Nobela ni Rikki

THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEWBy the time they walked back from the pond, the air around the house had shifted into that warm, golden calm that comes just before evening. The smell of grilled meat lingered thick and comforting. Isabella noticed them first.Her sharp mother’s eyes took in everything in a single glance, the way Ethan was holding Reid’s hand, the quiet in Karline’s face, the slight redness around Reid’s eyes that he clearly hadn’t bothered to hide.She didn’t ask questions.Instead, she smiled warmly.“You helped a lot with the grilling,” Isabella said, wiping her hands on her apron. “If you want, you can stay for lunch. James too.”James, who was currently attempting to balance two plates while Mia loudly gave unnecessary instructions, looked up immediately.“Yes, please,” James said before remembering to look polite. “I mean... if it’s not trouble.”Reid shifted slightly, instinctively cautious.“I don’t want to cause any problems,” he said evenly. The words were respect

THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW Karline called him gently. “Ethan…” He turned from where he had been poking at the grass and walked toward her without protest. There was laziness in his eyes. He slipped easily into her arms when she opened them, settling against her chest as he had done since he was small. She kissed his hair. “Ethan dear… mommy is going to tell something very important to my little baby today.” He leaned back slightly to look at her face. “What’s that, mommy?” Her fingers brushed over his cheek, lingering there a moment longer than usual. “You know what father means? What papa means?” His face lit up immediately. “Nonno!” A faint smile curved her lips. “Yes, baby. Nonno is papa… but he is my father.My papa.” Ethan blinked, processing. “Ohhh…” he said slowly, turning his head slightly. “He’s not my papa, mommy?” Karline shook her head gently. “No, sweetheart.” He grew thoughtful. Not upset. Just thinking. “Do you want to know who you

THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW The smoke from the grill drifted lazily into the warm afternoon air when Karline finally moved.Karline had been watching them longer than she intended.Something inside her had been turning quietly all morning.She stepped down from the porch and walked toward him.“Reid.”He looked up immediately.Not distracted. Not delayed.Just attentive.“Yes?”“I need to talk to you.”The words weren’t sharp.But they weren’t light either.Reid straightened instinctively, handing the tongs back to Matteo without question. Matteo glanced between them once but said nothing.Ethan was still running in circles, chasing something invisible.Karline turned slightly and called softly, “Ethan, baby, come here.”He came without hesitation, small feet pattering across dry soil. She bent and lifted him into her arms, pressing a brief kiss to his hair. He wrapped his arms around her neck lazily.She looked at Reid again.“Not here.”He understood immediately.He nodded once. “Ok

THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW Karline who was once looking at the scene. For a moment, she didn’t recognize the man she was looking at right now. Reid’s once-white shirt was no longer white. There were faint streaks of soil along the side, darker smudges near his elbow where he had clearly wiped sweat or leaned against something dusty. His jeans were creased, stained lightly at the knees. A thin line of dirt marked his forearm. He was holding a pair of metal tongs like someone who had absolutely no idea what he was doing, but was trying very hard not to show it. Matteo stood beside him, barking short instructions. “Not like that,” Matteo muttered, flipping a piece of meat with precision. “Turn it gently. You’ll dry it out.” Reid adjusted his grip without protest. “Like this?” he asked, carefully copying the motion. Matteo gave a curt nod. “Hmm.” That was approval, in Matteo language. Karline leaned slightly against the porch pillar, unnoticed. This… this version of him was

THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW Ethan had been running without rhythm or restraint for nearly an hour, kicking the ball, chasing shadows, laughing at nothing and everything. Eventually, his tiny legs began to protest. He slowed. Then stopped. Then bent down into an awkward squat, small hands resting on his knees as if he were an exhausted old man reconsidering life choices. Reid, who had been pretending to lose for the fifteenth time, noticed immediately. “Tired already?” he asked lightly, walking closer. Ethan didn’t answer at first. He just puffed his cheeks dramatically. “My legs are tired,” he declared. Reid couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him. There was something painfully innocent about the way the child narrated his exhaustion like a personal betrayal. “Tired, huh?” Reid crouched down in front of him. Ethan nodded solemnly. Without another word, Reid slipped one arm under the boy’s knees and the other around his back, lifting him carefully. He did

THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW Karline stood near the wooden fence, arms loosely folded, watching Ethan run through the field with careless joy. His laughter carried easily in the open air, light and bright, as he chased nothing in particular, just the thrill of being alive.Then she heard it.The low, familiar hum of an engine.Her spine stiffened before her mind caught up. A jeep rolled slowly through the open gate, tires crunching against gravel. It wasn’t loud or aggressive. It entered carefully, almost respectfully.Reid stepped out with James.He wasn’t dressed like the man she used to know, the corporate figure wrapped in tailored suits and controlled expressions. Today he wore simple jeans and a white shirt, sleeves slightly rolled. The sun caught in his dark hair as he shut the jeep door gently behind him.For a moment, he didn’t move.He just stood there, taking in the farmhouse, the wide land, the simplicity of her world. It was a world he had once abandoned.Ethan stopped m

Epilogue 1(Natasha point of view)***EPILOGUETWO YEARS LATER... PRISON***Pain.That's the only word that defines me now. Not my name. Not my past. Just... pain.It lives in my bones. It's stitched into my skin.I've been here for two years-twenty-four months of slow rot, surrounded by cement, steel, and shame.The food makes me sick. Sometimes the female prisoners beat me.I don't fight back anymore.Because maybe... just maybe... I deserve it.After everything I've done.Sometimes I think about who I used to be.Natasha Raghuvanshi. Beautiful. Elegant, wanted and untouchable.I believed the world revolved around me.But now... I can't even revolve around myself.My eyes sting as tears slip silently down my cheeks. I don't bother wiping them. There's no one to impress here. No mirrors. No cameras. No crowd.Just me and my sins.I wish I had made better choices.I wish I hadn't been so foolish.So arrogant.I thought I was perfect. I thought I deserved the best.But I didn't. I

Two Months Later –The skyline outside their house was different now—sleek towers, foreign language hoardings, and the unfamiliar scent of a new land. But inside, within the four walls they now called home, everything had started to feel like theirs.Raghav was now handling the main branch of his company abroad, a position of greater responsibility, yet he had not left behind the ones who stood with him in darkness—Leela and Bilal were right there, part of his growing world.What was once broken had now begun to rebuild.And at the center of it was love.Today, love was taking its grandest form.Their wedding._______The resort sparkled like a dream—hanging lights draped across the gardens like golden threads, soft music in the background, and the scent of fresh roses blended with incense.Guests were scattered throughout the open venue, chatting and laughing, the air rich with celebration.Three-year-old Esha twirled on the lush green grass in her beautiful bottle-green dress, her l

Soon they reached the hotel and departed the next day for Raghav's private jet.During the car journey, Esha was asleep in Kiyara's arms, her tiny body curled up peacefully. Kiyara’s head rested gently against Raghav’s chest as he softly rubbed her arms for warmth.Raghav looked down at them and whispered, "Kiyu, Esha is asleep… give her to me na now."Kiyara slowly shifted and carefully placed the sleeping child into his arms.Raghav took Esha gently, as if cradling a piece of his heart. He leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on her forehead."Kiyara… she’s so small," he murmured, his voice filled with the wonder and tenderness of a father.Kiyara nodded, her eyes soft."What if I… might hurt her?" he asked quietly, his hands trembling just a little."The last thing you’ll ever do is hurt her, Raghav," Kiyara whispered back, placing her head against his shoulder again.Raghav gently rubbed and patted Esha’s back, holding her closer — as if promising with every heartbeat that he’d

Raghav cupped her cheeks gently, as if touching a fragile dream he was afraid to shatter.His thumbs trembled against her damp skin, brushing the tears that refused to stop. His gaze searched hers like a man searching for light after years of darkness."Kiyu… it's really you," his voice cracked, barely more than a whisper — aching, raw, and breathless.A tear slipped down her cheek as she saw him, the man she thought she could never see again. For three years, she had imagined this moment. But now that it was here, everything felt more fragile than ever.Kiyara's lips parted, her eyes swimming with tears. She gave a slight nod, the movement almost invisible, but it was enough.A sob escaped him — soft, strangled."I tried to find you everywhere…" he confessed, his brows furrowed with pain. "Every day, every night…every damn place"Kiyara opened her mouth to speak but no words came. Her breath shook as her lips trembled."Raghav..I… I missed you,…" she finally managed, her voice breaki

After a few days…Raghav finally flew to Uttarakhand with his team and Bilal Baba. The snow-kissed mountains greeted them with a silence so dense, it felt like the earth itself was holding its breath.Their eyes scoured every face, every village, every trail, yet after 5 long days of relentless searching, there was still no sign of her—no Kiyara.The winter mist hung low, curling between pine branches and clinging to the ridges like whispers of hidden secrets.The nights were colder than he remembered, and the mornings seemed to punish his hope with the same monotony of silence.Standing at the edge of a narrow dirt path, Raghav finally turned to Bilal Baba, weariness layered beneath his voice."Let’s go and meet Lila chachi first. Finding Kiyara… it may take longer than we thought."Bilal gave a slight nod, his wrinkled eyes filled with understanding."Okay, beta."They both climbed into a creaking old jeep, its engine coughing to life as they followed a winding road through towering

(Raghav's Point of View)Location: Kashi | Time: Late Night, near Ganga GhatThe city was chaos wrapped in divinity-Kashi. A place where death met salvation, where every breath carried the smoke of agarbatti and the weight of a thousand chants. The narrow lanes curled like ancient veins around temples, homes, and history. The smell of sandalwood, marigold, ghee, and dust wrapped around me like a memory.In my hand, the rudraksh mala hung loosely-its beads cold against my skin. The same mala she had tied around my neck. I used to believe in God once.Before her.Before Natasha.Before everything I was crumbled like dust.The day I put sindoor in another woman's hair, I had buried my faith alongside my soul. But tonight, standing under the dark velvet sky of Kashi, with the stars hidden behind city smoke and temple bells echoing in the distance-I felt something stir inside me.Hope. Maybe just a flicker, but it was there.I walked toward the ancient Shiv Mandir that stood at the edge