Chapter One.... The Beginning
Aashvi was only a month old when life taught her its first lesson.
She was too young to remember it, but the story would stay with her forever.
The milk meant for her was often taken by some of her relatives' children. Instead of feeding the baby, they drank it themselves and filled her bottle with water. Her mother noticed it happening more than once. Heartbroken and unwilling to let her daughter suffer any longer, she made a difficult decision.
She took Aashvi to her parents' house.
At the time, she also had an older son to care for, and she believed Aashvi would be safer and better looked after there.
That house became Aashvi's first home.
She grew up surrounded by people who loved her deeply. As a little girl, she didn't understand family titles. She called her aunts "Mom," their husbands "Dad," and even her grandparents by the same names. To her, family wasn't defined by blood or relationships. It was defined by love.
Among everyone, one person held a special place in her heart her aunt, Riddh.
Riddh loved Aashvi as if she were her own daughter. She even wanted to adopt her, but Aashvi's parents couldn't bring themselves to let her go. Instead, Riddh became something just as precious a guardian who loved her without conditions.
As a child, Aashvi was cheerful, playful, and impossible to keep indoors. She spent hours running outside, laughing, exploring every corner she could find, and returning home only when someone called her name.
She was the kind of child who filled every room with energy.
But childhood never stays the same forever.
One by one, her aunts got married.
One by one, they moved away.
Each wedding was celebrated with smiles, music, and blessings. Yet after every celebration, someone Aashvi loved disappeared from her everyday life.
Phone calls became less frequent.
Visits became shorter.
The house that once felt full of laughter slowly became quieter.
And so did Aashvi.
She never complained.
She never asked anyone to stay.
She simply smiled... and slowly learned how to keep her sadness to herself.
No one noticed that every goodbye left another small crack in her heart.
To be continued....
