entered a large mansion. Sweat was visibly dripping from her forehead, and she kept praying silently to God for protection.

As she reached the main gate and peeped into the hall, she saw no one. The hall was beautifully decorated, with lights shining all around. From the inside, the mansion looked absolutely stunning.

Main Gate...

Mansion...

Central View...

Hall...

In front of the hall, there was a grand staircase leading upwards.

The girl tiptoed inside through the door, hugging the side walls, and as she was about to climb the stairs, a commanding voice e

choed in her ears -

"Stop!"

She shut her eyes tightly, her body trembling in fear. Slowly, she turned around to see her elder brother standing there, looking stern. Her voice quivering, she said,

"Asmita bai-sa... Don't even try to explain. And don't you dare lie to me."

Terrified, Asmita stuttered,

"Bhai-sa..."

Her brother glared at her and said,

"College ends at 4. If you're with friends, you may stay out till 5 - that's the limit. But it seems you've been pushing boundaries. From now on, even that allowance will be taken away. Everyone - Maa-sa, Dadi-sa, Gunjan bai-sa - they all return home before 6. Why is it always you who breaks the rules?"

Just then, a boy walked into the villa, humming to himself, and found himself standing between the two siblings. Realizing the tension, he quietly stepped aside as his elder brother shot him a glare.

With teary eyes, Asmita whispered,

"Advait bhai-sa, Aditya bhai-sa comes home late too. Why don't you ever say anything to him?"

Advait, hands in his pockets, replied firmly,

"He's a boy. Even if he stays out all night, no one will bother him. No one will say a word. But as girls, we have to be careful about everything."

Hearing this, Asmita nodded silently. Then Advait said,

"Go freshen up. And don't even think about coming downstairs again. You're not going to college tomorrow. That's your punishment."

Alarmed, Asmita cried out,

"N-No, Bhai-sa... I have a test tomorrow..."

To which Advait responded coldly,

"We'll speak to your principal. Hand me your phone - turn it off. You're not stepping out of your room until tomorrow night."

Just then, a 50-year-old man entered the house. Seeing him, Asmita ran up and pleaded,

"Baba-sa, please talk to Bhai-sa. Ask him to forgive me. I won't repeat this again."

Advait stared coldly at her, but Kamal ji - the man - said,

"You know very well that in this house, women are not allowed to go out after 6 PM. If they must, they should go with their brother, husband, or father. Ask Gunjan bai-sa - she never does a single thing without asking me. One time she did, and I scolded her badly."

Asmita argued softly,

"But Baba-sa, someday these rules will have to change..."

Advait snapped,

"So now you're talking back too? Is this what your institute teaches you? Seems like we'll have to stop sending you to college altogether."

Asmita couldn't hold back her tears. She looked up to see her mother gesturing from upstairs for her to come to her room. Without another word, Asmita ran upstairs.

Kamal ji sat down on the sofa. Aditya started to leave, but Advait called out,

"Maa-sa..."

Standing behind was Geeta ji - mother of Advait, Gunjan, and Asmita. She and Kamal ji had three children: Advait, Gunjan, and Asmita. Aditya and Garvit were the sons of Devendra Pratap Singh and Bhairavi - both younger than Advait by about 3-4 years.

Advait continued,

"There's no need to support your daughter's behavior like this. If she goes out of control, you'll be the one crying later."

Geeta ji said nothing, simply adjusting her dupatta. Kamal ji shook his head in disapproval. Advait turned and walked toward his room.

On the other hand... in Jaisalmer

Inside a grand haveli, a 49-50-year-old man entered the hall carrying a laptop bag. As he came in, a girl wearing an Anarkali dress came running, holding her outfit up with both hands. She grabbed the bag from him, placed it on the table, hugged him tightly, and said sweetly,

"Baba-sa! You're home! Did you bring what I asked for?"

The man smiled and put a hand on his forehead.

Prithvi Raj ji replied,

"Beta, I forgot. Your brother wasn't free either, and the driver wasn't available today. But I taught you how to drive, didn't I? You could've gone yourself. When have I ever stopped you from going anywhere?"

Just then, Urmila ji said,

"Aditi, go get water for Baba-sa. And no need to go anywhere. Your Viraj bhai-sa will bring it for you."

Aditi looked at her father, sighed, and walked toward the kitchen. As she left, she muttered,

"Maa-sa, why do you always oppose Baba-sa when it comes to me?"

Urmila ji replied,

"First bring water. We'll talk after that."

Aditi, without arguing, brought the water and handed it to her father.

Then Urmila ji turned to her husband and said,

"Why are you spoiling her so much? She'll get used to this freedom. And what if her future in-laws or husband don't give her the same freedom? How will our Aditi survive in a place where she's been handed everything without asking?"

Prithvi ji said nothing.

Aditi returned with the water and gave it to him.

To be continue....