“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh” a woman woke up abruptly from her sleep, drenched in sweat. Her eyes were filled with tears as she curled her legs close to her chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

Suddenly, the room’s door opened and her parents rushed in. They tried to comfort her, but she kept pushing them away, crying desperately—

“No! No! Please don’t touch me… please…”

She continued murmuring in distress, her words broken and trembling. Her parents’ hearts shattered seeing her in such a state.

Her father quickly held her tightly, stroking her hair gently.

“Shhh… mera bacha… it’s Papa… please calm down, baby…”

The moment she felt his embrace, her body slowly relaxed, though her sobs grew even louder. Her mother sat beside her on the bed, caressing her hair with trembling hands, her own eyes brimming with tears.

After some time, the women finally drifted back to sleep. Her father looked at her fragile face, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, before turning to his wife—who was already crying silently.

Both of them walked out quietly into the living room. Mr. Bajaj sat down heavily, his face pale with sorrow, while Mrs. Bajaj’s gaze fell on a photo frame on the wall.

It was a picture of a young, vibrant girl smiling brightly, hugging her parents tightly.

Her mother’s voice broke into sobs.

“Why my child only? It’s not fair… She was such a bubbly, pure soul… She never did anything wrong to anyone. Then why her? Why my Adira? W-h-y?”

She broke down, weeping uncontrollably. Mr. Bajaj tried hard to stay strong, but even he couldn’t hold back his tears.

The woman from earlier—the one broken by nightmares—was their only daughter.

Adira Bajaj.

Their world was once painted in the brightest colors, all centered around their daughter.

Adira was more than just a child to Mr. and Mrs. Bajaj; she was the light of their lives, the very definition of joy.

She was a jolly, bubbly soul, quick with a laugh, and a loving, caring daughter whose energy filled every corner of their home.

Every milestone was a celebration, every day a new happiness, and they believed their little world was unshakeable.

But in one devastating moment, all of it—the light, the joy, the laughter—was snatched away.

Their brilliant, vibrant life was suddenly plunged into an agonizing darkness,

leaving them with only the painful echo of the happiness that had been stolen along with Adira’s peace.

The next morning,

Mrs. Bajaj was in the kitchen while her husband was outside for some urgent work. After finishing her work, Mrs. Bajaj went towards Adira's room.

She tried to open the door, but it was locked. For normal parents, this might be okay, but for them, it wasn't. She immediately began to panic and started banging on the door.

"Adira, baccha, open the door! Baby, open the door!" She continuously banged on the door, but there was no response from the other side. She immediately called her husband.

Mr. Bajaj: "Hello—"

Mrs. Bajaj: "Please come home! Ad—Adira is not opening the door, please!"

She said this and hung up the call, while Mr. Bajaj immediately ran toward their house.

When he reached there, he saw some people rushing Adira into an ambulance, and blood was oozing from her wrist. He walked toward his wife, and she saw him, embracing him tightly.

"She again tried to do that," she sobbed.

(Yes, she attempted suicide. This wasn't the first time she did)

Mr. Bajaj closed his eyes while he comforted his wife. As soon as they reached the hospital, Adira was directly admitted to the emergency room while Mr. and Mrs. Bajaj stood outside.

After some time, a doctor approached them.

"She is fine, but lost a lot of blood. If it was just some minutes later, we could have lost her."

After hearing this, the mother broke down, and the father stood stoically while the doctor patted his shoulder and left.

They were both in silence when suddenly they saw a few people rush towards them: Adira's friends—Dhriti, Ayush, and Tamana.

Dhriti: "Aunty, she is alright, isn't she?" (She asked, her eyes welling up with tears.)

Ayush: "Uncle, nothing is serious, right?"

Tamana: "Calm down, let them speak."

Mr. Bajaj: "The doctor said she is alright, but if we were just a minute late, we could have lost her."

As he spoke, the group sighed with relief, but their hearts ached seeing her parents.

They immediately crouched down and said, "Uncle, Aunty, she will be fine."

Mrs. Bajaj: "How come she will be? This is her fourth attempt! She thinks by ending herself everything will be fine, but she has forgotten that her parents cannot live without her."

As she spoke, the group was already in tears when Tamana stated,

"She is not going to do this anymore. Trust us, Aunty, Uncle, we will do anything for her."

Mr. Bajaj: "Can you make her just like before?"

They all went silent until Tamana spoke again.

"We can, Uncle. I've taken an appointment with a psychologist. We will take her there, trust us, Uncle."

Mrs. Bajaj: "She will not go out of the house. You know that."

Ayush: "She doesn't need to, Aunty. The doctor will come home."

Her parents sighed and nodded when Dhriti asked, "Uncle, what about the case? Did you find—"

Her words were cut off when Mr. Bajaj said,

"No one is willing to take it. It feels like God is giving punishment for our mistakes to my daughter."

They all comforted them when a nurse came rushing out.