Chapter 1

He looked at his reflection in the mirror as he quickly buttoned his kurta knowing that his family was waiting for him downstairs. It was yet another festival being celebrated in his home and he really didn't want to attend this one but he had to. He had no choice. He liked the quiet and preferred to be in his space, in his room. But he didn't have the luxury to have his way always. Like today. Because certain things were inevitable like Rakshabandhan.

Glancing at himself in the mirror for the last time, he left his room with a solemn look on his face. Rakshabandhan is a festival for siblings and it used to be his favourite festival too. He hated the past tense. But he didn't like this festival anymore as it was an annual reminder about his complete failure as a brother.

Nobody had ever told him that his sister was his responsibility; it was an intuitive urge that he felt to keep her safe always even though he was younger than her. He took it upon himself to ensure that she got every happiness in the world, even if he had to sacrifice his own. Thus, when it was time for his sister's marriage, he had taken it upon himself to get her married to a good guy.

Good guy, he sniggered. It was he who had approved of the guy and gotten his sister married to that two-timing lecher. If only he knew about him then, he would have never pushed his own sister in to this hell.

The day they had come to know about his brother-in-law's true face, it had devastated their whole family and most importantly his sister. He knew his sister was not strong enough to take this blow on her otherwise apparently blissful life and he had lost his sister that day. He couldn't stop blaming himself for this and he had accepted that he didn't have it in him to forgive himself for it either.

He had now reached the top of the stairs which led to the brightly decorated hall below where everyone was waiting for him so that they could start with the pooja. His eyes fell automatically on his wife and he smiled. His wife was loud, dramatic and over-emotional but he loved her. She was the only one who understood him inside out and knew how painful this day was for him. He loved his wife...

She met his eyes in that instant, as if she could read his mind and gave him a bright smile. She walked to the bottom of the steps and offered her hand to him - she knew he needed her support especially today.

He walked down the steps and placed his hand in hers and allowed her to walk him to the mandir. The pooja commenced and ended in a blur of lights and colours.

While he looked at Anjali tying a rakhi to her brothers - Arnav, Akash and NK in turns, Manorama promptly wiped the lone traitor tear from the corner of his eyes, shaking her head.

She placed her head over his shoulder and whispered "I miss Ratna Didi as much as you do"

Mahinder Singh Raizada could only look up and mouth a sorry like he did every day since his sister left this world.